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It's to soon for you to be crying about marriage Jamie. You need to wait another 6 1/2 years before you can get depressed!

I think it brought a tear to his eye because the only things his bride can enjoy at Honey 1 are the french fries and the okra. Even so, any gal that will give up her Friday nights to brew gallons of beer, as April does, is also a keeper!

Ive asked this elsewhere and never really had an answer. Maybe one of you BBQ mavens can finally make me understand. I love Honey One but do not understand why they leave the membrane on their ribs. Is there some reason for this that I simply dont know about or understand. Your knowledge in helping me clarify what has until now been a mystery to me would really be appreciated

I made that comment because I think it is a nice touch to go somewhere for an anniversary dinner that reminds you of your wedding/honeymoon.

And my wife April is also very lucky to find a husband willing to give up his entire weekend of drinking said beer to help paint bathrooms! Marriage is a two way street!

Jamie

I took my father to Honey1 today for lunch. He can never figure out how I find these that take so long to drive to but have great food. I've tried to explain LTH to him, but he just doesn't get it. It's always a crap shoot taking a long drive for BBQ since it can be so hit or miss.

But Mr. Adams was on his game this afternoon. The amazing, and nice thing, was actually seeing a little bit of a crowd there. It wasn't packed, but by the time we left there were about 8 people in the dining room and 4 waiting at the order counter.

You know you truly love a place when the sight of it having a crowd makes you happy. I've never eaten inside Honey 1 but every time I get take-out I take a look in the dining room in hopes of seeing multiple tables full of people.

(I do wish it were more packed than it normally is though.)

True, but funny, I'm the same one that's worried about the recent crowds at Burt's.

Not good.....

Fire at Honey One!

SSDD

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He was constantly reminded of how startlingly different a place the world was when viewed from a point only three feet to the left.

Deepdish Pizza = Casserole

Doesn't look too bad and there's not a whole lot of equipment on the scene that I could see.

I was heading there tonight and upon reading this decided to call to see if they'd be open. Everyone is fine, but Robert Jr mentioned that they might be closed for "a couple weeks". Although he sounded upbeat, I'm sure it's sad for them. Hopefully they'll open up soon!

Folks might want to call first though for the near term.

Mike Sula has a report from the scene here:

http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/food/200 ... -barbeque/

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"People ain't gonna be able to do without my barbecue for that long, so I'll be back open in a hurry." Truer words have never been spoken.

Uggg... I just got home from taking the Blue line back from downtown and heard the fire truck sirens at the Western stop. I suppose they were heading north to Honey 1... I was sitting on the south side of the train so I couldn't see up Western though.

LTH,

Spoke to Robert Adams Jr., pretty much as Sula said on the Food Chain, fire in the chimney worked its way downward. Aquarium smoker sustained damage as did the front windows and other structural damage. They have "good insurance" and plan to reopen as soon as possible.

Best of luck to the Adams, I plan on being one of the first in the door the day they reopen.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

It being a barbecue place, at first I thought this was a tongue-in-cheek headline, then realized it was about a real-live fire.

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"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

Good luck to Mr. Adams and the rest of the family. They probably have a lot of work on their hands. But please hurry, I need my fix

Hi,

Just in case this piece of advice is needed:

When Hot Doug had his fire a few years ago, there were issues on replacement value that prolonged his re-opening. Not surprisingly the insurance company attempted to lowball those replacement costs. Doug ended up hiring an insurance adjuster to counter his insurance company's adjuster's report.

Probably the happiest fire recovery has been Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe whose insurance covered his employee's salaries while they waited for their repairs.

I hope for the best outcome possible for the Honey One family.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

This is really too bad. Hopefully everything gets returned to normal quickly and the desirable smoke takes the place of the undesirable smoke. I wonder if a question on their insurance form is "Ribs: Boiled or Smoked?" because nothing like this would ever happen at Twin Anchors.

If it helped Sir Adams open more quickly, I'd be there with a hammer in one hand and a moist towelette in the other.

