Quick Food Thoughts: bbq

I was watching last week's Top Chef bbq challenge while I was writing my last Top Chef post and I had a couple bbq thoughts that I wanted to share.  People are sometimes divided on these so if you disagree or agree feel free to chime in with comments.

1. I prefer pork bbq.
2. I prefer a thicker sweeter sauce on most occasions (not always and there is such as thing as too sweet).
3. My preferred, no mandatory, side with bbq is coleslaw.  Has to be there...period.
4. As far as coleslaw goes I can enjoy it on the bbq or on the side, but I almost always prefer a mayo coleslaw with a citrus tang over a more vinegar based slaw.

A Fisher's BBQ Flameout

A bbq flameout sounds like some sort of awful entree or app that comes on a Chili's menu.  In this case though I'm afraid I'm talking about the closing of Bender's BBQ Pit in Fishers on the corner of 96th and Masters.  You might have remember my posting of a favorable review of it's cuisine earlier this Summer.  After my post I started noticing that a lot of people didn't view their bbq from Bender's quite as favorably as I did.  I made a couple of revisits that I never got around to blogging about, but keeping in mind that the restaurant recently closed after less than 6 months in business it seems appropriate to do so now.

I stand by my original assessment of the flavor of the food at Bender's.  I enjoyed my pulled pork, and when I later had the brisket I found it even better than the pork.  The sauce was good.  The coleslaw ranked among my favorite of all time.  The problem comes from the fact that little issues that I wrote off in the beginning as growing pains never really went away.  Bender's seemed to want to do too much too soon (moving to a bigger space, serving breakfast) and the details got left behind.  For example, every time I got a pulled pork sandwich from there the bottom bun was completely soggy to the point of being inedible.  I kept hoping they would solve that problem, but they never did.  One time the top bun of my sandwich was forgotten entirely. 

I think it's a shame to see any local restaurant close, but I really wanted an awesome bbq restaurant in that part of town.  From where I live, as it stands now, the closest bbq restaurants are either in Westfield or off of Binford, South of 465.  Not really close at all.  Hopefully someone will take up the reigns and not really try to run before they walk.

BBQ Review: Big Hoffa's

The Random Dude Eats Random Food Summer of BBQ Love Tour was on hiatus for a bit while the band was experiencing some "creative differences" i.e. I actually got a little bit tired of eating so much pulled pork (I never thought I would say that).  However, before that happened The Girlfriend and I were able to make it over to Westfield for some bbq from a place I had heard about from various people, Big Hoffa's. 

Far from being a place where a corrupt labor union leader is buried in cement, Big Hoffa's is a very uniquely styled bbq restaurant.  Actually it would almost be more appropriate to call it a bbq stand.  There are tables and chairs on the inside and it's fairly comfortable place to eat, but you do order at the counter when you go in and it is quite small.  The Girlfriend and I walked up to the counter and we both decided to get the same thing: 1/2 lb of pulled pork, 2 sides and 2 of their soft garlic rolls.  I have to say I quite enjoyed this particular brand of bbq.  My pulled pork was not dry, but it was also not swimming in juice which can be the downfall of bbq at other places like Bender's.  The sauce was a good mix of smoky/sweet/spicy.  This is probably my second favorite sauce among all the restaurants I've been too around here.  The coleslaw was exactly what I expect and what I want.  Nothing outstanding but good.  The fries here I thought were a little bit special.  First of all I was impressed that fries were offered as a side choice instead of out-of-a-bag chips.  Secondly I was impressed with the fact that Hoffa's is not afraid to put a definite spicy kick into their french fries.  I loved them, but The Girlfriend thought they were maybe a bit too much.  Personally, I love places that want to set their fries apart in a manner such as this.  The rolls were really nothing special.  They were nice and soft, but they tasted somewhat like rolls you might buy at the grocery store heated up and covered with a little garlic butter.  They served the purpose of being a vehicle for the pulled pork quite nicely if you decided to split them and make some slyders.

