BBQ
- Thread starter TU 1978
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My all time favorite will always be burnco. They moved their 11th street location downtown near 18th and Boston, but they also opened a new restaurant out in Jenks at the river walk.
Otherwise, Albert G's downtown is good and I've head good things about the Notty Pig, but I've yet to try it.
Albert G's is representative of Oklahoma barbque. Tabouli, etc. The chicken is popular on Saturday night. The downtown location has really good wings. Get the roughneck sauce on the side, even if you don't get the wings. It's my preferred sauce there. I usually go for their chopped brisket and links.
Burn Co is really special but you can find a couple of threads on here where we whine about it being a destination barbecue place. It was more fun when it was across from TU and no frills. The ribs are popular. I usually add a lava link. They will make you a great steak. If it's the last order of burnt ends and a few people are ahead of you line, cut them. The potato salad is memorable. Mac and cheese is decent but kind of overrated. If you go to one on 18th tomorrow, give yourself s couple of hours.
Elmer's is still around, but the ribs got weird. I really like their sides, sauce, and brisket. Just don't plan on good ribs.
The only north Tulsa place I will go is Oklahoma Style on north Harvard. It's solid. I believe it's the heir to Pete's.
I'm a believer in Leon's Smoke stack somewhere north of 15th and Sheridan. Dem beans and the potato are great. I think it moved here from OKC.
Don't do Oklahoma Joe's. It's bull crap.
Anthony Fobbs had a place called Big Anthony's. It was really good. I don't think it's open anymore. It had moments of being the best in town.
Burn Co is really special but you can find a couple of threads on here where we whine about it being a destination barbecue place. It was more fun when it was across from TU and no frills. The ribs are popular. I usually add a lava link. They will make you a great steak. If it's the last order of burnt ends and a few people are ahead of you line, cut them. The potato salad is memorable. Mac and cheese is decent but kind of overrated. If you go to one on 18th tomorrow, give yourself s couple of hours.
Elmer's is still around, but the ribs got weird. I really like their sides, sauce, and brisket. Just don't plan on good ribs.
The only north Tulsa place I will go is Oklahoma Style on north Harvard. It's solid. I believe it's the heir to Pete's.
I'm a believer in Leon's Smoke stack somewhere north of 15th and Sheridan. Dem beans and the potato are great. I think it moved here from OKC.
Don't do Oklahoma Joe's. It's bull crap.
Anthony Fobbs had a place called Big Anthony's. It was really good. I don't think it's open anymore. It had moments of being the best in town.
I think Burn Co usually meets its expectations. It's damn good. It's also more of a meat grill (it's all on hasty bakes) than a traditional BBQ joint, though they make their money on BBQ. I wouldn't say it's overrated so much as questionably worth the value proposition of the wait.
I've been to Albert G's a lot. The wings are the best thing they have. The barbecue is pretty good but not drastically different than the other places I mentioned. Good ribs though.
I've been to Albert G's a lot. The wings are the best thing they have. The barbecue is pretty good but not drastically different than the other places I mentioned. Good ribs though.
That’s a better way to put it.
We get it frequently at work and people in the office lose their mind like they’re having the best food in the world. Its good just not to the level my coworkers make it out to be. Likely why I don’t understand the long wait times and say it’s overrated.
That being said I went to HS with one of their pit guys and he’s a very talented cook. Not just of BurnCo meats.
I haven’t had Albert G’s wings. Speaking of wings I’m still bitter Wing Run sold their name to Mazzio’s and then Mazzio’s absolutely ruined their wings.
Sorry for all the tangents I’m going with stream of consciousness typing today (at my kids gymnastics practice).
Finally got to try Burnco today. When we were in town last year one of my daughters took my wife there while I was doing something with my son. When I found out I told her I wanted to go so she took me on Monday, that’s when we found out they were closed Monday. This year we went on Wednesday at 12:30, sold out of everything but balogna and sausage so we left. Today we went back at 10:30 and had ribs, pulled pork and sliced brisket along with baked beans, cole slaw and grilled potato salad. Decent BBQ but I prefer St. Louis style ribs to baby back ribs. The brisket was a little fatty but the pulled pork was excellent. Really liked the beans, slaw was so so, the potato salad was just grilled veggies, nothing to write home about. I would go back but would probably just get a pound of the pork and make fixings at home.
I'm always leary of Texas style BBQ in Oklahoma. Oklahoma has it's own style that I think is superior to Texas style. BurnCo is still a little more Texas style. Oklahoma style sauce is similar to KC but we don't use as much. It's not quite a tangy as Memphis, little more on the sweet side. It's not as dry as Texas though. We tend to Oak smoke our meat and we are not as dependent on one type of meat (beef vs pork). We also tend to cut out a lot of the fat. Just enough for it to breakdown is kept. I think we cook most closely to the style of Texas but flavors are more closely aligned with KC.
I don't mind driving to Owasso (85th st. exit, west side of Skelly Bypass), to Trails End BBQ. Their lunch special $10. for any meat, 2 sides, Tx toast, dessert. I get 3-good sized ribs & strawberry/ rhubarb cobbler for desert. Ribs are meaty & fall apart tender. Worth the trip, IMO.
So this is completely off topic, but kinda funny.
I was listening to Rick Couri on The Blitz on Tuesday morning. Was interviewing Tarrion Adams, who unbeknownst to me, is still around and is coaching a women's semi-pro football team, the Oklahoma Rage. They play in like Lafayette, Austin, South Dakota, OKC.
