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DR Roadtrip?

I am serious about this....would anyone be intrested in a roadtrip this spring where a group of us hit 4-5 of the self reported "best" BBQ places in Virginia. This would be a one day excursion, armed with empty stomachs, maps, cameras, a DD, and a full tank of gas, we take one for the team and truely discover great BBQ within a 2 hour drive of DC.

What say you.....

Don Rocks Pig Patrol!

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great BBQ within a 2 hour drive of DC.

Um, where else would you go other than JG's backyard? Hate to be a wet blanket, but it's a vast wasteland out there. Get thee to Lexington, NC, or if you must be near a metropolitan area, to Allen & Son in Chapel Hill.

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We lived in Richmond for 3 years prior to relocating back to Alexandria.

There IS good Q in Central Va. Here's a brief list starting from north, to south:

ASHLAND:

Virginia BbQ Company

Smokey Pig

Richmond:

Bill's BBQ- on Boulevard. That's right, Boulevard, not THE Boulevard

Extra Billy's - SouthSide locale with brew pub

Buz n Ned's

County Rib and Ale House - Hull and Genito Rds.

TD's - not great, not bad. Good location in Carytown across from the Byrd.

Pq's BBQ- Midloathian Tpk (southside)

Benny's BBQ- Hathaway Rd. Got this tip from a through and through Richmond'er.

Williamsburg:

Pierce's Pit BBQ

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I have always been partial to Pierce's Pitt BBQ in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Although on our next trip down to Virginia Beach, we might have to swing through Richmond to give this place a try.

Bills is right off of I95 South at the Braves Stadium. When you see the stadium, plan on getting off...it's directly across the street from the stadium..

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DR Roadtrip?

I am serious about this....would anyone be intrested in a roadtrip this spring where a group of us hit 4-5 of the self reported "best" BBQ places in Virginia. This would be a one day excursion, armed with empty stomachs, maps, cameras, a DD, and a full tank of gas, we take one for the team and truely discover great BBQ within a 2 hour drive of DC.

What say you.....

Don Rocks Pig Patrol!

Wouldn't take a lot of talking to convince me to join in...Rocklands and the Pit Barbecue on Duke Street beside the Dunkin Donuts, (three Tums apiece) and then onto Richmond and Williamsburg...(burp!!! pardon me! :) )

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Um, where else would you go other than JG's backyard?  Hate to be a wet blanket, but it's a vast wasteland out there.  Get thee to Lexington, NC, or if you must be near a metropolitan area, to Allen & Son in Chapel Hill.

You overlooked Stamey's in Greensboro...barbecue to (almost) die for..

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Western Carolina bbq: Wayne Monk's Lexington #1 (hush puppies, too)(Lexington has something like 35 or more bbq joints-the most per capita of any town in America!).

Eastern Carolina bbq: Pete Jones' Skylight Inn in Ayden (named best of all southern bbq joints a year ago by Southern Living magazine). One man spends every minute of every hour they are open with two cleavers chopping then mincing whole hog Q. The very definition of carpal tunnel syndrome!

South Carolina bbq: Sweatman's in Holly Hill (open three days a week).

All of the above are superior to anything in VA. Pierce's Pitt has nothing in common with the roadside shack in the mid '70's that caused traffic jams on weekends on I 64 from people parking their cars on the shoulder and walking over to it. Today, having expanded three or four times and opened several outposts, they have also discovered the microwave. Once upon a time this place was truly a great pit!

Allman's is 90% of what it was in the '70's but still the best north of Richmond. On route 1 near the old Greyhound station, across from McDonald's. Also get a milkshake made "the old fashioned way."

Edited by Joe H
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My 1 cent (I'm half-witted)...

My parents and I love Dixie Bones in Woodbridge. We used to go there once a week for 6 years straight--then I turned my parents onto 5 Guys).

Great BBQ, four different sauces. The owner, Nelson Head, is from Arkansas. Pies are made on-site (I believe they still are). I even had them cater a birthday party recently and people raved about it.

Dixie Bones

Thanks

Nashman

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Did anyone ever try Smokin Joe's, off route 29? I know someone said they would try it.

Yes, I've been a few times. Respectable pulled pork sandwich and interestingly good 3 bean bbq beans. From my egullet post back in June 04:

Rt 29, about 3 miles North of Warrenton in New Baltimore.

