Red Rock BBQ – Sedona, AZ

July 18, 2013August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Red Rock BBQ
Date: 5/17/13
Location: 150 Hwy 179, Sedona, AZ
Order: Beef Brisket Platter with Coleslaw and Potato Salad (link to menu)
Bill: $17

Rudy: I heard a saying once that, “You can call a horse a duck all you want, but at the end of the day, it’s still a horse”, which I think applies to Red Rock BBQ. They can call it BBQ and brisket all they want, but what this place served was neither.

I recently went on vacation to Arizona with my in-laws, and knowing I loved barbecue, they looked online to see what was the best place where we were going.

Monk: I haven’t put this to the test yet but I would guess that my in-laws would be very accommodating for my barbecue habits. Very nice.

Speedy: …And you better believe it will be a prerequisite should there ever be a Mrs. Speedy.

Rudy: The gesture was extremely nice, but I knew something was amiss as soon as we showed up. Walking up to the entrance, the only smoke smell that was around was the smell of something burning badly, not of wood smoking. Most restaurants decorate their walls to represent the types of foods that they serve or where they are located, but Red Rocks BBQ only had a Guinness Beer poster.

Monk: I mean I’m Irish and all and can always enjoy a Guinness but no, not with barbecue. That is just odd…

Rudy: Not exactly what you would expect from a barbecue place located in Arizona…should have been my 2nd warning. But I knew I was in serious trouble when I ordered the brisket platter and asked for it to be the ‘moist cut’ and the waiter gave me a confused look. Anywhere that pretends to sell brisket should know the different cuts and know what I was asking for.

When the brisket arrived, it looked like chopped beef and tasted like unseasoned pot roast. There was no smoke ring, no crust, and no flavor. This was not brisket and this was no barbecue. They had several different types of sauce, but even they couldn’t make this “brisket” edible.

Monk: From the looks of your photo below, it definitely looks like you’ve got some roast beef there, not brisket.

Rudy: For sides, I got coleslaw, which was mayo based (Speedy’s favorite) and potato salad. Both of these tasted like they were generic store bought sides. Nothing to write home about, but still better than the main course.

Monk: If this place was as egregiously bad as you describe (and I have no reason to believe otherwise) then this would have just put me in a bad mood.

Rudy: Again, my in-laws were trying to be nice and found me barbecue, so the hardest part was saying something nice or not spitting it out when they were asking me what I thought. While I love barbecue and like trying it all over the country as well, this experience may keep me from trying barbecue at too many places outside of the traditional locations. It was far and away the worst barbecue I’ve ever had, if you can even call it that.

Speedy: I will say that I’ve had barbecue in Arizona one time – back in Phoenix in 2007. I don’t recall the name of the place, and while it wasn’t anything to brag about, it wasn’t this bad. Rudy, I think it’s your duty, nay, your calling to continue tasting barbecue wherever life may lead you.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 1 Hog
Brisket – 0 Hogs
Sides – 1 Hog
Overall – 0 Hogs (!!)

Sauceman’s – Charlotte, NC

July 15, 2013August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Sauceman’s
Date: 6/29/13
Location: 228 West Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Order: Monk: Chopped pork tray with red slaw, hush puppies; Speedy: full rack of ribs with red slaw, collards (link to menu)
Price: Monk: $8.50; Speedy: $20 (don’t worry, Monk got the beer)

Monk: Sauceman’s has been around for a few years (2009, to be exact), but gained some fame when pitmaster Zach Goodyear won the NC episode of “BBQ Pitmasters” that was filmed in Charlotte last fall and aired earlier this year. His win was made even more impressive when you add in the fact that he defeated two established pitmasters and joints in Sam Jones of the famed Skylight Inn in Ayden (est. 1947) and Debbie Holt of Clyde Cooper’s in Raleigh (est. 1938). I had actually visited the restaurant pre-blog, but was interested to visit again for a review with Speedy in tow for the first time since December (wow, weird).

Speedy: It was good to get back to a ‘cue joint with Monk, as that’s one of the pillars of our brohood. This was, in fact, my first trip to Sauceman’s. I wasn’t really expecting much, as I figured if it was really something to write home about (and I DO write home to Mama Speedy about great barbecue), I’d have tried it before. But still, exciting to check it out. I really liked the atmosphere. While the inside is a little difficult to navigate, with the register basically in the middle, Sauceman’s has a nice outdoor patio and is an enjoyable place to eat a meal. I was a little surprised by the menu, as it had more variety than I expected. Unfortunately, there was no combo plate, so Monk and I were basically limited to two meats. We ruled out the brisket and went with the all pig choices of chopped pork and ribs. We ordered and paid at the register, and the food was brought to our table, though our orders were not brought to us at the same time (or even close to it).

