Northside & Evanston BBQ

Hello,

I'm a relatively new member to this board, been reading for a couple of months, this is my first posting.

I am curious to get input of BBQ joints on the northside, kinda close to Rogers Park and Evanston. I've always gone to Hecky's for rib tips on the way home from work (Chicago snack pack hits the spot). I used to like Merles when I first discovered them a few years back, but I have discovered that its not all that good after all. On Howard, between Clark and Ridge, on the south side of the street in a small strip mall is Barbeque Bob's. Its a take out joint with a couple of tables. I've had their beef and pork ribs, as well as their tips. Pretty good stuff, not excellent, but its really close to where I live, so its the convenience factor that sells me. Was curious to know if others had tried this place before and what you thought of it.
A friend had hosted Oscar's party and had meatballs in a bbq sauce from a place called Honey1BBQ. The guy was there and passed out his cards. Its in lincoln park somewhere, Western Ave I think. Any opinions??

Looking forward to getting y'alls input.

Joel,

Welcome. If you're looking for info on Honey 1, you should start with this thread announcing it as a Great Neighborhood Restaurant award recipient. From there you can follow links into more detailed discussion of Honey 1's excellent BBQ.

JoelM,

Welcome to LTHForum, home of some of Honey 1's most ardent fans and supporters (and a few detractors).

We awarded Honey 1 our Great Neighborhood Restaurant Award this January. Prior to that, you can read some opinons in this thread, which has been one of LTHForum's all-time most viewed threads.

There has been some brief discussion of Merle's, Fat Willy's, Bob's, et al, but for me the heavyweight champion of good, smoky BBQ on the northside is Honey 1.

Best,
Michael

Thanks guys for this info. I checked out those previous posts. The younger guy, Bob Jr., was the one at the party that was handing out cards. I hadn't heard of it before but I am going to make it a point to get over there this weekend!!

I'm a huge fan of Bar-B-Que Bob's. I don't think you can find better on the North Side. Bob's baby backs are just about perfect -- smoky, toothsome, nicely chewy yet moist -- and I love that allspice-infused sauce and the caramelization they put on the ribs. Unlike a lot of places, they don't drown the ribs in sauce, just a light glaze. The sliced brisket sandwich wins, too, and the lemon-cheese and sweet-potato pies are scrumptious.

My pictures don't do the ribs justice.

Bar-B-Que Bob's
773/761-1260
Howard-Hoyne Plaza
2055 W. Howard St.
Chicago, IL 60645

LAZ wrote:I'm a huge fan of Bar-B-Que Bob's. I don't think you can find better on the North Side.

At least that is what Bar-B-Que Bob's take-out menu says: "The Best Bar-B-Que on the North Side of Chicago". That sounds like an excuse for a head-to-head challenge to me. I have not yet been to Honey1, so I can't substantiate Bob's claim. But like LAZ, I have recently become a big fan of Bob's cooking, especially his sauce. In fact, I brought home food from there last night.

I have never actually had the ribs, but the tips are fantastic with the spicy sauce. The smoky tips are lean and meaty (for tips), and just chewy enough. The hot sauce is wonderfully complex. It starts out with a sharp vinegar bite then rounds out into a deep warm spiciness, which I guess is the allspice LAZ mentioned above. It finishes with a touch of sweetness and a peppery aftertaste, a smoky hotness that starts moderately but builds up as you eat (like hot and sour soup). Despite the fact that the sauce is labeled extra hot (at least what they sell in bottles), it is quite tolerable, not nearly as hot as Hecky's hot sauce.

When I had the pulled pork sandwich, I found it to be a little overcooked, but certainly passable. However, I agree with LAZ that the beef brisket sandwich is a real winner (though sometimes just a tad salty) and a bargain at only $3.50 with fries.

The sides I have tried were good also, including turnip greens, okra, baked beans, coleslaw, mac & cheese and corn bread muffins. Bob's dinner specials are a good deal. They come with 2 sides and a muffin. I have a friend who swears by the catfish dinner ($7), but I haven't tried that either.

