eacrotty wrote:(But let's hold off on he criticism until these dudes actually open the door...)

Eacrotty wins the award for most reasonable comment/request ~ever~ from a 1st time poster.

Congratulations, please pick up your prize at the back bar.

Welcome to LTHForum,
Gary

it could be a south bound train.
i hope they have some type of research or have a bbq background

You know, when a friend of mine told me that a Jewish college buddy of his from Skokie with no restaurant experience, except a stint at Kendall Colege, planned on opening a BBQ place, I figured it had no chance of succeeding. After a year of researching bbq styles all over the country (nice job if you can get it), the guy opened Smoque, and seems to be doing pretty good for himself. So I wouldn't write off white-boy barbecue on the northside just yet.

Besides, I don't know if "the team that brought you Tizi Meloul" includes Terry Alexander (Tizi, Mia Francesca, Soul Kitchen, MOD, Danny's Lounge, Sonoteque etc.), but ever since the hick kid from Nebraska sought his fortune in the big city (more than 20 years ago), just about everything he has touched has turned to gold.

What I am even less optimistic about is that Fulton's (from the team that brought you the overdone chicken and pork pudding style ribs at east of Eden) has just put the glass doors on what appears to be a brand new custom made aquarium smoker sitting in the middle of their dining room. Hopefully, they won't prove that having a cool smoker, doesn't automatically make one into an accomplished pitmaster. And aquarium smokers require a lot of skill to master. Even Smoque stuck with the more reliable Southern Pride "barbecue machine" (as Gary has dubbed them).

Does anybody know what sort of smoker the Pork Shoppe will use? My dad used to loathe the affected superfluous e on words like shop and point. He would have refused to eat there just based on the name (then again he loved twin anchor's ribs, so what did he know from BBQ?).

Any updates on when they will open this month? Web site still says comin' soon.

Metromix article posted up-thread says mid-May. I live down the block-- no change to building exterior and metal rolling shades on windows closed up tight.

Was thinking it was gonna open this month not next....got it, thanks!

JeffB wrote:Of course, thrifty as it is, IBP cooked over Kingsford isn't good BBQ. Traditional BBQ in its purest (and in my opinion, best) form involves local, naturally-raised pigs cooked over local hardwoods.

Jeff,

While I haven't used Kingsford in years I've done thousands of pounds of Low & Slow factory pork with lump charcoal and wood over the years and most of it has tasted pretty damn good. I've Low Slow smoked hundreds of pounds of local, naturally-raised pork to great effect as well, but to discount factory pork with lump/wood as dreck* seems myopic.

Fond as I am of whole Low Slow local piggy with hardwood it simply is not practical for the urban BBQ man to build the appropriate wood burning pit and source, on a regular basis, the quantities of wood necessary. The closest I've been able to manage is building a wood burning cinder block pit at my cousin the Goat King's house in Aurora, but that is only a couple of times a year event.

Enjoy,
Gary

*My word, not Jeff's

Gary: My comment expired, so it's not fair for you to respond now. Seriously, though, fair enough. I was noting the extremes-- factory pork over briquettes vs. local pork over hardwood. Purest and best are not always feasible, as you say. Decent pork over natural lump charcoal is plenty good enough for me, especially from a restaurant, though even the urbanest of urban pits in Chicago have a rick of wood in house. [Edit: but they probably do use "factory" meat.] On the other hand, many of the rural whole hog cookers documented by PIGMON and Trixie, for example, all commecial operations, use what's local. Of course, if you are in the middle of nowhere TN, it's probably easier and relatively cheap to get your pigs and wood from your neighbors.

By the way, just a matter of preference, but I would rather eat pork with a tinge of hardwood smoke from a gas-fired "cooker" than just about anything cooked over briquettes. This might elicit boos, but in my BBQ hell, the Kingsfords are a notch closer to the middle than the Southern Prides.

Signage now up at 2755 W. Belmont for The Pork Shoppe - An American BBQ.
Sorry no photo, car moving too fast.

