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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.

Although I was trying to be witty you are right, there was a bit of truth in there. The best BBQ is the stuff you put together. I can twinge the sauce, mop, dry rub, etc. precisely to my liking. The most important thing is taking the time to doing it right. Most any restaurant has to at some point boil, steam, or bake their BBQ to shortcut the process.

The one thing I love most about BBQing at home is that it really does bring people together. You really can't, or wouldn't want to, waste the entire day perfectly smoking 1 rack of ribs, or 2 servings of brisket. If you are going to go through the trouble you throw on a whole pork shoulder, giant brisket or a huge pile of ribs. This means you are always going to have to find someone to share with. I met most of the staff and neighbors at my old apartment building over a plate of of BBQ in the courtyard.

Before I wax anymore, does anyone know where I can get some burnt ends? Everywhere back home used to serve ends at least one day a week. Its like the doner kebab of KC BBQ joints but I haven't really seen anywhere out here that does it. I do admit I haven't really gone out to many BBQ places for the above reasons. But I would like to find somewhere I can get some good ones every once in awhile (especially for the upcoming football season)

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Before I wax anymore, does anyone know where I can get some burnt ends? Everywhere back home used to serve ends at least one day a week.

Willard's Real Pit BBQ in Chantilly serves burnt ends. I think it is a standard item on their menu.

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I don't know whether it's "real" or not, but I do know that I can't get enough of Rocklands (in Glover Park in DC). I think they have other locations somewhere in the region.

Pulled meat and corn bread, mmmmm.

Hmmm, I thought we were talking about BBQ. Every meal at Rocklands in Alexandria has been a disappointment. Dry meat, cornbread as moist as drywall. Not even the sauces seem to help. (I have to admit, I haven't tried the ribs but I've been so disappointed with the BBQ I haven't been back after the second time). My son (who is at the age where he will eat just about anything, and does) suggested Red, Hot and Blue the last time I said I would take him to Rocklands.
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It's definitely a road trip, but I am partial to Blue Ridge Pig in Nellysford, VA. It is very close to the Wintergreen resort in Nelson County, about 30 mins south of Charlottesville. Maybe not as good as the best of Memphis or KC, but I really like the barbecue and the potato salad is almost as good as the 'cue. Definitely worth a stop if you're out that way.

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It's definitely a road trip, but I am partial to Blue Ridge Pig in Nellysford, VA. It is very close to the Wintergreen resort in Nelson County, about 30 mins south of Charlottesville. Maybe not as good as the best of Memphis or KC, but I really like the barbecue and the potato salad is almost as good as the 'cue. Definitely worth a stop if you're out that way.
Thanks for the tip.

I'll be down that way in about two weeks and will definitely check it out.

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I had a birthday party catered this weekend by my dad's local favorite for BBQ: BBQ World, in Burke, VA. He's a pork BBQ purist and pretty much loathes all the local offerings, but he can tolerate BBQ World (this is high praise, as he's quite the snob). I think it is hard to tell what the place is like from the catered stuff we got (which was reheated) but my take on it was as follows:

Ribs: dry as a bone and none too tasty

Pulled Pork: heck--this stuff was pretty darn alright! Nice smoked flavor, not overly fatty (just enough!)

Pulled chicken--I know it isnt the real deal to a BBQ snob, but it was actually fantastic! The meat had been smoked and tasted great with no sauce at all

Sauce: the mild was boring, but the spicy was great--a thinnish red sauce with lotsa kick

Potato salad: kinda lousy

Slaw: meh, it was standard

Beans: really delicious

Greens: not enough porky flavor!

For BBQ lovers willing to travel for a fix--Pierce's pit bbq in Williamsburg is pretty OK...just dont get the iced tea which will rot yur teeth before you leave the table. And for something even more obscure: Twix-n-Tween, a truck stop/institution in Centerville, Alabama (so named for being "betwixt and between" Tuscaloosa and another city--Montgomery, maybe?) Ah... the BBQ of my youth.

