Boston Barbecue Revisited

 I had the ribs.  Once.  They tasted like they were parboiled then
 smoked briefly for flavor, something that seems common with yankee
 BBQ.  The beer selection was also disappointing considering they are
 owned by the same guys that own Boston Beer Works.  I won't be
 returning as long as Redbones is in business.

 Someone wrote:

 >I was in the Fenway today for the groundbreaking of the new Landmark
 >Center, in old Sears Building.  I walked by BB Wolf's, and thought that I
 >should give it a try.
 >
 >It was not very good.
 >
 >First off, they had no pulled pork.  How in hell can a barbecue joint not
 >have pulled pork?  (The waitress suggested Pulled Chicken instead.
 ><Shudder>) I went in anticipating a nice pulled pork sandwich with
 >cole slaw, and was immediately disappointed.
 >
 >They seem to emphasize ribs, but since I was dressed for work, I didn't
 >want anything sloppy to eat.  I decided on a brisket sandwich instead.
 >
 >Bad choice.  The brisket was so tough, I had to use a knife to cut it.  It
 >had a thick layer of unrendered fat on one edge of every piece.  The
 >predominate taste was creosote.  It's nice to know they use real wood, but
 >apparently they don't know how to use their smoker.  From the way it
 >tasted, they bathed it in thick, acrid smoke from unseasoned smouldering
 >wood chunks for a few hours, and then threw it into the warming oven.
 >They would have been better off just cooking the damn thing in a gas oven.
 >This was the worst brisket I've ever eaten in my life.
 >
 >The cole slaw was some bastardized version with pickles and red peppers
 >and God only knows what else (but certainly no celery seed) in it.  The
 >sauce was quite tasty, however.
 >
 >Some caveats:  I am very picky when it comes to barbecue.  Brisket is the
 >hardest type of barbecue to cook properly.  I only went there once, and
 >only tried one item.  But I doubt that I'll go back.
 >
 >--
 >           =========================================================
 >                    [email removed]
 >           =========================================================

 Someone wrote:
 >
 >I've always been a lucky one a Blue Ribbon I guess. Never had a
 >complaint on anything they make for me. I'm in their for lunch (West
 >Newton) at least once a week. I've grown VERY fond of the Jerk Chicken
 >sandwich with the Habenero mayonaise, definately a favorite.

 While I love the Blue Ribbon, I hated their jerk chicken.  I'd never
 tried a jerk chicken before, and I was going to order one to take
 home after eating lunch there one day, but fortunately, they gave me a
 sample (they'll do that on almost everything), and I just hated the
 particular spices they used.  I think it might have been rosemary, it
 tasted very evergreen like to me.  I've never noticed the particular
 reaction to other things I've had with dried rosemary.  Maybe this was
 the fresh rosemary, or maybe I got a huge dose of it, or maybe I'm
 sensitive to fresh.  Anyway, I got a Barbecued chicken instead,
 and was very happy.  I also got some pulled pork.  What spices are
 normally used for jerk chicken?  I've never been to Jamaica or tried
 jerk chicken anywhere else.

 I'm always torn when I go there between the ribs and the pulled pork,
 so I often get a dual with both to take home.  BTW, the bakery next
 door has some great looking deserts, even though I find the Blue
 Ribbon's Congo bars addictive.

 Chuck Demas
 Needham, Mass.

 Don M. wrote:

 > I *still* have yet to get a batch of ribs at Blue Ribbon as amazing as the
 > ones I had the first time I went.  The pulled pork is solid, but I
 > *really* wish I'd get those great ribs again.  Is there some kind of
 > password or handshake I need to know about so they'll part with the good
 > stuff once more?

 My experience with the Blue Ribbon in West Newton is that
 their quality varies with the time/day.  The ribs tend to
 be best on weekday evenings or at slow times in the afternoon.

 Fri/Sat evenings and the period of time just after they open
 have produced the worst results for me.  I think that they
 may rush some of the ribs at busy times (and if they get
 a late start before they open).  But that's just a theory
 based on my experiences--I have no proof.

 Marcel

 Charles D. wrote:

 > Someone wrote:
 > >
 > >I've always been a lucky one a Blue Ribbon I guess. Never had a
 > >complaint on anything they make for me. I'm in their for lunch (West
 > >Newton) at least once a week. I've grown VERY fond of the Jerk Chicken
 > >sandwich with the Habenero mayonaise, definately a favorite.
 >
 > While I love the Blue Ribbon, I hated their jerk chicken.  I'd never
 > tried a jerk chicken before, and I was going to order one to take
 > home after eating lunch there one day, but fortunately, they gave me a
 > sample (they'll do that on almost everything), and I just hated the
 > particular spices they used.  I think it might have been rosemary, it
 > tasted very evergreen like to me.  I've never noticed the particular
 > reaction to other things I've had with dried rosemary.  Maybe this was
 > the fresh rosemary, or maybe I got a huge dose of it, or maybe I'm
 > sensitive to fresh.  Anyway, I got a Barbecued chicken instead,
 > and was very happy.  I also got some pulled pork.  What spices are
 > normally used for jerk chicken?  I've never been to Jamaica or tried
 > jerk chicken anywhere else.

 [rest snipped]

 The jerk chicken at Blue Ribbon tastes nothing like any jerk chicken
 I've ever had at any Caribbean restaurant. If I want jerk chicken, I
 go to Rhythm & Spice on Mass. Ave in Cambridge (near MIT). Or I make
 it myself, using something called "Busha Browne's Jerk Rub" (or
 something like that).