Archive for BBQ
BurgerQue in Ft. Myers, Florida
Posted by: | CommentsBurgerQue is not a fast food joint. Most folks will take one look at it and assume that which is bad for 2 reasons. First, the food is not fast food as there is much depth of flavor and secondly you’re not gonna get your order in 120 seconds. It’s gonna take a little longer than to get something this good.
Hogzilla’s Inspired Barbecue in South Beach
Posted by: | CommentsI was probably about 20 to 25 feet from the front door of Hogzilla before I was enveloped in a beautiful web of smoke smothering the air. As I walked in, I noticed how different the place looked compared to the previous bbq resto that was here. There are just these little odd artifacts on the walls that I was digging.
Hogzilla Decor
Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue in Downtown Miami, Florida
Posted by: | CommentsYou just can’t trust the GPS on your phone. I’ve been wanting to buy one for use exclusively in my car (where else would I use it?) and it would have come in handy today. I get lost in Downtown easily but luckily Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue was easy to find after my disastrous attempt to drive down a one way road thanks to my GPS.
I walked in and could smell the BBQ goodness in the air. I felt right at home as this isn’t one of those trendy pretentious places trying to pass themselves as a barbecue joint. While I don’t consider myself a BBQ expert I do consider myself an “experto” at spotting a fake.
Sparky's Wings
I was kinda torn as to which of the appetizers to go for but the Wings and Corn Nuggets ended up being my choices. I wanted to try the Hush Puppies also but I figured there’s always next time if I dig this place. The Wings were awesomely smokey and delicious but those Corn Nuggets. Damn those guys! The Corn Nuggets are breaded cream of corn deep fried. They’re served with a side of ranch for dipping but it’s really not necessary. Wow.
Sparky's Corn Nuggets
Corn Nuggets Up Close
My wife Marcela orders Tyler’s Pressed Sandwich (Brisket, Pulled Pork, Sauteed Onions, American Cheese & BBQ Sauce) while I go for the obvious choice of the half pound Angus Beef Burger w/American Cheese. The sandwiches are served with Waffle Fries (interesting) and Coleslaw (not my cup of tea). There are a bunch of sauces at the table, six to be exact. Sparky’s BBQ Sauce was my favorite of the 6 but the one labeled “Magma” is sure to guarantee a bad time for the person who doesn’t realize the serious heat they’re about to take on.
1/2 Pound Angus Burger
I liked Tyler’s Pressed Sandwich but I wish we had just decided to have the Brisket or the Pulled Pork individually. I’m not trying to dissuade you from having this I just think since it was our first time here we should have tried out the goods solo. Now, as for the burger…..well I was kinda speechless. It was so good, since the smokey taste permeated the patty. It had 2 slices of American Cheese and nothing else on it. I barely touched the waffle fries. I was mesmerized by it so much so that I ordered a second one.
Cornbread & Mac'n Cheese
Mac'n Cheese
The Mac’n Cheese and Cornbread were both fresh and solid. Good stuff and the Cornbread ended up being my guinea pig for the sauces I mentioned before. Also try the Apple Wood and Hickory Smoked Boneless Chicken Thigh, it’s killer.
Sparky's Chalkboard
Burger numero dos arrives and I don’t even remember eating it but I know I did. And I’d suggest you do the same. When you go save me a seat!
Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue
204 Northeast 1st Street
Miami, FL 33131
305-377-2877
Blue Willy’s Traditional Southern BBQ – Ft. Lauderdale Street Food
Posted by: | Comments
As I got off of my car I could smell the glorious smell of the smoker a good 100 feet from me. Blue Willy’s BBQ is a large trailer, part of which is the smoker brightening up my day. I was with my cousin and after taking a good long look at the menu we order everything.
