*not* shortchanged at honey 1 ?!

Please don't get me wrong. 99% lurker, 1% poster.
And, I have had Honey 1 at least 10 times in the last year. However, I had carryout from Honey 1 today. Ordered carry out, and asked for full slab of baby backs and xlarge tips, and discovered that I got a full slab of St. Louis ribs instead of baby backs when I got home. I have never known honey one to serve st. louis cuts of ribs, and never have I had them pass them off as the more expensive babybacks.

For what its worth, the tips were perfect. But the ribs were not. As Honey 1 is a BBQ joint, its hard for me to believe that this was an accident. For a knowlegeable BBQ person, the difference between St. Louis cut and baby back is night and day. It was empty at 12:30PM on tuesday afternoon, and I can't belive that they gave a St. Louis cut (e.g. their menu which is the holy grail says it is baby backs). It is not on their menu, and I know that it is a cheaper (not incredibly so) cut of meat.

If that was what Honey 1 had on the menu, then fine. But there is no distinction on the menu (a la SmoqueBBQ) between baby back and st. louis in the menu. I like both, but baby back was what was on the menu and what I was mentally and gastronomically prepared for. At least they should have given me a discount if they were going to charge me for baby backs but planning to give me the cheaper st. louis ribs.

I want the Adams family to do well bc they seem like fish in a relatively smallish pond. But when I get St. Louis ribs in place of more expensive baby-backs, I have to wonder.

10 good experiences and one not-so-great doesn't sound to me like much reason for concern, especially for a place at Honey 1's price point. Helpful post though - a good reminder that when you order takeout from anywhere, it's a good idea to check the container before you leave the place to make sure the order is correct.

Their online menu indicates they serve pork spareribs...

http://www.honey1bbq.com/menu_pork.html

heartdoc wrote:I want the Adams family to do well bc they seem like fish in a relatively smallish pond. But when I get St. Louis ribs in place of more expensive baby-backs, I have to wonder.

Doc,

Frankly, what I wonder about is your intentions as Honey 1 has never offered either baby back ribs or Saint Louis, only full slabs of spare ribs. Honey 1 Menu link

Once again, you were not 'shortchanged' as Honey 1 does not offer baby back ribs.

As you make some mighty serious charges in both subject line and post I anxiously await your explanation.

Enjoy,
Gary

Did you call them about it?

G Wiv wrote:

heartdoc wrote:I want the Adams family to do well bc they seem like fish in a relatively smallish pond. But when I get St. Louis ribs in place of more expensive baby-backs, I have to wonder.

Doc,

Frankly, what I wonder about is your intentions as Honey 1 has never offered either baby back ribs or Saint Louis, only full slabs of spare ribs. Honey 1 Menu link

Once again, you were not 'shortchanged' as Honey 1 does not offer baby back ribs.

As you make some mighty serious charges in both subject line and post I anxiously await your explanation.

Enjoy,
Gary

good catch.

As a side note the spare ribs is why I go to Honey 1, I prefer them to babybacks.

heartdoc wrote: But when I get St. Louis ribs in place of more expensive baby-backs, I have to wonder.

To reiterate G Wiv, I've never seen baby backs at Honey 1.

Also, why is "heartdoc" ordering ribs? Physician, heal thyself.

maureencd wrote:Also, why is "heartdoc" ordering ribs? Physician, heal thyself.

Maybe he is a marriage counselor?

maureencd wrote:Also, why is "heartdoc" ordering ribs? Physician, heal thyself.

Docs like food too!

I have been eating at Honey1 since their days in the Austin location. I've never been served baby back ribs there. Only spare ribs.

As for St. Louis style cut ribs, if my recollection is correct, Honey 1 does cut it's spare ribs St. Louis style. St. Louis ribs have the tips and membrane removed which H1 does.

I bet if you called the restaurant & asked them you'd get an actual answer to your question, whereas posting on a message board is only gonna get you speculation.