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I live in Burke, and I've found BBQ World's offerings pretty much inedible, at least recently.

Last night I stopped at Bubba's on Route 29 at Fairview Park Dr. I got pulled pork (dry and salty), ribs, moist and OK, and smoked chicken wings.

All was OK, with a very sweet sauce (sweeter than my favorite bottled Smokey Maple Barbecue Sauce by Annies Naturals).

I prefer the offerings at Wf in Fair Lakes. JMO.

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I had a birthday party catered this weekend by my dad's local favorite for BBQ: BBQ World, in Burke, VA. He's a pork BBQ purist and pretty much loathes all the local offerings, but he can tolerate BBQ World (this is high praise, as he's quite the snob). I think it is hard to tell what the place is like from the catered stuff we got (which was reheated) but my take on it was as follows:

Ribs: dry as a bone and none too tasty

Pulled Pork: heck--this stuff was pretty darn alright! Nice smoked flavor, not overly fatty (just enough!)

Pulled chicken--I know it isnt the real deal to a BBQ snob, but it was actually fantastic! The meat had been smoked and tasted great with no sauce at all

Sauce: the mild was boring, but the spicy was great--a thinnish red sauce with lotsa kick

Potato salad: kinda lousy

Slaw: meh, it was standard

Beans: really delicious

Greens: not enough porky flavor!

For BBQ lovers willing to travel for a fix--Pierce's pit bbq in Williamsburg is pretty OK...just dont get the iced tea which will rot yur teeth before you leave the table. And for something even more obscure: Twix-n-Tween, a truck stop/institution in Centerville, Alabama (so named for being "betwixt and between" Tuscaloosa and another city--Montgomery, maybe?) Ah... the BBQ of my youth.

Pierce's has used a microwave for years. In the '70's it was genuinely outstanding but this changed with its accelerating popularity. Tuscaloosa? The original Dreamland Drive Inn for ribs and Archibald's for sliced pork!!! Each as good as it gets anywhere in America.
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Pierce's has used a microwave for years. In the '70's it was genuinely outstanding but this changed with its accelerating popularity. Tuscaloosa? The original Dreamland Drive Inn for ribs and Archibald's for sliced pork!!! Each as good as it gets anywhere in America.

Oh of course--how could I forget Dreamland, home of the Rib Sandwich--a slab of ribs jammed between 2 pieces of white bread. I haven't been in years but my hopes were not high for the BBQ quality since I know they have expanded to a slew of locations across the state. Glad to hear the original is still putting out good ribs.

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Well....I haven't been to the original in several years but both the Atlanta and Birmingham locations have NOTHING in common with the original. At it's best Tuscaloosa was among America's best-perhaps the best.

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Frankly the BBQ around here sucks. I wish that a BBQ renaissance would happen similar to what we are seeing with pizza. I believe I mentioned somewhere else on this thread that when a BBQ restaurant tries to be all things for all people they fail at everything. That is what most BBQ restaurants in this area attempt to do.

The best BBQ in the country is often found in joints that sell one maybe two types of meat (generally different cuts of the same animal), two or three sides, and some sort of bread. Anything more and the pit boss has to take too much time away from tending to the meat or fire for the BBQ to climb above mediocre.

Your best bet is to buy a smoker, and learn how to smoke some pork, otherwise you will surely be disappointed.

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Your best bet is to buy a smoker, and learn how to smoke some pork, otherwise you will surely be disappointed.

That's the ticket. Smoking your own ribs for 6 hours with apple or cherry chips, that's a wonderous thing. Scored a nice deal for a Masterbuilt digital smoker [yeah, I'm lazy but love setting the temp once] on eBay for under $100. But even still, you can still do ribs right on a old Weber 22" charcoal kettle [just more tending to control the temp].

