Twin Anchors

CHICAGO: Twin Anchors Restaurant
1655 North Sedgwick Street
Chicago, IL 60614
312-266-1616
Open M-Thur 5-11, F 5-12am, Sat 12-12, Sun 12-10:30
www.twinanchorsribs.com

A popular hangout for Old Blue Eyes, and a filming location for the Dark Knight, this old bar has weathered gracefully. They've been coming here for ribs since 1932, so I figured I might as well do the same.



You can enjoy the ribs here by the half or full rack, but what better way to enjoy some great baby backs than with 12 bones of meat? When the platter arrived, the rack seemed to be smiling at me. I dug right in to the left end where it was immediately obvious that I had made the right choice with the 'zesty' sauce. Who knows what's in it, but it complemented the tender moist ribs perfectly. These aren't smoked ribs, but the carried a heavy dose of charred flavor from the charcoal grill, and the sauce was applied late in the process as not to burn. Sure, I'm a BBQ purist, but on this day I let myself enjoy a solid rack of grilled an sauced ribs, and I enjoyed them more and more with every clean bone that landed on the plate.

- BBQ Snob (most of the time)

Calumet Fisheries

CHICAGO: Calumet Fisheries
3259 E 95th St
Chicago, IL 60617
773-933-9855
Open Sun-W 10-9:45, Thur-Sat 9-9:45
www.calumetfisheries.com

Yes, plenty has been written about this place since its feature on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, and the subsequent James Beard award that came in May of this year. All of it is well deserved, and without the accolades, I doubt I would have found myself this far south of downtown Chicago. This is not the South Side, this is damned near Indiana. After reading the synopsis of this joint on the James Beard award, it seems I can't sum it up any better. "Set on the edge of the Calumet River on the 95th Street Bridge on Chicago’s South Side, Calumet Fisheries has been a foodie and fisherman favorite since brothers-in-law Sid Kotlick and Len Toll first opened its doors in 1948. Strictly carryout (there are no seats, no bathroom, no credit cards and no parking), the stand-alone shack serves freshly fried seafood, from oysters, shrimp, scallops, crab and catfish to perch, smelts and frog legs. But Calumet Fisheries may be best known for their oak smoked seafood – salmon steaks, trout, chubs, shrimp, etc. – slowly cured in a tiny smokehouse behind the shop. Still owned and operated by the Kotlick and Toll families, Calumet Fisheries remains the best reason to cross the 95th Street Bridge."



We opted for some smoked salmon, trout and shrimp as well as some fried scallops.





The smoked shrimp had a delicate smoke flavor, and the meat was not overcooked and dry like it can become. Both the trout and salmon were covered in a roughly ground spice mixture heavy on black pepper. The trout tasted more fishy than the salmon, and broke off in larger chunks. The meat was pleasant, but strong, and the texture wasn't nearly as delicate as the still flaky salmon. I much preferred the meatier flavor of the salmon, and although there were many small bones to work around, the deep smoky meat was worth the effort. A nice counterpoint in both flavor and texture were the spectacular fried scallops. Rarely have I eaten a better example of fried seafood, and the spicy dipping sauce that accompanied it made for a great meal on it's own. It may be trek to get down here if you're staying in Chicago, but the drive is worth it. Take a walk over to the steel bridge and watch the boats go by as the cars rattle the bridge behind you. Dive into that pretty white paper package and gorge yourself on some omega 3 deliciousness.

- BBQ Snob

Smoque

CHICAGO: Smoque
3800 N. Pulaski
Chicago, IL 60641
773-545-7427
Open Tue-Thur 11-9, F-Sat 11-10, Sun 11-9
www.smoquebbq.com

This is the closest thing to true Texas Style BBQ that I've found outside of Texas. They don't bill themselves that way, but the five friends who started this joint spent some time around Austin trying brisket, and they surely took their tasting lessons to heart. After having the best of what Texas has to offer, I normally cringe at the thought of brisket in any other state. It's like going home to Ohio and having a family member suggest that we go eat Tex-Mex. This brisket changed my mind.



My family and I met two good friends here for lunch, and we ordered nearly the entire meat menu. Both St. Louis and baby back ribs are available, and they both made it on our plate. As expected, the St. Louis ribs were meatier and much more moist. The meat of both had plenty of smoke, and even with sauce, these were exemplary ribs. A link of sausage had good spice and nice black pepper notes. A good sausage for sure, but unremarkable. Pulled pork was plenty moist with a nice mixture of fat, bark and meat, but it needed more smoke and less sauce. Chicken had great smoke, and was plenty moist, but could have used more seasoning below the skin. All meats are smoked in one of their three gas-fired Southern Pride smokers, and the brisket stays in overnight.



