Judge's Bar-B-Que — Indianapolis

I hadn't planned on eating barbecue in Indianapolis but things just worked out that way. Last visit I took a different route to Workingman's Friend and found myself at the corner of Michigan & Belmont, almost in front of Judge's BBQ. It didn't look terribly promising, a fine old brick storefront but too nice and new.



Then I got a whiff of smoke. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, as there was no chimney I could see. Walking around to the back I saw a converted shipping container filled with large kettle grills smoking away (I later learned Judge Smith uses a mix of hickory and charcoal).



Deciding this required further investigation, I went inside the restaurant. Shiny and new but pleasant and, most importantly, the food on people's plates looked pretty good.



Then I noticed brisket and corn casserole—two of my favorites—on the menu and that clinched it. I ordered a small brisket sandwich, a sampler of tips, and corn casserole.



The brisket was pretty good, very tender with good smoke flavor (and distinct smoke ring). I thought the tips were less successful but certainly edible. These had probably been cooked more quickly as they had a fair amount of unrendered fat and not as much smoke. The casserole was very good and got me to wishing it was more common in Chicago. I wouldn't say this was world-class barbecue but it was a respectable effort. I'd happily return to try more of the menu (the chicken looked especially good).

Judge's Bar-B-Que
2104 W Michigan St
Indianapolis IN
317-631-0340

Rene G wrote:Walking around to the back I saw a converted shipping container filled with large kettle grills smoking away (I later learned Judge Smith uses a mix of hickory and charcoal).

Rene,

Very cool line-up of kettle grills, they look similar to the commercial model Weber Ranch Kettles used at Weber Grill.

Weber Grill (Chicago)



Glad to hear the BBQ was in the edible range, Judge's BBQ seems a nice place. One thing I wonder, those ranch kettles don't lend themselves to large scale low and slow BBQ. I'd guess they have a Southern Pride or Ole Hickory somewhere on premises.

Really enjoying your Exploring the Heartland posts. I hope MegaBus keeps the $1 ticket deal running for at least a few years.

Enjoy,
Gary