Best Ribs in Seattle
Back to the 'best of seattle' for restaurants list that I was compiling. This time it's time to talk about ribs. A few ground rules and prejudices to clarify from the get go:
- It's a myth that you can't get good ribs outside of the south. i'm not claiming the ones in seattle would rank as the best in, say, Austin, OKC, or KC, but they're certainly good enough that you shouldn't avoid eating BBQ in the region...
- For those not familiar with the different styles of bbq, I recommend checking out this overview for some background reading: http://encyclopedia.lockergnome.com/s/b/Barbecue
- I prefer something closer to the memphis style 'dry' ribs. They can be cooked/basted in a sauce, but I don't want to eat something that's absolutely slathered in sauce when it's on the table. Also, unless there's a good reason to steer to the beef ribs - such as there's no pork available - pork ribs are the thing.
- If you're in a new town and looking for good ribs or good bbq in general, find the dodgiest looking place that you can. In the cosmic balance of bbq, the more rundown the place looks the better the quality of bbq.
Top of the class:
Home cooked though this largely depends on how good you are at BBQ'ing and what style of ribs you prefer... In my humble opinion, I can smoke a mean rib - and there's something nice about sitting back and having a beer or two while your dinner slowly prepares itself!
That said, my ribs lost in the only head-to-head comparison that has occured. I blame the difference in cooking methods! ;-) In fairness, Jeremy makes a really nice, bit spicier/peppery-ier rib. Has a much stronger smokey flavor than my ribs. Also, his cooking methods handle travel much better - the last stage after smoking is a slow bake in the oven with the sauce on the ribs... Doesn't really matter if that happens at his place or whereever they're being served. The second bake with my ribs just dries them out :( Even I will admit that that night, his ribs beat my ribs hands down.
Best you can buy:
Milt's (citysearch review): Actually, his ribs aren't as good as the bbq sandwich (shredded pork or beef), but the feel of the place is right and Milt's a friendly guy who runs the place. The sauce varies from a bit sweet to smokin' hot depending on what you ask for and how much of a smartass you are. Carl once kept egging Milt on until he finally went into the back and whipped up a special version.... The tears and sweat flowing from Carl showed how well he could compete with The Man if Milt wanted.
I'm not ashamed to be seen eating them:
Dixie's (citysearch review): Home of “The Man” - an incredibly hot sauce that you're insane if you eat. While nothing too terrifically special, it does get a lot of ambience points for being started out of an auto repair place and still being located in the converted building. The line puts you off though, so it's really only worth going to it if you're subjecting a new person to “the man.“
Frontier Room (citysearch review): It seems wrong to include anywhere in Belltown as having good bbq. Frontier room is a bit prententious, so I was a little bit suprised at how good the ribs were. The meat was a little bit overwhelmed by too strong of a smoke flavor but if you're trying to get good ribs and not wanting to leave the downtown area, this may be the best choice... Try not to be too annoyed at the over-the-top decor and how packed the place is.
Tony Roma's (citysearch review): You probably have one in your town or a town nearby. There are 8 within 20 miles of downtown seattle - and no I didn't know that until I just counted on the citysearch page. :) The baby-back ribs are a little bit sweet but suprisingly good given that it's a chain and so widespread. The sides are of marginal quality though... You're definitely there for the ribs. Probably the only place I've seen offer three sizes/options (half/middle/full rack). The mid-size is just right if you also have someone who is going to “sample“ a few ribs from your plate (Clodagh!).
Rock Bottom: One of the main problems with Rock Bottom's ribs is the inconsistent quality. I've gotten them and they've been close to perfect, and I've also gotten them and they've been charred on large parts of them. Have a stout with the ribs though, since the sauce is made from the same.
I know the commercial is catchy, but please please do not considering haveing ribs here:
Chili's: Yes we all know the tune. Sing it with me. “I want my Chiiiiiiiiili's baby back ribs... BBQ sauce.“ Now that you've sung the song, STAY AWAY FROM THE RIBS. Order something else instead. Try the magarita grilled chicken, it's actually quite nice. If you really must have ribs that day, you should strongly consider going elsewhere. Even if you have to leave the rest of your party behind. The ribs are a rubbery and the sauce is nothing to speak of. I made the mistake of trying them twice, which is 1.5 times too many. You may consider Applebee's and others equivelent
Historical (and honorable) mention:
Cheesecake Factory: The cheesecake factory HAD a plate of baby-back ribs on the menu up until a year or so ago. Unexpectedly, these were really really nicely done and until they stopped serving them they were the best baby-back ribs that I had had in seattle.