The prime cut here was the brisket. I watched it being sliced with great anticipation, and nearly reached across the counter to grab a piece. Luckily I was watching closely, because the sauce ladle was mere inches form the meat before I blurted out a steadfast 'no' that was delivered too sincerely to be ignored. This beautiful meat was spared. After reading the joint's manifesto on their website, I was surprised they would even consider saucing their brisket. I guess you can't change some things in Chicago. The meat lacked a smoke ring, but exuded a deep black crust. No matter, the moist and delicate slices had incredible smokiness and excellent flavor from their thirteen ingredient rub. This was solid eating brisket.



Sides are no afterthought here. Individual servings of baked mac & cheese were creamy and toasty form the buttered bread crumb topping. Beans full of brisket could have made a hearty meal on their own, and the crispy fries were perfect. Cornbread, whihc can be dried out, was nicely moist with corn kernels flecked throughout. On the other hand, cole slaw which is often soggy was crispy and delicious.

The other item here that is unmatched is the service. They didn't know me from Adam, but I asked for a tour and was quickly obliged. The joint was packed (get there before 11:45), and the kitchen was rockin' but one of the owners was happy to take the time and show me around and explain their whole smoking process. After the tour he gave me some ribs straight from the pit, and they were even better than what we'd ordered just a few minutes earlier. With a couple of gratis t-shirts and two racks of freshly smoked ribs in hand, we left the joint plenty full knowing this would be a must-stop for any trip back to the Windy City.

Rating *****

Smoke Daddy Rythm & Bar-B-Que

CHICAGO: Smoke Daddy Rythm & Bar-B-Que
1804 W Division St
Chicago, IL 60622
773-772-6656
Open Sun-Thur 11:30-11, F-Sat 11:30-12am
www.thesmokedaddy.com

In a small storefront along Division Street in the Wicker Park neighborhood sits Smoke Daddy. The interior is cozy with a bar feel, and I sat at the bar to wait for my to-go order. The "Taste of the Daddy" platter was $22 and got me a half slab of baby backs, sliced brisket and pulled pork along with two sides. Expensive for a three-meat plate, but they didn't skimp on the meat or sides. The family and I then found our way up to Wicker Park where my daughter could watch the dogs play, and we I could sit and stuff my face.



This isn't what I'd consider traditional Chicago style BBQ. It all had decent smoke, but the heavy reliance on a spicy tomato based sauce coupled with the thin sliced brisket just screamed KC style to me. The ribs were well basted, and had great texture. No falling off the bone ribs here. Pulled pork had a great bark, but tasted mainly of sauce. Curiously, they included sides of two other sauce flavors. Why bother pouring one sauce over everything if you're going to provide other sauces as well? I was forced to mix sauces if I wanted to try another flavor. In the end, I just stuck with the original stuff, and enjoyed the meat. Sides of intensely meaty beans and great creamy mac & cheese made for a great meal.

This joint doesn't bother with an aquarium pit. They once marketed the use of their 'famous' Lil' Red Smoker which was in use since the opening in 1994. It was retired in December of 2007 for a gas-fired Ole Hickory rotisserie smoker. I didn't get a look at it, but I did notice the sweet t-shirts sported by the staff. I bought a brown one with a vintage looking logo. It set me back a surprising $30, but I think I wear it at least once a week. Maybe they'll give me a discount if I wear it on my next visit.

Rating ***

Uncle John's BBQ

CHICAGO: Uncle John's Barbecue
337 E 69th St
Chicago, IL 60637
773-892-1233
Open M-Thur 12-10, F-Sat 12-12am

We sweated through our final stop of the day while waiting in line for Uncle John's. The line wasn't long on people, but plenty long on waiting time. Orders here are taken through bulletproof glass, and then delivered through a revolving door. The interior decorations really begin and end with a pop machine, which is the normal drink dispenser for South Side BBQ. No sweet tea here. I spent most of time staring at the side of their aquarium pit, and wiping the sweat from my forehead.