On a non-food related note the decor at Big Hoffa's is well...a little bit bizarre.  It's set in the front part of building that contains other shops and has a very bizarre paint job on the outside.  That's probably the reason I drove past this place so many times without realizing there was a bbq place there.  Also, the inside forgoes the traditional Southern/pork theme that seems to permeate the interior of normal bbq restaurants.  Instead, Big Hoffa's is decorated in what I can only describe as attack of The Pirates of The Caribbean.  Jolly Rodgers hang from the ceiling and one wall is adorned with what looks like a large mural of Captain Jack Sparrow (Sorry no pictures.  It was a little dark, and it was hard enough to get a pic of the food.).  While it's a little on the strange side it certainly is memorable.  Also, there were a couple of other random touches I enjoyed:  a blackboard noting what type of woods they were smoking with today and the availability of house-made pickles.



Taste 8.5/10  I really don't have anything to complain about when it comes to Big Hoffa's.  It has moved to second place in terms of pulled pork enjoyment out of all the places I've tried so far...a close second to Squealer's.
Value 9/10  Know this, if you go to Big Hoffa's you will leave full.  It's the only bbq place I can think of that gives you meat, 2 sides with very healthy portions and rolls and it's delicious.  The kicker is that even with drinks included 2 people can eat here for UNDER 20 dollars.  I can get down with that.

BBQ Review: GT South's Rib House

Oh hell yeah!  The Random Dude Eats Random Food Summer of Love for BBQ Tour 2011 marches on, and this time the tour is marching into GT South's on 71st St. just West of Binford Blvd.  As we leave dozens of sauce crazy groupies who just love the pork in our wake we have come to GT South's to find out if our experience is going to be The Boss at the Garden in '87 or  a Loverboy coverband in 2011at the local AmVet (shudders).

To maintain consistency between these BBQ reviews I try to basically get the same thing at each place I go.  That being the pulled pork and coleslaw.  Those two items just happen to be my two favorites that I could eat almost anytime anywhere so it works out.  At GT South's I decided to go with the jumbo pulled pork sandwich with the standard chips on the side and a side of the coleslaw.  The Girlfriend, who if she's getting sick of BBQ by now is hiding it well, decided to go with the smoked brisket sandwich and potato salad on the side.  We both prefer the sauce served on the sandwich.  The Girlfriend went with the sweet sauce and I went with the medium. 

Before I talk about how the food/meal was I want to make a little rant here.  If you run a Southern BBQ restaurant it should be reasonable to expect that some of your diners might want iced tea to drink with their bbq.  As that is usually my preference I decided to order iced tea at GT South's.  What I got was tea with ice in, but that alone doesn't make it iced tea.  The fact of the matter is that the tea itself was setting at room temperature and wasn't the least bit cold before it was put into my glass.  When it was brought to my table the ice had practically already melted and I ended up with a lukewarm watered down glass of something that may have once been tea.  You claim Southern food as a specialty and you eff up the quintessential Southern drink?  Get bent.

Anyway, on to the food that really wasn't much more impressive than the tea.  When my jumbo pulled pork sandwich arrived I noticed that it was undoubtedly a healthy portion, but I was definitely disappointed that I paid a premium for a "jumbo" and got a sandwich that looked basically the same as the regular with the exception of a bigger bun.  Lame.  The pulled pork itself was some of the driest I've had anywhere.  It required I add extra sauce which is something I rarely do.  On the bright side I thought the sauce was pretty good and not too sweet.  It outshined the meat for sure which really shouldn't happen.  The potato chips were straight out of the bag and pretty worthless on the plate.  To me it basically is a statement of "here's some cheap crap to fill up space next to the sandwich".  When it comes to the coleslaw it was a lot like the bbq in that even when it's bad I still like it somewhat.  This coleslaw was definitely not made in house.  The pieces were all chopped perfectly into extremely small uniform cubes.  There was also a small rotten piece of cabbage in my slaw which was a turn off.  I also prefer my coleslaw more creamy and sweet than what this was.  The Girlfriend's brisket was tender, but she was disappointed that it made her bun so soggy she couldn't really eat her sandwich by picking it up.  The potato salad also tasted store bought and nothing to write home about.