So he was inviting folks to come out to a fundraiser for the team. Taco Tuesday at the VFW at 6th and Peoria. I went and was treated to the best damn tacos I have ever had in my life. Carnitas, regular beef, all the fixings, even homemade cinnamon rolls for dessert. 10 bucks. I gave extra. I am still thinking about those tacos lol.
I was listening to Rick Couri on The Blitz on Tuesday morning. Was interviewing Tarrion Adams, who unbeknownst to me, is still around and is coaching a women's semi-pro football team, the Oklahoma Rage. They play in like Lafayette, Austin, South Dakota, OKC.
So he was inviting folks to come out to a fundraiser for the team. Taco Tuesday at the VFW at 6th and Peoria. I went and was treated to the best damn tacos I have ever had in my life. Carnitas, regular beef, all the fixings, even homemade cinnamon rolls for dessert. 10 bucks. I gave extra. I am still thinking about those tacos lol.
The current Uber-Q is widely believed to be Oakhart at third and Utica. There’s a thread about it on the General board. It’s really good. The 1907 place at Mother Road is also good.
Burn Co is fine. It’s ribs, sausage, the fatty, and/or burnt ends in that order. I skip everything else, especially the chicken. Sides to get are the Mac n’cheese and potato salad, which is just a little different but good.
You might also like Leon’s which is near Oakhart. It’s closer to St. Louis style ribs. That said, if I’m getting barbecue in that part of town, I’m going to Oakhart nine times out of ten.
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Oakhart is fantastic stuff. Everything is just freaking good.
You are correct. It's a prefect venue for Adam and his team to offer their wares, authentic Oklahoma BBQ and the classic concert hall.
And Mac’s is better than either one.
If you time it right there’s a white concession trailer that sits on the N side of Hwy 11 in Sperry next to the donut shop. Closes when he’s sold out. Owners name is Donnie Teal, he’s a World Champion and calls it Cowboy’s BBQ and O call it damn fine.
I’m confused. I tried looking it up and they are calling the white trailer in Sperry Buffalo’s BBQ.
It’s Buffalo’s. Every time I go up there to the cemetery I stop on the way out of town and it’s truly next level. He does a sandwich with like 4 different meats on it including pulled pork and smoked bologna. I usually strip some off because it’s a handful and eat that on the side. The guy is a world champ smoker. The burrito thingy is great too. It’s worth the trip up there just to eat. But I’d call ahead to make sure he’s open.
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My mistake, it is Buffalo’s. If he’s still doing prime rib on Wednesday’s then the sandwich is a huge treat.
Same here, I usually strip the sandwich down to just the bologna and bread and then enjoy the other components on their own.
Macs is “meh” to us.
Good but, not worth the 20 minute drive very often. Trails End is a little closer and better, IMO.
I need to try Oakhart and Buffalo!
BTW, went to Evelyn's on Friday. Fried chicken was fantastic. I was shocked by how good the mac n cheese and green beans were as well. I will need to go back sometime to try to CFS
I really want to try Oakhart, but since it's lunch only that kinda kills it for me. Maybe a Saturday sometime I guess.
Get there early. My experience is they cook less on the weekends. Usually out of ribs and brisket by 12:30. Which is fine if the place is packed but telling me two major menu items are out at an empty restaurant in the middle of the lunch “rush” is frustrating,
Got to be honest....that feels like too much hassle just for BBQ.
I’d say Trails End is “meh”, but the beauty of each of us having our own taste preferences means we have plenty of options. Can you imagine if they could state “we have the best bbq” and everyone else just folded up the tent. Every place listed so far does one thing or another better than the other....
I will say that as a group, I prefer OK BBQ to KC or Memphis BBQ. Maybe it's because I have grown up with it, but especially I am not crazy about Memphis BBQ.
So Oklahoma BBQ is actually a mash-up of KC, Memphis, and Texas BBQ styles which is great for us. I mean so many styles also focus on a particular type of meat. Texas sticks to brisket, Memphis is dry rub spare ribs, and KC is more of a sauced rib with a sweet kick. Yes, you can get pulled pork or brisket in any of those places but that's not really the style they're known for. Oklahoma BBQ pulls from all of these and then you also add in the whole "smoked bologna" insanity which is uniquely Oklahoma.
KC has very good brisket at several different places. KC brisket is typically thin sliced vs thick cut Texas and Oklahoma.
Good burnt ends at several places in KC
I'm not much on ribs, so I don’t have much of an opinion on KC Ribs. But definitely pork ribs over beef ribs for me.
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Outback steakhouse has ribs served all-day. Not much of a hassle. Get it while the gettin' is good.
You gotta know how to do a beef rib if you are going to tell me you know what you are doing. I’ve been to too many “World Championship” BBQ joints, especially in Texas, and the beef rib is either trash or not even on the menu and the brisket is gray and looks like shoe leather.
Beef ribs are not easy. I've done them with moderate success. I would suggest not using a basic BBQ rub and go for something simpler using coarse salt, black pepper, and some ground mustard. You may even want to inject or brine them as well. And be careful, there are two cuts you can get. You can get a beef plate rib which is going to be a thinner cap of beef and then there's a beef back rib with a thicker cap of beef. Cooking times will vary. I always wrap ribs for the middle part of cooking but make sure you get the wrap tight otherwise you'll just end up steaming them with a result that is Rib Crib-esque.
And the burnt ends in KC are something. I do like them, especially from Q39. And if you're doing brisket, the slice should be about the width of a pencil....anything thinner and you're essentially making an Arby's sandwich.