Hate to bring up last month's controversial article, but I just read it yesterday and it clearly states of Honey 1: "No baby backs here."

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magaz ... i=2#artanc

YourPalWill wrote:As for St. Louis style cut ribs, if my recollection is correct,

Will,

Surprisingly your recollection is incorrect, Honey 1 serves full racks of spare ribs, not St Louis style.

Spare ribs with the tip section removed, and squared up, make St. Louis style, membrane is optional.

Enjoy,
Gary

I also was puzzled by the mention of baby backs at Honey1, too!

I ate lunch today at Honey1 about 1:15pm and the half slab of spare ribs I had were probably the most tender, moist ribs I've had there in months (I eat there probably 2-3 times/month).

I think I do once remember getting St. Louis cut ribs rather than the usual but chalked that up to them taking what their supplier could get them on a particular day. Seemed to be a one-time occurrence...

To back up Wiv and Binko: the Adams crew has never served anything other than spare ribs in either location to my knowledge. While Honky Tonk, Smokin' M's, and others occasionally have chalkboard specials of cuts not on the standard menu, this has never been the case at H1 in my experience.

My guess is that whomever was taking orders was not really paying attention and just nodded, assuming you meant their ubiquitous spare ribs. Indifferent service, I've seen there. Dishonesty or deliberate misleading, never.

Santander wrote:To back up Wiv and Binko:

Matt,

Thanks, but no backup needed. No baby back ribs at Honey 1 and I really wish, given the very negative content, Heartdoc would show some heart and respond.

Enjoy,
Gary

YourPalWill wrote:St. Louis ribs have the tips and membrane removed which H1 does.

I haven't been to Honey 1 in some time. However, I have had their ribs many times from both the Austin and current location. My experience is that they always leave the membrane on. I have never asked the Adams why, but I have asked here several times and never had an answer....maybe someone knows. Is there some reason why they leave the membrane on that i am not appreciating?

Thanks, but no backup needed. No baby back ribs at Honey 1 and I really wish, given the very negative content, Heartdoc would show some heart and respond

Agreed. And I know you need no backing - there was just a surprising diversity of opinion / memory even in just this thread, and I wanted to give the good Doctor another data point.

iblock - the only case I've heard made for leaving the membrane on is that since it's relatively non-porous, juices have less surface area to escape from on this side of the rack. Several of the major contests, including one I attended in Calgary, have either hard advance regulations or judge / house rules demanding that the membrane be removed. Here is a site advocating leaving the membrane on:

http://www.bbqhelp.com/april05.html

Here is a nice video on removing the membrane with rationale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9plB5BYhj8

My preference is also for removing the membrane prior to cooking. I don't like the melted plastic-wrap consistency and think that the rub and smoke penetrate and flavor the meat better with it removed.

iblock9 wrote:Is there some reason why they leave the membrane on that i am not appreciating?

Iblock,

Some say leaving the membrane on helps keep moisture in, others, leaving it on keeps smoke from properly penetrating. Some say they don't like the texture of the cooked membrane, that it tastes papery, other like the slight added texture.

My thinking on matters membrane is, like the good dishes, if I am cooking BBQ for 'company' I take the membrane off, 'family' leave it on. In other words, I think membrane off makes for a slightly better presentation, but see no real world difference in on or off.

Another option, which I sometimes employ, is leave the membrane on, but lightly score/crosshatch. This allows the papery edges to crisp, which I enjoy.

Enjoy,
Gary

if you got spares instead of babybacks id consider it a bonus.. they are so much more flavorful IMO.
as far as membrane it really doesnt cook ..it just gets tougher so I take it off..
personal preference

G Wiv wrote:Another option, which I sometimes employ, is leave the membrane on, but lightly score/crosshatch. This allows the papery edges to crisp, which I enjoy.