The next time I get food from Bar-B-Que Bob's , I want to try the smoked turkey legs and chicken ($4 for 1/2 a chicken). They also sell gizzards (yay!). And they deliver to my house (which is good, because that parking lot can get a little dicey on warm summer nights).

LAZ wrote:I'm a huge fan of Bar-B-Que Bob's. I don't think you can find better on the North Side.

LAZ,

I have much respect for your ability to appreciate good BBQ, after all you like mine. But we disagree on Bob's vs Honey 1. Maybe I have to give Bob's another chance, I've only been twice, but, to my way of thinking, Honey 1 is the clear winner in all categories.

One big difference is Bob, who is a terrifically nice fellow, cooks with a smoke infused rotisserie (Southern Pride) and Honey 1 cooks direct with wood. It may also be, as you once said "Perhaps, when it comes to ribs, you and I belong to the same Orthodox tradition, but follow different rabbis." A wise and most accurate statement, at least in the case of BBQ Bob's vs Honey 1.


Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:One big difference is Bob, who is a terrifically nice fellow, cooks with a smoke infused rotisserie (Southern Pride) and Honey 1 cooks direct with wood

That seems like a pretty significant difference. It may explain why Bob's meat has been a little too tender on occassion. Bob claims to sell "Pit" BBQ. Doesn't that imply direct wood fire? (Excuse my ignorance.) We really need to have a Northside tip-off, to settle it once and for all. (Though technically, I guess Honey 1 is on the Northwest side.)

I think BBQ preference comes down to whether you think the meat or the sauce makes the Q, or both. But I'll bet we all agree that Twin Anchors ribs suck on both counts.

d4v3 wrote:Bob claims to sell "Pit" BBQ. Doesn't that imply direct wood fire?

d4v3,

Yes and no. Yes if you are in Texas Hill Country, no if you are pretty much anywhere else in the US of A. The term 'Pit BBQ' has become elastic to the point of not having much meaning, though I'd say BBQ Bob does not stretch the meaning (much) as he does use wood as a component of his cooking.

To my knowledge Honey 1 is the only BBQ joint in Chicago using straight wood, this includes Lem's and Barbara Ann's. Most, as in 95%, use the type of smoker, if not exact, then similar, to BBQ Bob, which does not use wood or charcoal as it's main heat source.

Enjoy,
Gary

I was there a couple days ago at the urging of this forum and a neighbor (I'm practically around the corner) and I agree, it's good. I had rib tips, which were better than any I've had in the area (but not as good as you can get them in Northern KY) fried okra, which was fine, and the gizzards - which were overbattered and overcooked (though I ate them all anyway, and it was a HUGE portion) and the mac and cheese for Sparky (which IMHO was just plain vile, but my son ate it with gusto)

The real standout to me were the turnip greens, which straddled the line between bitter, undercooked and khaki-colored overcooked beautifully; a hard line to follow.

I think this entire dinner cost me less than $9 and easily fed our family of three.

Has anybody tried the cornbread? I'm very picky - only real southern-style will do for me (not sweet, not much added flour)

Mhays wrote:Has anybody tried the cornbread? I'm very picky - only real southern-style will do for me (not sweet, not much added flour)

The cornbread is actually in the form of muffins(as pictured above). They are not very sweet at all. In fact, I noticed that right away. They are also very crumbly and sort of gritty, so I would guess they are light on both flour and butter. They seem more "corn" than bread, if that makes sense.

G Wiv wrote:I have much respect for your ability to appreciate good BBQ, after all you like mine. But we disagree on Bob's vs Honey 1. Maybe I have to give Bob's another chance, I've only been twice, but, to my way of thinking, Honey 1 is the clear winner in all categories.

One big difference is Bob, who is a terrifically nice fellow, cooks with a smoke infused rotisserie (Southern Pride) and Honey 1 cooks direct with wood. It may also be, as you once said "Perhaps, when it comes to ribs, you and I belong to the same Orthodox tradition, but follow different rabbis." A wise and most accurate statement, at least in the case of BBQ Bob's vs Honey 1.

