The Best in the West: Nugget Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada, spans over six days, but I only had one. So I came up with a strategy: seek out the best ribs of the 24 pitmasters based on the pros' recommendations, and eat no more than two from each team. Lots of saucy, fall-off-the-bone tastiness ensued.
Continue reading »
"Pitmasters here represent the entire nation." [Photographs: Joshua Bousel] I had the most perfect Labor Day planned, a lazy afternoon next to the smoker filled with pork, some beers, and close friends. That was until I received an invitation to visit the The Best in the West: Nugget Rib Cook-off in Nevada. After a second pause contemplating whether I wanted to alter my ideal holiday, I thought better of my reservations, and before I knew it, I was on a plane headed for a weekend of pure barbecue bliss. If you're an East Coaster like myself, the Nugget Rib Cook-off may not sound familiar, but for the pitmasters and attendees alike, it's the biggest event of the year. The six-day...
Continue reading »
"From the sidewalk I saw the rectangular smoker that looked like, yes, an aquarium." Owner and aqua-smoker pitmaster Robert Adams (bottom right). [Photographs: Robyn Lee] We were just off the plane, we were hungry, and we were on our way to Hot Doug's when it occurred to me that given the line we were about to wait in, perhaps we should quell our hunger pangs with a little something. I had read and heard a lot about Honey 1 BBQ and it turned out to be sort of on the way. So off we went. The smoke hit us a full block and a half from the joint. That shouldn't have surprised us because Honey 1's slogan is "Real Smoke...And...
Continue reading »
"There is no polite way to attack rib tips. Dig in with both hands and hope you have enough napkins." [Photographs: Nick Kindelsperger] Uncle John's Barbecue 337 E 69th Street, Chicago IL 60637 (map) 773-892-1233 The Short Order: Saucy and smoky rib tips and hot links. Want Fries with That? Included, but hard to find under the piles of meat. Want Ketchup? Nope, just more their spicy barbecue sauce. Uncle John's Barbecue on the South Side of Chicago isn't the most inviting restaurant I've ever entered. There's a large fan right in the middle and a soda machine to the left. That's it. Everything else is behind glass. You speak to the cashier through a speaker as muffled and obnoxious...
Continue reading »
The Bay Area isn’t exactly known as a barbecue destination; we’re more of a sushi-and-arugula kind of place. But in their less cholesterol-conscious moments, Northern Californians do love their ribs—particularly from Palo Alto native Harold Willis, a lifelong barbecue master stationed outside Lozano Car Wash in Mountain View. Seven days a week, the 63-year-old Willis sets up shop in front of the highly-trafficked car wash on El Camino Real. He smokes the ribs in his truck around the corner before finishing them on the grill—cutting the soapy car wash air with a rich, meaty smell. While any customer can score half-racks ($11), full racks ($20) or drinks—and their dogs can snag a doggie treat from the bowl always kept...
Continue reading »
