My goodness is Uncle John's fantastic. It's unbelievably consistent and puts out meat that's so much better than any other BBQ spot in Chicago that I actually get a bit sad every time I go that it's been so long since my previous visit. Homewood is kind of a pain to get to for this Uptown resident but it's so worth the trip, especially if you use it as an excuse for a south side food tour as I did yesterday. Pact has already been made to return in a few months. My 1-2 visits per year needs to get a bump.


Unedited cell phone pic so the quality isn't the best, but that bark and the tenderness of the meat was just ridiculous.

If anyone's been wondering whether Uncle John's is still firing on all cylinders, the answer is yes.

Spectacular hot links, the word turgid comes to mind. (and not just the sausage)

Reminder - the best commercial barbecue in Chicagoland is in Homewood and it's not all that close. The Yelp reviews are hilarious.

Hmmm.
I am participating in the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild's "Drink Illinois Summer Passport" scheme. I need to visit forty breweries, taprooms, or bottle shops before 10 August.
A brewery to which I have never been (in prior years) is Rabid Brwg.{SFW?} in Homewood.
This because I did not know where it was, and I had not looked it up.
It is very close to the Pace route #352 South Halsted. (Did I mention I try to avoid operating a motor vehicle to any of these breweries?) That bus I can catch from the Red Line “L” 95th St. terminus.
Fascinatingly, when I finally got around to looking at a Google™ Map of this {Google Maps take fourteen minutes to populate on a v.92 connection. }, the map revealed Uncle John's Homewood Bar-B-Que stand within a similar walking distance.
O.K. You can deduce what will happen on Wednesday afternoon. But the query here is 'What to order?'. Page 2 of this thread is angling toward Regular Tips & Links. Should this be it?

No words

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:

No words

Well, that was effectively 2,000 of them. Nice!

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MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:No words

Sighhhhhhhhhhh

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:

No words

Day of the week and time please.

scottsol wrote:Day of the week and time please.

That was at about 2:30 on Saturday but I've found Uncle John's to be consistent over the years.*

*I never go to any BBQ places too early to avoid getting stuff that didn't sell the day before.

I was there on a Tuesday a few weeks ago at 3 and asked what was fresher, the back ribs or the spares. Answer: Hard to say since they were both smoked yesterday

Could someone provide a little clarification for an Uncle John's novice:

I've always meant to make the trip but never have. Looking online I see two Uncle John's, one in Homewood, and one at 8249 s cottage Grove, Chicago... Which is marketed as the "original."

Based on upthread I'm guessing the Homewood one is the one to go to, but what about the "original" Chicago one?

Guidance much appreciated. Thanks.

The Cottage Grove location has the name, but nothing else. They don’t even have an aquarium smoker, using an automated gas fired (Southern Pride?) device.

There definitely USED to be an aquarium smoker and a connection to the original location--it's been four or five years since I've been to the Cottage Grove spot, but I've seen the aquarium with my own eyes and google photos definitely show it. Perhaps I'll take a spin over there and check, but I also recall it being decent BBQ if not the original Uncle John's.

scottsol wrote:The Cottage Grove location has the name, but nothing else. They don’t even have an aquarium smoker, using an automated gas fired (Southern Pride?) device.

Thanks

mtgl wrote:There definitely USED to be an aquarium smoker and a connection to the original location--it's been four or five years since I've been to the Cottage Grove spot, but I've seen the aquarium with my own eyes and google photos definitely show it. Perhaps I'll take a spin over there and check, but I also recall it being decent BBQ if not the original Uncle John's.

I was only there once right after they opened and there was no aquarium. According to a TimeOut article they eventually added an aquarium and use it finish off the meats after the main cook in a pellet smoker.

https://www.timeout.com/chicago/food-dr ... ncle-johns

scottsol wrote:The Cottage Grove location has the name, but nothing else. They don’t even have an aquarium smoker, using an automated gas fired (Southern Pride?) device.

Last I was at the Cottage Grove location of Uncle John’s they had a show aquarium and were using a Cookshack not a Southern Pride. The barbecue was like a Xerox copy of a Xerox copy of Xerox copy of the original maybe not even that good.

The donuts from the connected Dat Donuts were tasty verging on good.

Steve Dolinsky made a recent visit = https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/t ... e/3118832/

I was not able to do this, because he was out of meat when I got there, but I definitely recommend taking this BBQ over to Rabid Brwg. a few blocks away (behind the strip mall).

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:That was at about 2:30 on Saturday but I've found Uncle John's to be consistent over the years.*

Welp, my streak was broken. Uncle John's was a bit off on Saturday afternoon this time. And it was still better than most BBQ in Chicago.

Everything was just a little tougher than usual. Still plenty moist and smoky, just a little chewy in parts. The links have so much fat that it may be physically impossible to overcook them. Definitely the snappiest casing experience I've had there.

The fries were the best I've had there. Really well cooked with some crispness that's usually lacking here and at most BBQ places.

Annoying notes: sauce on the side is up to $1. And there's a 4% surcharge for credit card purchases.

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:That was at about 2:30 on Saturday but I've found Uncle John's to be consistent over the years.*

Welp, my streak was broken. Uncle John's was a bit off on Saturday afternoon this time. And it was still better than most BBQ in Chicago.

Everything was just a little tougher than usual. Still plenty moist and smoky, just a little chewy in parts. The links have so much fat that it may be physically impossible to overcook them. Definitely the snappiest casing experience I've had there.

The fries were the best I've had there. Really well cooked with some crispness that's usually lacking here and at most BBQ places.

Annoying notes: sauce on the side is up to $1. And there's a 4% surcharge for credit card purchases.

Well, it still looks great. Sounds like maybe everything cooked a little too hot (or long)? I guess that benefited the fries, though I'm guessing they weren't smoked.

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