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Barbecue showdown
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out
Three weeks ago, I loved barbecue.
Seven brisket sandwiches, 16 sauces and 42 ribs later, I’m not so sure anymore.
My recent button-popping, shirt-staining adventures were part of a showdown among four East Valley barbecue standbys and three newcomers. My finger-licking outing took me to Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe where I sampled two barbecue staples — a beef brisket sandwich (if more than one style was offered, I asked which was best) and a half rack of pork ribs (if two types were served, I tried the most popular).
BIG CITY BBQ
5118 S. Rural Road, Tempe
The smallest dining room in the lot with maybe a dozen tables. A couple large pieces of art give the place a little life.
Despite the St. Louis-style spareribs reputation as a fatty cut, these long ribs were very meaty with little fat. Had to work a little to get the pork off the bone. The hot, smothered ribs had nice hints of pecan-smoke without overwhelming tastebuds.
A big, soft kaiser roll layered with long slices of semi-dry brisket. Meat was docked for having some fatty edges.
Both the original and hot sauces are thick, tomato-based creations. Hot version is heavy on red pepper flakes.
B-
Nice ribs but brisket could have been more tender.
FAMOUS DAVE'S
3250 W. Frye Road, Chandler
or www.famousdaves.com
The behemoth of the bunch with room for more than 200 diners. Benches and tables compliment the outdoorsy-sportsman decor. A recipe vault is both intriguing and showy since this Midwest import has won more than 150 barbecue-related awards.
These spareribs are hickory-smoked and flame-kissed in the last few minutes of the ’cueing process, leaving a sticky, caramelized sauce. These juicy guys have won “Best Ribs in America” at the Great American Rib Cookoff and I have to agree.
Thick, short slices of brisket so tender they broke apart at the touch of my fork. The meat had perfect, charred edges peeking out from its sesame-seed bun.
There were six sauces on the table including a smoky Texas Pit made with chipotle peppers and a seldom-seen mustard sauce.
The gorgeous, glossy ribs absolutely smoked the competition and the brisket held its own as well. Diverse sauce options were a bonus as was the moist, buttery corn bread muffin.
GRUMPY JOHN'S BAR-B-Q
1811 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe
A box of a restaurant with cafeteria-like, table- benches. License plates and cowboy portraits line the walls of this eldest competitor who first fired up the smoker back in ’65.
These baby backs (only ribs on menu) are smoked over Arizona mesquite wood for 10 to 14 hours Texas-style in a custom smoker. The meat, which was steaming hot and heavily sauced on both sides, slipped off the bone in long sections.
The sliced brisket is weighed to make sure every sandwich has at least _ pound of beef. Hot sauce is spread on both sides of the thick, chewy bun (choose from potato, white or wheat).
Pick from either mild or spicy thin sauces ladled onto meats from a steaming pot.
Got a slight boost for being the only place with stuffing (select days) and Amish chocolate cake.
HONEY BEAR’S BBQ
7670 S. Priest Drive, Tempe
or www.honeybearsbbq.com
Unlike its older, weathered Phoenix siblings — this shiny new location is bright and airy. A painting of partners and childhood friends Gary Clark and Mark Smith gives the large space a homey feel.
This Valley fave cooks one style of rib — baby back. The ribs were extremely skimpy on meat but heavy on tangy sauce. Although the bones are only smoked for two hours, I had the unfortunate experience of biting for beef and breaking off a piece of soft marrow.
The bottom bun turned to mush under the sauce-soaked chopped brisket. Impossible to eat as a sandwich but the beef was very tender and had a great flavor.
One sauce is offered and it’s a thin, vinegar-based one with a slight bite but nothing too fiery.
The weak bun and bone-baring baby backs were an unfortunate and surprising double whammy against this popular Valley barbecue haven.
JOE’S REAL BBQ
301 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert
or www.joesrealbbq.com
A hall of a dining space with picnic tables long enough to seat two large families. Vintage Arizona Highways covers are framed on one wall while the opposite side is covered with a farming mural. A green tractor in the back is a nod to Gilbert’s past.
All that was left of these sticky, pecan-smoked spareribs was bone but it may have had as much to do with the ribs being perfectly barbecued as it did with them being small and stubby.
Almost Sloppy-Joe like, this chopped brisket was mostly in shreds after being cooked in sauce. The squishy, light brown bun was big enough to keep all the meat inside and absorbent enough to withstand the drenched brisket.
Pump stations offer two warmed sauces — either habañero-hot or the much tamer, thicker, mild version.
The yummy sauces are liberally used when barbecuing both the brisket and ribs but the portions were a little light. The BBQ Pit Beans are a sweet, hearty treat.
TOM’S B-B-Q
115 E. Baseline Road, Tempe
It’s a Chicago-style eatery and the Windy City is represented with posters and pennants. Order at the counter and someone will shout out your name a few minutes later.
Black, crispy spareribs with dark pink meat. Had to finesse the pork off the bone a bit but meat was tender. Ribs were so smoky you could actually smell it. Bulging bone ends on three of the six ribs made these the meatiest of the group.
Just enough smoky flavor, juicy and melt-on- your-tongue tender with the perfect hamburger bun to hold it all together. Cooked dry, sliced into _-inch thick pieces and topped with a drizzle of sauce.
Served at room temperature, the hot and mild sauces don’t taste much different. Both have hints of sugar and ketchup.
The best brisket and the meatiest ribs but smoky flavor overpowered the pork.
WALDO'S B-B-Q
4500 E. Main St., Mesa
or www.waldosbbq.com
A sarcastic, sawdust-covered roomy restaurant with pig memorabilia and wacky signs. It has the best personality of the group.
This place ’cues beef and pork ribs, so I sampled their most popular of the bunch — the spareribs. Served dry with a side of sauce, these ribs had some huge sections of fat. Some bites were tough while others were tender and all had a strong, smoky flavor.
This was the largest pile of brisket but the flavor was too beefy and there wasn’t a drop of juice. The shredded meat was served on the warm rather than hot side on a lightly toasted bun.
Served warm in a cast-iron skillet, this mouth-puckering tangy/sweet sauce is the best I sampled.
Brisket needed oodles of sauce but the endless sides and endlessly amusing, sassy decor helped Waldo’s overall score.
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