A fish scaler does a great job of quickly scoring the membrane. Much of the membrane remains intact during the smoking session, retaining juices while allowing good smoke penetration. Depending how aggressively you scrape with the scaler, little membrane remains by the time the racks are cooked.

G Wiv wrote:Another option, which I sometimes employ, is leave the membrane on, but lightly score/crosshatch. This allows the papery edges to crisp, which I enjoy.

I enjoy the texture of the crisp membrane, too. It's the way my mom used to make ribs, so I associate it with home-cooked memory, but I can easily understand why others would want to remove it for aesthetic reasons. I usually leave it on -- and if guests don't like it, they can peel-and-eat.

This thread has taken a turn toward "very informative". Thanks both to Gary and Bill for all of the interesting input as to cuts and trimming of ribs.

talk about inserting both feet into mouth

yes Gwiv, I have more than enough "heart" to respond, just didn't expect so many replies so quickly

the very informed responses lead me to believe that I

#1 was not paying attention the previous times I had ribs at H1 and can't tell the difference between spares and baby backs
#2 cannot read a menu correctly
#3 should check my facts before writing something potentially negative about a business
#4 will spend probably the next week removing feet from said mouth

I consider myself flamed (appropriately) and corrected. And apologize to the forum and the Adams family for the (unintended) misinformation.

reading all of the replies, i can see how the original post could strike some as mean spirited, which obviously was not the intention.

If admins can retract my original post that would be great. I wouldn't want any casual readers to get the wrong idea about H1. FWIW, I find myself prefering H1 over Smoque for many reasons (including availability of tips, "genuine" smoker, etc), but mainly because it seems that bottom line, they seem to still need the business.

otoh, with the magical combo of a good product and awesome exposure (local news, food network, etc). Smoque's business is so busy that now you have one of the owners hovering at the cash register after you order, in order to direct you to what seat they want you to take in order to improve the flow of customers.

So, in summary I would like to say that H1 did not shortchange me, I was too stupid to read the menu and realize that I was given exactly what I asked for, and then made a post that I regret. The best part is, I am actually eating cold tips as I write this.

maureencd, I got a kick out of your comment--**"Also, why is "heartdoc" ordering ribs? Physician, heal thyself." **

who said that doctors can't have ribs? You tell me to "heal myself", I tell my patients everything in moderation. even my father, who is a heart attack survivor. let he who has not ribbed cast the first bone.

cheers

^ Good comeback, Heartdoc. (I especially like the "let he who has not ribbed cast the first bone" line -- very clever.)

Nice post, heartdoc. You could go back and edit your first post - maybe adding the word "Not" to the subject line. It's an interesting discussion - I never understood the difference between spares and St. Louis ribs before.

heartdoc wrote:...The best part is, I am actually eating cold tips as I write this....
...will spend probably the next week removing feet from said mouth

So now you're accusing Honey 1 of trying to pass off foot meat as tips???

More seriously, thanks for the response. I think we've all written things we later regret, but not all have the courage to own up to it the way you did.

Kennyz wrote:I think we've all written things we later regret, but not all have the courage to own up to it the way you did.

Quite definitely. I appreciate the honest appraisal, the mea culpa, and the integrity of a relatively new poster to jump back in with an explanation.

No need to apologize for not posting sooner, heartdoc.

You posted your note on Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:58 pm. I think it is silly for folks to repeatedly ask you to respond that same day within hours. Some folks think everyone lives on the internet 24/7 just like they do. I'm sure there will be a response to this, about how your original post was inflammatory and accusatory and how it just *required* you to follow-up, but I will ignore that as I hope you do as well.

The follow-up posts have been very informative, I learned a heck of a lot (and realized there's always a lot about ribs that I don't know) so I hope the thread does not get deleted, a'la Chowhound style. The various designations concerning ribs, St. Louis, babyback, spare, etc. have always confused me a bit and understanding how they relate to each and what a cook does to prepare each is just awesome. Thank you LTHforum!