Finally got to try it today. The proprietor, Smokin Joe, said they've finally dialed-in their BBQ. A self-styled "Virginia" bbq pit, Jammin Joe's offers a pulled pork sandwich, St. Louis style ribs and chicken.

The pork sandwich is king, nevermind about anything else. If you like pulled pork (with or without slaw), this is one of the best. Moist, with a right amount sauce worked into it, it had a nice balance of smoke, spiciness and sweetness. The ribs were good (certainly above-average) but only because they were properly smoked. They did need sauce (IMO) for full flavor. Forget about the chicken, my guess is that they offer it for non-pork eating cusotmers. The chicken was moist, smoked all the way through and flavorless (and precisely why I brine my birds before smoking or roasting them-but I'm not advocating brining for real bbq).

The sauce is a nice vinegar/tomato based suace, sweetened up. The beans rock: pieces of meat, and at least 3 types of beans in sweet gravy.

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Doc's BBQ

3 locations on Rt 50: Aldie (at the country store), Paris (at the top of the mountain) and at The Barn in Boyce (at the corner of Rts 50 and 340).

Offerings: Carolina style pulled pork sandwich, true to form, with a bit a slaw. Also, an "oddity" which they call Texas style pulled pork and Texas style beef brisket sandwiches which are sauced with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy tomato based sauce. The slaw and potato salad are good, the beans passable. All three sandwiches are pretty tasty.

The Aldie location is more of a hot bar now, they used to smoke on the premises but I haven't seen the smoker going for a while. The sandwiches are consistent here but I'd wouldn't judge the ribs or chicken based on this location. No place to sit except when weather permits, you can sit in back.

The Paris location is a sit-down diner, but you can only get ribs at dinner. This is where I mostly eat on the weekends when I'm out at the country house. :) Tip: try the german chocolate cake when its available.

The Boyce location has limited seating as well, except outside when the weather permits but the smoking is always going on here in 2 huge smokers. Plus you can get ribs anytime here. :o

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I know that this is alighted upon in several other threads but I am looking for REAL BBQ. I'm talking about Memphis style ribs, dryrubbed and smoked for hours till the meat is almost falling off the bone but not quite. The kind of ribs that are smoky, spicy, slightly caramelized....you know the kind that haunt you for days and result in you becoming a rib addict, fiending for them constantly. Ribs...the heroin of meat :angry: Texas style beef brisket, spiced and smoked, the fat almost all gone but there's just the thinnest layer over the top, the meat's juicy.........ummmmmmmm. NC style pork BBQ, the whole pig chopped after cooking slowly for 16 hours, mixed with that vinegar and chile flake sauce that my Grandma made....with coleslaw (creamy of course!!) These are all the things that I search for in vain. Nothing I've had anywhere meets the criterea. The ribs at Rocklands sometimes lack smoke and the rub never imparts enough flavor. Red Hot and Blue....don't get me started there. Famous Dave's are okay in a pinch but are almost always to chewy. That place in Chinatown should serve good brisket (the guys from TEXAS!!!!) but it doesn't...So you see my predicament??? After the closing of Ben's Whole Hog I feel like I've become encapsulated in my own personal BBQ free Hell. All I want is some good smoked meat, lovingly prepared by someone whole preferably has been doing it their whole adult life. Not all of these things has to be in the same place, I've been know to drive to my parents house in NC for the night just to have the chopped bbq at the Skylight Inn, so I don't mind driving up to an hour for good eats.

Somebody please help me!!!!! :)

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Go up to the Dutch Farmer's Market at the intersection of Rt 29 (Columbia Pike) and Rt 198 in Burtonsville. Start of with a load of wings. Proceed to get a rack of ribs.

Come to the picnic and try JG's pulled pork butt with Carolina vinegar sauce.

Better than any pork served in BBQ joints around here.

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Go up to the Dutch Farmer's Market at the intersection of Rt 29 (Columbia Pike) and Rt 198 in Burtonsville. Start of with a load of wings. Proceed to get a rack of ribs.

Come to the picnic and try JG's pulled pork butt with Carolina vinegar sauce.

Better than any pork served in BBQ joints around here.

when?

