BBQ Trip 001 - Day 2

All work and no play is not safe. Better safe than sorry, so we got some airtime in the golf cart to kick off the day...

Or would you rather see a video?

Donoque's BBQ Breakfast
Secret location.
Overall: A+. Better than sleeping on a couch made of pudding.
Charlie's scrambled eggs: A+. Scrambled with collard greens, mac n cheese, VT garlic cheddar, and a hint of Phoebe's BBQ sauce.
Phoebe's beef ribs redux: B. Light brushing of sauce, and a quick finish on the grill, and they are elevated to a new level. Still not a substitute for the real deal, but certainly improved.
Phoebe's pork ribs redux: B+. Same as beef redux.
Phoebe's cornbread: B-. Better today after a quick pan fry with butter.

Pico de Gallo
534 S. 15th St, Philly, PA
(215)-772-3003
Ok, not a BBQ place, but if you get to Ron's (see below) before they open, just go down the block to this place for a beer and chips n salsa. And by all means, check out the menu, we didn't have a chance to try it, but it looks promising. Have a Mexican coke (still made with sugar) and say Hi to Bonnie and Angel for us.

OK, and without further ado, our first A rated place:
Ron's Ribs
1627 South St, Philly, PA
(215)-732-3561
BYOB
Overall: A
Excellent texture on pork ribs, chicken, and corn bread. Best sauce we have tasted so far. Friendly husband/wife team own and operate the joint. Open pit style.
Sauce: A. Available in hot & regular. Great flavor hits you right away. Not your ordinary sauce. Hot has a black pepper kick that is unique, and packs a delayed punch.
Pork ribs: A-. Great textures. Plural. Some bites would string apart, some would chew, and all were tender but not falling apart. Random bits of crispiness on the crust. The open pit cooking seems to tighten the meat, yet not toughen or dry it out. You just have to try it to understand.
Chicken: A. A very tough item to BBQ. The leg, thigh, and breast all had tasty crispy skin, perfect meat texture. Leg and thigh were falling off the bone, and breast was moist and slightly shredding.
Collard Greens: A-. Bold flavors. Both the spices and the natural bittery goodness of the greens. No meat, the greens speak for themselves.
Mac n cheese: A-. Very cheesy. Baked surface. Tasted and looked very fresh.
Red beans n rice: C. All other items were so full of flavor, these couldn't stand up to it. Rice was not moist. Didn't taste bad, just didn't stand up to everything else.
Corn bread: A. A perfect blend of opposites. Sweet, but not sticky. Crumbly, but not dry. Coarse grain, but not gritty.



Blues St BBQ
345 Main St., Harleysville, PA
(215)-513-1966
BYOB
Overall: B-. Clean cut BBQ, not a "joint". Tasteful blues themed. Missing collard greens on menu. Nothing wrong with food, and some unique items as well. The best description is more towards an American food restaurant with a strong BBQ selection on their menu.
Baby backs: C. Meat had no variety of texture, too mushy. Too sweet.
St Louis ribs: B+. Much better than the baby backs. A slight dry rub crust. Very light glazing. Good texture, with some variety. Mid-Strong smoke flavor.
Turkey breast: B-. As turkey, it was great meat, cooked very tender and moist. The claims of long slow smoking missed the mark. Did not feel, look, or taste like BBQ.
Brisket: B+. Nice smoke ring on one side. Very tender, not dry, not super moist, just shy of perfect. Great smoke flavor. No sauce served or available. Despite being a fan of less-sauce-is-more, I did find myself wishing I had a touch of sauce on the side.
Dirty rice: A-. Great bold flavors. Nice bits of "stuff". Rice itself was cooked a bit firm and dry.
Baked beans: A-(jd) B+(bj). Red beans and fava beans. Favas were nice and creamy. Full flavor, but a bit too sweet.
Cornbread: B(bj), C(jd). bj: sweet, light, airy, fine grain. jd: too fine, strange texture.
Mac n cheese: B+(bj), B-(jd). bj: creamy, cheesy, needed "bakeage". jd: Sauce not seasoned enough. Pasta water needed seasoning.
Smokey poppers: A. Bacon wrapped, pull pork and cheese stuffed jalopeno's. No breading, just baked. Nice to have pulled pork and cheese in separate areas, not all blended together. Bacon only wrapped on cap so it doesn't overpower the other flavors.