Yesterday, Matt and I fueled up at Memphis Minnie’s (the brisket is great) and then put the hurt on a bunch of bugs. We applied lots of patches from the bug hunt. We have a handful of those left, but we’ll knock them off soon. With a couple more doses of BBQ, we should be able to resolve a lot of the outstanding bugs.
In the interest of fast bug fixing, give us your recommendations for good BBQ in the Bay Area. What’s your favorite place?
That’s so harsh! We’re getting into winter right about now here in the UK so can’t BBQ. There’s this nice park just near me that’s good though, if you’re ever in the area!
Aw, darn. Why are we so geographically scattered? I’m going to find some good Austin BBQ con wifi.
The truth: after 23 years of looking (since I moved to SF after spending a decade in FL and several years before that in North Carolina where “Q” is sacred), I have yet to find really good BBQ in the Bay Area. Last summer I found Memphis Minnies, and, frankly, decided that was nearly as good as it gets. As I am, at the moment, sojourning in a BBQ-deprived (but warm/dry/sunny) part of Arizona, have a pulled pork sandwich (that’s important–brisket is for Texans and other Q-poseurs) and several large “sweet teas” for me.
Bay Area? Not even a clue where that’s at. Perhaps somewhere in the U.S. Sorry, I’m of no help but sounds exciting. hah. BBQ sounds yummy right now, though.
Memphis Minnie’s specializes in Texas-style BBQ for most of their dishes and sides, with a heaping helping of Memphis thrown in for all the pork dishes (shoulder, ribs, etc.). If that’s the style of BBQ you like, you cannot do better in the Bay Area.
My Texas-raised wife and I taste-tested the top 10-12 BBQ places in the greater Bay Area (“top” meaning reputation, or listing in various local paper’s “best of” awards), and Minnie’s beat all the rest, hands down.
If on the other hand, you like the sweeter style of Southern BBQ, where the sauce is ladled on, you might like a different place, Everett & Jones in Oakland, for example. To each his own.
Let me end with the two screening questions we posed to our prospective caterers (and their correct answers):
1. How long do you smoke your brisket? (12 hours minimum, 18 hours is better.)
2. What is your philosophy of sauce? (On the side, always.)
Oops, I almost forgot: I live across the street from Minnie’s, so if you guys want to have another bug-busting session there, give me a head’s up, and I’ll put my WiFi box in the window and send you WEP keys.
Armadillo Willy’s – must try the Garlic Frys, also lots of elbow room for programming http://www.armadillowillys.com/