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I have always been a fan of Allman's BBQ in Frederickburg and was down there on Sunday. Their main location is closed on Sunday, but they open a drive thru/walk up sight at an old bank drive thru last year, next to BIGLOTS on RT 3. Unfortunatley this time, the BBQ I got home with had multiple dried pieces of pork in each sandwich and the BBQ itself tasted really tired and bland. The only redeeming aspect was the Baked Beans--they are the best. Called to let them know and they will replace the sandwiches on my next visit...God I miss the Dixie Pig when I was growing up here :angry:

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My favorite is still not all that great.... Hogs on the hill in Beltsville. Take out only. Meat is pretty good but the sauce is a little weak.

Is this the same as the Hogs on the Hill in NE on New York Ave before Bladensburg, right behind the Checkers? Have passed the place a few times and wondered if it might be any good. Anyone been to this outpost?

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Is this the same as the Hogs on the Hill in NE on New York Ave before Bladensburg, right behind the Checkers? Have passed the place a few times and wondered if it might be any good. Anyone been to this outpost?
I have a few times. It's better than Checker's....and Kenny's on Maryland Avenue, but certainly nothing earth shattering. I think the best 'cue on the hill comes out of the bradley smoker in my back yard :mellow:
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Kenny's on Maryland Avenue
Kenny's is the only place that will make me pine for Ribsters. The memory of the sauce just sends chills up my back, not just the radioactive color, but the flavor, it brought back memories of food that I was served at Bethesda Naval Hospital in 1975 and that was a memory I did not wish to recover.
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Kenny's is the only place that will make me pine for Ribsters. The memory of the sauce just sends chills up my back, not just the radioactive color, but the flavor, it brought back memories of food that I was served at Bethesda Naval Hospital in 1975 and that was a memory I did not wish to recover.

You see, I'm from the West Coast, where, in our abject ignorance, we grow up using the word "barbecue" for "grilling". Even I know enough to know that Kenny's is not anything special, but now any deluded notion I had that it was good at all has been completely destroyed by this authoritative and damning post. Now when the wife chirpily suggests we pick up something on the fly at Kenny's I shall immediately think "Bethesda Naval Hospital" with a shudder. Ignorance can be blissful; now I just feel dirty and ashamed.

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You see, I'm from the West Coast, where, in our abject ignorance, we grow up using the word "barbecue" for "grilling". Even I know enough to know that Kenny's is not anything special, but now any deluded notion I had that it was good at all has been completely destroyed by this authoritative and damning post. Now when the wife chirpily suggests we pick up something on the fly at Kenny's I shall immediately think "Bethesda Naval Hospital" with a shudder. Ignorance can be blissful; now I just feel dirty and ashamed.

Fine want more details? The sauce that I mentioned was indeed a red that almost had a glow to it, and the taste was pasty, sour with an unnatural sweetness. The ribs that I had were almost inedible due to the toughness of the meat, and the chopped pork had a washed out taste as if it had been braised in water and for far too long. As for the sides, I found that the Mac and Cheese was greasy and lacking in any real cheese flavor, however, the Green Beans were the star of the afternoon, as they tasted like some care had been put into them, something akin to the well cooked beans at Del Merei Grille. Other than the green beans I did not detect any smoke in the food.

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Is this the same as the Hogs on the Hill in NE on New York Ave before Bladensburg, right behind the Checkers? Have passed the place a few times and wondered if it might be any good. Anyone been to this outpost?
I have a few times. It's better than Checker's....and Kenny's on Maryland Avenue, but certainly nothing earth shattering. I think the best 'cue on the hill comes out of the bradley smoker in my back yard :mellow:

Kenny's used to be Hogs on the Hill years ago, the original branch, I think.

My current favorite is The Rib Pit on 14th.

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I haven't thought about Blue Ridge Pig since college. That was over 20 years ago. Is it still good? The first time I went, the proprietor "strawberry" gave a tour of his "smoking shack". He'd also smoke a turkey (or anything else) that I brought him for $10. That was a deal. He was serving up some good Q back then.

