GatewayRedbirds.com

The Third Man wrote:

cardsfansince82 wrote:Q39 is a newish place in KC that I would highly recommend.

I still haven't made my way up there. I do know one of their waitresses though, and have a crush on her. Too bad she's a lesbian.

I second the nod. Even if I don't like it as much as OK Joe's or Jack Stack, it's close to just as good and doesn't have a colossal wait time.

The wife and I went there for Valentines Day and got a smoked prime rib that was amazing.

This place in Chicago, Fat Willy's. The brisket is horrible. What's funny about it is, on the bottom of the menu there are these lines telling you how BBQ should be--pink, smoky, it's like this whole manifesto of theirs--and their brisket is both gray and fairly smokeless. It's bad, and it's worse that it's not just bad but that they put a bunch of stuff on the menu telling you basically that if you don't like their BBQ it's because of your own personal taste. So I just don't go there, but then someone says let's meet there for lunch to discuss this event and I internally go "ugh, F me, gross" but then out loud I go "ok fine" and we meet and I have the smoked chicken hoping to get something that's just worthy of choking down and hot damn it's actually really really really good. Smoky, peppery, tender and juicy and just absolutely delicious. Tastes like a campfire. Wonderful. Can't say enough about it.

It's amazing they can be so bad at brisket but so good at chicken.

I've often wondered if bad* ingredients (ie, meat, especially at a bbq joint) can be overcome with a good chef. Sometimes, I doubt it. There's a place here that I love, but every now and then I'll get brisket that I think is [expletive] terrible. And, a part of me wonders if that isn't why Texas has so many good bbq shacks. They just have better cuts of brisket available....

*Relatively speaking

One could go to a big chain supermarket and get some fake crab, a store-bought hot dog bun, some lemon, chives, mayo, and butter and go "here's a poor man's lobster roll." That sandwich is pretty freaking rad, and it's all pretty basic or crap ingredients. A grilled cheese sandwich with Kraft or Velveeta on Wonder bread with cheap margerine spread on the outside is pretty delicious too. But both those things can be screwed up, if there's too much acid in the krab roll, or if the heat isn't right on the griddle meaning the sandwich either gets burned on the outside or not gooey enough on the inside. OTOH, that krab roll becoming a real lobster roll on a fresh brioche bun or that grilled cheese morphing into a three-cheese blend with real butter is going to, in the hands of the same cook, kick the butt of the poor man's version in quality. I think BBQ is the same. Good ingredients will elevate lesser technical skill, and good technical skill will elevate bad ingredients. But the preferred situation is always going to be someone who knows their way around the kitchen working with the best possible ingredients.

I'd guess re Texas BBQ that it's better because of tradition. Technique gets passed down from generation to generation and it's also a big part of the heritage. People in China make rice, people in Mexico make tamales, people in Texas make BBQ. The meat, we can get the same thing anywhere. If we can get fish from Hawaii or Wagyu from Japan then I'd guess someone who wants the best ingredients for a BBQ spot in Minneapolis could get the very best possible cuts if (s)he wished.

Has anyone had Bootleggin' BBQ? They sponsor a team in my softball league and are catering our tournament tomorrow. Depending on how things are going, I might have trouble getting my hands on some so I was wondering if anyone has had them and do I need to make sure I get some. I love bbq and want to try them (especially for free) but I play on a Tuesday team and a Thursday team so I won't have any breaks until both teams are out and that could be after the food is already gone.

Maclowery wrote:Okay, so after a brief lookup, I am sold on Blue Smoke. I will report in after Sunday night.

Verdict?

redbirdjazz wrote:I'll definitely have to check out Smalls when I'm up there around Labor Day. That's actually really close to my best friend's place, so that makes it easy.

Did you go? I said a few pages back that I don't really dig on ribs but I went again last Thursday and my Mrs. got the ribs, I got the brisket, and I ended up crushing most of her ribs. Great ribs at Smalls, so if you are, like, around, and haven't been by all means try the ribs also.

Salt + Smoke had some phenomenal brisket. They were sold out of ribs though.

33anda3rd wrote:

Maclowery wrote:Okay, so after a brief lookup, I am sold on Blue Smoke. I will report in after Sunday night.

Verdict?

redbirdjazz wrote:I'll definitely have to check out Smalls when I'm up there around Labor Day. That's actually really close to my best friend's place, so that makes it easy.

Did you go? I said a few pages back that I don't really dig on ribs but I went again last Thursday and my Mrs. got the ribs, I got the brisket, and I ended up crushing most of her ribs. Great ribs at Smalls, so if you are, like, around, and haven't been by all means try the ribs also.

Didn't get a chance this time around, but I imagine I'll be back before too long, and it's definitely on my radar now.

cardsfansince82 wrote:Salt + Smoke had some phenomenal brisket. They were sold out of ribs though.

Best brisket in STL I think....not sure if they still have their late night menu, but they would take a piece of brisket, turn it into chicken fried steak, top it with brisket chili, cheese, fried egg, potatoes. Brisket slinger. Will take years off your life but very good.

Cheddar Tom wrote:

cardsfansince82 wrote:Salt + Smoke had some phenomenal brisket. They were sold out of ribs though.

Best brisket in STL I think....not sure if they still have their late night menu, but they would take a piece of brisket, turn it into chicken fried steak, top it with brisket chili, cheese, fried egg, potatoes. Brisket slinger. Will take years off your life but very good.

I would rate it better on brisket than all of the KC places as well. That slinger sounds good.