OK, maybe not everything but almost everything except the Brisket and Rib Tips. We also decide it would be best to order everything as a “Plate” so that we can try all the sides. There were five sides: Willy’s Pit Smoked Beans, Coleslaw, Fries, Cornbread and Mac n’ Cheese. The fries were nothing special. The Mac n’ Cheese had a nice little bread crumb crust top but I didn’t feel it was cheesy enough. I didn’t try the coleslaw and beans, my cousin loved them. The Cornbread is a must have with the little pieces of corn sprinkled throughout.
 |
| Mac N’ Cheese |
 |
| Cornbread goodness |
So I won’t have to repeat myself throughout, there was an omnipresent smoke flavor in everything. The homemade smoked sausage was served up first in slivers. The sausage was great and could have easily been a part of a great sandwich with onions. Blue Willy suggested we try mixing both his tomato and mustard BBQ sauces with the Chopped Pork sandwich. I loaded up my sandwich with the mustard sauce and tried adding a bit of the tomato one. I could see some folks preferring the mix but I loved the mustard sauce solo.
 |
| Homemade Sausage |
 |
| Carolina Jumbo Chopped Pork Sandwich |
 |
| My Pork Sandwich w/ Mustard BBQ Sauce |
The St. Louis Spareribs were my cousin’s favorite but for me, nothing was better than the chicken. It was delicious, it was moist (smokey too!) and it had a White BBQ sauce. I was not familiar with the existence of a White BBQ sauce but it’s an Alabama thing according to Willy. I went back and tried everything again with the white sauce which just confirmed my suspicions. That White BBQ sauce needs to have a permanent home on the condiment shelf in my fridge.
 |
| St. Louis Spareribs |
 |
| Willy’s Chicken w/ White BBQ Sauce |
I have a mission for you. Find BlueWilly’s and Eat!
Follow:
Blue Willy’s Barbecue
954-224-6120
Facebook: Blue Willy’s Barbecue
Twitter: @BlueWillys
Texas Hold’Em BBQ – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
Right after leaving the Ft. Lauderdale Court House I spotted a bright red building and was able to smell a nice meaty aroma from the street. As I started to drive closer I noticed that it was a BBQ joint and the meaty aroma was coming from a giant smoker outside. I decided to go in and was amazed how busy the place was. I noticed a pulled pork sandwich with a side lunch combo and decided to pull the trigger on my order. The sandwich came with their sweet hickory sauce on the side which was a plus in my book since I don’t like food to be too saucy (unlike my women).
 |
| Lunch Combo |
 |
| Before: Pulled Pork Sandwich |
 |
| After: Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ Sweet Hickory Sauce |
 |
| Mac ‘n Cheese |
The pulled pork was probably the freshest I’ve ever had and the sweet hickory sauce was amazing. I ended up asking for more at the counter and going to town on the sandwich. The sauce made the sandwich ten folds better if you can believe that. The mac and cheese was interesting because they used conch shaped pasta and the cheese sauce wasn’t really a sauce. They made it with a more pizza style cheese, kinda thick and chewy. Overall a great experience and I look forward to the next time to try some of the other BBQ items they have to offer.
Texas Hold Em BBQ
21 SW 7th Streeet, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
954-764-7427
Gator Burger at The Pit Bar-B-Q – Miami, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
The Pit Bar-B-Q is a Historical landmark. Hey, I didn’t know that but it says it right on their menu. The Pit stands out on a long stretch of 8th Street with nothing on either side of it. You can either sit inside (it’s not too big) or outside under their tiki-like canopy. Regardless of where you might sit, the unmistakable smell of BBQ is everywhere. The one thing that struck me was the amount of Cuban dishes on the “Pit Starters” menu. There’s Masitas de Puerco (fried pork chunks), Fried Yuca con Mojo (cassava), Tostones (fried green plantains) & Maduros (fried sweet plantains). You can order individual or family size portions but I was here for one thing, the Famous “Gator Burger” . On the menu, the translation is Hamburguesa de Cocodrilo which would be Crocodile Burger. I can see why they went with the Gator Burger name. The server suggests I add cheese because the gator meat can be a little dry.