Well, yes, in a taste-off, I'd have to say the G Wiv ribs would come out best of all. There's just a little matter of availability....

Maybe I need to give Honey 1 another try, too. Most of what I hear praise of there is the tips; I'm not much of a tips fan. The ribs I've tried there have been kind of dry and stringy, which Bob's never are, though d4v3 is correct that they are occasionally a little too tender -- since I often go there late in the day, I've attributed that to holding.

I also like the way Bob caramelizes a glaze on his ribs, and I'm in full agreement with d4v3 on the stellar sauce and with Mhays on the flavorful greens (and the unfortunately gloppy mac and cheese).

But I have to say that after the North Side's having been such a BBQ desert for so long, it's terrific that there are at least two options worth telling people about. It's much nicer to be able to say, "This one's my favorite but my friend really likes that one," than to have to say, "No, you have to schlep down to the South Side and eat in your car."

I'm still looking for a north/northwest suburban option to replace American Smokehouse, though.

It's fortunate Chicago has so many barbecue houses; people's tastes differ so much that almost everyone can find something to suit them. I gave Bar-B-Que Bob's a try the other day and found it didn't suit me at all.

I had a pulled pork sandwich (their way, no special requests) plus a small tips and link combo (hot sauce on the side). To prepare the pork, pieces of meat and a couple ladles of sauce were combined in a stainless steel bowl and stirred over a griddle for several minutes until the mixture was sizzling. Meanwhile the hot link, retrieved from a warming cabinet, was heated alongside on the ridged griddle. I didn't see how the tips were prepared but I think pre-cut pieces from the cabinet were simply dusted with a spice mixture (I heard no whacks of a cleaver). The frozen crinkle-cut potatoes were freshly fried. I should note this was several hours before closing.

The pulled pork was essentially a paste held together with a large amount of extremely sweet sauce, like a fibrous sloppy joe. The tips had an unappealing rubbery texture and the heavy dose of spices had turned into a salty paste. I tried bites of three pieces before deciding I didn't care to proceed. The link wasn't bad and would have been better still if the casing had been blackened and crisp like at some other places. I thought the hot sauce was pretty decent.

I'd like to believe I caught them on a bad day but I'm not sure I'll muster the enthusiasm to find out. On a more positive note, I hope that some homeless person enjoyed the barbecue more than I did and had a better than usual meal of my abundant leftovers.

Bar-B-Que Bob's
2055 W Howard St
Chicago
773-761-1260
Mon-Thu 11-10, Fri-Sat 11-11, Sun 11-6

I hate to pile on here (well, not really...), but my experience at Bob's was very similar to ReneG's.

I had the "pulled pork" sandwich, which could more accurately be described as "pureed pork". Flavor-wise it was fine, but texture-wise it was a disaster - like a bun filled with baby food.

I also had the tip - link combo, and like ReneG's order, mine was re-heated in a pan on the stovetop just prior to being served. Not a good sign. I thought the link was OK, the tips not so hot, but still edible. Fries were OK, as were the greens.

IMHO Honey 1 is light years ahead of this place & well worth the drive down Western.

Never been to Bob's, but that sounds very much like my experience at Smoke Country House. The sad fact is, many Chicagoans prefer aged 'cue reheated in BBQ sauce to fresh from the fire 'cue. The results certainly are more consistent, given the very narrow window between undercooked and dried out at the more artisinal places.

To be fair, the very finely chopped, integrated style of "pulled" pork is commonplace, and "authentic," in several areas, including E. Carolina and So. Illinois, e.g. I like (love, really) the smooth mix of white and brown with some cracklings mixed in, with slaw, on a squishy white potato bun. Toddler food for the gods.

JeffB wrote:To be fair, the very finely chopped, integrated style of "pulled" pork is commonplace, and "authentic," in several areas, including E. Carolina and So. Illinois, e.g. I like (love, really) the smooth mix of white and brown with some cracklings mixed in, with slaw, on a squishy white potato bun. Toddler food for the gods.

