Showing posts with label Arizona Q. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona Q. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Phoenix BBQ!
I spent a few days in Phoenix, Arizona attending a great blues festival over three days in early October. We had the afternoons off, so of course, I plugged "BBQ" into google and yahoo to see what popped up. I was surprised to see quite a few BBQ joints, even a Dickey's. After a short drive Saturday, we found one of the joints to be extinct, the other two had some pluses and minuses. The one on Sunday was good, but not quite up to Texas standards. Of the 3 joints, none had decent sliced brisket and there seemed to be a emphasis on grilling rather than smoke. If I get back that way I hope to sample some of the other joints in town to see if those trends hold up.
Bobby Q, Phoenix, AZ
sampled 10/3/10 about 1 pm
http://www.bobbyq.net/
This place was the exact opposite of the down home funky atmosphere of Honey Bear's BBQ I had the previous day. It looks for all the world like a chain, but it is actually just a very nice single location restaurant that has won many awards. Inside it is table service with young pretty waitresses who come and go at a fast pace. The little lady gave me the big build up by telling me all their meats are smoked slowly for 18-20 hours in their own pits. I opted for a 3 meat plate and they brought out some nice hot cornbread muffins to munch on while I waited for my meal. It took about 15 minutes for my meal to arrive, they were bustling, but those muffins were fabulous.
When my 3 meat plate arrived it really looked great. However when I tried to break off a rib, the bone slipped right out in my hand. In fact all 3 bones came loose immediately on grasping. KCBS and most others will tell you that's a sign of overcooking. The ribs themselves were tender and juicy but without any smoke taste. The nice sweet sauce went well with the meat. The sliced brisket looked better, but had the same problem. It sat there in nice slices until you tried to pick up a slice or poke it with a fork. Then it just crumbled away to tiny pieces. So tiny it was difficult to get ahold of with a fork, unless you scooped it. This was spoon-eating brisket! Despite the big build up, there was zero smoke flavor on the unsauced bits I could find, no bark, and no smoke ring. It was plenty moist, but if I had wanted little bits I would have gotten chopped brisket. Again, the sauce was a nice addition to the meat. My third meat was smoked link sausage and I thought this had an interesting twist. It was cut long ways and grilled as a finish, which gave it a bit of charcoal flavor and a bit of smoke. Their sausage seemed to have a heavy pork content because it almost tasted a bit like fried spam.
The sides get special mention because they were top notch. The mac and cheese was clearly made from scratch and even had a bit of baked cheesy crust on top. Just like Mom used to make! The mashed potatoes were nice and creamy with skin bits and obviously had a LOT of butter and maybe some cream in them. Both sides (and the cornbread muffins) were outstanding.
For dessert I opted for the Chocolate Overdose. It is basically like a large ice cream sandwich, between layers of cake and fudge, with hot fudge on top! It was very good, but I did not overdose.
Overall this is a good joint and I would gladly eat here again, however it is not what I consider great BBQ. It is also pretty pricey. The 3 meat plate was $20 and the dessert was $8.
http://www.bobbyq.net/
This place was the exact opposite of the down home funky atmosphere of Honey Bear's BBQ I had the previous day. It looks for all the world like a chain, but it is actually just a very nice single location restaurant that has won many awards. Inside it is table service with young pretty waitresses who come and go at a fast pace. The little lady gave me the big build up by telling me all their meats are smoked slowly for 18-20 hours in their own pits. I opted for a 3 meat plate and they brought out some nice hot cornbread muffins to munch on while I waited for my meal. It took about 15 minutes for my meal to arrive, they were bustling, but those muffins were fabulous.
When my 3 meat plate arrived it really looked great. However when I tried to break off a rib, the bone slipped right out in my hand. In fact all 3 bones came loose immediately on grasping. KCBS and most others will tell you that's a sign of overcooking. The ribs themselves were tender and juicy but without any smoke taste. The nice sweet sauce went well with the meat. The sliced brisket looked better, but had the same problem. It sat there in nice slices until you tried to pick up a slice or poke it with a fork. Then it just crumbled away to tiny pieces. So tiny it was difficult to get ahold of with a fork, unless you scooped it. This was spoon-eating brisket! Despite the big build up, there was zero smoke flavor on the unsauced bits I could find, no bark, and no smoke ring. It was plenty moist, but if I had wanted little bits I would have gotten chopped brisket. Again, the sauce was a nice addition to the meat. My third meat was smoked link sausage and I thought this had an interesting twist. It was cut long ways and grilled as a finish, which gave it a bit of charcoal flavor and a bit of smoke. Their sausage seemed to have a heavy pork content because it almost tasted a bit like fried spam.
The sides get special mention because they were top notch. The mac and cheese was clearly made from scratch and even had a bit of baked cheesy crust on top. Just like Mom used to make! The mashed potatoes were nice and creamy with skin bits and obviously had a LOT of butter and maybe some cream in them. Both sides (and the cornbread muffins) were outstanding.
For dessert I opted for the Chocolate Overdose. It is basically like a large ice cream sandwich, between layers of cake and fudge, with hot fudge on top! It was very good, but I did not overdose.
Overall this is a good joint and I would gladly eat here again, however it is not what I consider great BBQ. It is also pretty pricey. The 3 meat plate was $20 and the dessert was $8.
