Let the Contention Begin! Best Chi BBQ in TOC

Let the Contention Begin! Best Chi BBQ in TOC

Hot dogs, pizza, BBQ – these are topics that almost always draw Chicagoans into a frenzy of debate, contesting other people’s “best of” calls, demanding that favorites be recognized, impugning the integrity of the critics who dare to differ with other individual tastes.

TimeOut Chicago has added their fuel to the continuing fire under the topic of Chicago BBQ; our MikeG contributes profiles of select pitmasters/mistresses.

Heather Shouse weights in with a few surprises (first comment on site is the entirely predictable: “Honky Tonk is my favorite! and melt in your mouth BBQ.....I didn't see them listed and that's just wrong!).

Prepare to be outraged. It’s normal.

David Hammond wrote:Let the Contention Begin! Best Chi BBQ in TOC

Hot dogs, pizza, BBQ – these are topics that almost always draw Chicagoans into a frenzy of debate, contesting other people’s “best of” calls, demanding that favorites be recognized, impugning the integrity of the critics who dare to differ with other individual tastes.

TimeOut Chicago has added their fuel to the continuing fire under the topic of Chicago BBQ; our MikeG contributes profiles of select pitmasters/mistresses.

Heather Shouse weights in with a few surprises (first comment on site is the entirely predictable: “Honky Tonk is my favorite! and melt in your mouth BBQ.....I didn't see them listed and that's just wrong!).

Prepare to be outraged. It’s normal.

I waited until 4 pages in on the pizza, so what the hell: this looks like a perfectly reasonable, thoughtful set of articles to me; the choices are obviously based on very recent experiences, the pitmaster profiles are nice, the international barbecue section is a useful inclusion with some of my other favorite hits. I do like Honky Tonk, and wonder if anyone got to Ribs 'N Bibs to test the tips, but there's not always room for everything.

I do think the baked rib section is weak, just your compulsory disclaimer to ward off people like us - it's not necessary. Plus, there is a whole category of baked, broiled, or hotter-grilled ribs that is not at all meat jello, as Skrine Chops reminded me earlier this month. Russell's is also in its own desiccated category - no falling off the bone here.

Enjoy them bones. If more people get out to UJ, BA, and Lem's because of this article, so much the better.

Good coverage overall, and I loved the reactions of the pitmasters in Mike's video to his pointed question

Santander wrote:I do think the baked rib section is weak, just your compulsory disclaimer to ward off people like us - it's not necessary. Plus, there is a whole category of baked, broiled, or hotter-grilled ribs that is not at all meat jello, as Skrine Chops reminded me earlier this month. Russell's is also in its own desiccated category - no falling off the bone here.

It did seem a bit silly to me to get on the authenticity stump about baked ribs and then heap plenty of praise to hunks of seitan slathered in sauce in their vegetarian section.

Well, since the thread has started might as well link directly to the video (don't think I can embed it though):

http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/res ... pitmasters

I had nothing to do with the issue overall apart from my bylined slices of it, so I agree with the above, you might quibble with this or that choice but it's great to see media attention paid to a lot of the places we love on the south side and other "obscure" corners of Chicagoland-- especially at a time when BBQ joints are opening all around the north side (call it "Smoque Effect II"). Some may prove to be very good, many will not, but regardless, the south and west side joints deserve their attention too.

Quote from Mack Sevier :
A lot of hot links, you go places, I don’t call no names, but the hot links be kind of hard, and they aren’t juicy. When I fix them here, some people get angry, and they say, ‘I don’t want them fixed like that.’ And I say, ‘Well, this is the only way we ever fixed ’em.’ And if they say, ‘Well, I don’t want ’em that way,’ I say, ‘Then you can’t have them, because this is the only way we know how to fix them.’

I’ll tell you how I cook them, but I ain’t gonna show you! I try to do the best I can with them, I’ll put it like that. ”

What does he mean when he talks about people dont like the way the links are fixed?
I have seen some great photos of his links on the site and they look great as is.

Apparently some people like them cooked to a dry chewiness, because that's what they're used to elsewhere. And his professional honor won't let him ruin them.

More power to him.

I can't believe they left out [restaurant]! Everybody who grew up in [name of neighborhood/side of town] knows that [restaurant] is way better than any of these places. Clearly [author/publication] is just biased towards [style/geography/socio-economic group]. What a joke!

Mike G wrote:Apparently some people like them cooked to a dry chewiness, because that's what they're used to elsewhere. And his professional honor won't let him ruin them.