Like everything else, a matter of personal preference I guess. My taste in pork sandwiches tends toward those commonly found in Memphis or the Mississippi Delta, where they tend to be made with coarsely "chopped" (with a meat cleaver), rather than "pulled" pork. Given the choice between chopped & pulled, I will always choose chopped, as the texture is a bit more toothsome & you tend to get more of those yummy burnt bits in there.....

The "baby food" kind is also chopped (explaining the quotation marks above) but with two cleavers and a lot of vigor. The more coarsely chopped, the pulled, even the sliced -- I'm like Dean Martin, I love 'em all.

I have to agree with Bob's pulled pork being not so good. It doesn't taste bad, but the texture is mushy. Like many places, I think what Bob does is pull the pork from the leftover ribs (truthfully, I have NEVER had decent pulled or chopped pork north of the Mason-Dixon line). The brisket sandwich is much better. As to the tips, in my experience they are usually pretty good, but they can also be overcooked. However, the baby-back ribs I have had from Bob's have always been great.

I think that Bob has problems predicting his business patterns which contributes to the inconsistencies, just like at Honey 1. When you have a low turnover rate for a product that takes hours to prepare, it is tough to get it right. Whereas Honey 1 will often run out of items, Bob will have them, but they are often overcooked. Although, from reading the Honey 1 threads, it seems they also sometimes have problems with overcooking. The difference is that Honey 1's pork seems to dry out when cooked too long, but Bob's get mushy, which must be attributable to the types of smokers used.

Bob's may not be the best, but it is close to my house, and occassionally mushy pork aside, most of the food I have had from there has been decent. I had the catfish from Bob's which is very good. It came with a thin vinegar based hot sauce that was very similar to what I used to get with chopped pork when I lived in NC. The sides at Bob's are also very good. Honey 1 is 64 blocks from my house, so it is not really "worth the trip down Western". If I go there, I may as well go to the Southside for the real thing. I will continue to patronize Bob's until something else better opens in the hood.

d4v3 wrote:I think that Bob has problems predicting his business patterns which contributes to the inconsistencies, just like at Honey 1. When you have a low turnover rate for a product that takes hours to prepare, it is tough to get it right. Whereas Honey 1 will often run out of items, Bob will have them, but they are often overcooked. Although, from reading the Honey 1 threads, it seems they also sometimes have problems with overcooking. The difference is that Honey 1's pork seems to dry out when cooked too long, but Bob's get mushy, which must be attributable to the types of smokers used.

I would tend to agree.

In any case, I do not recommend Bob's pulled pork, which is, I agree, too finely textured.

At Bob's, I like the lightly caramelized baby back slabs, which have a nice chew without being dried out; the brisket sandwich; the greens; and the pies. (I am not a fan of tips in general and have never tried those.)

I was just at Honey One recently and gave their ribs another try and, while they were somewhat better this time, they were still leathery, with a hard, dry crust. They had to be dipped in sauce to be palatable. However, I agree that their pulled pork is better than Bob's. (Calvin's also does a nice job with pulled pork.)

My barbecue yearnings, however, tend to be for ribs.

LAZ wrote:I was just at Honey One recently and gave their ribs another try and, while they were somewhat better this time, they were still leathery, with a hard, dry crust. They had to be dipped in sauce to be palatable. However, I agree that their pulled pork is better than Bob's. (Calvin's also does a nice job with pulled pork.)

LAZ,

The outer surface of the ribs at Honey 1 is always going to be more resistant than Bob's BBQ or, for that matter, any BBQ shop that uses a Southern Pride, or similar, cooker. Honey 1 cooks their BBQ directly over wood with radiant heat from the fire giving the outside of the meat a slightly more resistant texture.

Honey 1 cooks slower than Lem's, which has a distinctly crisp, chewy outside to the ribs, with Mack at Uncle John's somewhere between Honey 1 and Lem's.

All a matter of preference.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:The outer surface of the ribs at Honey 1 is always going to be more resistant than Bob's BBQ or, for that matter, any BBQ shop that uses a Southern Pride, or similar, cooker. Honey 1 cooks their BBQ directly over wood with radiant heat from the fire giving the outside of the meat a slightly more resistant texture.