Honey Bear's Bar B Q, Phoenix, AZ
Sampled 10/2/10 about 3 pm
http://www.honeybearsbbq.com/
This is a small down home chain in the Phoenix area, I think they have 3 outlets. This location had the best rating of reviewers on google and yahoo so I thought I would try here. The menu here is far more restricted than Hap's. They have more desserts than they have plate combos but you can also order meat by the half pound and up, or get a sandwich. I went for a half rack of ribs and a brisket sandwich with sides of beans and tater salad.
The brisket sandwich was massive, but was missing all the smoky crispy bits that Hap's had. It would have been a good meal, all by itself, with some decent sauce slathered on it. As it was, I just sampled the brisket and moved onto the ribs. To me it was just tender, moist roast beef. The ribs were slathered in a sweet sauce but I found one underneath that was partly dry. The ribs were tender and moist, but they had a nice interesting flavor I really couldn't recognize at first. Then it dawned on me that the flavor I was tasting was charcoal, as if the ribs had been cooked on a charcoal grill rather than smoked. They actually tasted pretty durned good! I don't know if it was a grilled finish or if that's how they were made but I did like it. The video on their website suggests they are grilled. I got the same taste through their sweet sticky sauce and I ate up every one of those ribs and wanted more! I opted for their Cowbro Beans and tater salad as sides and both were well above average. The beans were sweet baked beans in a thick sauce and very nice. The tater salad was chunky with a mayo base and a generous sprinkling of sweet pickle bits throughout, another winner.
I wish this place had some better combo plate options so I could have tried more of their meats in one go. Maybe next trip, if I can leave those ribs alone!
Their motto reminded me a lot of House Park in Austin, but I think House Park's is better. "Need no Teef to Eat our Beef"
http://www.honeybearsbbq.com/
This is a small down home chain in the Phoenix area, I think they have 3 outlets. This location had the best rating of reviewers on google and yahoo so I thought I would try here. The menu here is far more restricted than Hap's. They have more desserts than they have plate combos but you can also order meat by the half pound and up, or get a sandwich. I went for a half rack of ribs and a brisket sandwich with sides of beans and tater salad.
The brisket sandwich was massive, but was missing all the smoky crispy bits that Hap's had. It would have been a good meal, all by itself, with some decent sauce slathered on it. As it was, I just sampled the brisket and moved onto the ribs. To me it was just tender, moist roast beef. The ribs were slathered in a sweet sauce but I found one underneath that was partly dry. The ribs were tender and moist, but they had a nice interesting flavor I really couldn't recognize at first. Then it dawned on me that the flavor I was tasting was charcoal, as if the ribs had been cooked on a charcoal grill rather than smoked. They actually tasted pretty durned good! I don't know if it was a grilled finish or if that's how they were made but I did like it. The video on their website suggests they are grilled. I got the same taste through their sweet sticky sauce and I ate up every one of those ribs and wanted more! I opted for their Cowbro Beans and tater salad as sides and both were well above average. The beans were sweet baked beans in a thick sauce and very nice. The tater salad was chunky with a mayo base and a generous sprinkling of sweet pickle bits throughout, another winner.
I wish this place had some better combo plate options so I could have tried more of their meats in one go. Maybe next trip, if I can leave those ribs alone!
Their motto reminded me a lot of House Park in Austin, but I think House Park's is better. "Need no Teef to Eat our Beef"
Hap's Pit BBQ, Phoenix, AZ
Visited 10/2/10 about 2 pm
http://hapsbbq.com
They have an extensive menu here so I was happy to see a 5 meat sampler plate on offer. After some discussion, I went with brisket, sausage, pork ribs, chicken, and ham. They had lamb on offer and I should have tried that rather than the ham. The brisket was chopped but had plenty of crispy outside barky bits and had nice smoke flavor. I wish I had a chance to get it sliced, but that does not seem to be the way they do brisket in Phoenix. The chicken was tender and moist, but no smoke flavor. The sausage was a nice medium grind with a lot of flavor to it. A very nice mix of spices with just a bit of kick. I liked it very much. The pork ribs were tender and juicy but no discernible smoke flavor. The ham was just ham. Nothing smoky or BBQ'd about it at all. With all that meat to try I just got beans as a side. Their beans were definitely different from the usual Texas fare. There were at least 4 kinds of beans including small limas, kidney, navy and pintos. There was also a bit of ground beef involved. It was a nice different mix and I enjoyed them for a change of pace.
I took about half of this home for later and the smoke flavor of the brisket was much more pronounced after being in the fridge for a bit. It really was very nice smoky chopped brisket! I sure wish I had some more for my late night snack!
http://hapsbbq.com
They have an extensive menu here so I was happy to see a 5 meat sampler plate on offer. After some discussion, I went with brisket, sausage, pork ribs, chicken, and ham. They had lamb on offer and I should have tried that rather than the ham. The brisket was chopped but had plenty of crispy outside barky bits and had nice smoke flavor. I wish I had a chance to get it sliced, but that does not seem to be the way they do brisket in Phoenix. The chicken was tender and moist, but no smoke flavor. The sausage was a nice medium grind with a lot of flavor to it. A very nice mix of spices with just a bit of kick. I liked it very much. The pork ribs were tender and juicy but no discernible smoke flavor. The ham was just ham. Nothing smoky or BBQ'd about it at all. With all that meat to try I just got beans as a side. Their beans were definitely different from the usual Texas fare. There were at least 4 kinds of beans including small limas, kidney, navy and pintos. There was also a bit of ground beef involved. It was a nice different mix and I enjoyed them for a change of pace.
I took about half of this home for later and the smoke flavor of the brisket was much more pronounced after being in the fridge for a bit. It really was very nice smoky chopped brisket! I sure wish I had some more for my late night snack!
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