Joe's Bar-B-Q & Fish (Hillside & west side)

I have done a couple of searches for this place and can find no mention on the forum, surprisingly. Joe's has three locations, and I have visited only the one in Hillside, not the two on the west side of the city.

Joe's presents a pleasing prospect - the mother of all aquarium smokers - maybe a triple wide? - is located by the door, and the room was full of smoke and customers on a Friday evening - carry out only.

Strangely (tellingly?) no one was actually tending the smoker, though it did seem to be operating. The ribs were coming from the kitchen in back. It was sufficiently busy that I was not comfortable taking up the time of the staff with my questions, though I did make a leading comment about how pleasantly surprised I was to see an aquarium cooker out this way. No one took the bait.

Ordered a rack of ribs and a small combo (tips and links) plus a sweet potato pie (single serving) and peach cobbler. The Bride reports the Cobbler was wonderful. I left the sweet potato pie with a friend and have no report on that, but it looked good.

The Q was served with sauce already on it, so my review is tainted...

Tips were meaty and tender, but not mushy. Both ribs and tips had decent smoke flavor, conditioned only by the fact that I could not sample the meat on its own. The ribs seemed to be some sort of transverse cut, halfway between baby back and spare. Flat, fairly meaty and quite pretty, glistening and red, clearly they had been sauced while being held, or late in the smoking. Not meat mush, either, they were chewy as hell - way too chewy in fact, with no crust beyond the sauce sheen.

Links had a nice bite, coarse grind, quite pleasant.

It seems to me they are doing most of the right things, but need a good pit man. Not sure if the issue with the ribs was a result of some trick they use to handle the Friday night rush, bad quality ribs, or just lousy control on the smoker.

So I need to go back, sample some of the Q without sauce, and see how things are when it is a bit less busy.

Has anyone else tried any of these locations? Or maybe there is another thread about this chain I missed?

Joes Bar-B-Q & Fish
350 N Wolf
Hillside
708-449-9999

4900 W Madison
Chicago
773-637-0003

5931 W North
Chicago
773-625-5910

You know, some of these places HAVE to be quite variable. A few weeks ago it was mentioned that Coleman's was not very good, but on my few times there, I always had good stuff. Now, I'll say about the Joe's on North Ave (right down from the bungalow) can smell good on many-a-day, but foodwise it's been pretty awful. Part of the problem, I believe, is that they sell too few ribs. I mean tips are OK, but ribs really awful.

I had some tips from the Joe's in Hillside a while back. I'd say they were fairly good, but not transcendent. Certainly better than a place like Fat Willie's or Hecky's, for example, but they didn't approach Honey 1's or Uncle John's (but not bad for suburbia). Mine also came pre-sauced even after ordering them sauceless. I made a note to try more stuff next time I was out that way, but it's been well over a year and I've yet to be back in that direction.

stevez wrote:I had some tips from the Joe's in Hillside a while back. I'd say they were fairly good, but not transcendent. Certainly better than a place like Fat Willie's or Hecky's, for example, but they didn't approach Honey 1's or Uncle John's (but not bad for suburbia). Mine also came pre-sauced even after ordering them sauceless. I made a note to try more stuff next time I was out that way, but it's been well over a year and I've yet to be back in that direction.

Yup.

I really do think it is a matter of having all the right tools, but no one who knows how to use them. Plus they are doing a good business, so why bother?

Not a bad place for tips or links if one is in the neighborhood. Actually, I was looking for the place that started in Denver and then moved to Westchester that was mentioned in another thread, but I could not find it, or the thread now. So we stumbled across Joe's and figured we would try it out. Q's Pizzeria is down the street and is another interesting place (though I have not been there in about 20 years, but it seems to be holding up well based on posts here and what I hear from others) - so that stretch of Butterfield and Wolf seems to offer a little interest, even if Joe's is not a destination.

dicksond wrote:I have done a couple of searches for this place and can find no mention on the forum, surprisingly. Joe's has three locations, and I have visited only the one in Hillside, not the two on the west side of the city.

Pigmon and I visited Joe's on Madison a little over a year ago but never bothered posting. We tried the tips and links (sauce on the side) and weren't terribly impressed. Tips were meaty but fatty and rubbery without any crisp bark. Probably had been held for quite a while. Links were better. These are the cornmeal-filled style similar to I-57's and Fredine's. I have no memory of the sauce. Maybe we hit them on a bad day.

Joe’s Bar-B-Cue & Fish
4900 W Madison St
Chicago
773-626-5910

Anyone had the beef ribs at any these locations? Opinions?