Just chatted with "Elizabeth" at The Pork Shoppe-
and she informed me they have jumped through all of the
City's licensing hoops except for one- which they hope to have signed late this
upcoming (the 7th,8th,9th...?) week (or early the week of the 12th of July).
Apparently The "Task Force" review was smooooooth-
so once they get this final bit of bureaucracy approved-
they are "Off to The Races"!
FWIW- she did confirm they have an "Aquarium Smoker"- using a blend of Hardwoods,
that have led to a series of successful tastings....


Pork Shoppe
2755 W Belmont (@ California)
Chicago, IL 60618
t : (773) 961-7654
c : (773) 991-6340

Open's at 11:00 am Today!

After several days of "soft openings"- The Owners of The Pork Shoppe
on Belmont will make themselves available for all the Porcine fans,
according to an email from Elizabeth.

Who will be the first to post?!

I swung by for lunch today and had a pretty good experience. First, let's cover the menu as it stands now:

Baby Back Ribs, $11/half $19/full
Pulled chicken $4.50 per 1/4lb
Pulled pork $6.00 per 1/4lb
Brisket $6.50 per 1/4lb
Flank steak $5 per 1/4lb
* Add $1 to turn any of the 1/4lb portions into a sandwich
Brisket taco $2

Sides:
Corn on the cob $1
Cornbread $3.50
Mac & Cheese $3
Burnt End Baked Beans $4
Fries $2
The Pickle $1
Green Bean salad (lettuce, caramelized onion, almonds, blue cheese) $5.50

Sauces:
Sweet & Sticky Sauce (molasses)
Tart & Tangy Sauce (vinegar)
Wicked Spicy Sauce (chiles)

They seem to be BYO for now, if not forever. Pitchers of water by the silverware (serve yourself) and $1 cans of soda.

Anyway, I wanted to try a few things so overordered and got 1/4lb brisket, a steak sandwich, baked beans and a pickle. Came to just shy of $20 after tax. I'll update this thread with pics when I get home.

Brisket: the best commercial brisket I've had in Chicago (and better than most of the brisket I've had in Texas). The meat was cooked beautifully, with tender, moist interior and a great crunchy bark. I wish the rub had a bit more kick, and it seemed light on the smoke (but I'm congested, so it might not have been), but it was really a fantastic piece of beef.

Steak: "Quick smoked then hand sliced" -- smoked all the way through and a little bit dry, but good beefy flavor and not tough at all. The bun is a bit too much for a 1/4lb sandwich, though, so I'd suggest they switch to something a bit smaller or thinner. I'd not be inclined to order this again.. I'd just get a half pound of brisket.

The pickle: a large vinegary pickle with a decent amount of tang and salt. Refreshing with all of the fattiness of the brisket.

Burnt End Baked Beans: Just outstanding. The $4 price tag would be absurd if it weren't a large portion, 3-4x the size of the small portion at smoque, and so darned good. The beans still had some tooth to them, the sauce had thickened beautifully and was well seasoned, and it was studded with nuggets of brisket bark. Baked beans are far from my favorite barbecue side, but these are winners.

Sauces: the spicy sauce tastes more like chipotle peppers than anything else, but it's not bad and goes well with the steak. The tart and tangy would work well with the pork and chicken. I think the ideal dip for the brisket might be a half and half mixture of the two.

Anyway, I left pretty impressed. The pork and beef are said to be local, so that might make up a bit for their relatively high prices. That said, I'd like to see something like a sandwich+side for $7-8.50 and a platter+2 sides for $10-13. Right now, it's tough for a solo diner to have a reasonably priced meal. Also glaringly missing on the menu: cole slaw.

But yeah, check it out, if only to see if that brisket is as good to you as it was to me.

This is real close to Kuma's, right?

This is real close to Kuma's, right?

Very close, about three blocks east of Kuma's on Belmont. Not sure if it's been mentioned anywhere in the thread but there also is some parking in the back of the building.

And if you go tonight and they're out of brisket, there's always tofu dumplings at Dragonlady Lounge!

pizano345 wrote:

This is real close to Kuma's, right?

