130443 Sat Nov 23 02:11:25 -0800 2002 8 10 Florida 0 705758 Well, after a lousy sliced beef sandwich there, I gave 'em another try on Chuck's advice, and I must say the ribs are quite good. As far as West Broward goes, I'd put em well above the Sonny's chain and roughly even with Mrs. Smokey's up in Sunrise. They're served dry, with 5 or 6 sauces in bottles on the tables, all adequate, none stellar. Good and meaty ribs, though.. smoky but not Tom Jenkins-smoky, which will please some here more than they pleased me. However, everything else was as I remembered: sweet tea that wasn't especially sweet and tasted like Lipton, a stringy sweet potato, and workaday garlic toast on Cuban bread. The one relatively bright spot among the sides was the baked beans, with lots of scraps of pulled pork mixed in. Not rocket science, but enjoyable. I'd guess their Brunswick stew is decent too on this basis. In sum, decent meat (as long as it's pork, at least) but the sides are lackluster (not bad, just uninspiring) even within the low expectations most area places set. Order accordingly and you'll be happy enough if you're in the neighborhood and dying for some nitrates, but that's about it. As greater Fort Lauderdale becomes part of hounds' barbecue roadtrip itineraries (don't laugh; I think it will) along with Texas, North Carolina and the like, this won't be one of the stops. Sat Nov 23 02:11:25 -0800 2002 0 s.m. koppelman 1 705760 The thing I order at Scruby's is the sliced pork sandwich. It's pretty good and it's consistent. The coleslaw is the Col. Sanders' recipe, which I happen to like. The fries are fries, the beans are too sweet. The sauces are nearly indistinguishable from one another, though not bad. But, I'll admit it...I'm a regular. Why? The service is the best (the same waitresses are still there since I started eating there 7 years ago). The food is decent. It never changes. While I crave diversity in all things (especially food and music), I find comfort in an essentially American family-run institution like Scruby's. Besides, it's five minutes from where I work. You're right, though. Tom Jenkins all by itself is enough to put Ft. Lauderdale in the Barbecue Big Ten. There is a new barbeque joint getting ready to open in West Palm Beach on Congress next to the Farmers' Market (used to be the legendary Chely's). I'll be there. Sat Nov 23 11:57:21 -0800 2002 705758 0 flavrmeistr 2 705763 Guys: The problem is West Broward is too far from Federal Highway in Ft. Lauderdale. For me, once I got hold of Tom Jenkins and, for that matter, the other great place on Oakland Park Boulevard (Sorry, I am having a Senior Moment), I was spoiled. I wondered what you guys think of Lucille's Bad To The Bone, if either of you have eaten there. I liked it. Not pit "Q" but excellent sauces and good quality meat. I have a question - Hopefully, somebody has an answer. Sonny's claims to be pit "Q" and I think they are to a point. But, it seems to me that they are not cooking their ribs and pork for the length of time that Tom Jenkins does. Am I missing something here? Also, I recently had Sonny's new menu offering - pulled pork. The meat was moist and of excellent quality, however it was totally void of real smoke taste nor did it include any of the crusted pieces that are normally found in such a sandwich. I believe that they partially cooked the pork shoulders in their ovens first. I cannot believe they are going to leave their meats cooking unattended for the normal 22 hours that it takes to do the "Q" correctly as per Carolina standards. I never claimed to be an expert on "Q" as I still have not been to Lexington, NC nor Sweatman's in SC or any of the other famous places we all have heard about. The best I know about is Tom Jenkins and the Georgia Pig. Sun Nov 24 00:49:15 -0800 2002 705760 0 Chuck 3 705765 Most Sonny's location use a commercial "smoker" to cook with. The result isn't REAL barbecue, just roasted, smoked pork. Real NC style pork shoulders can be sucessfully barbecued in 8 hours. I've never heard of a 22 hour shoulder. Sun Nov 24 14:10:33 -0800 2002 705763 0 Jim 4 705769 Thanks for the info on Sonny's - Well, Lucille's Bad To The Bone on Linton Boulevard obviously does the same thing then. Perhaps the new chain created by Darden (Smokey Bones) does this too? One of these type of smokers I'm familiar with is made by a company in Oklahoma called Smoke A Roma and there are others, too. The racks of ribs are hung inside a cabinet and wood chips are used to infuse the flavor into the meat. But, that great crust on the exterior of the meat is missing. As far as the 22 hours to do true pit "Q" perhaps some others can chime in on this one? On more than one occasion, I have heard that it takes as long as 22 hours to do the pork shoulders and butts. It was mentioned on FoodTV;perhaps the show from Memphis that interviewed Leonard's owners? Furthermore, I've read it as well. But, maybe that's an individual's specific method of choice? Mon Nov 25 20:41:01 -0800 2002 705765 0 Chuck 5 705788 I can't speak about Scruby's,but an indirect cooked 17-18 lb.pork shoulder would not be unheard of to cook 16-18 hrs. and held another 4 hrs. This is not to say that a N Carolina logburner,cooking direct may not finish in a shorter time. Smokey Bones competition team cooks at many of the sanctioned cookoffs and they do an excellent job.I have not eaten in one of their sports bars. Tom Wed Nov 27 10:26:26 -0800 2002 705769 0 Tom-Fl 5 705842 Not for anything, but Roadfood is quoting the owner of Interstate in Memphis as follows: "We start our shoulders at 5:00 PM the day before for next day's lunch" which calculates to around 20 hours of slow cooking. Tue Dec 03 21:00:53 -0800 2002 705769 0 Chuck 6 705843 Most commercial spots here in NC cook shoulders in 7-12 hours with results that speak volumes. The Old Brick Pit in Mobile, AL claims to cook their shoulders 20-30 hours! Sounds like a waste of firewood to me. I love Interstate. Their sammiches are good, but their ribs are better. The best sandwiches I've had in MPS are at Payne's and A&R, although there are several places I've yet to try. Tue Dec 03 21:42:20 -0800 2002 705842 0 Jim 6 705844 Most commercial spots here in NC cook shoulders in 7-12 hours with results that speak volumes. The Old Brick Pit in Mobile, AL claims to cook their shoulders 20-30 hours! Sounds like a waste of firewood to me. I love Interstate. Their sammiches are good, but their ribs are better. The best sandwiches I've had in MPS are at Payne's and A&R, although there are several places I've yet to try. Tue Dec 03 21:42:41 -0800 2002 705842 0 Jim