Taste:  3.5/10  Like I said bbq that isn't so good is still ok, but I won't be going back to GT South's anytime soon.  That is especially the case when comparing it to other bbq places on the North side.  Also, I can't stop thinking about the small piece of rotten cabbage in my slaw even thought it was very minuscule.
Value 4/10 Below average here as well.  Not that it was expensive because it wasn't, but it wasn't really any cheaper than other much better bbq restaurants.

Bender's BBQ Pit Location Update

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a good new bbq place on 96th called Benders. I loved the food, but lamented that it was too small for anything but carryout. As I went there today for lunch I found out that was changing. I was disappointed I couldn't get bbq today, but I was glad to see they were in the process of moving the restaurant a couple doors down into a bigger more prominent space. The ability to have dine in customers and be visible from the road has to be a plus. They reopen tomorrow, and I'm hoping to get a sandwich and a peak at the new digs.

BBQ Review: Bender's BBQ Pit

 NOTE: Bender's BBQ Pit is closed as of September 2011

I'm not the sort of guy that goes out to lunch very often. Most of the time I bring my lunch, however mediocre it may be, to cut costs from my personal budget.  Also, while my office is in a very high traffic area it is an area dominated by typical fast food places.  Not that I have any problem with that, but it does get old.  That is why I was so happy to hear about a new independent takeout BBQ place that opened up just North of where I work on 96th and Masters next to the Blue Crew.  That place is Bender's BBQ Pit.

According to IndianapolisEater at Would I Buy It Again it has been open for over a month now, but it is tucked into the strip mall in such a way that I didn't even notice it despite the fact that I drive by there twice a day.  It was a good thing I found out about it though because it makes a perfect candidate for a review on this blog.  When I walked in I noticed two things immediately.  First thing I noticed was the smell.  The smell of sweet bbq smoke hung in the air so I knew right then they were at least doing something right (Don't oven roast something and tell me it's bbq dammit!).  Secondly, I noticed that this is a business just getting off the grand and the interior was spartan.  The drinks are served in cans since the soda fountain is not yet set up, and the menu is written on two whiteboards.  Personally, I love that about a bbq joint.  BBQ is the people's food.  Nothing about a bbq restaurant needs to impress you except the food.

As far as the food goes I decided to go with the day's special...a pulled pork sandwich (personal fave), 1 side and a drink for $6.  I was given 3 sauce options:  sweet, mild, and hot.  Normally I go for the middle level, but that day I decided on sweet and I was glad I did.  It was definitely made in house and was not cloying like some sweet sauces could be.  Perfect compliment to the meat. As far as the meat goes I will blatantly rip off Lucky Charms and call it magically delicious.  It was moist, well flavored by the smoke, had a nice texture (not chopped or shredded), and had those wonderful pink "smoke ring" and charred bits included.  The size of this sandwich was also larger than I was expecting.  Quite a lunch.  The coleslaw was quite good as well.  Nothing mind blowing, but it was exactly what I want in a coleslaw.  Nothing weird just do it right.

I really only have one minor minor complaint and it really had nothing to do with the food or service.  When my sandwich and coleslaw were boxed up they were put into one container with two parts.  As I took my sandwich back to the office the dressing from the slaw sloshed around quite a bit.  A lot of it ended up in the sandwich compartment and in the bag.  This made the bottom of the bun quite soggy so I had to eat it with my spork.  I was okay with that and personally I love the bbq pork/coleslaw flavor combo, but some others may not.  My suggestion would be a separate container with lid for the coleslaw.


