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I just read an article on the Daily Herald website and it sounds like this is a new BBQ place in the northern suburbs. There arent many 'real' bbq restaurants in the northern suburbs outside your franchise like Famous Daves.. From the Daily Herald article it sounds like this maybe a promising place. Has anyone been to and tried Smokin' T's Bar-B-Que?

Daily Herald Article:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=105629

Smokin' T's Bar-B-Que
3976 Route 22, Suite A
Long Grove, IL 60047
http://www.smokingtsbbq.com/Welcome.html

I will try it out this week and check back with a review.

This is the first I've heard about it, thanks for the heads up. They're only 10 minutes from my office, so I'll try to do lunch here this week and report back...

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Formerly Tony Spilotro

This place is great. It is owned by 2 very accomplished country club chefs who are in love with barbecue. Tod Stoner grew up in West Virginia as his dad was in charge of the Greenbriar kitchen for years, maybe still?

sounds very promising..ill have to make a trip up one weekend..thanks for the info

p.s. I never knew beef short ribs were "Chicagos answer to beef brisket"..learn something new every day

I have eaten here before and sadly was dissapointed. The pulled pork just didn't do it for me, dry and not much flavor. They use a southern pride smoker and hickory wood. I live right down the street from this place and never see many cars there. I hope they change a few things up and turn it around. It's nice to see a restaurant open in the area that is not a chain.

My wife and I had dinner from this place this evening. I took it home and they have really nice carry out containers. I tried the pork ribs, the beef short rib slices and the chicken on a combo plate.

The pork ribs are good. They have a great smoke flavor and are not overly sauced. Good for a St. Louis style rib. They aren't the nasty 'falling off the bone' ribs you find at lesser joints.

The chicken was very crispy and had a good smoke flavor. I went with the leg/thigh rather than the breast and enjoyed the juicy smoky dark meat.

The beef short rib slices, however, were way too fatty. I realize that they are trying to contrast this with brisket, which they consider too dry, but I had to do quite a bit of surgery on this beef to cut away all the visible fat. The taste of the meat was nice, but the waste is excessive.

As sides we had their homemade potato chips and the coleslaw. Both were good. The chips taste much like kettle cooked potato chips and the slaw was creamy and had celery seed which I enjoy.

The portions were more than substantial and the pricing wasn't bad.

I can't recommend any of their sauces. The original is too sweet for my taste, the Memphis was forgettable, and the North Carolina didn't have any unusual zip either. This is not a problem, though, since the pork ribs aren't heavily sauced and the other two meats have none. They serve the sauce on the side in small cups.

I'd definitely go back for the pork ribs and chicken. I'll just use my own favorite sauce at home. It's nice to have a decent bbq restaurant right down the street. Hopefully they'll get a bit more business.

Welcome, and thanks for the review. Even the sauceless ("naked") fans among us will be interested as to your favorite sauce, if you'd care to share.

I usually mix a few together. Right now my fave is a blend of Red Mud and Mumbo.

thanks for the review..still need to check this place out..and I gotta respect a place that serves the sauce on the side without having to ask

I tried this place finally tonight.

I had the pulled pork sandwich which was fantastic. The pieces of pork were substantial in size, not the little pieces you mostly see. The texture was substantial, and not what I would call "gadempta" meat that you would find at most bbq houses.

My wife had a salad with pulled chicken in it and loved it.

They threw in 10 wings as well which were really good. They were well spiced and tasty without having to dip them in anything. My wife had a corn muffin on the side which she enjoyed. I had the corn pudding which was really good.

The restaurant was pretty crowded, with a constant stream of people taking food to go. I will be back to sample more of the menu.

The wife and I went last Sunday and had the ribs. Both of us agreed that the quality of the meat was outstanding - hardly any fat and enough meat on the bone that we both took some home. The ribs had a nice smoky taste, were tender, chewy and put up just the right fight to get the meat off the bone - just as we like them. But, the rub could have used some more kick.