Around here these days, not much to really talk about (I miss Ben's Whole Hog in Manassas). However, I think couple of places are worth visiting. Willards in Chantilly serves good stuff. All sides are real good to excellent (except beans). My favorite is Brisket. It can be from good to pretty good. The burnt ends and ribs are also good. Pretty reasonable in prices. I think the best around DC area. A close second is dixie bone BBQ in Woodbridge. Pork is king at dixie bones. Pull BBQ sandwich is real good. They have a buffet on sundays but I can't vouch for the buffet.

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I have a few times. It's better than Checker's....and Kenny's on Maryland Avenue, but certainly nothing earth shattering. I think the best 'cue on the hill comes out of the bradley smoker in my back yard :mellow:
If I'm recalling correctly, Hogs on the Hill used to be where Kenny's is now, by the old hospital.
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got out of town last week and got my que fix. Went to NC to see the rents and ate at Buzz and Neds. Got the St. Louis whole slab and two sides to go, very good, tough near the bottom of the ribs and could have been smoked abit longer but good none the less. The best of the weekend was, as always, my pilgramige to Wilbers. Ribs, chopped pork, slaw and hush puppies.....i was soooooo happy i almost cried. I might just have to open a joint to make myself happy. I wouldnt have to if Bens had never closed, i still miss his dry rubbed ribs....:-(

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The best of the weekend was, as always, my pilgramige to Wilbers. Ribs, chopped pork, slaw and hush puppies.....i was soooooo happy i almost cried.
Now that is some good que. I find that as far as chopped pork goes Wilber's is a close second to Skylight, but it is a) easier to get to, :mellow: have hushpuppies that taste like they were made by angels (as opposed to the horrible cornbread at Skylight), and c) they also have some really good fried chicken including fried chicken livers. Now those memories make me want to cry knowing that it will be at least another 5 months until I can get back to Goldsboro.
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tender but flavorless ribs, dry brisket and they serve fried rice for christsakes....I know it's a function of location but still...fried rice!?!

eta: I actually had some decent ribs and sausage from Old Glory the other night (not my first choice, but my first choice is 500 miles away). I got them dry and they were well seasoned, tender, good smoke and just darn tasty.

I had the exact opposite experience at these places in the last few weeks. While not great by any means, my Brisket and Sausage two meat platter at the Q last week was perfectly satisfying with a mix of the spicy and mild sauces. The sides still suck, but I'm there for the meat, so I get past it.

Old Glory, on the other hand, was miserable last week. Pulled chicken tasted like it had been out for a while, as it was cold within 2 minutes of touching the table and totally dry to boot. The hand sliced brisket was dry enough that the slices barely bent when picked up and actually snapped like a pencil when pressure was put on them. Loved the mustard sauce and the Savannah BBQ sauce on the table, though, they did their best to save an unsavable meal. The mac and cheese needed half the shaker of salt and the fries were passable, but definitely nothing to write home about. I'm trying to save calories and money these days, and as soon as I was done I wanted these 1000+ calories and $23 after tip back.

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The way I see it, barbecue is a distinctly Southern thing, so if you're going to find it in this area, you have to go south!

My formative barbecue experiences have been in the Carolinas, which means pulled pork sandwiches with vinegar-based sauces and cole slaw, and the best in this area (that I've found) are American BBQ in Lorton, VA and (as someone else has already pointed out) Dixie Bones in Woodbridge, VA. Neither place is quite like being in Goldsboro or Florence, but the pulled pork is tender, juicy, smokey, and flavorful, with minimalist sauces that let you taste the pork underneath, and cole slaw not drenched in mayonnaise. I can't speak to ribs at either place (I'm not sure they even have them, since that's not really the Carolina way), but if a good BBQ sandwich is what you're after, I would recommend either place.

