Happened to be visiting Southland College Prep in Richton Park yesterday, and can't help notice GNR winner Uncle John's BBQ is literally just down the road. So where does one go for lunch then?
Uncle John's Tips and Links of course! Very smoky, tender, flavorful tips, and links with a mild kick. Sauce is vinegary with little sweetness, but cuts through the slight greasiness with aplomb.
Missing in the picture are two slices of attending white bread, and the cup of sauce.
Going back in a couple of weeks, and guess where I'll be going to lunch!

Nice article in today's Tribune..
Carrying on the Uncle John name
Renowned South Side barbecue lives on in Richton Park

Artie wrote:Nice article in today's Tribune..
Carrying on the Uncle John name
Renowned South Side barbecue lives on in Richton Park

You know I've always thought to myself "I really want to check this place out but that's SO far away . . . " until I read this in the linked article:
"He enforces a strict no-cellphone rule while ordering and won't serve anyone with low-slung pants."

Yeah, I'm definitely going now. A man like that deserves the business.

Kman wrote:

Artie wrote:Nice article in today's Tribune..
Carrying on the Uncle John name
Renowned South Side barbecue lives on in Richton Park

You know I've always thought to myself "I really want to check this place out but that's SO far away . . . " until I read this in the linked article:
"He enforces a strict no-cellphone rule while ordering and won't serve anyone with low-slung pants."

Yeah, I'm definitely going now. A man like that deserves the business.

I just saw the Bizarre Foods segment with Andy Zimmern and Gary Viv at the old 69th and Calumet UJ location. Damn, it seems like it was just yesterday, but now it is history....

Has anyone been to the new "Uncle J's" on 47th and Vincennes ??? So eager to get an opinion, because it real close to Hyde Pk

beelewis wrote:

Kman wrote:

Artie wrote:Nice article in today's Tribune..
Carrying on the Uncle John name
Renowned South Side barbecue lives on in Richton Park

You know I've always thought to myself "I really want to check this place out but that's SO far away . . . " until I read this in the linked article:
"He enforces a strict no-cellphone rule while ordering and won't serve anyone with low-slung pants."

Yeah, I'm definitely going now. A man like that deserves the business.

I just saw the Bizarre Foods segment with Andy Zimmern and Gary Viv at the old 69th and Calumet UJ location. Damn, it seems like it was just yesterday, but now it is history....

At the risk of being accused of derailing the thread OT - what on earth at the original UJ's could have been considered "Bizarre"?

Bizarre Foods has really become a travel show (and a pretty good one). He'll eat bizarre stuff if available, but he's also just looking for good, authentic food. The Chicago show was particularly light on the bizarre stuff. His focus was on the ethnic diversity that is available.

YES! I finally scored some Uncle John's tips & links! My wife didn't understand why I was so tickled to have to make a 200 mile round trip to hit up the Restaurant Depot in Alsip this morning, but I knew that Uncle John's would be open at noon...perfect for my return trip!

The brisket sandwich that was intended to be consumed on the trip home had to be held for a late lunch when I arrived, delish, but a tad too much sauce for a car-meal. The tip & link combo survived waiting for a spin in the microwave now some 11 hours later. My fingers, though licked clean, still are giving up that sought after smoke...I'm going to have to give in and hit the sink in a few moments though or I'm sure I won't get much sleep with them teasing me all night. The best part is, I have half the tips & links left for tomorrow and a rack of baby backs just waiting patiently for me!

Down here it's Lil' Porgy's in Champaign, Hickory River or the in my mind, well over-rated Black Dog in Urbana. All of those are 30 minutes from 'home', but I'm afraid I might have to make my 200 mile trip again next time the smoke comes a' calling.

Gary was gracious to spend the 15 minutes or so wait with me chatting like old best friends. BTW, if ya'll didn't know it yet somehow...he's very appreciative of all the love the LTH has thrown his way these last 5 years! He cherishes his well deserved GNR!

Such a long drive but so worth it. If I didn't know better, I'd have sworn Mack was hiding in back overseeing everything. The name is the same and this place serves the best bbq in Chicago. And there's a table so eating there is possible, which is great.