I had mac and cheese and baked beans for sides and she had the corn pudding and chicken wings. All the sides were very good but the big surprise was the wings. Perfectly smoked with a great rub on them. Be sure to try them.

They have three sauces. The original style sauce was my fav of the bunch - not too sweet with a bit of tang and some interesting spices in it. The other two - one with mustard and the other very vinegary were not to my taste.

We really enjoy smoked BBQ and make the rounds of Merle's for beef ribs, Honey 1 for pork ribs and tips, and Smoque for brisket. While not our overall favorite, we have put Smokin T's on our list and will definitely be back for more, especially when we want to stay local for some good Q. Unfortunately, there are no plans to serve tips or links.

Smokin' T's is really on its way to being a respectable barbecue spot. I won't say it's worth schlepping out from the city for, but if you live nearer to T's than to Smoque, you needn't be ashamed that you skipped the time on the Kennedy.

The best thing they do are the boneless short ribs, meaty smoky and juicy. I doubt it will appeal to folks who enjoy Texas-style shoe-leather brisket, though.


Smokin' T's short ribs

I was most impressed by the St. Louis ribs on our most recent visit. We were in the area, a half hour before closing and Himself and I debated whether we should go there. That's an inauspicious time to visit a barbecue joint usually -- because either they've run out of things or it's been sitting too long and melting into meat Jell-O or drying into jerky, depending on how they hold it.

I don't know which they do here, but the ribs were perfectly textured, good and chewy, yet moist, with noticeable smoke flavor and a very light, caramelized glaze of sauce.


St. Louis ribs

I like the chicken a great deal, smoky and succulent with a very crisp skin -- the one flaw may be that the meat's not quite as tender as it could be. (Ribs: tender=bad. Chicken: tender=good.) It comes with a side of surprisingly zesty white Alabama-style sauce. The other sauces are fairly blah, but the meat doesn't need them.


Barbecue chicken

We had a slight mix up in our order, I had been trying talk Himself out of the pork, which I remembered as the weakest item on the but he was in the mood and so we modified our order to a four-meat combo to share, but the teenage counter guy put in the order for both the combo and a pork sandwich. The pork is still the weakest item, but it's improved a great deal from the last time we were there -- our double portion had mild but good smokiness and tender meat.


Pulled pork

They also do impressive sides, particularly the savory corn-and-chicken soup, full of morsels of smoked chicken and Pennsylvania Dutch-style dumplings; excellent creamy cole slaw; good, smoky baked beans and mild but well-flavored chili, studded with smoked beef, pork and pinto beans, topped with shredded Jack cheese and served with sour cream. The baked corn pudding, a creamy casserole studded with sweet corn niblets was great the first time I had it, but this time seemed too sweet.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

LAZ,

Rather than spend 250 words extolling the joys of Texas style brisket, I will simply invite you over for same.

Enjoy,
Gary

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

Low & Slow

LAZ wrote:
I doubt it will appeal to folks who enjoy Texas-style shoe-leather brisket, though.


Hard to believe that you have ever had Brisket in Texas !

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Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage.
Woody Allen

If I knew insulting great food would get me food from the WSM master, I'd have done so already!

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

Gary, I refuse to believe you could commit such sacrilege to a piece of beef.


In Austin, College Station, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Plano, San Antonio and environs. Dry and leathery to the last bite, every one of them. After a while, I learned to talk about how much I liked Mexican food, Texas-style chili and steak, but it's useless. You can't visit Texans without having to eat Texas barbecue. I considered claiming to be vegetarian, but then it would have been hard to get anything to eat at all.

I got revenge, though, when one of our Austin friends visited Chicago and we took him for barbecue here. The look of horrified astonishment on his face was priceless.

"You mean you barbecue ... pigs?!"

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

LAZ,

I think you will simply have to trust me on this one.

Enjoy,
Gary

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

Low & Slow

Gary, I may not always agree with you, but when it comes to matters of food, I would put my life in your hands.

