147500 Thu Mar 25 17:54:25 -0800 2004 11 12 Boston Area 0 790608 My close friends and i celebrate Barbeque Day every year. Basically it's one day a year that we gather in a city(try to do a different one each year)where one of us lives, and try to hit as many barbeque joints in one day as we possible can. Previous years have been great successes. This year its in Boston, and I have been trying to do the prerequisite reasearch(I don't live in Boston, I live in NYC). So far i found a website with these names on it. If anyone has been to either of these places, or knows of better places( we usually shoot to hit 7 or 8 places) please let me know. we try to find the most aunthentic places with well smoked meat. 1)Bob the Chef's Soulfood and Ribs 604 Columbus Avenue, Boston 2)Jake's Boss BBQ 3492 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain Thanks a lot Thu Mar 25 17:54:25 -0800 2004 0 malok 1 790610 also heard good things about blue ribbon and east coast grill, any input would be greatly appreciated thanks Thu Mar 25 17:58:48 -0800 2004 790608 0 malok 1 790611 You'll probably get a bunch of replies to this -- it's always a popular topic; you can also search the board (either from the chowhound homepage or just by searching this page for the recent posts) for plenty of info. But regarding those two, Bob the Chef is good soulfood, but I think the ribs are oven-baked, not smoked. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not barbecue either. I've found Jake's Boss to be hit-or-miss; if you really are going to 7 or 8 places, keep it on the list, but the three musts that I know are: Blue-Ribbon Barbecue -- in West Newton and in Arlington, avoid the branch in the Cambridge Whole Foods Market. I mostly go for the pulled meats there, although I had some great sausage there last weekend. Excellent burnt ends East Coast Grill -- on Cambridge St., in Cambridge. Slightly fancier restaurant, not a shack. They specialize in great seafood and kickass barbecue. Great ribs. Unbelievable burnt ends. Excellent vinegary pulled pork (Eastern NC-style). Uncle Pete's -- East Boston. I've only been once, but it was pretty great. Check this board for more recommendations. One warning: do not go to the Brookline Smokehouse. Despite their name (and a fun atmosphere), they do unspeakable things to meat. Stay away. Thu Mar 25 18:09:54 -0800 2004 790608 0 MichaelB 1 790623 My Southern friends assure me that I live in a benighted area for real barbecue, and of course they're right, but I try to bloom where I'm planted. I like Jake's in JP, the Blue Ribbon in Newton, the East Coast Grill in Cambridge, and Rouge in the South End (the swank ambience of which is deceptive: they have a real slow-smoker). The Linwood in the Fenway has its moments (notably burnt ends), but I believe it's closed for renovations. Redbones in Somerville is okay in a pinch (the sides seem better than the Q), and you can now get BBQ from a restaurant whose original outlet is in Manhattan in Harvard Square (Brother Jimmy's): no surprise it's purportedly strictly frat-boy territory. Heed the dire warnings about the Village Smokehouse in Brookline. Fri Mar 26 01:57:20 -0800 2004 790608 0 MC Slim JB 1 790639 there is great bbq in mass her is my list and ive been eating bbq a long time im from memphis trist me on thos one.. fireflys in framingham and matlboro east coast grill cambridge rouge in boston uncle petes in boston blue ribbon west newton and red bones somerville Fri Mar 26 09:58:11 -0800 2004 790608 0 billy 1 790664 BBQ:1-Blue Ribbon, Arlington 2-Word of Mouth BBQ, Methuen www.WOMBBQ.com 3-Red Bones, Somerville 4-Muddy River Cafe, Portsmouth NH 5-Horseshoe BBQ, North Reading 6-Backyard BBQ, WIlmington All of these place slow smoke the meats. Read Bones finishes the ribs on an open pit which if done properly is good, but if not it dries out the meat Fri Mar 26 17:19:23 -0800 2004 790608 0 JP 1 790671 There isn't really any place to sit and eat here but IMO one of the best places around(and now they are back open after a fire had closed them) is Pit Stop BBQ, it is on Morton Street(basically rt 203) in Dorchester, make sure you ask for the chopped slaw if you get a pulled pork sandwich(it's not the same as the regular slaw). I'll throw a nod to Jake's out of sake of posterity( a couple of the latest visits have yielded so so results), but there have been times when Jakes has sung with beautiful Q'ness. I can't