I had some business in Chicago Heights yesterday, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to hit up UJ2. I arrived shortly after their opening, fwiw. I could smell the sweet woodsmoke as soon as I got out of my car. My combo certainly seemed fresh out of the smoker, so add that data point to the aqua-q time of day/ freshness correlation debate.



A thing of beauty. The first al trunko-worthy day of the year, nothing like piping hot pork fat and the sun hitting the face to get one excited about warmer days. These links may be the best in town, very much like Mack's, but its been so long, its hard to say. Spicy and peppery with the right kiss of smoke. The tips were pretty good, but not as transcendent as my last trip to Honey 1. They're chopped pretty small, which might lead to the effect of not being very meaty. The predominant flavor was pork, light on smoke and even lighter on seasoning. Very enjoyable, nonetheless. And those portions sizes, also a throwback to 69th St.

The sage in the hot links puts me off. Prefer Honey 1 on both tips and links.

Actually, the sage seemed played down to almost nonexistent to me.

turkob agrees upthread:

turkob wrote:The links seemed to have a little less sage than before, which works for me.

And Pang has it on record that there's no sage in their recipe:

Kevin Pang from a 4/9/2014 Chicago Tribune Article wrote:But whereas Sevier's link recipe employs sage, Kennebrew omits it altogether, so it's more actual hot link than breakfast sausage.

Link to the Pang piece.

My bad. I was confusing the two.

Jefe wrote: The tips were pretty good, but not as transcendent as my last trip to Honey 1. They're chopped pretty small, which might lead to the effect of not being very meaty. The predominant flavor was pork, light on smoke and even lighter on seasoning. Very enjoyable, nonetheless. And those portions sizes, also a throwback to 69th St.

It is funny that you mention that, on my last trip over which was about a week ago or two, I was talking at the counter with Garry, and as they were chopping the tips for my order, he suddenly seemed distracted. I looked at him quizzically, and he said "listen". The cadence of the chopping was much slower and not as rhythmic as usual. They were training someone brand new. I think the different chopping will only be a temporary thing.

Driving down Halsted in Homewood the other night, I noticed a sign in the now closed Just Turkey that read "Coming Soon - Uncle John's Barbeque." Sure enough, another outpost is going in at the tiny strip mall at Ridge and Halsted, next to the Shell station. They will be open in about two weeks. I was told we could expect the same great food and service that we were getting in Richton Park -- but this one is less than five minutes from my house. I may never cook again.

Suzy

Please keep us posted.

Homewood location not open yet as of earlier this evening.

FWIW, the "open" sign in the window was lit last week. I have not had a chance to stop in yet.

Uncle John's BBQ will hold grand opening Saturday

Uncle John's BBQ opened for business several weeks ago, but on Saturday, the new restaurant will make it official.

There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:15 p.m.

Owner Wilbur Milons said business was good from the start in spite of a low-key opening.

"We had a good crowd all three days," he said of the opening weekend.

He said his best advertisement is his cooking and the aromatic smoke that comes from the restaurant's chimney.

"People driving by are smelling it on the air," he said.

The restaurant is in the shops on the northeast corner of Ridge Road and Halsted Street in Homewood. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8:50 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10:50 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The restaurant's Homewood store is its second location. The original Uncle John's is located in Richton Park.

Stopped in at the new Homewood location this evening. Its been quite a while since I last had Uncle John's, but things seemed pretty much as good as I remember.

This location is larger than I thought when I peeked through the window a month ago. There are six or seven tables for eating in.


Decor is sparse, but their GNR awards are framed and prominently displayed on the windowsill.


The pitmaster manning the meats. The interior of the restaurant was very smoky this evening, which is not something I mind but I suppose is worth mentioning. Three hours later and my roommate said she could smell the smoke on me from 10 feet away.


Jumbo Tip & Link combo. Didn't the jumbo combo used to come with four links? Well, it's three now. Still delicious.