I suppose it's possible that I've been a victim of bad barbecue all across Texas. After all, look how many bad barbecue places there are in Chicago alone. Perhaps I only went to the Texas equivalent of Gale Street Inn.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

did you visit Rudy's in San Antonio??

We ordered 1/2 slab of ribs, a pulled pork sandwich, 1 order of slaw and two large drinks, 27 bucks and change. A tad high, but understandable given the investment in this place. The southern pride smoker was just a part of a large array of equipment.

The St. Louis ribs were reasonably well cooked but I prefer baby backs. The bride commented that the pulled pork was very dry and had no flavor, so she punched it up with the brown sugar/mustard sauce, the only one she found tolerable. I did not care for any of the 3 sauces. I'm still partial to Carson's original and at home use Open pit with a little brown sugar added.

The cole slaw was tasteless, but that could be an age thing (ours, not the cole slaw). Salt and pepper helped a little.

Not worth the half hour drive at this time, but we hope they will improve - we wish them well.

LAZ,

Very nice of you to say. I trust my efforts will approach expectations.

Enjoy,
Gary

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

Low & Slow

I'm afraid I've put it out of my memory -- not just because the meal was unmemorable -- I haven't been to San Antonio since 1997.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

My wife and I have eaten here several times and have always had a great meal. We've worked our way through most of the menu and everything has been great. It's a treat for us because we live relatively close...a definite plus not to have to take the Edens for some real Q.

The strong points on the menu are the short ribs, chicken, and any of the sides. Because my favorite are the short ribs, I've only recently tried the full slab and they were perfect. No need for any sauce, but the traditional does kick it up a bit. The sides reflect the 2 guys who started the place...CIA grads who know good quality food. It's a nice change of pace from the fries and cole slaw that we normally get with ribs.

Although some have not liked the pulled pork, I think it's as good as any smoked pork I've ever had. I do agree that it needs a bit of sauce to moisten things up...but that's typical.

Good luck to these guys.

I have been to this restaurant once before. It was okayish, but nothing great. I didn't taste much smoke in the ribs, which is a major disadvantage for me when I'm eating ribs.

I have tried Smokin' T's twice and have liked it both times. I think the beef & beans are terrific and I love the corn pudding. However, I have to agree with BP on the ribs. I would appreciate more smoke. The last time I thought they were just not smoked long enough.

D.

Like many barbecue places, they are a little inconsistent. Some days are much better than others. The beef has been terrific every time, though.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

Well, I had my inaugural meal there this evening. It was a nice change after (not my choice) fighting traffic through Buffalo Grove.

I had the pulled pork sandwich with a side of creamy coleslaw. The sandwich was quite good. I added a bit of original sauce to give it a little zing. The coleslaw was also good. A definite stop when I'm in the area.

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"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
-- P. J. O’Rourke"

I have always thought that pork was by far the better meat for BBQ over beef, still do. I think Smoque's brisket is by far the best in Chicago. In Texas the best brisket I had was the fatty brisket at Kreuz. But more often than not, brisket just fails to satisfy my BBQ taste like pork. My own attempts at brisket, a combination Cooks Illustrated-Stephen Reichlen style, have turned out well, as good as typical Chicago brisket, but not as good BBQ as pork. Nonetheless it is like pinot noir, you keep looking for a great one, even though great ones are few and far between.

Enter Smokin' T's. Sliced, boneless beef short rib-absolutely brilliant. Meaty, beefy, perfect smoke ring, just the right amount of fat. If a food magazine tried this stuff, Long Grove, Illinois would be the new Lexington, TX! As in Texas, no sauce needed. My biggest problem with brisket is dryness, not here. Some may claim it's too fatty, not for my taste-the best BBQ beef I've ever had.

These guys have done a great job (like Smoque) of identifying different styles and sauces and not doing just one style. Plus I doubt that anyone else in Chicago has ever tried north Alabama (think Muscle Shoals) BBQ based on mayonaise instead of vinegar, tomato, or mustard. I'm not sure anyone in Chicago had ever heard of it. Plus pairing it with turkey-genius.

Well out of the way, but I'll make my way there often and soon.