Chuck's is much less known than it deserves to be. I've only been there once so far but was able to sample the Brunswick stew, pulled pork, beef brisket, hot links, ribs, and cole slaw (okay, I am a pig, so what?). I was pretty impressed with just about everything. The pork was particularly fine, very moist but not fatty, with some nice crispy crust, and excellent flavor. At the moment this is my Chicago pulled pork benchmark. The brisket was no slouch either, but not quite up to the level of the pork. Ribs were meaty with a good somewhat chewy texture. The hot links were fine but clearly not the star of the show. Can't claim to be a connoisseur of Brunswick stew (not very common in these parts; it's a combination of pork, chicken, but no squirrel, potatoes, and carrots in a brown broth) but it tasted good to me. There are two sauces available in squirt bottles on the tables. I liked the mild quite a bit; it had good character without the cloying sweetness often found in the mild/sweet sauces. The hot version is truly outstanding. It's hot, no question about it, but it doesn't just burn for no good reason. It's a beautiful, complex, and balanced sauce, probably my favorite in Chicago. Chuck also has an extra hot sauce available by special request. Much of the menu is similar to what you see at many BBQ places but a few unusual items caught my eye. There's a catfish po' boy (with homemade tartar sauce, a nice touch). Chuck's Special sounds awfully good: a brisket sandwich with roasted peppers, onions, Chihuahua cheese, and au jus. And although I would never ordinarily order a veggie sandwich in a BBQ joint, I might have to try the Veggie Stack: roasted portabello, eggplant, onion, and peppers, with Provolone, onion sprouts (good idea!) and red pepper mayo. Oddly, submarine sandwiches are also on the menu. Just in case you're suspicious of a BBQ joint that serves onion sprouts and red pepper mayo, the place is as unpretentious as can be. It's just a walkup counter and some formica tables. No booze. Chuck seems like a real nice guy and most of his customers seem to be regulars. Chuck's BBQ 5557 W 79th St (at Central) Burbank 708-229-8700 Mon-Sat 11-9, Sun 11-8
Chicago, IL