And just to be sure, I would stay the hell away from Famous Dave's and the (already much maligned) Red Hot and Blue. Both places have not inedible food, but the prices you pay are outrageous for what should be a really simple meal, and you could do much better for the same amount of money just about anywhere else.

So, that's my two cents--hope this helps somewhere feed their craving for some slow-cooked meat!

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This weekend's weather looks to be spectacular. If you can get away I highly recommend following Irving Streete's Advice regarding barbeque in southern Maryland. Also, L'il Margaret's Bluegrass Festival in Leonardtown is the real deal and is a true gem. If you go, try to camp over Saturday and visit the trailer campground after the show. That's where the real musical magic happens. Seriously, go.

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As far as Va BBQ I am partial to two in particular:

Buz and Ned's in Richmond (specifically ribs)

B'z BBQ company (Formerly known as the mighty midget kitchen) based out in Paeonian grocery in Leesburg, Va

Though I do think the best BBQ is usually out of your own smoker.....

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Having read a series of posts about the sad state of barbecue here in Northern Virginia, I have to ask whether there's any actual good barbecue. What I've found so far isn't promising. Ignoring the chain places, here's what I've found:

Virginia Barbecue in Manassas. The "Virginia" style tasts like nothing else in Virginia, but not in a good way. Worse, the staff is unhelpful, knows nothing about barbecue, and doesn't care. They once packed a pound for carry out in a cup with a hole in it, and wouldn't replace it when I pointed out the problem. All they said was "Oh." Then, "We'll call our manager."

BBQ World. It's convenient if you're in Burke. It used to be really good. Now the pulled pork tasts like it was made in a crock pot. The beef brisket has no taste at all.

Dixie Bones. The comments of a few days ago get the spirit, but they are far too kind. Too bad, because it used to be good.

The guy on Rt. 29. I can't remember his place's name, but he's in a trailer on Rt 29 near Warrenton. His smoker is on the back porch of the trailer. Looks promising, but the barbecue is over sauced, and the sauce is so sweet it'll run your blood glucose into quadruple digits.

I've traveled long distances to get great barbecue, but it would be nice to be able to get something edible close enough to home that I can do carry-out on a Tuesday night when I'm too tired to cook.

Here are some places that constitute good barbecue, just for comparison. They're all too far away for carry out if you live around here.

Black's Barbecue - Lockhart, Texas

Joe's Eat - Montgomery, Alabama (this place is probably closed)

Moore's - near Raleigh, NC

Any nominations for great barbecue in Northern Virginia, or are we stuck with Famous Dave's and Red Hot & Blue?

Wayne Rash

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The guy on Rt. 29. I can't remember his place's name, but he's in a trailer on Rt 29 near Warrenton. His smoker is on the back porch of the trailer. Looks promising, but the barbecue is over sauced, and the sauce is so sweet it'll run your blood glucose into quadruple digits.
Jammin' Joe's. I'm not really a fan. I continue to stand by my devotion for the Pig 'n Steak.

lookie here

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Any nominations for great barbecue in Northern Virginia, or are we stuck with Famous Dave's and Red Hot & Blue?

Wayne Rash

Try the rib guy at Gilberts Corner (15 and 50 just east of Aldie). There's a short thread on it. B'z Barbecue in Paeonian Springs (the guy who used to be at the Mighty Midget) is also supposed to be very good.

You know where you can get a great pulled pork sandwich? Market Salamander, Sheila Johnson's gourmet market in Middleburg. It's the best value in the place. Seriously, really good.

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Try the rib guy at Gilberts Corner (15 and 50 just east of Aldie). There's a short thread on it. B'z Barbecue in Paeonian Springs (the guy who used to be at the Mighty Midget) is also supposed to be very good.

You know where you can get a great pulled pork sandwich? Market Salamanader, Sheila Johnson's gourmet market in Middleburg. It's the best value in the place. Seriously, really good.

Second Market Salamander's pulled pork-great slaw too. Lovely to eat out on the back terrace in this weather.

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