More power to him.

Doesn't he also give them a loving dip in the fryer?

I don't know, he wouldn't show me!

(Actually I was shooting before he opened and right as they went on the grill, so it wasn't a matter of him keeping secrets...)

I'm going to wait for a Forbes list to come out to tell me the best BBQ in Chicago

seebee wrote:

Mike G wrote:Apparently some people like them cooked to a dry chewiness, because that's what they're used to elsewhere. And his professional honor won't let him ruin them.

More power to him.

Doesn't he also give them a loving dip in the fryer?

Yes, that's was on Chicago's Best a few weeks ago.

By the way, the third part of my contribution to the BBQ issue, a short history of the "aquarium" smoker, is here now. (I'll point out one thing before somebody says it: yes, though some places that use gas cookers run them higher and thus faster than a wood fire, e.g. Leon's, I also know that some, such as Fat Willy's and probably Smoque, run them lower and thus slower than one, too.)

Great write up and reads on everything guys!
Thanks for the post and boat loads of great smokin' info!

Mike G wrote:By the way, the third part of my contribution to the BBQ issue, a short history of the "aquarium" smoker, is here now. (I'll point out one thing before somebody says it: yes, though some places that use gas cookers run them higher and thus faster than a wood fire, e.g. Leon's, I also know that some, such as Fat Willy's and probably Smoque, run them lower and thus slower than one, too.)

One thing I haven't been able to pinpoint in independent research or resources like this set of articles or this thread is exactly who started calling it an "aquarium" smoker - is it us (internet foodies), the pitmasters (if so, which?), or the manufacturer (historical, or current?) I understand why it's called that, it would just be a fun urban etymology project to understand who started it. By now, of course, the feedback cycle has all parties at least familiar with the term.

It is, I feel very sure, a term that comes from internet foodies (and I wouldn't be surprised if Gary or someone actually came up with it and remembers doing so). Natural enough description as it is, Jim Brunetti of Avenue Metal said he not only doesn't call it that, he told me he never even heard the term till somebody else writing about them used it to him a few months back (!). He says their term for it is simply "glass pit" or "bbq pit."

And none of the pitmasters I've talked to use it, though they all seemed familiar with it (again, no doubt at least partly from earlier interactions with LTHers); they just call their pit "my pit" or "smoker," as opposed to a "cooker" which is how Mack, at least, referred to a gas oven with a smokebox. It's also not used in Smokestack Lightning, which has some good info about the older south side barbecue joints (and describes Lem's pit without making the fish tank analogy).

This Chowhound post by RST (who else?) is the earliest mention of the term I can find. (And reads like it could be the origin of the term in that very post, perhaps.) Do you have an earlier, or especially an early non-Chowhound, use of the term?

Mike G wrote:It is, I feel very sure, a term that comes from internet foodies (and I wouldn't be surprised if Gary or someone actually came up with it and remembers doing so). Natural enough description as it is, Jim Brunetti of Avenue Metal said he not only doesn't call it that, he told me he never even heard the term till somebody else writing about them used it to him a few months back (!). He says their term for it is simply "glass pit" or "bbq pit."

I've used the term in conversation with Jim Brunetti, prior to that he was not familiar, as Mike points out, with Aquarium Smoker.

Leo Davis is generally credited with the 'invention' of the Aquarium Smoker though my research yields one Morris Sheilds, who owned Fulton Metal, built the first Aquariums. Leo Davis bought Fulton Metal from Morris Sheilds when he retired. Bob Brunetti, who worked for Morris and is father of Jim Brunetti mentioned in Mike's article, left when Leo Davis bought the company to start Avenue Metal.

Bob Brunetti is retired in Florida and Jim runs Avenue Metal with his son Mark.

Currently there are three, I am aware of, companies building Aquarium smokers in Chicago, Avenue Metal, Two J's, brothers who worked at one time for Avenue, and Belvin.

Interesting article Mike, good to see Mary's BBQ included in the mix.

Enjoy,
Gary

I remember hearing 'aquarium' smokers referred to as 'glass houses', years ago. I think I first heard the term 'aquarium' smoker from Gary.

Mike G wrote:This Chowhound post by RST (who else?) is the earliest mention of the term I can find. (And reads like it could be the origin of the term in that very post, perhaps.) Do you have an earlier, or especially an early non-Chowhound, use of the term?