I forgot to ask for sauce on the side (as recommended here), and there wasn't a dry portion of meat to be found. Soggy and tough rib tips were disappointing, with little meat, and what was left was dried out. I was a bit bummed knowing this was not their best effort. On the other hand, the hot links were stellar. They had the most aggressive seasoning of any link we tried, and the chunks of red pepper, herbs and plenty of fat. I'd repeat myself and say they tasted like breakfast sausage, but I'm starting to think that breakfast sausage tastes like Chicago style hot links without the intense heat. I could eat these any time of the day.

Rating **

Lem's BBQ

CHICAGO: Lem's Bar-B-Q
311 E 75th St
Chicago, IL 60619
877-504-2096
Open Sun-M 2pm-2am, W-Thur 2pm-2am, F-Sat 2pm-4am

After our stop at Honey 1, we headed down the Dan Ryan to the South Side. Lem's has made it on many 'best of' lists, so we had to try it. We drove by it twice before locating the sign and this tiny green building. After finding a spot on the street, we walked to the side door, and squeezed past some waiting patrons to place our order through the bulletproof glass. An aquarium pit was on display at the back of the store. The smallest order of ribs and hot links was around $20, and we headed straight back to the car since eating inside is not an option. Before we exited, a tailor gave each of us his card. Oddly, he wore a very ill-fitting shirt.



Back at the car, we ripped open the now soggy paper bags on the roof of the car. Before we could take a bite, Patricia limped up next to us and asked for a few bucks so she could get some chicken wings. We offered ribs and hot links instead, because we knew we'd have plenty of leftovers given the heft of each sack. She insisted several times that she "really had a taste for some wings", but waited patiently for us to finish anyway.



The hot links were just as hot as those found at Honey 1, but they'd been overcooked a bit as evidenced by their broken skin and slightly dried meat inside. The grind was coarse with large chunks of spices evident in the mixture. As expected, they tasted of breakfast sausage with a kick, but were enjoyable. Short end ribs were covered in a spicy and sweet sauce which covered nearly any of the meat's flavor. The smoke so evident at Honey 1 was missing here, and the texture was downright chewy. The overall flavor was decent, but we weren't lamenting when Patricia finally strolled away with most of them still in the bag.

Rating **

Honey 1 BBQ

CHICAGO: Honey 1 BBQ
2241 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-227-5130
Open Tues-Thur 11-9:30, F-Sat 11-11, Sun 12-8
www.honey1bbq.com

A trip to Chicago wouldn't have been complete without a BBQ quest, and my buddy Pete, who's a Chicago native, was happy to oblige. He drove us around the city in his new Mini, so we never had a parking problem. Our travels were for the purpose of finding some true Chicago style BBQ, but I didn't really know what that meant. Through some research, specifically in Smokestack Lightning, I knew to look for ribs tips and hot links.



Our first stop for true Chicago Style 'cue was at Honey 1 in the Bucktown neighborhood. A combo of rib tips and hot links was calling my name, and I had to get some spares as well. Everything in Chicago comes with fries and sauce, but they were happy to put the sauce on the side. Of all the Chicago Style joints we visited, this was the one that truly needed no sauce. The meat from the ribs required a little toothe to release from the bone, but the meat was more smoky than I expected. Tender ribs tips took on the smoke even better, and provided some great texture combinations in every bite. Hot links were not seasoned timidly. They packed some real heat, for which the thick and ultra-sweet sauce was a great compliment. The casing was almost brittle with the meat beneath taking on a flavor of smoked breakfast sausage with plenty of herbal notes. This would become a theme.



Robert Adams learned to smoke this way in Arkansas. Here in Chicago he uses the signature aquarium pit. This pit is comprised of a metal fire chamber below a thick grill grate. Meat is cooked over direct heat on this grate which is surrounded by tempered glass. Above the glass is an exhaust hood, and the whole outfit has the look of an aquarium for smoked meat, hence the name. For a great discussion on this Chicago oddity, see this conversation on a Chicago-based food site. Honey 1 has their's made by Belvin J&F Sheet Metal in Chicago.

To regulate the cooking temperature, Robert either adds logs of hickory wood to raise the heat, or dampens things down with a quick spray from a standard garden hose. He kept his post right by the pit watching a Cubs game on a small television. I think I sweated out a 1/2 gallon while we talked for 10 minutes net to the pit, but he was unphased.

Other family members help things run smoothly. A cousin or two can be found in the kitchen, while Robert Jr. makes a great host manning the register. The whole atmosphere was welcoming, and the food was great. If this is what Chicago 'cue is all about, then this city deserves more BBQ cred than it's normally given.

Rating ****