BBQ in Vegas

[El Dukie]

Okay, so it's nearly time for my annual February business conference/poker excursion to Vegas. I'm coming into town the second week of February, and I've experienced a number of Vegas' fine dining establishments. What I'm looking for now is a great BBQ restaurant. Doesn't need to be fancy. I'm just interested in the food. Carolina-style pork, Texas-style brisket, Memphis-style ribs, links, chicken, whatever. I'm a BBQ fiend. I'm not looking for Smokey Bones or a similar chain. What I want is some hole-in-the-wall storefront place that has great food. (The hole-in-the-wall places almost invariably have the best BBQ). Any suggestions from the locals? If you have a name and address/directions, it'd be appreciated.

[Ulysses]

I grew up in Texas and spent a few years living in Atlanta, so I know BBQ. I know exactly the type of joint you're looking for in Vegas and unfortunately can't help you out there. Hopefully a local will be able to. However, I can offer you two good pieces of advice:

If you fly into the terminal United uses, there's a Harlon's BBQ there. They make a good chopped brisket sandwich. The sliced brisked plate is also a good choice. That's often my first and last meal in Vegas. It's a small chain, I believe.

I've been to many of the best BBQ joints in Texas, Georgia, Kansas City, St. Louis, NYC, and California. And many of them have specialties that I love. But hands-down, here's the best brisket in the world (everything else is also great): Salt Lick BBQ (http://www.saltlickbbq.com). If you're ever anywhere near Austin, you have to go. Family Style at the Salt Lick is as good as it gets. BYOB, so take a cooler of beer. But until then, you can get some brisket and other goodies shipped to you in dry ice. I highly, highly, highly recommend this.

BTW, if you're in Houston, Goode Company BBQ is best. In Atlanta, Fat Matt's Rib Shack.

[scotnt73]

man stop your making me hungry and i got 2 more hours here at work /images/graemlins/tongue.gif. there is a hole in the wall back home in east texas called sheps bar b q and man you can break the briskit slices with you hands(honest). mmmmmmm. i live in dallas now and the bar b q more or less sucks compared to what i grew up eating. found a place the other day called red hot and blue which turned out to be the best ive had in the 4 years of living here.

[Ulysses]

Red Hot and Blue is the best you've found in Dallas? Ugh. I haven't spent much time in Dallas, but RH&B is not very good, especially for someone used to eating East Texas hole-in-the-wall melt-in-your-mouth brisket. I think there's a Pappas BBQ in Dallas. That's not my favorite, but it's better than RH&B. But I'm sure Dallas has some great hole-in-the-wall BBQ places. You just have to find them. Or maybe they don't exist in Dallas, as generally, Dallas does kind of suck. How about County Line? Got one of those? I like County Line quite a bit.

[scotnt73]

ill check tonight and see if either of those places are in dallas. im hungry for BBQ now..lol. and yes RH&B wasnt great it was just the first ive had in Dallas that didnt suck completely. ive heard rumors of some holes in the walls in Mesquite which is only about a 30 minute drive for me.

[CMP]

This is a small chain, local to LV - 3 restaurants.

The original "hole in the wall" place is in southern Illinois (I know, not TX, TN, or NC), but the guy has won repeated championships in Memphis. Hence the name. We had an excellent meal there last time I was in Las Vegas.

http://www.memphis-bbq.com/

CMP

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I am not sure of the best BBQ place in LV. I'll find out soon enough, as I plan to move there in the next 2-3 months. However, here in TX the best BBQ around advertises itself as "the worst BBQ in TX" and has the BEST creamed corn around. Look for that.

al

[TruePoker CEO]

Big Mama's on Bonanza, just East of Rancho, north side of the street. (You better drive there, you do not want to walk.)

Fancy, it ain't ... although I think they switched from paper plates to those foam plates and they no longer consider dust to be a seasoning

Truepoker CEO

[El Dukie]

There was a place in Garland I ate at back in November that had amazingly good brisket. If you're willing to go out to the NE suburbs of Dallas, I'll see if I can remember the name or location to pass along....

[youtalkfunny]

[Phat Mack]

If you're ever anywhere near Austin, you have to go.

Salt Lick's good, but a place in town that's worth checking out is Ruby's (not Rudy's). It's in a defunct Toddle House near 29th and the Drag.

http://www.rubysbbq.net/history.htm

One thing I'm a stickler about is decent sides, and both the Salt Lick and Ruby's shine in this department. No canned cole slaw!

PS. If you were ever a fan of Kreuze's in Lockhart, you'd be mortified by what's happened to the place in the last few years.

[TruePoker CEO]

Well, I'd hate to be limited to Chilis or Tony Roma's.

I would not recommend going for a walk around Big Mamas at night, but I've been there probably 50 times without incident during daylight and evening hours.

[Hallett]

OK, I live in Canada...... I am dying to try this stuff. I notice they do mail order, do you think this will give me a good example of what it is all about? I almost orderd tonight...

[Ulysses]

I've mail-ordered from there a couple of times. It can't really compare to being there, but the food is still great. Everything is great, but the brisket is my favorite. I really like the ribs as well.

[scotnt73]

actually i live in Garland. i just say Dallas because people from all over know that.

[AliasMrJones]

Have to agree on both Salt Lick and RH&B. RH&B ribs managed to be both as dry as jerky and greasy. How they manage that I don't know. There is a Salt Lick in Austin airport. I would usually stay as far away from BBQ in an airport as possible, but for some reason gave it a try. Wow! The brisket is excellent. If you're ever traveling through Austin I highly recommend it.

If you're in the Chicagoland suburbs in IL and like baby back ribs, you have to try The Ribhouse in Geneva, IL, also known as the Geneva Ribhouse. Great baby back ribs. Geneva is a far west suburb, not too far from the riverboat in Aurora.

In Denver, Brothers BBQ on 6th Ave (also in Englewood at Arapahoe and I-25) is the best in the city and very good. I recommend the St. Louis style spare ribs.

[El Dukie]

Rick's Smoke House Barbecue: 972-276-4353
1417 S Jupiter Rd Garland, TX 75042, US

It's in a storefront across from a big Raytheon plant.

I've only eaten there the one time, and maybe they were just having a good day, but the brisket was amazing. Not exactly "falling off the bone" tender (though brisket doesn't have bones anyway), but great flavor.

If you try it out, let me know what you think.

[Zeno]

Ruby's is good. There is one on the northern outskirts of San Antonio. Great sauce. I use to do some work a few times a year in Texas and we always stopped at Ruby’s. That was in the early 90s’.

South out of San Antonio toward Corpus Christi (Hwy 181) is a small rundown town called Poth (old defunct Pearl beer brewery is there I think). We use to stop at a roadside place near Poth very early in the morning and put in an order for brisket that we would pick up at lunch. It was not a restaurant or anything – a few picnic tables nearby if you wanted to eat right away- that was all really. There may have been a sign by the road but I don't remember it. We just saw the smoke and checked it out. Excellent BBQ. This was also a great place to get fresh melons, especially watermelons, the smaller round ones. Best watermelon I ever sunk my teeth into. Again, we just bought stuff along the roadside.

-Zeno

[Phat Mack]

, especially watermelons, the smaller round ones. Best watermelon I ever sunk my teeth into. Again, we just bought stuff along the roadside.


With a solid green skin? That was a Black Diamond. For some reason, you can buy them by the side of the road, but not in large stores. I think their thin rind makes them ship poorly. Best watermelon ever...

[Zeno]

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With a solid green skin?

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Thats it! Now I know the name, thanks.

-Zeno