Very close, about three blocks east of Kuma's on Belmont.

I don't know what I was thinking, but I was going to Kuma's anyway, and gleam's report seemed promising, so I did the Pork Shoppe-Kuma's one-two punch today. I am so full. If I'm alive tomorrow, I'll post in detail, but I agree that Pork Shoppe's brisket is a very exciting addition to Chicago barbecue.

some photos that aren't great, but get the point across:

gleam wrote:some photos that aren't great, but get the point across:

gleam-

Those photos look pretty darn good to me. You're certainly not helping the pre-lunch grumble in my stomach! Thanks for sharing.

-Mary

I made it over to The Pork Shoppe for lunch. A more enthusiastic and friendly bunch you won't find anywhere! Since I was dining alone, I was a little limited in my ordering power. I got some brisket, beans and pork belly pastrami. That's right, I said pork belly pastrami. It was only their second day in operation, and there are some obvious kinks to work out, but all in all it's a decent commercial product that they're putting out and they've got both the desire and room to improve.

They are using full packer cut briskets as evidenced by the slices they served me which had both the deckle and the flat still attached together. There was a nice smoke ring, but not too much of a smoke taste. I'm not sure if that is a style choice or part of the learning curve. My beef with the beef, so to speak, was that it was pre-cut and held, making the meat both look and taste dried out. Slicing to order would improve the brisket at least 75% IMO.

Pork Shoppe Brisket Sandwich




The beans were a nice sized portion with a thick sauce. I didn't care for the them, though. It's probably just my personal taste, but I found them missing something, perhaps a sweet note and some heat. I couldn't put my finger on it, but they just didn't do it for me, YMMV.

Pork Shoppe Baked Beans


The sleeper hit of the day was the pork belly pastrami. This isn't a fauxstrami like may of the BBQ masters on this list make. This is actual cold smoked pork belly pastrami. The spices are exactly right and the belly is smoked for 15 hours according to Steven, one of the owners; yet it retains it's silky fat goodness. This is very rich and if you order it, I strongly suggest getting it as a sandwich because the bread is a nice foil for the rich fattiness. Also, next time I'm going to BYOM, because a shot of some spicy mustard on the sandwich would be just with the doctor ordered. This is a must have item if you like pork belly and/or pastrami.

Pork Shoppe Pork Belly Pastrami


It's nice to see another BBQ place that seems to be focused on quality. This place will never compete with Honey1 or Uncle John's for tips and links or real wood BBQ, but it's nice to have it around. I wish them luck. I know I'll be going back once they've had a chance to settle in.

stevez wrote:The sleeper hit of the day was the pork belly pastrami. This isn't a fauxstrami like may of the BBQ masters on this list make. This is actual cold smoked pork belly pastrami. The spices are exactly right and the belly is smoked for 15 hours according to Steven, one of the owners; yet it retains it's silky fat goodness. This is very rich and if you order it, I strongly suggest getting it as a sandwich because the bread is a nice foil for the rich fattiness. Also, next time I'm going to BYOM, because a shot of some spicy mustard on the sandwich would be just with the doctor ordered. This is a must have item if you like pork belly and/or pastrami.

Pork Shoppe Pork Belly Pastrami

nice report steve,

the brisket does look pretty rough, but that pork belly pastrami looks fantastic.

Yeah, that brisket looks very rough and very much unlike what I had.. so they're clearly still working out service. I really do wonder how they're doing the brisket -- the texture and smoke ring and bark are all there, but I wonder if they're giving it 3-4 hours in the aquarium and then foiling it and baking it at a low temp the rest of the way. Otherwise, I don't get how there can be so little smoke flavor after 14+ hours in an aquarium smoker. Also, they apparently ran out of brisket early in the day last night, so they might be making some compromises to have a full supply today.. which wouldn't be the right move, IMO.

jimswside wrote:that pork belly pastrami looks fantastic.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that the pastrami is served cool. That is, it's not refrigerator cold, but it's cooler than room temp.

stevez wrote:This place will never compete with Honey1 or Uncle John's for tips and links or real wood BBQ, but it's nice to have it around.

