Hi all, Here is a question for the aficionados. I would like to put a name to the kind of ribs I really like, so I don't have to waste my time and money sampling every rib joint in town to find the kind I am craving. So many places around here in Chicago have ribs which are boiled/steamed so much that the meat slides off the bone. I find this disgusting, and think it ruins the integrity of the meat. I say that meat should retain its "meatiness", and I like if I have to work a little to get it off the bone. I can achieve this myself with an initial parboil and then 6-8 hours of smoking under relatively low heat. My question is, do these very different cooking methods or styles (call them mushy vs chewy) have regional origins or names? I'd like to be able to ask, "Do you serve xxx style ribs, or yyy style ribs?" In terms of spices, they must be spicy. I prefer what I think is referred to as a Memphis style. I like to 'marinade' in a dry rub of paprika, pepper, garlic, mustard, chili, etc, and then baste infrequently during smoking with a thin, spicy, basting sauce: tomato sauce, Brown sugar, tabasco, chili (I like the interesting combination of prompt and delayed spiciness you get when playing tabasco [red pepper] and chili off each other), Worcestershire, Red Wine Vinegar, etc. Then follow up with a sweeter thicker dipping sauce which is mostly tomato sauce, mustard, vinegar, onion, garlic, brown sugar, etc. For what it is worth, the restaurant ribs which I have found best exemplify the above traits are at the Pickled Parrot in Minneapolis, MN. Who has miracle ribs like these in Chicago? JU
Minneapolis, MN
What kind of BBQ ribs are these?
NNTP-Posting-Date: 23 Jul 2002 02:50:19 GMT
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Jonny U. wrote:
> Who has miracle ribs like these in Chicago?
Half the fun here will be trying all kinds of places.
West and South Side take out:
Colemans
The Rib Shack
Jimmy's on Madison at about Laramie
All around:
Robinsons
Maywood take out:
Pumpkin's place
Ernie's Ribs and Beauty Salon
...other will chime in with sitdown places.
Try Bone Daddy.NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 10:27:36 +0000 (UTC) X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-Mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:17144 rec.food.cooking:949033 Esq. S. wrote: > Jonny U. wrote: > > > Damn! Thanks for a very informative reply. > > > > It is good to know there are some people out there who understand the > > tragedy of an over-boiled rack. > > > > So, if you had to pick your favorite Chicago place for chewy, textured ribs > > with a kick, what would it be? > > Drive to Paducah. > > Seriously. > > Chicago's outstanding at some things, but it's not the foremost BBQ > town. For soul ribs, Hecky's is pretty tasty. City-style Black ribs. Not > Memphis smoked, but not bad, either. Try Russell's BBQ. It is great. Also was kind of the subject of a MASH episode. They used another name. But it was from a true incident of Russell's being shipped to Korea. They are over in Elmwood Park near the race track.
NNTP-Posting-Date: 23 Jul 2002 20:27:13 GMT User-Agent: MT-NewsWatcher/3.1 (PPC) Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:17156 Someone wrote: > Someone wrote: > <snip> > >Pumpkin's place > >Ernie's Ribs and Beauty Salon > <snip> > > Kenji, > > You mind elaborating on these two places a bit? I've heard of Ernie's, > but not Pumpkin's. They are both on the strech of 5th Ave between Vanburen and Washington in Maywood. If you exit 290W at 1st. ave go forward on Harrison to 5th Ave, take a left. Pumpkins is about 3 blocks N of 290 on the corner of Van Buren and 5th Ave. Her place is a storefront take out place. The normal hotlinks,fried catfish, fried chicken, some good desserts, and tips and slabs. I personally like the mild sauce. Ernie's place is further N of Pumpkins. It too has links, ribs, and chicken but also has more soulfood side dishes, along with smoked turkey and meatloaf dinners. There is also some seafood on the menu. It is a take out place, that has three booths to eat at. Ernie's dinners have a better flavor to me. Both places serve their to go ribs, links fish and chicken the traditonal Chicago way; fries on the bottom of a paper dish, meat with choice of BBQ sauce smothered on top and two pieces of white bread on top of that all wrapped in wax paper. Prices are 3.50-8.00 at both places. I'd call both places traditional Chicago smokehouse BBQ.
