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BCS Barbecue, at the Bethesda Community Store - on Old Georgetown Road Right Across from NIH - Closed


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I checked all over the Dining Guide and couldn't find this little gem. While visiting someone at Suburban Hospital, I saw it about a block away and it beckoned. So today, I grabbed carry-out for about a dozen people.

The community store and deli is nothing special. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and such in a small Montgomery County historic site. But a few months ago, a mobile BBQ stand called BCS BBQ arrived next door, and it's turning out some really good BBQ. We had a pulled pork sandwich, spicy and mild chicken, and spicy and mild ribs, along with sides of potato salad and cole slaw.

This is genuinely good grub, with red oak being the wood of choice for the grillmaster. The ribs are thick and meaty, fall-off-the-bone tender, with the right combination of smoke, rub and sauce. The chicken was tender, juicy and flavorful. The pulled pork was excellent, but the sandwich bun was nothing special. The cole slaw was genuine, and the potato salad had good flavor, but both were on the slightly dry side. All in all, this is a place I would return to whenever I'm in the area. Very finger-licking good.

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I tried it one Friday night on my way home from work.

I thought the sauce was a little too sweet for my taste. As to the ribs, they were head and shoulders above Rocklands (ok that doesn't set the bar very hight), but I prefer Urban bbq for the ribs. All in all they will do in a pinch, but not the best ever that I was hoping for given their convienient location to me.

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Their sign says they have lobster rolls too. Since this is the same location where Salt River Lobster comes on Fridays, I've been wondering if that's who their supplier is and if their lobster rolls are any good. Has anyone tried them there?

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I like this place too, but I usually get the brisket. I've had good ribs there some that weren't that tender there. I tend to go almost at the end of the day and once I got the sense that the fire was just about done and that the ribs could have used a little more time under the circumstances.

The baked beans are pretty good too.

I have wondered about the lobster roll (especially given the proximity to Salt River), but so far I have not ordered it on the theory that it's unlikely a BBQ place will also do a good lobster roll.

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Perhaps tomorrow? or next week sometime? Any day but Tuesday is usually fine.

I could be in Wed or Fri next week.

These things never work out for me. :mellow: I'm free tomorrow and Monday. We leave town Wednesday and will be gone for almost two weeks.

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I stopped by this place about 3 weeks ago and bought several different because I have been curious about this place ever since starting to work in Bethesda. I bought a pork sandwich, a couple of ribs, the brisket and several sides. The Pork sandwich and the brisket were both burnt strands of what might have been meat at some point in their previous life. The ribs were not much better. The sides of mac and cheese, red beans and rice, and potatoe salad were just as miserable :unsure: I felt violated and robbed, but you win some and lose some. This shack is BAD. And do not even look at the prep area this guy uses to store and prepare his food...it is the most disgusting and dirty thing I have seen. I thought it was just a junk room until I looked further one day when buying some produce at the other vendor. It's a good thing NIH is across the street :mellow:

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I went today, in the downpour. I figured the rain would keep the line short, but I was mistaken. Not that the line was an outrageously long wait, but the tiny parking lot is, on Fridays, shared with the Potomac Farm Market and Salt River Lobster, so getting in and out of the parking lot is simply awful.

I got two platters, my reward for having run 3 miles today. (I can justify anything to myself.)

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This is the smoked brisket, with coleslaw and mac and cheese.

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This is the pulled pork, with potato salad and baked beans apparently bent on tray domination.

Tried the sides first. They are all thoroughly average, except for the 'zesty' cole slaw, which surprised for its utter lack of anything. It's watery cabbage. And if anybody ever puts cubed carrot into my potato salad again, I will kill them dead.

Onto the sandwiches. There's maybe two tablespoons of pork on there. I don't know if the stand is having a bad day, but help a brother out. They were far more generous with the brisket. The bread is fine, springy, and eventually soppy.

I'm not sure what happened here. A lot of both sandwiches were dry, dry, dry. A lot of big outright burned pieces in the brisket. Sauce isn't bad, a little sweet, but has no particular tang and desperately needs a shot of acid. (Which I put in.)

I'm willing to give it another shot, but I'm not exactly motivated to do so, and definitely not on Friday. I couldn't begin to comprehend the vagaries of having to QC food coming out of a trailer. Maybe evenings are different than lunchtimes.

Dunno. I hate to rack a place, but this didn't do it for me. I ate half of each sandwich expecting to save it for the Mrs., but she might not want it.

best, rockcreek

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The community store and deli is nothing special. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and such in a small Montgomery County historic site. But a few months ago, a mobile BBQ stand called BCS BBQ arrived next door, and it's turning out some really good BBQ. We had a pulled pork sandwich, spicy and mild chicken, and spicy and mild ribs, along with sides of potato salad and cole slaw.

This is genuinely good grub, with red oak being the wood of choice for the grillmaster. The ribs are thick and meaty, fall-off-the-bone tender, with the right combination of smoke, rub and sauce.

My experience yesterday with the ribs mirrored CC and rockcreek's experience - it was really bad. My ribs were tough! At least the top part was very rough - I ended up throwing a lot of my half-rack out. My only consolation was that it was $11, which is a bit cheaper than some other places, but the meat's toughness resembled what I got at my last outing at Famous Dave's. Even little man gave it a thumbs down.

Not to pile on the badness, but was it an inferior cut of meat that made it so tough? I couldn't tell. The rub wasn't so bad, if that is any bright side.

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My experience yesterday with the ribs mirrored CC and rockcreek's experience - it was really bad. My ribs were tough! At least the top part was very rough - I ended up throwing a lot of my half-rack out. My only consolation was that it was $11, which is a bit cheaper than some other places, but the meat's toughness resembled what I got at my last outing at Famous Dave's. Even little man gave it a thumbs down.

Not to pile on the badness, but was it an inferior cut of meat that made it so tough? I couldn't tell. The rub wasn't so bad, if that is any bright side.

tough bbq is usually a better indicator of incorrect technique than the quality of the meat.

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[is this still called BCS BBQ, and is it still at the Bethesda Community Store? It's not clear to me, and I also remember getting an email from a nearby BBQ owner about a year ago, worried that the businesses were being confused. I want to make sure the comments go in the correct thread. Can someone clear this up so I can moderate with a clear conscience? Thanks!]

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Finally tried it a few months ago after driving by a few million times.

Sorry to say I was deeply disappointed. The ribs were tough and fatty, the brisket and pork were bone dry and virtually indistinguishable from each other.

Wonder what happened from the time of the early reviews (from people here I trust) to now.

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The one time my coworkers and I got a bunch of stuff (maybe 2 years ago) from here, it was pretty disappointing BBQ. Tough is the right descriptor. Anyone tried it recently? Has it improved?

I stopped by about 2 weeks ago.  Short answer, no.  It was pretty terrible.

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This BBQ has its moment and I mean a one and only moment.  last year I had each of my hips replaced.  My wife was able to call ahead and walk to grab this stuff, come back and eat with me in the hospital room.  Better then the hospital cafeteria for guests and hospital food for patients.  But not worth a detour.

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