Monk: The pork at Sauceman’s is cooked Lexington style, which is a welcome sight for Charlotte where you seem to get every style except, despite its proximity to the actual town of Lexington. Unfortunately, the chopped pork on this night came out a little dry. And by “little” I mean “a lot.” Speedy and I posited that perhaps it had been sitting for a few hours underneath a heat lamp and dried out in the process. Once I added a combination of the Carolina Dip and Love & Smoke sauces from the table, the moisture returned and the pork became passable. But still, it was a little disappointing. I’d be curious to see how different it would be if I came earlier in the day, say for lunch. So Speedy, in terms of the ribs I thought these were quite good but how do you think they stack up with other ribs in Charlotte?

Speedy: The ribs were very good. They were tender, but not to the point to where they fell off the bone – you could get a good bite. They were also perfectly sauced. They weren’t the best ribs I’ve ever had by any means, but they probably stack up against any I’ve had in Charlotte – on par with Queen City Q and Midwood Smokehouse. I enjoyed them quite a bit more than the pork.

Monk: I liked the large spherical hush puppies more than Speedy. It had a thick crust of fried batter which put him off but I dug it as well as the sweetness of the puppy. The slaw was a red slaw but came coarsely chopped. And finally, the collards were quite good. All in all, I’d say the sides added to the meal as opposed to detracting from it. Unfortunately we did not get the sugar biscuits, which I had in my previous visit and were quite good.

Speedy: Agreed that the sides were good, which was a nice change of pace from the ‘cue I’ve been eating lately. Overall, I’d say I enjoyed the meal at Sauceman’s, despite being sorely disappointed by the pork. I’m not sure I’ll go back – there are a couple other places in Charlotte I prefer, but I’m glad I got to try it. The lesson learned here is that you may get one shot with the Barbecue Bros, so you better bring it!

Ratings:
Atmosphere/ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Ribs – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

Jack Cobb & Son – Farmville, NC

July 13, 2013August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Name: Jack Cobb & Son Barbecue Place
Date: 6/23/13
Location: 3883 South Main Street, Farmville, NC
Order: Combo plate with chopped barbecue, chicken leg, slaw, collards, and hush puppies
Bill: $10.75

Speedy: So the whole extended Speedy clan decided to go out to the Outer Banks for a week of vacation, giving me a great excuse to visit the eastern part of NC and check out some eastern NC barbecue. I used the NC Barbecue Trail as my guide to help me pick where to eat.

Monk: Good call…we have to get to our goal of reviewing every stop on the trail before the end of 2013 somehow.

Speedy: First off, let me say this – Farmville is in the middle of nowhere.

Monk: Wait, you’re telling me a town called “Farmville” isn’t in the middle of a bustling urban metropolis? Shocking.

Speedy: And Jack Cobb and Son fits the bill of a place you’d expect to see in the middle of nowhere. The building is on a large plot of land and appears a bit run down. You can see the smokehouse in the back, which didn’t appear to be running when I arrived (around 1 pm). Walking in to the building, I got sort of a school cafeteria feel. You place your order at the counter and your meal is spooned from large vats of pork/slaw/etc. I imagine the food was prepared early that morning, but I don’t have anything to base that off of. As I said, the smokehouse was not going when I was there.

Monk: Based on the speed with how most barbecue joints serve up their food, I imagine this happens behind the scenes in the kitchen but its a little odd for it to be right in front of you.

Speedy: The first thing I noticed when driving up and walking in is that there’s nowhere to eat. Despite being on a decent size plot of land and in a big building, Jack Cobb is strictly take out. As I was a few hours from my destination – this posed a problem. I initially tried to eat on a tree stump in front of the building, but when it started raining, I ended up eating in my car. I don’t understand why a few tables couldn’t be set up inside or some picnic tables set up outside. This bothered me greatly – probably more than it should have.

Monk: I can understand why you were annoyed since the situations combined to kind of put you out, but are you seriously going to ding a take-out only place for being what it probably always has been? Wait, I know the answer to this…

Speedy: Monk, it’s my review and I’ll rate how I want to. Anyhow, I decided to get a combo plate so I could sample both the pork and the chicken. It came with hushpuppies and two sides, which I chose slaw and collards. Normally, I wouldn’t bother with ordering chicken as well, but the combo plate gives you a choice of breast or leg (I chose leg), so I was more intrigued than if it were just pulled or chopped chicken.

Monk: Bold strategy, Speedy. I think this is the first time I can remember either of us ordering chicken from a barbecue joint in North Carolina that wasn’t chicken wings. Let’s see if it pays off…

Speedy: The food was served quickly, in large portions, and very reasonably priced (note: the barbecue sandwich is only $3). I first dug into the pork, which was very good. It was eastern style, chopped well, was tender, moist, and with good flavor. Definitely the highlight of the meal. The plate came with a small side of extra vinegar based sauce, but I didn’t really need it.

Monk: So far, so good…

Speedy: The chicken was incredibly tender – maybe even too much so. When I picked up the chicken leg, all of the meat literally came off the bone. I was a little disappointed in the flavor. The chicken didn’t seem flavored at all and was just OK. Definitely could’ve used some seasoning or rub. The slaw was vinegary, but lacked the tang that I like and the collards were somewhat flavorless.