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http://homemadebacon.wordpress.com/
Twitter: _Mark_S

It's really too bad to hear about the fire. I was lucky enough to pick up a perfectly smoked slab of ribs at about 12:30 yesterday and they were delicious as usual. They had a beautiful smoke ring while being perfectly tender with absolutely no need for sauce. From a selfish standpoint, I'm kicking myself for not ordering mass amounts of BBQ goodness to stockpile. I wish the Adams' the best and hope Honey 1 gets back to business as soon as possible.

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"And if you don't know, now you know." -BIG

You always want what you can't have; and so of course I followed the news of Honey 1's closing with a major craving for same. Stupid, I know, but there you are.

I grabbed another food-writin' type and we went, instead, to Uncle John's, where tips and links satisfied said urge. It being Easter weekend, Mack passed each of us a pink-dyed hardboiled egg through the bulletproof carousel. (One assumes the Easter bunny gets in by the same way.) He said he personally dyed about 15 dozen eggs, to pass out to customers.

Happy Easter with hot sauce!

_________________
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I was just kidding with Robert Jr. last Wednesday that he needed a promotion as he was working way too hard, hauling around all the just delivered boxes of meat. I join in with my thoughts and hope for a speedy recovery. I've had a friend and relative who had fires in their kitchens (other states) and the down time was way longer than first thought. This is the one opening day I really care about and eagerly await.

iblock9,

This give me the perfect, and first time ever, opportunity to quote from the soon to be in book stores Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons

Membrane: On or Off?
The thin, papery membrane over the bone side of a rack of ribs can be removed—or not. Some people think the membrane prevents the flavor of a rub from sinking into the meat, so they take it off. Other people like the crisp, papery snap of biting into it, or they think it holds moisture in and keeps the ribs from drying out, so they leave it on. It’s purely a matter of personal preference. If you want the best of both worlds, score the membrane with a fish scaler or paring knife. I don’t think the membrane affects the taste or texture of the ribs enough to make a difference. If anything, removing the membrane is a bit like using good china. If you have company and want to impress, taking the membrane off makes for a better presentation.

In other words, it's a matter of preference and Robert Adams preference is to leave the membrane on. I'd suggest if you have further questions specifically in reference to Honey 1 ask Robert Adams Sr directly. He's one of the nicer people you ever hope to meet and always happy to talk BBQ.

Enjoy,
Gary

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Thanks Gary, I look forward to your book. I think a WSM is in my father's day 2009 future.

Voice Recording (I recognized as Roberts voice) says

"Honey 1 closed until further notice for repairs."

W a aa aaa aaaa aaaaa aaaaahh hh!

As mentioned upthread, Honey 1 had a fire, should be back up and running in a week more or less.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Thanks for the updates, Gary, I was going to head there the day of the fire to pick up some dinner until I saw this thread. Needless to say, the Honey 1 craving has not subsided. I'm glad everyone is ok and even happier that they'll be back in operation soon!

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"Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand." Leo Durocher

Spoke to Robert Adams Sr. this morning, he hopes to reopen on Saturday, and asked his thinking on membranes.

"The membrane keeps the juices and flavor in, without it the juices drip out. In the South none of the old timers take the membrane off."

Enjoy,
Gary

_________________
Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

I always looked at it as the "silverskin" of ribs..i remove it just like I remove the silverskin from a pork tenderloin before cooking..
I have had good moist flavorful ribs with and without the membrane so I have a tough time with some of the reasoning for leaving it on on or off..
I agree that it is really just a matter of preference ..

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First Place BBQ Sauce - 2010 NBBQA ( Natl BBQ Assoc) Awards of Excellence

When I make ribs, I remove the membrane. As for others' ribs, I have no preference, per se. What does bother me, though, is when membrane is left on but not cooked properly. In those instances, it's unpalatable and detracts greatly from the final product. That's not the case at Honey 1, though. The membranes on Mr. Adams' ribs are like pork-flavored rice paper. They're flavorful and delicately thin. They actually add a dimension to the experience of eating the ribs, rather than detract from it.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

This reminds me that Vencil Mares at Taylor Cafe wouldn't even flip his briskets, because he was convinced that all the flavor would drain off. Likewise, he seemed to view sticking a fork in one as the equivalent of opening the valve on an inflatable pool.

This doesn't really seem likely to me, but you argue with a man who's been cooking them since 1946.

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Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.