Southern BBQ recomendations

[Adam_In_London]

One thing we really don't get in the UK is good Southern US style BBQ, so am quite keen to try some proper stuff on my forthcoming trip to New York. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

[David11238]

I'll go off tangent a bit and say if you're looking for good southern food in general you should hit Country Kitchen on the corner of Saratoga Avenue & Atlantic Avenue. No ribs or pulled pork. But plenty of dep fried pork chops, fried chicken, mac n' cheese, greens and so on. Not a hint of healthiness going on there at all. The neighborhood is a bit scary and even I only go during daylight hours. There's also Fish N' Wings on Ashford & Atlantic, around a mile up (towards JFK) which has excellent mac n' cheese and fried fish and even delicious ribs. But there open hours are very erratic.

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/the-country-kitchen/menu

http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profil...

[Adam_In_London]

Thanks for all the recs - will probably do either Blue Smoke, Dinosaur or Fette Sau. Fette Sau does sound the best although a quick google search seems to suggest massive lines and a no reservation policy, which puts me off a little as I don't fancy waiting around for 90 minutes before eating.

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Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

[craig_g]

I went to Fette Sau last Thursday at 8, and it really wasn't bad. We were seated with food about 1/2 hour after we arrived, which isn't all that different from what I'd expect at a place with traditional service. One nice thing about the line system is that there wasn't a huge crowd around the bar as there would be waiting for a table at a sit-down place, so getting drinks to make the wait more tolerable was really quick. I can't speak for what it's like on a Friday or Saturday though.

[kathryn]

Went to Blue Smoke for lunch for a coworker's farewell last week. Brisket sandwich, beef ribs, pork ribs, pulled pork, and burger were ordered. General consensus was that the ribs (beef and pork) and burger were better than the brisket sandwich and pulled pork. For sides/appetizers, we all really liked the collard greens, baked beans, deviled eggs, mac and cheese, and chips with dip. Unlike so many other BBQ joints, Blue Smoke's sides are excellent generally. They may even steal the show from the meat!

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Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

[Phil Ogelos]

Those Blue Smoke deviled eggs work for me the way chocolate bon-bons do for others (and they're just about as unhealthy!)

[James Cristinian]

In Texas, sides that steal the show are a sign of a bad BBQ place. There, the sides are secondary, the meat is the star.

[uwsister]

re: Fette Sau,
It's definitely hectic, but if you can make it on the early side (shortly after the opening) then it won't be a problem. That's what we usually do, since lines get crazier later in the night (usually.)

[eclecticsynergy]

This link was posted to another thread ("What regional foods do people just get wrong?") a few years ago, thanks to a chowhound by the name of Sideswiper. A little country song about regional BBQ variations across the American South.

It won't help much with for your trip to NYC, but it's fun, catchy and interesting, and also a fairly good state-by-state representation of the many and various BBQ cuisines.

Hope y'all enjoy it.

http://www.rhettandlink.com/videos/bb...

[srsone]

my first question would be...
what kind of "Southern barbeque" are u looking for??
that covers a whole lot...

u have North Carolina..Eastern style and Western style..vinegar based sauce..or ketchup base sauce...
then South Carolina for mustard based sauce..
Then u have Memphis dry rub style..
Kansas city style...
Alabam white sauce style...
Texas style...
to lesser degrees Kentucky,Chicago and Georgia..

then u have to decide on the meat..
Ribs?
st louis style or baby backs?
Pulled pork?
Brisket?
Texas beef ribs?

if u can narrow that down it may help with all the "ahem"arguing about where those can be found in NYC...

[sugartoof]

They just want good BBQ.

The NY offerings aren't specific enough that any of these definitions are relevant. Some places even offer multiple regional styles, and sauce at the table to fix it how you like.

[srsone]

yes but does he want ribs?
pulled pork?
brisket?
chicken?

i know NYC isnt going to have most of the styles...
but we can get him close...at least something decent in NYC would probably be better than the UK

[sugartoof]

Why don't you name your favorites? I think that would be a lot more useful.

