NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 23:33:02 EDT Organization: Prodigy Internet http://www.prodigy.com X-UserInfo1: O@XUCVGAFRUYB\PP@JJLN[MESCVLCUPHQQ]J]Q]KJAVNDQIBLNSQAKKZ@TXZY_KHS^FSKGJLOF_F_N[CXVW[^UDDM^T]HTLIGX\NRRC@O\P^@MD_[S@FH__@WDCUZA^NHD[SJORN]Y_UGKGPJD]WNN[\ESXHWTWIEQYGQLS@[[G\APPF@\@R]SLGRFUAQUFN Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 03:33:02 GMT Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu alt.food.barbecue:67024 Just got back from a trip to Las Vegas and Southern California. I've heard about Memphis Championship Bbq and finally got a chance to try it this trip. It was pretty good. I ordered a bunch of stuff for take out including baby back and St. Louis spares. Both were good, but the St. Louis was a bit better, IMO. They tasted like they were cooked on real wood, not the soggy par-boiled flavor most chains would have. They say they cook them about 5 hours. Nearby, there is a place that had about 50 cords of hardwood so I guess they do use wood as they state. They have three locations. The one I went to was at the Santa Fe Station casino. Like all casinos, to get any place, you have to pass the slot machines. There is no take out door or window. It was not crowded and my order was almost ready when we arrived. If you get a hankering for bbq while in Sin City, this is worth a try. It was one of the best commercial ribs I've ever had. Seem more at www.memphis-bbq.com Mike Mills is the owner. FWIW, I spent 6 days total in LV and spent 10ยข in gambling. I had 2 nickels in my pocket at the airport when we were leaving. I left them there in a slot machine.
Las Vegas, NV
Good bbq in Las Vegas
NNTP-Posting-Date: 3 Jun 2003 15:43:42 GMT Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu alt.food.barbecue:68069 Hey Ed, You're right on about Memphis Championship BBQ being some a good place to buy Q. They smoke everything over apple wood. I get my wood and lump from the same place they get their wood. If you have four or five hungry people, it's hard to beat their Mama Feay's (sp) Dinner for $49.99. You get some of all of their meat and sides (although we had this at the Warm Springs location, so they may have just added St. Louis style ribs). We had four very hungry people and took home an amazing amount of meat. Quite the deal at $12.50 a person! Next time you're out here, give Buckingham's Smokehouse BBQ a try. They're just down the road from the Santa Fe on Rainbow and Smoke Ranch and my "second hometown" favorite since they started in Springfield, Missouri with just a guy, his tent, and an Oklahoma Joe's smoker. The Smoked Philly sandwich (smoked brisket in a roll with some cheese and sauteed mushrooms, no sauce necessary) is quite simply the best sandwich on the planet. Everyone that I've ever sent there agrees. I've never had a bit of dry brisket from them; it's always perfectly flavored, tender, and moist. I have noticed that you get a bit more meat if you go closer to closing time. Pair this with their pit beans and horseradish cole slaw and you have the best eight bucks you're likely to spend in a Q joint. Back home people heat their houses with hickory 'cause it's cheap. Here in the desert, it's $250 a rick since they have to truck it in from Oklahoma. Oak is cheaper, but still pretty pricey. Rather than change their wood significantly or go broke by charging $20 for a sandwich, they use some Texas made electric smokers so they can afford to stay in business and keep the taste the same. So don't worry if you don't see a pile of wood out front. :) http://tinyurl.com/dcos has a few words about the above joints and some other restaurants around here. Avoid the Red Apple Grill in the Wal Mart parking lot on Rainbow and Cheyenne. It smells good, but if you didn't see the big grilling pits out back, you might be lured in under false pretenses that it was Q. There's also Big Mama's Soul Food and Rib Shack at 2230 W Bonanza Rd, just east of Rancho. I don't know what kind of wood they use, but their BBQ is just OK. Seeing chopped pork just bugs me. I think their soul food is better. H&H BBQ and More is not far from there at MLK and Washington. I've yet to eat there, but the huge smoker in the parking lot smells damned good. The "and More" refers to other Southern favorites like smothered pork chops, greens, etc. You might want to plan a daytime trip since it's pretty close to areas you'd probably want to avoid at night. Lil Joe Orduna's Texas Bbq just east of Jones on Sahara uses mesquite. He used to be setup in a trailer with a cobbled together shack for customer seating in the parking lot of Plant World on Charleston, but made enough money there to open a real sit down restaurant with that new fangled fancy air conditioning. It's nice and clean, but I kinda miss eating out of one piece plastic lawn furniture in the old pressboard shack covered with the handwritten posterboard dissertations on the advantages of gun ownership, concealed carry weapons, and his "List of People Not Allowed to Eat Here" populated mostly by liberal politicians and a few choice locals who ticked him off. One funny thing about the place. He used to truck in all of his mesquite from Texas. So I told him where I get my wood locally and a few months later he opened the "real" restaurant. I wonder if he saved enough money on the wood to really start turning a profit and get into his new digs. There are also some "southern cooking" places that sell BBQ. I've never had it there so I can't verify its authenticity. I never knew that our Sunday dinners back home were actually $400 meals, but at the prices these place out here charge we were really eating gourmet food around Granny's table! There's something about a guy who starts selling Q in meager beginnings and makes enough to open a restaurant that's inspiring. Anyway, more than you probably wanted to know, but could come in handy the next time you're in town. Jason