 |
| Gator Burger- a man eyed view |
While I didn’t find it to be dry, it did seem to have a little bit of heat mixed into it. The flavor of the burger can be best described as chicken, just kidding. It actually tastes like a spiced up Turkey Burger. The American cheese was really a non-factor but the smoke flavor (since it was cooked in their wood burning pit bbq) was evident throughout the taste of the burger. I can’t say that I was enamored with it nor longing to have another one. If you ever find yourself on the side of the road on 8th Street and need a Gator fix, then this might be the place for you.
The Pit Bar-B-Q
16400 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL
305-226-2272
Q American Barbeque – Miami Design District, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
While I’m no Barbecue expert, I know good food when I taste it. Q American Barbeque is located in the Miami Design District and has a comfy (Yes, I really did just say comfy) look to it. I felt right at home when I walked in (it didn’t hurt that some great blues music was playing).
 |
| This pump greets you at Q |
I ordered some wings which were crispy and had an intense smokey BBQ flavor. They were delicious. None of the food at Q is smothered in sauces by the way, that’s up to you. This is dry rub terrain.
 |
| The sauces at Q |
Your options are St. Louis Cider Mustard (sweet, thick and very mustardy), Memphis Dark Sugar & Vinegar (sweet), Guava Habanero Parilla (liquidy, smokey and slightly sweet) and KC Light Tomato & Spice (vinegary tomato). After trying all of them a couple of times I settled on using the St. Louis Cider Mustard. Were wings enough? Of course not, so I also had the NC Pulled Pork Sliders. The sliders were served on potato rolls and topped with cole slaw.
 |
| NC Pulled Pork Sliders |
They were right on but I now had my sites set on the Q Burger. Before I forget to mention, if you’re also a soda aficionado like myself you will appreciate the fact that Q has Coke (Mexican) , RC Cola, Orange Crush, Dr. Pepper and a few other glass bottled sodas. Now back to the main event. The Q Burger is a 10 ounce burger topped with cheddar, pit roasted onions and served on an onion roll. I, of course added some applewood bacon to it.
 |
| The Q Burger |
There’s nothing better than eating a burger and having the freshness of the beef come right through. It had a great smoke flavor and the taste of the bacon was really pronounced. It really was a majestic burger. I came back a few days later and shared Q Zilla (2 Spare Ribs, 2 Baby Backs, 1/2 Pit Chicken, 1/2 Pound of Pulled Pork, Cole Slaw, Pit Beans, House Made Pickles and Cornbread) with my wife. I was floored by Q’s food and I think you will be too.
4029 North Miami Avenue
305-227-2378
Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Posted by: | CommentsWe met a crew of bloggers which included Beth aka The French Fry Fairy at Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q. MY wife Marcela and I arrive late (our new thing). When we walk in a few folks are already sitting down with their food while everyone else is receiving theirs. After looking over the menu we decide to do the ol’ divide and conquer routine and order 2 different things. Marcela orders the Beef Brisket w/Mac n Cheese and Coleslaw (it also brings a cornbread).
Brisket Platter
I had the Rib & Chicken Combo with Mac n’ Cheese and Fries (cornbread also). We also got 4 hush puppies (their minimum hush puppie order). Marcela did not like her Beef Brisket and after trying it I agreed. It was way fatty. The Mac n’ Cheese was good, she liked the cole slaw and the fries were ok. The ribs were acceptable but the chicken was on the amazing side.
Chicken & Ribs
I regret not going with Baby Back Ribs though. The hush puppies were really good also. After talking to one of the guys, he told me that pork was the way to go at Tom Jenkins’. I wish this conversation had taken place before we got here. Doc Brown anywhere?
For a full fry review on this place check out : The French Fry Fairy.
Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q
1236 South Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-522-5046