If anything, the tips may have been slightly more charred than what I favor, but they were very, very good.


Both sides of the two-sided menu. Richton Park on the left, Homewood on the right. Jumbo Links appear to have gone up by a dollar and been reduced by a link from what is listed on the website.


All in all the new location seems very good, although I could see the smoke in the air putting some people off. It could have just been that I stopped in during a particularly smoky ten minutes. A couple of customers were demolishing a couple of mountains of brisket while I was waiting that looked absolutely delicious; I'll definitely be returning ASAP to try it myself.

Uncle John's BBQ
17947 Halsted
Homewood, IL 60430
(708) 960-4612
Mon-Thurs 11 AM to 8:50 PM
Fri & Sat 11 AM to 10:50 PM
Closed Sunday

Stopped in for lunch yesterday around 11:30 at the new Homewood location. Had the mini tip lunch special $5.99 includes a drink. Tasted like it just came off the smoker with a light char and good smoke ring. Didn't notice any unusual smoke like Mister Beefhead reported. Steady stream of customers throughout my visit.
This is a great location on Halsted close to I-80 if you're traveling through.

Homewood location is every bit as good as the Richton Park one and has more seating. In addition to the various accolades on the wall mentioned above, there are also a few framed Blackhawks pictures. The real surprise was that the fries, normally a sauce-sopping joke in the barbecue world, were actually quite good. That the Richton Park location is so good without Mack was surprising enough. That the company is able to add a new location this quickly and not miss a beat is messing with my head.

MarlaCollins'Husband-

Those are completely drool worthy photos. Reminds me I should never look at LTH before lunch. Nothing I might get will be as good looking.

UJ's in Homewood was the highlight of a cold, blustery day of fall ball at Prairie St. last Saturday with the stepson. Been snacking all week on a regular order of tips and links that I had packed up for home, but opted to try the $5.99 chicken special for lunch that day--it was enormous and too much to eat in one sitting but, certainly, delicious!

Forgive the "sauce on" photo--I had already hacked into my "hot sauce on the side" before thinking to take a pic so I grabbed one of my buddy's order, who didn't know any better

Both UJs in the south suburbs are churning out great stuff these days. They split the staff between the two locations. Garry (Mack's son in law) is handling Homewood. Garry spent time working the pit under Mack at both Barbara Ann's and at the original UJs).

Garry's daughter is running the UJs Richton Park, with longtime pitmaster Derrick (also an alumni of the original UJs) in charge of the smoker.

I don't think you can go wrong at either one.

Sign on door today at Homewood location. "Closed due to pit fire. Will be back soon"

I spoke with Garry yesterday, they will be back open within the week. Would recommend calling before driving down though. And in the meanwhile Richton Park is still awfully good.

Latest estimate for reopening is the 29th.

scottsol wrote:Latest estimate for reopening is the 29th.

When I had lunch at Richton Park on 11/13, Garry told me he expected Homewood to re-open by Monday 11/16, though I don't know if it happened or not.

What I do know is that the Richton Park location makes me even happier than I already was that my son is attending UIUC, because it's a perfect stop for lunch on the way down for a visit . . .


Uncle John's Too - 5103 Sauk Trail, Richton Park, IL



Jumbo Tip & Link Combo, Sauce on Side



Jumbo Tip & Link Combo, Sauce on Side - alt view



Jumbo Tip & Link Combo, Sauce on Side - alt view

My wife and I ordered a combo for ourselves (we ate about half of it), along with 2 more to bring down to my son and his roommates. They were thrilled with their 2.5 combos. I was especially interested to learn that one of the roommates, who hails from Sichuan Province, China, had never had Chicago-style BBQ before. I'm told that he absolutely loved it, which gave me a great sense of civic pride. They ate some of the combos 'as is' and later used some of them in some fried rice and also with some pasta.

The Richton Park location is 60 miles from my house so I'm not going to make it down there very often but I do plan on making it a regular stop on my way to Champaign.

=R=

Just a public service announcement. The Richton Park location has been rolled into the Homewood location. 17947 S. Halsted in Homewood.