NNTP-Posting-Date: 26 Jul 2002 00:41:29 GMT X-No-Archive: yes X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.9/32.560 User-Agent: Hamster/1.3.23.4 Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:17188 Someone wrote: >Jonny U. wrote: > >> Who has miracle ribs like these in Chicago? > >Half the fun here will be trying all kinds of places. > >West and South Side take out: > >Colemans >The Rib Shack >Jimmy's on Madison at about Laramie > >All around: > >Robinsons > >Maywood take out: > >Pumpkin's place >Ernie's Ribs and Beauty Salon > >...other will chime in with sitdown places. > >Try Bone Daddy. What do you guys think of: Salt Creek Barbecue 552 E Devon Ave, Elk Grove Village or Farmer Brown's 1271 N. Clybourn Ave, Chicago
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 21:29:12 CDT Organization: Giganews.Com - Premium News Outsourcing X-Trace: sv3-S75QgoIw4xbAgOK92FhOtjkodzlpai2DfGHh8BvrUwxYq2+64hFhvbIWmKpD++1AwttqPodaPELSKiV2t93yXosqXIEfKbnbnQIGSjxwzm9SwhjmcDHt0krkELC X-Complaints-To: [email removed] X-DMCA-Notifications: http://www.giganews.com/info/dmca.html X-Abuse-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.1 Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 02:29:12 GMT Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:17130 rec.food.cooking:948948 Jonny U. wrote: <snip> >Who has miracle ribs like these in Chicago? JU, I posted the following two emails to a BBQ list I am on, you may find them interesting. Enjoy, Gary xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Good to hear from you, don't know about being an expert, but I certainly enjoy a bit of BBQ now and then. It would be helpful if you were a bit more specific as to what type of BBQ joint you were interested in checking out, Chicago rib joints run the gamut from upscale steak restaurants posing as rib joints to two stool take-out joints with great ribs, but no ambiance. Actually the two stool joints have ambiance, post apocalyptic ambiance, but ambiance none the less. The other type of rib joint in the Chicago area is found on the far South Side and near South suburbs, these are sparse in decor, running almost to coffee shop interiors, but with passable ribs, for the most part. In Chicago there are two distinct types of ribs, meat jello/fall off the bone and ribs that still have texture/flavor. The meat jello ribs are typically par boiled, slopped with sauce then grilled, the texture/flavor are slow smoked all the way through. Upscale restaurant meat jello ribs are best exemplified by Freddy's Ribhouse, two Chicago locations, which is part of the Ruth's Chris chain. Upscale restaurant, not quite meat jello, but still not such great ribs Carson's for Ribs fits that bill. Nice, but not quite as upscale restaurant Gale Street Inn for meat jello ribs. Please be aware that while I use the term meat jello in a derogatory fashion, 90% of the people living in Chicago feel that this is the PERFECT rib, I am in the minority. Good bar atmosphere for meat jello ribs, consistently rated one of the best in Chicago, Twin Anchor's Bar atmosphere, a bit of a dive, but good music and decent ribs, not great, but decent. Smoke Daddy's Nice atmosphere with acceptable ribs, pork, sides and thin cut sweet potato fries, Bone Daddy, is probably the type of place you are want to visit. Bone Daddy is just enough out of the way, in a semi industrial area, to give it a big city flair, but is a comfortable restaurant with modern interior, large bar, lots of seating, both inside and out, good service and decent BBQ. Bone Daddy has live music, but not every night. A good South suburban choice is Chuck's BBQ in the Southwest suburb of Burbank. Coffee shop meets hot dog stand interior, no booze, but good ribs, New Orleans and Mexican specials and a very friendly owner. On the far South side another coffee shop looking rib joint with just this side of acceptable ribs is the Patio, which is a small chain The near South side of Chicago has the best, IMHO, ribs, but very low ambiance. My favorite is Lem's, both locations. Lem's is mostly take out, but there are two rickety stools for the really intrepid diner. Barbara Ann's, Leon's, DD&S and a few others are good as well. Hecky's in the North Suburb of Evanston has decent ribs, take out only though. I have been to a few of the Major chains that have branches in Chicago, Dave's, Red Hot and Blue and a few others, not very good in my opinion. There is a BBQ joint in Westmont, a Western suburb of Chicago, that I have heard was good, Uncle Bub's, but I have not tried it as of yet. Let me know if this is the type of information you are looking for or if you would like me to amplify on one or two of the places I mentioned I would be happy to oblige. I will also be happy to give you addresses and directions to the places you are interested in visiting. In addition to the places I mentioned, there are many, many more BBQ places in Chicago, I will be happy to list a few more. Thank you for the invitation to