Saturday, March 28, 2009
Best ribs
For purposes of this informal survey, the restaurants can be eat-in or take out joints, and can serve either beef or pork ribs of any style, and the restaurants should not include large national chains greater than, say, 20 locations (although I like Famous Dave's, I am looking for local or regional answers).
I happen to be partial to beef ribs, and thought that County Line (#6 on the list linked above) in Austin, Texas was first rate. I've been to the original restaurarant on Bee Cave Rd., but not for 25 years, and in the mid-1990s used to go to the now closed County Line in Lubbock, near the airport.
14 Comments:
By 
, at
Sat Mar 28, 06:58:00 PM:
By 
Roy Lofquist, at
Sat Mar 28, 07:19:00 PM:
I visited Arthur's in the early 80's. Apparently it hasn't changed much. When I was there the ribs were served on butcher paper rather than plates. Best ribs I ever tasted.
By , at
Sat Mar 28, 07:43:00 PM:
By CMT, at
Sat Mar 28, 07:47:00 PM:
I cast my vote for Carson's of Chicago. Plus the surrounding neighborhood is great for wetting your whistle.
By , at
Sat Mar 28, 07:50:00 PM:
This a tough issue to address.
Speaking as someone who has traveled (on the road) widely in the USA I can say that nearly every wide spot in the road has a BBQ place. Most of them are pretty good, some of them are fantastic, and some of them are really fantastic. And, like Mexican food, every one of them is different. But that's the fun of it. It's the happiness of pursuit, not the pursuit of happiness...
Enjoy!!!
By Anthony, at
Sat Mar 28, 08:40:00 PM:
Mr. Cecil's in West Los Angeles. A complete dive from the outside, but sheer rib-heaven within.
http://www.mrcecilscaliforniaribs.com/mr_cecils_menu.html
By , at
Sat Mar 28, 09:31:00 PM:
The County Line in Lubbock was a temple of intercostal wonderment. And the brisket...my first time there was September 1982...I can still recall the buzzing cicada's up in the cottonwoods and the cold beer oudoors in the late summer evening. County Line meat was part of a life enhancing shift that took an English boy and shook the cobwebs out of him and taught him how British and American culture had diverged in a way no college education ever could have. The reason why there is nothing for 300 hundred miles in any direction from Lubbock is that nothing else was ever needed...it was all right there...and still is. Lubbock gave me so much, including a real appreciation of carnivory and many of life's other similarly intense experiences.
By , at
Sun Mar 29, 10:10:00 AM:
Where I live you can shut your eyes, throw a dart, and find a good barbecue place: 3 within a mile and a half. No need to drive 200 miles.
By GreenmanTim, at
Sun Mar 29, 12:57:00 PM:
Redbones, Somerville MA, just off the Red Line at Davis Square.
By Christine, at
Sun Mar 29, 02:18:00 PM:
Speed Queen in Milwaukee. Though it's not in the best neighborhood, people come from all around for their ribs.
By , at
Sun Mar 29, 07:38:00 PM:
Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has to be on that list somewhere
By , at
Mon Mar 30, 12:46:00 PM:
Believe it or not, Blue Ribbon BBQ in West Newton, Mass.
By Dan Kauffman, at
Tue Mar 31, 02:50:00 AM:
Dry Ribs, I will have to second the Rendezvous in Memphis
Now as to wet tibs, where I come from in Western Kentucky Barbeque is in the Yellow Pages under Barbeque
and the best places are little run down looking dinners out in the country with stacks of hickory corded up beside smokehouses and you would never have heard of them if you weren't a local, they don't bother advertising ;-)
By Muddy Waters, at
Wed Apr 01, 11:30:00 AM:
The Salt Lick just south of Austin in Driftwood Texas.
Also Cooper's in Mason is PDG.