[Adam_In_London]

I love both pulled pork and brisket, not so desperate for chicken

[kathryn]

For pulled pork, I'd do Dinosaur. For brisket, I like Hill Country a lot but a Texas born chef friend insists that Fette Sau is better (I've not tried).

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

[GoodGravy]

If you're around on a Monday, Hill Country has an all you can eat (AYCE) menu so you can fill up on brisket. Sides are extra though and the whole table needs to order AYCE.

For pulled pork & ribs, hit up Daisy May's. If you're on the Upper East Side and lazy, go to Brother Jimmy's. Dinosaur up in Harlem gets crowded so get there early or make a reservation. In Brooklyn, go to Fette Sau and if you want, take it over to Spuyten Duyvil across the street and wash the bbq down w/ beer.

[howdini]

I'm most familiar with RUB BBQ and Hill Country, both of which are very good. The Burnt Ends at RUB are delicious, but they sell out quickly. Their brisket and ham are really tasty, too. Hill Country has the added advantages of a really cool setting, and a lot of rockin' live music downstairs on most nights.

Georgia's on Orchard St. (Lower East Side) also has pretty good ribs, fried chicken and sides, and is in a very cool neighborhood: lotta rock clubs, bars and boutiques.

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Georgia's Eastside BBQ
192 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

RUB BBQ
208 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

[Adam_In_London]

Wow cheers for all the advice and comments guys! If BBQ in New York is terrible then I won't bother but we have pretty much nowhere good for it in the UK, and if there at least a pretty decent place to try some then I am keen to go, especially as I am unlikely to be in the South anytime soon.

I do plan to do a lot of the stuff that NY is more famous for, but will be in NY for a few days, and would be nice to get a good BBQ fix whilst there.

[howdini]

That was my point: BBQ in NY is most certainly NOT terrible, and there's no reason you shouldn't avail yourself of any of the DELICIOUS BBQ that's been recommended! Have a great and yummy stay in NYC!

[uwsister]

Exactly - NYC BBQ is not terrible at all, maybe even pretty good, and I'm sure someone who's coming from BBQ wasteland will appreciate some of our offerings. We're not discussing the Last Meal in NYC Adam Will Ever Have here, you know? (my last comment on the above exchange - most posts are deleted anyway.)

If you have time to venture into Brooklyn, I seriously recommend Fette Sau. Just two stops into BK on L train. But if you want to stick to Manhattan - now I remember I have a friend who raves about RUB. I haven't been yet - I should rectify that.

[craig_g]

Yes, this pretty much reflects exactly what I was going to write. Sure there's better BBQ in this country, but if you're living in the UK and want a fix, there are excellent places here. I think people who live here have memories rooted in the really bad old days of NYC BBQ, but a bunch of the newer options are really good, not just "eh, good enough if you're above the Mason-Dixon line."

I would also agree with the Fette Sau recommendations and as a bonus, there are several great places to drink nearby there.

Dinosaur, Blue Smoke and Hill Country are all good as well. I've had very good meals at RUB but a couple of less good ones.

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

[melo7]

BBQ in NYC is not at all terrible. I've eaten BBQ in Memphis many times and Austin and I can say that while NYC BBQ may not be equal it can be very credible.

I use to really enjoy RUB but last time I went it didn't hold up. As howdini wrote, the Burnt Ends are great but they run out quickly and that was the case in my last visit. I can't remember what I had but it wasn't very good. I think Dinosaur, Blue Smoke, Daisy May's, all in Manhattan do a good job and Fette Sau in Brooklyn is another contender.

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Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

[sugartoof]

RUB is hit or miss. When it's good, the pulled pork, and baked beans were outstanding. It seems to be on a decline quality wise...but nowhere as bad as the overcooked, dried out, barely edible crap Hill Country served me.