RST said, "-the typical tempered-glass-and-metal smokers which sit like smoked-filled aquarium dominating the shacks"

RST did not say, "Aquarium smoker." Instead, he used aquarium as an illustration to understand this smoker's structure. This reminds me of my 6th grade English teacher Miss Marcella who loved etymology.

Mike - I finally read through the TOC series and your contributions. Very nice!

Regards,

Map

Honey1 is old news. I went when they first went to the "new" Western Ave. location, and thought the food was decent. A bit dry frankly. I went for the Super Bowl last year (Cards vs. Steelers) to get some food for the game. I vowed to never return. The ribs were drier than before, and the chicken wings were flat out a waste of money. They're breaded and deep-fried, then doused with a "buffalo" sauce. Just a major disappointment considering all the hype.

I've heard that Smoque on N. Pulaski is good, and the articles created some curiosity on a couple other spots like Fat Willy's.

Well, NOW the contention can begin.

Cathy2 wrote:

Mike G wrote:This Chowhound post by RST (who else?) is the earliest mention of the term I can find. (And reads like it could be the origin of the term in that very post, perhaps.) Do you have an earlier, or especially an early non-Chowhound, use of the term?

RST said, "-the typical tempered-glass-and-metal smokers which sit like smoked-filled aquarium dominating the shacks"

RST did not say, "Aquarium smoker." Instead, he used aquarium as an illustration to understand this smoker's structure. This reminds me of my 6th grade English teacher Miss Marcella who loved etymology.

The first exact phrase match I could find (using Google's custom date range search) was a Chowhound post by SteveZ on Mar 14, 2004.

-Dan

papadelulu wrote:Honey1 is old news. I went when they first went to the "new" Western Ave. location, and thought the food was decent. A bit dry frankly. I went for the Super Bowl last year (Cards vs. Steelers) to get some food for the game. I vowed to never return. The ribs were drier than before, and the chicken wings were flat out a waste of money. They're breaded and deep-fried, then doused with a "buffalo" sauce. Just a major disappointment considering all the hype.

I've heard that Smoque on N. Pulaski is good, and the articles created some curiosity on a couple other spots like Fat Willy's.

First off, Welcome to LTH!

I have had similar experiences at Honey 1 too. I understand that timing is important at a lot of these places you would expect a GNR to be hitting on all cylinders, all the time and across the entire menu. At least post the 'sublime' hours.

This has been my GNR experience.

On the other hand, during our visit to Smoque yesterday, our group had ordered several items but the crispy bark on my chopped brisket sandwich had the table picking off of my sandwich.

Not that their items were sub-par in anyway but they were unable to resist the pull of that delicious bark.

When in doubt about timing at a BBQ joint always go for lunch; and earlier is better. That way you are just about guaranteed to get fresh product.

scottsol wrote:When in doubt about timing at a BBQ joint always go for lunch; and earlier is better. That way you are just about guaranteed to get fresh product.

Talking with Sweet Baby Ray at the BBQ last year he mentioned that they have food coming off the smoker at noon and 6 for the lunch and dinner rush.

I always wonder if I will get fresh or old stock they are trying to get rid of? When the food comes off of the smoker there is bound to be some left over from the previous round.

Maybe I can get a 'G Wiv' mask.

SBR does a dinner run on 5 nights a week, but I can't remember the 2 off nights.

Is barbecue the new Sushi?

Having eaten at many of the south side bbq destination joints I find that they can be maddeningly uneven in quality and going so far as to when and if they are even open.

Famous Dave's is always good and consistent in serving some of the best bbq I've ever eaten.

Hi,

Friends from Huntsville, Alabama were visiting recently. They invited us to Famous Dave's for a meal delivered on the flipside of a garbage can lid.

I considered suggesting instead Big Ed's, but they like to have cocktails before meal. Plus it was their treat, which means I shut up and smile.

My friends were flat out disappointed with their meal. They swear it is better cooked where they live. To me, it tasted just like every other Famous Dave's meal I have had.

Over the past 6-7 years, my idea of acceptable BBQ has shifted considerably. I have revisited places I not only liked, I daydreamed about my past visits. Sadly, I don't especially like them anymore. Knowing what's good and not does not always expand your horizons.

Regards,

G Wiv wrote:Leo Davis is generally credited with the 'invention' of the Aquarium Smoker though my research yields one Morris Sheilds, who owned Fulton Metal, built the first Aquariums. Leo Davis bought Fulton Metal from Morris Sheilds when he retired.

Are you sure of that spelling? I have seen it as Shields. And at least once as Maurice.