Are you saying they are not using wood in the aquarium?

scottsol wrote:

stevez wrote:This place will never compete with Honey1 or Uncle John's for tips and links or real wood BBQ, but it's nice to have it around.

Are you saying they are not using wood in the aquarium?

I'm saying that I don't believe their BBQ will ever be in the same league as either of the places I mentioned. So far, it all seems to have had a smoke-ectomy because you sure can't taste much of it, though it smelled pretty good right outside the door.

I picked up Pork Shoppe for a carry out dinner tonight. Here's my two cents, broken down by item we tasted:

Brisket: Good beef flavor and a nice bark, mild smoke flavor. A bit dry. My wife proclaimed "Smoque's is much jucier with more tender fat." I agreed. Still, I ate it all up.

Baby backs: Also a mild smoke flavor but great texture and a great bark flavor from the rub which had just a tiny bite to it. I really liked these ribs and so did my wife. I've never been a huge fan of Smoque's ribs. These are much more enjoyable to me.

Burnt End Baked Beans: Excellent. They actually taste like real beans and not something that came out of a can that was drowned in sauce. Top notch.

Corn bread: Very good. Moist, flavorful

Mac & Cheese: Pass. I won't order this again. Not offensive, just not good.

Sauces: There are three. #1: A "tangy" BBQ sauce which had a nice bit of bite and i used to dip the ribs in. #2: A "sweet and sour" sauce that I found unpalatable. #3: A chili sauce which is nothing like a BBQ sauce to me, but a really good chili sauce.

Overall, this is good BBQ. It's a little daintier than most BBQ purists will enjoy, but it's the real deal and it's good. I like the fact that it's not exactly the same as Honey 1 or even Smoque. I like that there's a spectrum of styles around town, but they're all BBQ. Plus, it's light years ahead of the stuff my dad would call BBQ, the stuff that I grew up with on the north side of the city. If we're replacing Carson's with Pork Shoppes and Smoques, we're doing something right.

I'm anxious to find out where they're sourcing their meat from. It was a bit too busy for me to talk to the manager/owner, but the simple fact that they're using smaller, local producers is something I like and I'll likely use this place for takeout in place of Smoque (both of them are a reasonable drive from my home) for that reason alone.

Best,
Michael

stevez wrote:

scottsol wrote:

stevez wrote:This place will never compete with Honey1 or Uncle John's for tips and links or real wood BBQ, but it's nice to have it around.

Are you saying they are not using wood in the aquarium?

I'm saying that I don't believe their BBQ will ever be in the same league as either of the places I mentioned. So far, it all seems to have had a smoke-ectomy because you sure can't taste much of it, though it smelled pretty good right outside the door.

thanks steve, i heard what i needed to know.

I'm anxious to find out where they're sourcing their meat from. It was a bit too busy for me to talk to the manager/owner, but the simple fact that they're using smaller, local producers is something I like and I'll likely use this place for takeout in place of Smoque (both of them are a reasonable drive from my home) for that reason alone.

As it happens, I talked to Barry Sorkin tonight about this very issue. He said he's interested to see how it works for them, and he thinks it's interesting the way Edzo's has introduced the better beef at a premium price alongside their regular offerings. At the same time he said, "I've had about two people ask me about using that kind of meat the whole time we've been open."

We've had this discussion before, but I think anyone going to the trouble of doing real BBQ has to consider getting good meat to go in that fancy smoker - especially these newer spots with higher prices, higher rent and wealthier customers.

Factory pig from a factory gas cooker can be delicious, and a local pastured pig can be ruined using wood and natural lump, but the latter will just taste better in the right hands. Seems like this place has the right idea. I hope the execution gets there.

JeffB wrote:I hope the execution gets there.

There's the key, bucause other than the final product, they're doing everyting right. Time will tell.

stevez wrote:

JeffB wrote:I hope the execution gets there.

There's the key, bucause other than the final product, they're doing everyting right. Time will tell.

Well, so far it seems that I'm the only one that's had anything to say about the ribs, which I think are a very, very good final product.