speak for the traditional Q here but I can tell you that I had some of the best, smoked and mustard bbq sauced very large chicken wings I have ever put to lips...the wings are slow smoked, then grilled and then sauced...damn good. I guess if I wrote the name it would help...Bison County Smokehouse in Waltham. I might even buy some Q on the way home and light the grill on the deck just to get a sense a whats a comin....hmmmmmmm hmmmmm. Fri Mar 26 19:02:17 -0800 2004 790608 0 DodinBouffant 1 790695 I grew up in and lived in the south for a long time (oklahoma for a while and then primarily tennessee and louisiana) and have also done a tour of duty in north carolina. I love bbq. And I have yet to find a consistently good bbq place around here that measures up to the good stuff down south. That being said, I like elements of each of the places listed here. - Uncle Pete's pulled pork is cooked very well IMO - but massacred by a heavy sauce. And sweet potato biscuits with sweet icing are not the ideal side for me. However, the ambience and friendliness are awesome and the meat is well enough cooked (with enough chewy-to-soft ratio) that I enjoy a trip there. - Blue Ribbon's brisket and burnt ends are quite good, but their sauces are not what they say they are and it's nearly impossible to get your meat unsauced from the staff. - East Coast Grill...I don't get the hype. Though I like their cocktails with plastic monkeys. - Redbones. Good place to drink, good side dishes. Woeful BBQ in the times I have eaten there, particularly the pulled pork. Dry and tough and covered in sauce. - Rouge I have yet to try, but we're going probably this evening and I have high hopes. All in all, I'd rather eat bad bbq than much other food, but I have developed a habit of ordering my BBQ shipped from the cradles (KC, Memphis, Lockhart TX and central/eastern NC) when I want the good stuff. If you want a set of bookmarks for online 'q delivery shoot me a note offlist. jtw Sat Mar 27 11:45:28 -0800 2004 790608 0 jtw 2 790719 got any reports on rouge's bbq jtw ? Sun Mar 28 12:47:34 -0800 2004 790695 0 Nab 3 790722 i just went to rouge on friday for the third time. i think they changed around the way they do certain dishes. this second time i got the knife and fork chicken. it seemed crispier than before, but never the less good. also the menu seems to be a somewhat latin-asian fusion, as i also went to tremont 647 and i think that the menus of andy husbands is moving more towards latin and away from asian. the bbq at rouge is pretty good though. i've gotten the ribs before. definitely hearty portions. also, i replaced the cole slaw with their french fries. they are EXTREMELy salty but i like them that way!! they come with a side of some ranch dipping sauce which perfectly offsets the saltiness of the fries. the fries might be too seasonsed for some people though. all in all, i definitely enjoy rouge. its a little more upscale from redbones but for people who are also looking for a more gourmet fare, it would also suit them. Sun Mar 28 13:57:40 -0800 2004 790719 0 ibhungry 2 790774 Have you tried Word of Mouth BBQ yet? They have entertainment too www.WOMBBQ.com Mon Mar 29 16:09:38 -0800 2004 790695 0 JP 1 790861 Of the places I have tried in order of preference: Blue Ribbon, excellent brisket and ribs. You can get it unsauced. It tastes much better if you do not get take-out and pay attention as they cut it up for you. Far and away the best Q I have tried in Boston, but I only go to the West Newton branch. The counter area only sits about 10 so you should be able to squeeze in. Excellent collards & mashed potatoes. Redbones in Somerville is clearly inferior, but not bad in a pinch. Good beer and sides. I went to Jakes once and it was the pits. I understand it is closing, no surprise. The one advantage is that you can cross the street to Doyles and get some good beer. Others have liked it, but my one visit was so bad that I can't imagine going back. East Coast Grill does fish much better than meat. Some of their fish dishes are brilliant -- hoisin sauced bass, tuna tacos, but the Q is only acceptable, clearly better than Jakes, but only marginally better than Redbones. Have yet to try Pete's and Bob the Chef is decent Soul Food, not Q, but I have not tried it in years. Brookline Smoke House is a travesty and should be padlocked for false advertising. Tue Mar 30 20:56:14 -0800 2004 790608 0 VivreManger