Would this also make them a lot harder and dryer than ribs cooked on a WSM?

My first experience at Honey One, they served something you could describe as pig jerky on a bone, entirely dessicated. On the most recent occasion, the meat close to the bone still had a slight juiciness, but the exterior was still hard and jerkylike. If that's how it's supposed to be, well, then I guess it's just not my preference. My thought was that they had been held too long

I dislike fall-off-the-bone ribs even more, but chewy, moist and meaty is how I like ribs best.

I had lunch today at BBQ Bob's along with GWiv. Let me just say at the outset that I am firmly in the ever growing camp that is not impressed by BBQ Bob's at all. Although the prices are right, Bob's is a prime example of "you get what you pay for". I started out with their 3 wings and tips special for $5.00. The wings had potential. I liked the essence of what the breading was supposed to be, but the wings were quite dried out...like they had been twice fried and the second time did them in. The "tips" were something I would classify as bits of tips. Rather than meaty chunks, they were pencil eraser sized pieces of tips that again were held too long, quite dry and not meaty at all. Imagine a rib tip at Barbara Ann's or Honey 1 that has been cut into thirds, then reheated and served.

From there I tired the $10.50 baby back rib dinner, which included 2 sides and a corn muffin. The corn muffin was actually pretty good. I saw a couple of batches of them being put in to the oven while I was waiting for my food, although the muffin I was served was not one of the fresh from the oven ones. The ribs themselves were at best OK. They had been held a bit too long and reheated and had a somewhat mealy texture typical of meat that is cooked in a Southern Pride rather than over an open pit. They were also a bit salty. Luckily, I got the sauce on the side because the sauce was tarnished with a generous serving of liquid smoke, something that I just can't tolerate in BBQ (If it's real BBQ, why do you need the liquid smoke? Use the wood, Luke.) The sides (beans (and franks??) and greens) were quite unremarkable.

We also sampled a half order of the BBQ beef ribs, another bargain at $7.00. These were the best thing of the day, although the beef ribs I had at the LEYE outpost L.Woods were cooked in the same manner and were considerably better, albeit more expensive.

The food just didn't measure up. We ended up giving at least half of it away to a homeless hustler who was hanging out in the restaurant looking for handouts and a job. I suppose, if I lived in the immediate neighborhood a case could be made for an occasional visit. After all, the price is right. As for myself, I don't think anything at BBQ Bob's will be bringing me back anytime soon.

Interesting that many of my neighbors have come out in the anti-Bob's camp as well; possibly I was there on a good day - or early, as we tend to eat before 6 because of Sparky.

I should express again the caveat that it was better than other northside takeout BBQ options, but I wouldn't compare it with BBQ from my hometown. I'll have to try somewhere on the South Side next time we're headed to Michigan.

For instance, we tried Hecky's again the other day, had passable fried chicken, but the ribs were just close to inedible; the meat had been somehow dried (cooked doesn't seem like the right word) almost to the consistency of jerky, and then soaked in sauce which didn't rehydrate them at all. I don't get why this place has such a following, other than the chicken (which, while cooked like southern home-fried chicken, lacks seasoning IMHO.)

We've also eaten at Merle's a couple of times which I found to be incredibly overpriced and didn't really think the ribs were all that, even in the sampler - so not an issue of style preference. Certainly the sides didn't stack up.

stevez wrote:The "tips" were something I would classify as bits of tips. Rather than meaty chunks, they were pencil eraser sized pieces of tips that again were held too long, quite dry and not meaty at all. Imagine a rib tip at Barbara Ann's or Honey 1 that has been cut into thirds, then reheated and served.

That is nothing at all like the tips I got there two fridays ago. They were big, lean and meaty, although maybe a little too tender. They weren't reheated either. In fact, I had to wait for them to get chopped. Sounds like Bob's served you the scraps left over from the weekend. That's not good. Maybe my timing has just been lucky. That is the only way to explain our mostly different experiences. Each time I have gone there has been in the early evening on Friday(I think). They have also been relatively busy at that time.