accompany you on your BBQ trek if you are coming into Chicago on the third for a November fourth game, I assume your BBQ trek is on Saturday November third. If so, I may be able to join you, but will have to let you know later in the week, if you do not mind. If you would like to speak on the telephone, I would be more than happy to have a conversation on Chicago, Chicago ribs restaurants and BBQ and/or food in general, some of my favorite topics. <Smile> Regards, Gary xxxxxxxxxxxxxx=======xxxxxxxxxxxxx Joe, Kidding about the Famous Dave's thing. <Smile> Where to send your friend depends on a few things, is he actually staying in Downtown Chicago, how far is he willing to travel and does he mind wearing a bullet proof vest to eat ribs. In the Bullet proof vest category there are four excellent rib joints on the South side of Chicago, Lem's, Barbara Ann's, Leon's and DD&S, of the four Lem's is my favorite and the only one with seating, if you call two rickety stools at a chipped counter seating. While Lem's has the best ribs, Barbara Ann's links and tips may edge out Lem's. In the you won't get shot, but still 'interesting' neighborhood category, Smoke Daddy gets the nod. Good BBQ, bar atmosphere and the occasional live music. Smoke Daddy is next to an interesting bar, Phyllis, which has music of the 'youthful' variety, but tolerates us old folks pretty well. A surprisingly nice restaurant and very acceptable ribs, pork, sides and thin cut sweet potato fries, Bone Daddy would be my choice to send an out of town visitor. Bone Daddy is just enough out of the way, in a semi-industrial area, to give it a big city flair, but is a comfortable restaurant with modern interior, large bar, lots of seating, both inside and out, good service and decent BBQ. Another suburban choice is Chuck's BBQ in the Southwest suburb of Burbank. Coffee shop meets hot dog stand interior, no booze, but good ribs, New Orleans and Mexican specials and a very friendly owner. The other suburban choice would be Hecky's in Evanston, a Northeast suburb just outside of Chicago. Take out only, but good ribs, both spares and baby backs. Regards Smoking in Chicago, Gary =================================== Bone Daddy 551 North Ogden Ave. Chicago, IL. 60622 312-226-6666 Lems Bar Bq House 5914 S State St Chicago, IL 60621 (773) 684-5007 Chuck's BBQ 5557 W 79th St Burbank, IL 60459 (708) 229-8700 Hecky's Bar-BQ 1902 Green Bay Rd., Evanston, IL 847-492-1182 D D & S Bar B Cue 7100 S South Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60619 (773) 643-5411 Leon's Bar B Cue 1640 E 79th St Chicago, IL 60649 (773) 731-1454 Barbara Ann's Bbq 7617 S Cottage Grove Ave Chicago, IL 60619 773-723-4780 Gale Street Inn Chicago 4914 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60630 773-725-1300
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 21:53:46 CDT Organization: Giganews.Com - Premium News Outsourcing X-Trace: +wnu9+0iT+cwiYwHUWH0yDClPjOZjVuCctAcG9Wpgj0V7Z1xIW+i9s68 X-Complaints-To: [email removed] X-DMCA-Notifications: http://www.giganews.com/info/dmca.html X-Abuse-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.1 Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 02:53:46 GMT Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:17135 rec.food.cooking:948955 Jonny U. wrote: <snip> >So, if you had to pick your favorite Chicago place for chewy, textured ribs >with a kick, what would it be? Lem's, no hesitation, no question, Lem's. Enjoy, Gary Lems Bar Bq House 5914 S State St Chicago, IL 60621 (773) 684-5007
NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 08:08:10 CDT Organization: Prodigy Internet http://www.prodigy.com X-UserInfo1: O@ZQB[[DGZTMBQTYNKK^_T\B\JYL@DHLLBWLOOAFEQR@ETUCCNSKQFCY@TXDX_WHSVB]ZEJLSNY\^J[CUVSA_QLFC^RQHUPH[P[NRWCCMLSNPOD_ESALHUK@TDFUZHBLJ\XGKL^NXA\EVHSP[D_C^B_^JCX^W]CHBAX]POG@SSAZQ\LE[DCNMUPG_VSC@VJM Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 13:08:10 GMT Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:17145 rec.food.cooking:949053 Nemisis wrote in message news:ahjb2n$2abn$ ... > > Esq. S. wrote: > > Jonny U. wrote: > > > > > Damn! Thanks for a very informative reply. > > > > > > It is good to know there are some people out there who understand the > > > tragedy of an over-boiled rack. > > > > > > So, if you had to pick your favorite Chicago place for chewy, textured > ribs > > > with a kick, what would it be? > > > > Drive to Paducah. > > > > Seriously. > > > > Chicago's outstanding at some things, but it's not the foremost BBQ > > town. For soul ribs, Hecky's is pretty tasty. City-style Black ribs. Not > > Memphis smoked, but not bad, either. > > Try Russell's BBQ. It is great. Also was kind of the subject of a MASH > episode. They used another name. But it was from a true incident of > Russell's being shipped to Korea. They are over in Elmwood Park near the > race track. > > > This is the exact address 1621 N Thatcher Ave Elmwood Park, IL 60707-3544 Phone: (708) 453-7065 Cross Streets: North Avenue