Best Beef Bbq Ribs in Kentucky

If it weren't for the dad-blasted fireworks, the Fourth of July would rank among the best holidays.

What'south not to beloved about it?

Hanging out with family, celebrating our nation'southward founding, maybe watching a baseball on the tube. And the barbecue.

Oh, aye. The charcoal-broil.

What is more American than sitting around the backyard, gnawing on a slice of scrumptious, deadening-roasted, hickory-smoked-sus scrofa-heaven-on-a-stick?

(If you're a vegan or a vegetarian, you might want to stop reading now, 'cause this is not going to get improve for you. We're non talking barbecued tofu hither.)

Anyhow, this whole Independence Mean solar day thing got the bosses asking, "What'due south the best barbecue in town?"

Really, it was likely the brainchild of Rick Light-green, the Courier Journal'south new editor who used to alive in Cincinnati, a town known past some as "Porkopolis" and the home of the legendary Montgomery Inn, which bills itself every bit "The Ribs King."

We'll be the guess of that.

You may similar:The v things you lot demand to know before you hitting the road for July iv

Commencement, we needed to pick the type of meat to estimate and, as anyone outside of Texas can tell yous, the but creature worth barbecuing is the sus scrofa. Soooooey!

We weren't going for the pork barrel — that'south the "idiots' cut" considering anyone with a smoker and a few wood chunks can do it well. Hard to mess upwardly a butt — just cook it slow until the scapula slides out clean.

But ribs, now they take skill.

You don't cook them long plenty, they'll be tough and they'll remain forever stuck to the bone. Cook them too long — like the ribs I had at one eatery on Tuesday — and they're no longer finger food because the meat falls off the bone.

You don't eat barbecue with a fork. Period.

Side by side nosotros narrowed down our list of restaurants. What are the places I like, what restaurants get skillful reviews and what are people recommending on social media?

Restaurants not open up for lunch on a Wednesday were immediately excluded. (We're looking at yous, Hammerheads.) So were the chain restaurants based in other cities even though some of them make some pretty darn good 'cue, like Martin's Bar-b-que Articulation and Famous Dave'southward.

We were also looking to spread it out around boondocks.

Nosotros settled on 7 restaurants. Chop's Style BBQ; Feast; Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot; Momma's Mustard, Pickles and BBQ; River Road BBQ, Shack in the Back and Stevie J'due south*.

At present, this isn't the cease-all, be-all list. Limited budget, limited time, yada, yada, yada. Don't get mad and fire off an email telling me how big of an idiot I am. I get enough of that from my wife.

Just drop a line telling me who else to include. We're looking for ideas.

All the barbecue we tasted would have been fine to serve in the backyard for your Fourth of July cookout, only as you lot might look, some was meliorate than others. I and several of my colleagues did a blind taste of all the ribs.

Here's how I ranked them:

Feast

The all-time was Feast, at 909 E. Market Street. They had practiced heavy smoke flavor and a good rub that finished with a trivial heat. They were glazed with a sauce that wasn't too sweetness or too overwhelming. The meat was cooked perfectly — tender but sticking to the bone enough that you had to pull it abroad with your teeth. This besides was, easily downwardly, the staff favorite.

Chop's Style BBQ

Next was Chop's Style BBQ, a nutrient truck that sets up in a TARC park and ride lot at 7200 Ky. 329 in Crestwood. The ribs were big and meaty and had a spice rub on the outside that was proficient, merely non not bad. The rib had the right tenderness and didn't peel away too easily from the bone, which was good. One colleague rated those the best, while some other said her rib was dry and had an odd spice season. Simply Chop's Style gets No. two because this is my column, no one else's.

Momma'southward Mustard, Pickles and BBQ

Tertiary up was Momma's Mustard, Pickles and BBQ, at 102 Bauer Artery. I was a little scrap disappointed with this one since Momma's is the place I go if I'm peckish the 'cue. The ribs they serve at Momma'south is a dry rub rib that doesn't come with sauce on it. The rub and the smoke were first-class but, unfortunately, the meat on the rib I tasted was dry. That knocked it down a couple of notches for me. Others who tasted Momma'southward ribs had a amend experience and a moister, juicier piece of meat. One person voted information technology the best ribs, in fact. It finished 3rd, only is usually much amend than that.

Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot

Frankfort Avenue Beer Depotfinished quaternary. The eating house at 3204 Frankfort Avenue is known for the big cookers sitting out in front of the eating house and belching hickory smoke into the air. Unfortunately, not that much of the smoke carried through to the meat on this day. It just didn't taste very smokey. And while the meat was tender and had the pinkish ring you want in smoked meats, it just didn't take as much taste every bit I was expecting. I would have also preferred the bawl on the outside to be a little darker, which it has been on past trips in that location.

Shack in the Back

Shack in the Back, 406 Mount Holly Road, finished 5th, and information technology reminded me a lot of the Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot's ribs — but with a super sweet, fruity glaze that I wasn't a fan of. (I actually adopt ribs that are flavored with zilch but the dry out rub and smoke.) As expert as Shack in the Back's burgoo and pulled pork is, I was a flake underwhelmed.

River Road BBQ

Sixth was River Road BBQat3017 River Road. Information technology does things a fiddling differently than the others, starting with the fact that they use complete spare ribs that are big plenty to flip Fred Flintstone'south car on its side, and ending with the fact that at that place really isn't much in the manner of spices on it. My rib was extremely juicy but wasn't quite as tender every bit I would accept liked. The smoke flavor was first-class — perhaps the best of the lot — but I actually thought it needed a rub for some boosted flavor. If yous're looking for just the spartan meat and smoke experience, these ribs may exist for you. I wanted more than.

Stevie J's

FinallyStevie J'southward, a little hut at 1831 Due west. Jefferson Street, unfortunately gets a DNF. After we ordered a slab, people there told us they couldn't have the ribs ready on the 24-hour interval nosotros were gustation testing. When I went by the side by side day for lunch, it wasn't open. I'll keep trying, however.

But non on Wednesday. I'll fire upwardly my own smoker for the Fourth of July. I but hope the neighbors lay off the fireworks.

Joseph Gerth'south opinion cavalcade runs on most Sundays and at diverse times throughout the week. He tin can exist reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courierjournal.com. Back up strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal/josephg.

More from Joe Gerth:

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Source: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/joseph-gerth/2018/06/29/best-barbecue-ribs-louisville-revealed-taste-test/736055002/

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