stevez wrote:

blipsman wrote:Should I have gone with the tips/links combo instead?

That's always been my order of choice. The same at Honey1, for that matter.

When I'd hit Honey1 regularly, I'd more often than not go for the tips/links combo, too. But I had a taste for ribs, and they'd just made Steve Dolinsky's list of top 5 rib joints last week... guess I'll try that if I visit Uncle John's again.

Stopped by Uncle John's last night for my usual order of the tips/links combo and chicken wings. The wings seemed a little smaller than usual but were perfectly fried and delicious, and the tips and links were outstanding. I noticed grapefruit and orange cases in the back and was told that they were leftover from bulk sales to benefit their church. Next fall I think I'll order fruit from them as well as barbecue.

Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I ordered a full pan for a party a few weeks ago, 1/2 tip & 1/2 link. A few last minute cancellations and the accidental oversight of one guest's vegetarianism lead to the remaining 6 of us eating ourselves absolutely silly. Afterward, everyone was sent home with a gallon ziplock full of meat. I then ate only BBQ for the rest of the week. What I'm getting at is that it's a whole lot of food. I imagine we could have reasonably fed a group of 20 for that $60. It was somewhat inconvenient to make two trips down there (you need to go in person at least a day prior to place your order and put a deposit down/pay in advance), but Uncle John's is definitely on my short list for any catering needs.

BBQ poetry, Mack Sevier artist, spare ribs, tips links so entirely uplifting five adult males left Uncle John's smiling, joyful, exuberant.

I weep at the sheer beauty.

Wow....what a work of art.

Never been to Uncle John's in Chicago yet, I NEED to get out there soon for a taste!

i also stopped on sat. ribs where on top & the links where great
i felt up lifted after eating

G Wiv wrote:BBQ poetry, Mack Sevier artist, spare ribs, tips links so entirely uplifting five adult males left Uncle John's smiling, joyful, exuberant.

I weep at the sheer beauty.

That's my Picasso!

^^^Now that belongs in the Louvre

I've never ordered the ribs; will have to remedy that lack right away!

JanD wrote:I've never ordered the ribs; will have to remedy that lack right away!

It's been hit and miss with the ribs for me. But the tips and links have always been spot on. (My rule for the neighborhood is Lem's for tips, Mack's for links and tips.)

Newer Menu - Note Hours


Sweet smoke rolling up!




Aquarium pit spares...ribs were fresh and hot off the pit.


No left over meats or any hold time on this half rack. Was HOT of the pit.


Got there right at open 1pm


Mack and the pit were firing on all 12 cylinders, with full turbo boost and NOS...hitting good and hard!!

Best spare I have ever had, for sure. I ate most of these in the car out front...I could not get far with all the smoke and smells around. A great lunch and a great day.

Not sure if it has been mentioned elsewhere, but the Trib posted that the Chicago epi of "Bizzare Foods" will be airing on Feb 15 and includes a trip to Uncle John's.

http://tinyurl.com/4v7z6lp

Hmmm, looks like a printing error on the new menu. Items 36 and 37 are priced the same - despite the fact that the descriptions for #36 are for a full tray of rib tips or a full tray of hot links and #37 is a half tray of rib tips or a half tray of hot links.

Great photos, thank you. Also - I could have sworn in the past I'd been down there for lunch on a weekday prior to 1 PM. Am I just getting (more) senile or did the opening hours get pushed back some?

Kman wrote:Hmmm, looks like a printing error on the new menu. Items 36 and 37 are priced the same - despite the fact that the descriptions for #36 are for a full tray of rib tips or a full tray of hot links and #37 is a half tray of rib tips or a half tray of hot links.

Great photos, thank you. Also - I could have sworn in the past I'd been down there for lunch on a weekday prior to 1 PM. Am I just getting (more) senile or did the opening hours get pushed back some?

I think the opening hours have been pushed back.. thats the ony change.

I just looked at my old menu from Uncle John's, from 2-3 years ago... and #36 is a fulltray there, #37 is a half-tray there.. and both are priced at 57.00, *exactly* like here Uncle John's is nothing if not consistent, in its bbq, in its menu, and in its errors.

BTW, the half-tray is about 30 I believe... and on Mondays and Tuesdays it is 25.00 (and full-slab ribs are 14.00 on those days IIRC). Those were the "specials" that were in effect the last time I went anyway, a couple weeks ago (and theyve been in effect for a year or more now). Those are probably the best deals for bbq anywhere in Chicagoland - not only is it awesomely good bbq (there is great turnover that day, lot of customers).. but the half-pan of BBQ will feed a good 4-6 people without difficulty for the 25 bucks.

c8w

c8w wrote:
BTW, the half-tray is about 30 I believe... and on Mondays and Tuesdays it is 25.00 (and full-slab ribs are 14.00 on those days IIRC). Those were the "specials" that were in effect the last time I went anyway, a couple weeks ago (and theyve been in effect for a year or more now). Those are probably the best deals for bbq anywhere in Chicagoland - not only is it awesomely good bbq (there is great turnover that day, lot of customers).. but the half-pan of BBQ will feed a good 4-6 people without difficulty for the 25 bucks.

c8w

A 1/2 tray of UJ's BBQ for $25 is an amazingly good deal. Thanks for the tip(s).

