Best Bar B Que

After reading up on some old posts...I took metro man and mtgl advice and headed out to Best yesterday afternoon. There is a I 57 rib house just across the street but they were closed. Looked like a pit fire....place was boarded up and damaged pretty good. Someone said its been about 3 months its been like that. Got a half slab with hot on the side, wait was about 15 mins and there were 4-5 people waiting for stuff also. The spare ribs were LARGE in size and meaty. With out any sauce the meat was very good. Sorta reminded me of Georges ribs but with smoke and bigger.
The sauce was decent but nothing that really fired me up or anything, fries good and 2 slices of white bread. Total was $12.12 out the door. I really did enjoy them and I split this in two meals and was stuffed after each. Will be back to try other items for sure. The hickory wood was piled high in back and the smoke stack was in full swing. Such a nice site to see and smell!


Best Bar B Que
1648 West 115th Street
Chicago, IL 60643
(773) 239-1522

I'll go with the baby backs. Yesterday, I went to Sweet Baby Ray's in Woodale for the all you can eat baby backs for 18.99. First serving was a meaty half slab with a side of burnt ends, excellent potato salad, good baked beans and good cornbread. The ribs were tender, juicy and only touched with sauce. The ends were good and meaty and tried only because I had never had them before. I asked for more ribs and both times was given a five rib portion, heavy sauce, (next time, I'll order dry), which were very good. I thought that the weekly special might deliver the leftover ribs from the last few days. Thankfully, they appeared to be freshly made without the tired, extra chewy taste of leftover ribs. If I do it again, I'll stick with the ribs, and forget the ends.

in my lifetime about 88 pct. of the ends, EVEN ON MY SMOKER/GRILL pretty much kinda suck!!!

I voted "Yes".

My preference is towards spares, but I do need the variety of baby or loin backs thrown in there from time to time. To me, baby backs are more pork-choppy in flavor and texture, while the spares a a bit more pork shoulder-like (which makes sense, given where the cuts come from.)

I never have baby backs if eating out as nothing compares to my own fresh off the WSM which is also the kind that the rest of my family prefers. So when eating commercial Que and outside Chicagoland, I go with spares. I have had some superb eating out spares but still none better than from the deceased Shady Rest in Owensboro Kentucky, especially about 10 years back or more. Here I really prefer tips as the best product from the aquarium smokers but I voted for spares

I'm not as experienced with spares, but when I've had spares, I find myself wanting baby backs.
I fault Carson's -- it's all I knew of ribs growing up, except for the occasional meat jello.
I had half spares and half BBs at Smoque. I liked the texture of the baby backs a lot more.

I've "Low and Slowed" baby backs several times now, and absolutely adore them.
Why change?

spares (St Louis cut) ..cuz I like rib tips but have been cooking baby backs on occasion recently
dont really prefer one over the other as far as eating

I just had lunch from Best Bbq for the first time in a while. Went for the mini tip and link lunch special at 6.99. Well worth the price. The tips were very good as usual, nicely rendered with some crisp exteriors. The last time I was there the links were dry and inedible. Today however they were delicious, smoky, juicy and spicy. I still have tips left over. Having visited the south side BBQ joints many times I learned not to base my future visits on one mishap.

BTW, I prefer the spares. Baby backs were all I knew growing up but I have come to appreciate a well done rack of spares much more.

metro man wrote:I just had lunch from Best Bbq for the first time in a while. Went for the mini tip and link lunch special at 6.99. Well worth the price. The tips were very good as usual, nicely rendered with some crisp exteriors. The last time I was there the links were dry and inedible. Today however they were delicious, smoky, juicy and spicy. I still have tips left over. Having visited the south side BBQ joints many times I learned not to base my future visits on one mishap.

BTW, I prefer the spares. Baby backs were all I knew growing up but I have come to appreciate a well done rack of spares much more.

Cool, tips and links or wings sound good right now. Any other hidden SOUTH side BBQ joints you wannna share. Oh did you see that burned up I 57 rib joint across the street?
Drove past Woo Woo's in Dolton and Lynnwood a few weeks back but did not stop.

I was driving by the day the I 57 joint was on fire. I have tried the one on Halsted but it was not as good as the one on 115th.

I do not know of any BBQ places that have not been discussed here that are currently open. In the mid 80's there used to be a place off of 103rd and Wentworth that I used to frequent.

Head's Red BBQ wrote:spares (St Louis cut) ..cuz I like rib tips but have been cooking baby backs on occasion recently
dont really prefer one over the other as far as eating

spares are my favorite but save the rib tips to make red sauce--have vended the heck out of tip but haven't figured out the allure of them myself!!!

you are too far North Buzz..its a chi-town thing

Head's Red BBQ wrote:you are too far North Buzz..its a chi-town thing

you must be right---even tried them at Honey 1's and found even just difficult to eat but had some great ones at Vinny's Bbq(west central iowa)made from loinbacks but that is a topic for another thread

try Big Ed's in North Chicago..thats even closer to you than Honey 1...best tips around IMO
how in the heck do you get tips from loinbacks?

Spares 38 and Babys 33...go ribs!
Duhhhh Bears! Nice WIN last night.

Rib tips!-Dick