Exsenator's BBQ - Markham, IL

Went out in the middle of the rain storm last night about 7:30 pm to pick up a full slab, hold the fries with hot and mild on the side. Rained a ton out quick, one road was closed on the way.
The slab of spare ribs was GREAT. Hugh meaty ribs, GREAT deep hickory smoke to the bone and the dry rub and spice on the meat was sweet.

Ribs so good as is sauce really is not even needed! The sauce they do turn out is right on the money also, served hot in temp. The hot has a really nice kick to it.
On the way home it was wild, rain stopped and sun came out quick. It was a great night, ribs went well will a 12 pack of Budweiser bottles...I love this joint!!

http://exsenatorsbbq.com/
3349 W 159th ST
Markham,IL 60428
708-333-1211

I've had exsenator's product twice. Excellent both times. Like REALLY good.
As I recall, they ain't cheap tho. For value, Uncle John's tops them. Don't get me wrong, exsenator's is definitely for real. If they had better prices, and were a little closer, they'd be my go to spot.

i do like this place also.
each time i have been there the food is spot on.
tips,links, ribs . never tried the chicken

Some smokey photos from today's rib run. Photos were taken out front of joint seconds after I got it and 2 mins after I ate it up curb side....Nice!!









Got em with mild on the side...mild sauce was right on!




Good ribs and a great start to the weekend!

CBOT-

Looks good. Could you please downsize your pics to fit smaller screens?

Agreed...large images make it difficult to follow a topic.

But honestly, the board software should be taking care of this. To whomever is taking care of the software here, add the following to the CSS and you'll never see another complaint:

Code: Select all

.postbody img {max-width: 640px !important; max-height: 480px;}

Only ever tried the links there, but those were lousy to the point that I never cared to go back. Dry, bland, and overpriced, there was just no point, especially seeing as how it's only about ten minutes away from Uncle John's in Richton Park. Seeing all these glowing reviews of the ribs, though - I might just have to give the place another try.

Got the photos smaller sized now. I shrunk the rib pics a little small.
Will post them like this going forward....

I had exsenators about 4 years ago, I used to work out that way. I really liked it but never made it back because I have no where to take the food, as there is no dine-in area. But yes I enjoyed the quality of the ribs, links and the sauce was thin and messy. Defintely do not try to eat in your car was certainly better than I57 for me...

Stopped for some BBQ to-go just a bit ago for lunch. Small tips/links combo came in at about 12 dollars for a whole link and plenty of tips. On the whole, it was just okay. Got there shortly before noon, excited to see smoke belching from the stack. I was worried I'd be going to early until I saw that. The food was merely "pretty good," though. Tasted more of charcoal than wood, and the link was quite dry, as were some of the tips, but there was enough silky pork collagen in the rest to keep me happy. I wonder if they threw some of last night's leftovers on there and I got a mix. Still, it was fine, and the "mix" sauce had a prominent tomato note that pleased. I'll give them another shot, as there was less wait and hassle than at Best Bar B Que, but perhaps try to time it better.

[url=http://www.exsenatorsbbq.net/index.html]Exsenators[\url] really needs some more LTH love. I've been to some--not all, but some--of the bbq joints that get a lot of LTH coverage and imho, this place is just as good, if not better. Being realistic though, I don't have the Que-credibility as some or our more notable leaders here on the forum. As such, I'm glad Cbot started this thread last year. Admittedly, this lack of due exposure is partly my own fault because I could've chimed in here much earlier. That being said, I'm chiming now!

I've worked near Exsenators, off-and-on for about 8 years. One thing that has never changed is the smell. When you drive past it (that's all it takes), you're guaranteed to get a huge wiff of hickory. Although I've worked so close, I've only had the food a handful of times. Frankly, it wasn't until 3ish years ago that that I became interested in smoked bbq; probably because I got a WSM and the rest is sweet smellin history. Some time after that, I discovered Exsenators.

Today, I was driving to pickup a salad [of all things] for lunch when I drove past Exsenators and the smell just got to me.


I walked in and was hit with the same smokey, hickory smell that you smell if you're within a 1/2 block of the joint. This is a picture of their order counter with bullet-proof glass and all. I've had their ribs and/or links each time I've gone and I've been very happy with what I've gotten. I generally prefer ribs to rib tips because I've often been disappointed with the actual amount of meat on a rib tip. However, I really wanted a little taste of ribs and links and the only option that fit the bill short of me ordering a 1/2 slab and links separately [which would have been a lot of food] was the link and tip combo, seen here:


The links today were great. Smokey, juicy, just enough kick. There have been times in the past where they have been juicier or more dry than others but they're never "dry," if that makes sense. They've always been somewhere on the spectrum of good to very good for me. The tips were phenomenal. This was the first time I've had them at Exsenators, and it won't be the last. All of my usual reservations about getting tips were no problem here. There was a perfect amount of meat on these to go along with the fat, cartilage, and bone-sucking goodness that rib tip lovers enjoy. That's why my plate soon looked like this:


AND, here's one thing I truly did not expect. THE FRIES WERE GREAT! As many of you know, you don't normally get that at a bbq shack, nor should you go expecting it. These fries rocked. I know I've probably had them before, but I honestly don't remember them being this good. Then again, I try and avoid eating the whole batch and just try a few so as to pick-and-choose my caloric battles. Today, I clearly lost that fight.

I implore other LTH'ers to drive down I-57 and give this place a shot. I know from other threads that there are some of you who have had the Que at Exsenators, but have not chimed in here. Hopefully you will.

the sleeve wrote: The tips were phenomenal. This was the first time I've had them at Exsenators, and it won't be the last. All of my usual reservations about getting tips were no problem here. There was a perfect amount of meat on these to go along with the fat, cartilage, and bone-sucking goodness that rib tip lovers enjoy.

Nice post and pics, man I am hungry now...and YEAH the tips are great, had a order a few weeks back. I like there hot sauce to, good good good.

the sleeve wrote:Exsenators really needs some more LTH love.

after having a rib tip & hot link combo yesterday with a few buds, I'd have to say this place does need some more LTH love.

The 3 of us really enjoyed the rib tips, really great, I had happy mouth for hours after lunch while driving to Peoria.

The link was not up to par, each of us received links that were dry, I'm guessing held over from the night before. I thought I could taste potential but again, too dry to be a fan of the links here.