Lester's BBQ, Burlington

[rizzo0904]

Anyone been? How is it? I love bbq but it better be authentic. I've had a really hard time finding anything better than average up here in New England and thought I'd give Lester's a shot if you all think it's worth it.

[MC Slim JB]

Only been once, but my question is: is this real slow-smoke BBQ, or just grilling over a charcoal fire for a bit of smoke flavor? Judging from my brisket sandwich, I'm inclined to believe the latter. Nice patio, very weak side dishes (terrible beans, collard greens). Very small sample on my part, though. Would love to hear that it's worth a revisit somehow; it's in the middle of a chow desert.

[ScubaSteve]

on our visit they were packing the smoker and our ribs had a very prominent smoke ring. but, we didn't sample the brisket. greens we're excellent so i'd suggest that at least those have improved. agreed 100% on the beans though.

and there is that Korean BBQ place down the way a bit.

[GaryLovesFood]

Lester's is the real deal. The barbecue is slow smoked in a J&R, the Cadillac of smokers. Their problem is consistency. The traffic isn't very high, so you may get great product one day and older product another. If you took all of the usual BBQ suspects and visited them 10 times each, Lester's average might be middle of the pack or worse, but if you compared only the top 3 visits for each, Lester's would be pretty close to the top. My humble opinion after a dozen or so visits.

[Chris VR]

I think that's a really good assessment. I've had really good BBQ at Lester's but the inconsistency (and mediocre sides) pushes them pretty far down my list.

[lexpatti]

We've only been once and weren't impressed, maybe another shot would bring it up. We've been hitting City Flames Smokehouse in Manchester NH, been 3 times now, always awesome. I love their sides too, smoked sweet potato, cucumber salad, coleslaw is excellent, etc. - cornbread is to die for. I'm working my way through the menu - love the brisket, pulled pork, St louis ribs, chix and turkey (and sausage too) , still need to try their bbq spaghetti (since people have raved).

[rizzo0904]

thanks for the input..i'll definately give it a try next time i'm down there.

now if i could only find a place around here that makes brunswick stew.....

[phatchris]

I've had Brunswick stew as a special soup of the day at the Newton Blue Ribbon. Only saw it once though and I was a regular there for about a year when I worked in the area.

[Wursthof]

oh man...brunswick stew

that would be a nice addition

[Lighthousehunter]

I grew up in Burlington, and watched several other places fail (including McDonald's) in that location, so it is great to have a BBQ make a go of it there.
Last 3 times I have been there, I have sampled excellent brisket, great pulled pork, and an absolutely discusting mess they called "Smokey Mountain Chopped Beef", which was so swimming in liquified orange grease it was almost inedible.
That being said, the place draws a large, solid lunchtime crowd out the door on many days.
I would not hesitate going back for meals with many items on their menu, but after being there a couple of years now, I still feel that Lester's is working out a few kinks on certain methods of preparing BBQ. Ribs and Brisket might be the safe way to go.

[ScubaSteve]

wow!

went to Lester's this past Sunday and was quite impressed.
ribs were very moist, smoky and meaty. for sides we got the slaw, baked beans, dirty rice and greens. with the exception of the baked beans (not many whole beans) all the sides were excellent. the greens stood out as being almost as good as Blue Ribbon's and had pieces of pulled pork in the mix.

with gas prices so high it's fantastic to find a place closer to me that's putting out wicked good Q.

[smtucker]

My sister was also there on Sunday and ordered the brisket. She has done nothing but rave about it ever since!

[LStaff]

Last visit - about two weeks ago and I thought the bbq was the some of the best I've had in the area. The pork ribs and brisket were tender, juicy, and had great smoke flavor that is missing at local places like Blue ribbon and Redbones. Definitely not falling off the bone, thank heavens, but could easily been pulled off the bone (ribs) and pulled apart (brisket). Nice dark smoke ring circled both of the meats. I would go out of my way to go back the next time smoky meat cravings hit me.

More evidence of good bbq at Lester's can be found here written by someone that seems to have decent knowledge of what makes good bbq. http://www.pigtrip.net/review-Lesters... Lots of other area bbq joints are reviewed too if you click on "reviews" on the homepage.

[powerfulpierre]

To me, Lester's rates a solid "not bad". Since I commute near there (Rt. 3A in Billerica) I keep a menu in the car when I get the urge for take-out. The place is clean, the staff is friendly, and the draft PBR is cold and delicious.
Only been there a couple of times but so far, the ribs, beans, cole slaw are all pretty good. The pulled chicken, tried once, was pretty dry and bland. The "homemade" pickles are great, but that is a real matter of taste.
Well worth a try.

[Dinsdale45]

Lester's is decent, fast, and convenient to Merrimack Valley residents, but once I had to re-cook a rack of ribs I brought home from there. They were pretty far from "falling off the bone".

[three of us]

What's to lose? I wouldn't travel out of my way for Lester's BBQ but I've had some very nice dinners sitting on the patio with a cold beer and enjoying dinner with my family.

I'm not a " . . . better be authentic" kind of eater, though.

On the New England board, there has been a lot of raves about a BBQ place in Manchester, NH. You might find it worthwhile to scan the board for the last few days or do a search.