LAZ wrote:My first experience at Honey One, they served something you could describe as pig jerky on a bone, entirely dessicated. On the most recent occasion, the meat close to the bone still had a slight juiciness, but the exterior was still hard and jerkylike. If that's how it's supposed to be, well, then I guess it's just not my preference. My thought was that they had been held too long

LAZ,

Honey 1 has a more distinct cycle than most BBQ joints, which, counter intuitively, is because they strive to serve the meats fresher than most. Honey 1 does not cook, wrap, hold in cooler then reconstitute on a grill with sauce, which tends to insure a consistent product, consistently mediocre in my opinion.

Personally I am more than willing to trade the occasional, very occasional in Honey 1's case, slightly dry rib for the heights of deliciousness they typically achieve.

The best way for BBQ lovers to insure Honey 1 has a consistent supply of meaty, juicy, wonderfully delicious ribs is to go early and often. The busier they are the faster they run through the cycle. In other words, the more BBQ we eat, the better it will be!

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Honey 1 does not cook, wrap, hold in cooler then reconstitute on a grill with sauce, which tends to insure a consistent product, consistently mediocre in my opinion.

I think this practice actually creates a more inconsistent product. It is true that the restaurant throws out less meat. However, if you happen to be there at a time when the ribs are fresh out of the smoker, and the leftovers from the previous batch are already gone, you get good fresh product. Otherwise, you get something that has been stored and reheated (or returned to the smoker). I am sure this is what is going on at Bob's. They probably only smoke ribs a couple of times a week, then sell them until they run out, or become too mushy to serve. Then they make "pulled pork" from whatever is left. The further you get from the day of the smoking, the less appealing the product gets. I guess a sure tip-off is a place that hardly ever runs out of slabs. A well run BBQ place should run out of slabs every day. That means the owner is willing to lose sales rather than store and reheat. So at a place like Bob's you have a small chance of getting fresh product, whereas at Honey 1 you have a small risk of getting something overcooked. I would definitely take my chances with the Honey 1 model. Who knew that selling barbecue involved such complex business processes? No wonder there aren't more rib joints on the Northside.

PS. as I was leaving La Unica yesterday, I noticed that the Citgo station across the street advertises BBQ chicken and ribs. I have not seen BBQ at a gas station since I was stationed in North Carolina. It scares me, but I am intrigued.

d4v3 wrote:A well run BBQ place should run out of slabs every day.

d4v3,

Agreed!

However, I tend to, in general, doubt that places that cook, wrap, hold, reheat with sauce on a grill seldom, if ever, serve meat 'hot from the smoker'.

Enjoy,
Gary

d4v3, I live about a block away from the Citgo and La Unica. That sign has been there for quite a long time but there is no evidence of any food being cooked and served there. I'll let you know if that changes.

G Wiv wrote:However, I tend to, in general, doubt that places that cook, wrap, hold, reheat with sauce on a grill seldom, if ever, serve meat 'hot from the smoker'.

Well, I don't know if Bob serves meat right out of the smoker, but I know that the last time I had ribs from Bob's was on a Friday evening, and I called ahead. They told me to wait at least a half hour before heading over there. When I got to Bob's I had to wait another 15 minutes along with several other people waiting on ribs. They took care of customers who ordered links and sandwiches right away. The ribs were very good, and seemed fresh. I think I happen to catch them at that "seldom if ever" time. I suspect the others who were waiting knew more about Bob's schedule than I do. Regardless, I am not sure I like playing the smoked meat lottery. There's nothing more disappointing than bad Barbecue.

stevez wrote:We also sampled a half order of the BBQ beef ribs, another bargain at $7.00. These were the best thing of the day, although the beef ribs

Steve,

I'd agree, Bar-B-Que Bob's beef ribs, a generous portion of meaty ribs for $7, were the best of the day, the corn muffin, along with the greens, were nice as well. Rib (pork) tips were cut a bit small, but this is a style decision on their part, not intrinsically bad, though yesterday Bar-B-Que Bob's tips were nothing to write home about.

After another go at Bar-B-Bob's my opinion, expressed upthread, has not changed,

Enjoy,
Gary