Taste 8.5/10 It's bad news that this place opened up so close to my office.  I'll probably be going in there waaay more than I probably should.  There will be no regrets with I'm chowing down on smoked portions of Babe or Wilbur though.
Value 10/10  Only 6 bucks for a big pulled pork sandwich, healthy portion of coleslaw and a drink? Yes please!  I don't know if that special will always be there, but damn it's hard to beat.  They also have a 10 for 5 Groupon out right now if you're interested.

Quest For BBQ Redemption: Squealer's Review

For whatever reason, maybe it's the season, BBQ (not grilling mind you) has been on my mind a lot lately.  This has been especially the case since my definitely less than stellar pulled pork sandwich at the Ale Emporium.  I decided to set out one Saturday afternoon on an epic quest for smoky redemption.  Vowing to honor my pledge to only get bbq from purpose built bbq joints I decided to head for one of the first places discovered when I googled "Indianapolis bbq" before I moved here, Squealers.

Squealers has two bbq restaurants, one in Indy proper on the NW side and one in Mooresville, and if you've been in the area for very long you've probably heard of it.  Some of the reviews I heard prior to going there had been mixed, but I decided to forgo some other restaurants and move Squealers to the top of my bbq hitlist because neither my friend, whom I was dining with, nor myself had ever been there and I wanted to see what the food was like for myself. When we arrived at the restaurant and exited our vehicle I knew I made a good choice.

When we arrived at the restaurant on 86th I have to admit I was visually underwhelmed.  But flashy isn't what bbq is all about.  When I smelled the sweet smoke that hangs in the air around the restaurant I realized why I was there.  On my quest for pork nirvana the smell wafts over your nose begging you to go inside and experience paradise.  Okay so maybe I'm overselling a bbq place a little bit, but damn my food here was good.  I decided to go with my mainstay dish of the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top (personal preference) with a side of bbq beans.  Out of the 3 sauce choices (sweet, mixed, spicy) I decided to go with the mixed sauce served on my sandwich instead of purely on the side.  We also decided to get an order of their fried biscuits with apple butter prior to our meals.

Off the bat I loved the fried biscuits with the apple butter.  It was a very interesting texture with the soft biscuit dough on the inside and a little crunch on the outside.  They were not inherently sweet, but paired  perfect with the apple butter to almost make them a better fit as a dessert course if you so wished.  It was something unique I can't wait to try again
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My main course pulled pork sandwich was out and out phenomenal, and I'm not just saying that by judging it against other recent bbq disappointments.  You could see the smoke ring spread throughout the massive portion of pulled pork which illustrated the loving care put into the food before it even hit my taste buds.  The smokiness was present in the flavor profile as well and blended perfectly with the tangy slaw and bbq sauce.  The sauce itself was fantastic as well.  The perfect combination of sweet and heat, and even though I requested on my sandwich instead of on the side it was only drizzled on to add a complementary flavor.  Other restaurants take note.  Shreading the pork to death and cooking it in the sauce is not bbq.  The side of bbq beans was also very good.  Normally I would love the fact that the beans contained huge pieces of pulled pork, but being that it was also my main course it seemed a little overkill.  I'll just remember to switch it up next time.  The chips were straight out a bag, forgettable and completely unnecessary considering how big the sandwich was.  Squealers just do yourself a favor and leave them off the plate.  That being said if Squealers was just a bit closer to where I'd live I'd definitely be a frequent customer.


Taste 9.5/10  I know I'm probably going to get nailed by some of you for giving such a high score here because bbq is something that tends to be personal and a passion for a lot of people, but undeniably my meal was great.  Not perfect, but great.  Granted I may have yet to go to bbq place X or Y, but this blog isn't always about comparisons.  Feel free to express any opinions of your own in the comments.
Value 10/10  My entire meal, including my drink and the appetizer of the fried biscuits only came to 12 bucks.  With how good I thought the food was and with how big the portions were I honestly felt like I was stealing.  I've heard of other bbq places where just a sandwich and a side alone could run north of that number.