Need to get back for another rack...soon!

I really hope it's not the recent up-tick in fame resulting in any corners being cut, but I've had two consecutive bad meals from Uncle John's. The first was an extremely fatty rack of ribs, which I chalked up to bad luck. The second was completely desiccated hot links, which suggests more of a lack of care in cooking. I only live a few minutes away, and it was always a great option, but I'm going to give them a pass for a couple months and hope things get back to normal.

I was there a week ago Saturday at about 7:30. I didn't try the ribs, and they were out of brisket, alas, but the rib tips and links were as delectable as usual. I often get the chicken wings, but got an order of chicken--all dark meat--because I was taking food to friends; it was tasty as well, even after sitting for about 45 minutes.

kl1191 wrote:I really hope it's not the recent up-tick in fame resulting in any corners being cut, but I've had two consecutive bad meals from Uncle John's. The first was an extremely fatty rack of ribs, which I chalked up to bad luck. The second was completely desiccated hot links, which suggests more of a lack of care in cooking. I only live a few minutes away, and it was always a great option, but I'm going to give them a pass for a couple months and hope things get back to normal.

I'm sorry to hear. This is the typical story in these parts. FWIW, I think Smoque is still on top of its game.

The brisket was frankly pretty inedible the one time I ordered it. If you're using the Texas-style brisket served at Smoque or Austin BBQ as a frame of reference, put it out of your mind. It's nothing like that. I'm sticking to the ribs and links!

wahpahh wrote:The brisket was frankly pretty inedible the one time I ordered it. If you're using the Texas-style brisket served at Smoque or Austin BBQ as a frame of reference, put it out of your mind. It's nothing like that. I'm sticking to the ribs and links!

Say it with me, tips, links and, if you are feeling fancy, spare ribs.

Once again, tips, links and, if you are feeling fancy, spare ribs.

One more time? No. OK then.

kl1191 wrote:I really hope it's not the recent up-tick in fame resulting in any corners being cut, but I've had two consecutive bad meals from Uncle John's. The first was an extremely fatty rack of ribs, which I chalked up to bad luck. The second was completely desiccated hot links, which suggests more of a lack of care in cooking. I only live a few minutes away, and it was always a great option, but I'm going to give them a pass for a couple months and hope things get back to normal.

Happy to say that things are back on track for me at UJ's. Stopped in tonight, and everything was as it should be. Links were moist, spicy yet still had a good snap to the casing. Tips were just about perfect.

Going to Uncle John's for the first time tomorrow, after having lived here for going on 4 years now....

Planning on doing the links/tips/chicken combo with sauce on the side, unless anyone wants to chip in other suggestions?

CANNOT. WAIT.

epicFades wrote:...other suggestions?

Skip breakfast.

epicFades wrote:Going to Uncle John's for the first time tomorrow, after having lived here for going on 4 years now....

Planning on doing the links/tips/chicken combo with sauce on the side, unless anyone wants to chip in other suggestions?

CANNOT. WAIT.

Chicken?
Ask Mack if the spares are good. Get more smoked pork, and less chicken (do they offer smoked chix, or just fried?) Also, if you like heat, get some of his hot bbq sauce on the side too. It's usually pretty gruffly hot for my tastes, but when mixed with the regular, it smooths it out nicely.

Dammit, it's been too long since I was there.

tapler wrote:

epicFades wrote:...other suggestions?

Skip breakfast.

No doubt.

seebee wrote:

epicFades wrote:Going to Uncle John's for the first time tomorrow, after having lived here for going on 4 years now....

Planning on doing the links/tips/chicken combo with sauce on the side, unless anyone wants to chip in other suggestions?

CANNOT. WAIT.

Chicken?
Ask Mack if the spares are good. Get more smoked pork, and less chicken (do they offer smoked chix, or just fried?) Also, if you like heat, get some of his hot bbq sauce on the side too. It's usually pretty gruffly hot for my tastes, but when mixed with the regular, it smooths it out nicely.

Dammit, it's been too long since I was there.

I like that mixing of the sauces idea.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but its hard to talk with your mouth full of Uncle John's BBQ.

I'll be on the south side tomorrow ( at the U of C ) and want to take advantage. I'm going to pick up from Uncle John's, and can't quite decide. I really like both the ribs and the hot links, so I think it's either 2 rib tip combos or a slab of ribs + one lrg. link. Any recommendations on which is a better value/gamble for for transport to Oak Park? If it matters, I'll likely be picking up around 2pm.

Sorry to reply to my own post, butnI realized I forgot a wider question. Is there anywhere else I should be sure to visit in the area? I know about the apple fritters, but the distance and time constraints make them an unappealing gamble. I'm basically free starting in Hyde Park at 2pm and need to be back in Pak Park at 4pm - how would you spend those 2 hours?

To quote a wise bbq life coach, "Large tip-link combo, sauce on the side". As much as I love ribs, I just think their tips are better, and more representative of what UJs does best. As far as other places in the area, Barbara Ann's is pretty close by, you can taste them against each other.

In terms of things to see and do, I think Hyde Park probably has much more of a selection of places to visit with U of C, and the Museums located there.