Monk: And there it is…this kind of reinforces my thought to just plainly avoid ordering barbecue chicken whatsoever.

Speedy: All in all, I enjoyed the pork, but not really the rest of the food or the experience. And while the pork was very good, it still lacked behind Lexington #1 or Allen & Son. Based on the location, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Jack Cobb.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 0 hogs (yes – 0 hogs!)
Pork – 4 hogs
Chicken – 2 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs (all because of the pork)

Stiles Switch BBQ – Austin, TX

May 29, 2013August 1, 2014 / Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Stiles Switch BBQ
Date: 5/11/13
Location: 6610 N. Lamar, Austin, TX, 78757
Order: Speedy: ½ pound brisket, 1 link Thorndale (mild) sausage, 1 link Switch original (spicy) sausage, lemon vinaigrette coleslaw
Rudy: Combo plate with brisket and jalapeno cheddar sausage, corn casserole, mac & cheese, beef rib (link to menu)
Bill: Speedy: $20, Rudy: $20

Speedy: A bit of news in the Barbecue Bros family, as Rudy welcomed a new junior Barbecue Bro into the family and Monk welcomed a new junior Barbecue Bro-ette. Congrats, Bros! So I used meeting Rudy’s new son as an excuse to go visit Austin and eat some barbecue Texas style.

Monk: Thanks! Of course, with a 2 month old I unfortunately wasn’t able to make the trip with Speedy to Austin for a Barbecue Bros reunion but at least I get to live the trip vicariously through this review.

Rudy: With Speedy in town I had to try and show off our great selection of barbecue, so the pressure was on to choose a good spot and I think that I picked a winner. When choosing the right place, it came down between LA BBQ and Stiles Switch, which I had seen some really good reviews of lately. I would have taken him to Franklin, but a 3 hour wait with a little one was not a good choice. Also, LA BBQ (which I hope to visit soon) is a food trailer, and you never can really tell about the wait. So we went with Stiles Switch.

Speedy: I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to eat Texas barbecue, so I was definitely excited to visit Stiles Switch. My excitement only grew when I got out of the car and could smell the wood burning smoker working its magic. Walking inside, my excitement did not wane. Stiles Switch has a great atmosphere. You order at the counter, and the food is cut and weighed for you then and there and you go down almost a cafeteria style line to get your sides and drink. There’s plenty of seating indoors, but also an outdoor patio with several picnic tables.

Rudy: There were so many options, especially with the sides, that I had a hard time determining what I wanted. I always go with brisket because that is what every place should be judged on, and I also typically go with a sausage. I had not tried a beef rib yet, even though I have been dying to, because it is usually hit or miss if a place will offer a beef rib (also known as dinosaur ribs at some places because of the size). Since I saw it on the menu here, I figured it was as good a time as any to dive right in.

Speedy: I decided to move away from the combo plate, mainly because none of the sides really excited me.

Monk: So this is like basically the opposite of going to a barbecue restaurant and ordering a salad a la Mrs. Monk, right?

Speedy: Exactly. I wanted to try the spicy and mild sausage, as well as the brisket, of course. As we all know, white slaw is my biggest pet peeve at a barbecue joint, so I was happy to see that Stiles Switch offered lemon vinaigrette slaw as well. And to top it off, of course I had to have a Lone Star!

Monk: Man, I could go for one of those right now…

Rudy: I thought the brisket was pretty good and had a great rub which provided a great bark. The only issue that I had with it was that I thought it might not have been prepared that day because the bark was not crisp, but instead was a little mushy. It still had great flavor though. I was not a huge fan of the sides that I got or the sausage. In the sausage’s case, I think it was because I was getting full on all the rest of my order, so I am not going to knock it too much. The best part of the meal was the beef rib. It wasn’t as big as I had seen in other places, but the flavor was amazing. The bark on it was crispy and melted in your mouth. While the taste was great, the only deduction that I will make is because of the size of the rib.

Speedy: To me, the brisket was good, but not great. It had a good pull, but I didn’t really like the sauce that came with it (on the side). It tasted more like gravy than barbecue sauce to me. The sausage I thought was very good – particular the Switch original link. It had a definite kick and great flavor. To me, it was just the right amount of spice. The slaw was good, though I still prefer true red slaw.

Rudy: Overall I thought it was a great place that served excellent barbecue, and now with a little one in tow, the shorter lines and the inside dining make it a great place to go.

Monk: I can fully appreciate that concern now when picking a place to eat, barbecue or not. I’m not trying to waste time standing in line when there are potential dirty diapers to change and feedings to be given.

Rudy: A couple of days later, my selection was confirmed when Switch Stiles was named one of the Top 50 Barbecue Restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. I’m glad Speedy was able to come and experience some of the best we have to offer.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance: 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Beef rib – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3.5 hogs