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

[melo7]

I think the beans are always good.

[sugartoof]

I agree.

[tex.s.toast]

I would go with Hill Country for both quality and ambiance. the brisket is really good, the pork ribs are good, and i like the sides - the corn pudding is really rich but tasty (the sausage that they bring in from texas is not my favorite but you can't knock it for authenticity)

it also wins for being relatively centrally located in comparison to either dinosaur or daisy mays. i havent been to Dinosaur but have heard good things from people whos opinion i respect, but i couldnt in good conscience send anyone to daisy may's. This board is full of positive reviews, so its possible that my one experience there was abnormal, but i think it is more likely due to significant differences in taste/preference. i would describe much of what we ordered at daisy may's as damn near inedible, pre sauced, non-smoky and about on par with what i would expect out of an institutional food service kitchen at a school, stadium, or maybe prison (no personal experience with prison food, so i cant say for sure). the room/decor is not much to look at either, and no one seemed to care particularly that we hardly touched almost 100 dollars worth of food.

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

[thew]

dinosaur. but i havent been since they moved to 125th st

[porker]

As a visitor to NY (from Canada) I've had Dinosaur and it was OK.
I haven't tried Blue Smoke or Hill Country.
Virgils
http://www.virgilsbbq.com/
is right in Times Square and is good, although some say too touristy.
My preference was Daisy May's BBQ
http://www.daisymaysbbq.com/news.html

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

Daisy May's BBQ
623 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Virgil's Real Barbecue
152 W 44th Street, New York, NY 10036

Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
777 W. 125th Street, New York, NY 10027

[uwsister]

If the OP chooses to go to Hill Country - never been so it's not a rec from me - wanted to mention they have discount gift certs ($10 for $25 worth of food) at restaurant.com.

[icorem]

+1 for blue smoke

[IrnScrabbleChf52]

I'm not sure what you mean by "southern" style--alabama, mississippi versus kansas city, memphis etc.? The best barbecue restaurants in New York are RUB BBQ, Rack & Soul, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Hill Country, and Blue Smoke. I'm not sure how long your trip is, but I would suggest focusing on the foods New York is know for and does best before you start looking to barbecue.

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

RUB BBQ
208 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

Rack & Soul
258 West 109th St., New York, NY 10025

Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
777 W. 125th Street, New York, NY 10027

[uwsister]

I usually agree w/ it, but the OP is specifically looking for BBQ and is probably not traveling to the South. Good chance we do better BBQ here than in London, no? I don't eat a whole lot of BBQ, but Dinosaur BBQ has a good rep around here. For my money though, I would take that L train into Brooklyn and go to Fette Sau.

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Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
777 W. 125th Street, New York, NY 10027

[IrnScrabbleChf52]

This would be similar to going to London and expecting to experience haggis, or going to Milan and looking for Tuscan food, or going to Paris and looking for choucroute garnie. Just because you are specifically looking for something in a place where it's not usually particularly good doesn't mean that you should be looking for it. I would encourage the OP to experience the incredibly rich and diverse wealth of NYC food first (bagels+lox, nyc pizza, contemporary american fine dining, pastrami, harlem soul) and then the interesting ethnic neighborhoods (flushing, chinatown, arthur ave, woodside, jackson heights) and then if there's still time do barbecue.

I would recommend against Hill Country, because the food is uneven, and blue smoke, because it's more of a barbecue-style/southern restaurant. For the best bbq experience in the city (in my estimation), go to RUB early in the evening--before 6:30 probably-- get the burnt end dinner w/ beans and greens and ribs.

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

RUB BBQ
208 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

[sugartoof]

Most of Harlem soul is Southern foods...it just happens that New York has a long list of BBQ options, and some of them are damn good.

I too would avoid Hill Country or Blue Smoke though. They're no longer good.

I'd check Brooklyn. Fette Sau, Fatty Cue, or Mables Smokehouse.

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016