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I know that this is alighted upon in several other threads but I am looking for REAL BBQ. I'm talking about Memphis style ribs, dryrubbed and smoked for hours till the meat is almost falling off the bone but not quite. The kind of ribs that are smoky, spicy, slightly caramelized....you know the kind that haunt you for days and result in you becoming a rib addict, fiending for them constantly. Ribs...the heroin of meat :angry:

Somebody please help me!!!!! :)

You need to check out the ribs at the Mighty Midget in Leesburg -- available on Fridays and Saturdays only, until they run out, which always happens.

I think you can call and reserve a rack.

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Real BBQ is going to take a serious drive (especially now with the Skylight Inn gone).    For decent BBQ within reasonable distance, I'd recommend Andy Nelson's in Cockeysville, MD.

When did the Skylight Inn close? Pete Jones died, but his family is keeping it open. That is unless something has changed in the past month.
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Levi's in Oxon Hill and their restaurant on Barracks Row, Levi's Port Cafe, have pretty good NC barbecue. It's Eastern style so I'm assuming they're cooking whole pigs. It's chopped fine and nicely flavored with a good amount of vinegar. Their slaw was too sugary for me, but they have hush puppies, yams, collards and a whole lot else to keep you busy. I haven't found anything in the area as close to the 'cue back home in Cackalacky.

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I haven't been in two years but then and for years before this, Johnny Boy's in LaPlata. In Fredericksburg it is the original Allman's on route 1 which I was at several months ago. For me nothing in the D. C. area approaches either of these.

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My cousins from Memphis love Three Pigs in McLean for chopped BBQ. Never had it, never been to Three Pigs but I like the way it looks.
I have found the pork to be a little dry for my tastes, and not a lot of flavor. Not horrible, just not something I would go out of my way for.
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My cousins from Memphis love Three Pigs in McLean for chopped BBQ. Never had it, never been to Three Pigs but I like the way it looks.

Three Pigs is crap. Dry, bland, and chewy are three adjectives that come to mind.

I have yet to have real barbecue in the metro area, I'm afraid. I assume when it happens we'll all know.

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I have yet to have real barbecue in the metro area, I'm afraid. I assume when it happens we'll all know.

Thats because you haven't tasted mine. Unfortunately for you its more elusive than Donna's grill. As a matter of fact right before I moved there was a lot of buzz starting to generate about this hotshot newcomer to the DC BBQ scene. (At least among the maintenance and parking staff at my girlfriends building) Seriously though I am personally offended none of you mentioned KC. This whole string is like having a debate about ancient civilizations and not even mentioning Rome. Or having a discussion about organized religions and not bothering to bring up Christianity and the holy trinity the father, (Arthur Bryant) the son (Jack's Stack) and the holy ghost (Fat Charlie). Sinners....

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There's a new cookbook out called "Killer Ribs" by Nancy Davidson, a writer for Gourmet Mag., among many other publications. She chose Chubby's Barbeque in Emmitsburg Md. as one of the top 50 BBQ'S in North America. I have to agree.

Hello all. nice to be here, learned about you from Roadfood.

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The one time I went there, about a year ago, the ribs were so tough and dry I couldn't cut through them with the serrated knife they gave me. Honestly I can't recall if the sauce was any good, as it was a moot point. The fact that I can't recall any other details is telling.

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You must have caught them on a REALLY off night, they have a book they keep of peoples names and comments, they are literally humdreds of "These are the best ribs I've ever had" type comments, also about the pork and briskit. Try them again!

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Thats because you haven't tasted mine. Unfortunately for you its more elusive than Donna's grill. As a matter of fact right before I moved there was a lot of buzz starting to generate about this hotshot newcomer to the DC BBQ scene.

Your facetious response has a great deal of truth. The backyard is where the best bbq in DC can be found. BBQ with it's 6-12+ hour cook times does not lend itself to a restaurant business. In order to do it right, restaurants are forced to make estimates the day before; closing early if the underestimate demand or eating the cost if they overestimate. Most are unwilling to do that and instead choose to reheat precooked food or use higher temperatures and other shortcuts.

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O'Briens is still there--is it any good now? If not, what happened? I drive by every day, but haven't eaten there in years. Having lived for years in the Carolinas, I agree that there isn't any really great pork 'cue here, but I still like Urban a lot--good wings and specialty items like soul rolls and "redneck fondue". Fun food, and the ribs are usually good, although the quality can vary.

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