Brothers BBQ

This past week, my normal dining companion, my wife Ginger, was out of town enjoying a weekend with some old college chums. I was on my own for dinner Friday night. I am an accomplished cook and fixing something to eat is no problem but I have to admit I hate to eat alone and what's more I hate to cook for just me. I also have committed to write a weekly food blog and I can't very well write about Kraft macaroni and cheese or some other quick and easy, single person food. "What to do?" I ask myself.... "Aha" I say.... TAKE OUT!!!! But where? As luck would have it, just days earlier I had spotted an inconspicuous yet intriguing storefront on my way home from the grocery store, with a sign in the window that proclaimed "World Championship Ribs." Now I like BBQ and I even dabble at it myself occasionally....I have smoked a turkey breast low and slow and do a nice take on smoked baby back ribs also low and slow on the backyard gas grill. Now if I can taste what real championship ribs taste like then I can check that item off my to-do list! As luck would have it Brothers BBQ is on my way home and is located in the Regency Plaza on the corner of Euclid and Quentin in Palatine. At 4:45PM I pull into the parking lot and locate a parking space near the joint .....(as in rib joint and meant with the utmost respect). I saunter across street, that allows traffic to access other stores in the strip mall, up onto the sidewalk and approach the entrance to what I hope will be a slice of BBQ heaven.
Pushing the single glass door open I hear a loud gong noise meant to alert the employees that a customer has broken the beam of an electric eye and obviously is a patron requiring service. The place is very small, the space meant for dining is only about 20' X 20' populated with a few tables with chairs on each wall and a couple in the middle of the room. Directly ahead and to the left is the counter where you place your order. Hanging from the ceiling are several banners which obviously act as proud declarations of past achievements in BBQ competitions. There is one thing odd about the banners and the website that also has references to past glory.... No dates are listed for the victory... I mean when you go to professional football, baseball or basketball games the pennants displayed always have a date the championship was earned. I begin to think maybe the win was so far in the past as to be irrelevant and it's prudent to leave off any reference that says "yup we were good.....years ago." I stand at the counter and wait for someone to appear....I mean there is no one here and I begin to think maybe they are outside or in the bathroom and I stand there for several minutes reading the menu board and other signs hung around the counter. Suddenly a surprised fellow in a grimy red T-shirt with a barely visible Brothers BBQ logo over the left breast, calls out..."Say, Bud what can I do for you." I order a half slab dinner with two sides (cole slaw and beans) with fries please, and I'm told it will be just a few minutes. I wander about the tiny dining room reading the posters on the walls and examining the hanging plaques and notice that one of the tables in the center of the room apparently hasn't been cleaned up since lunchtime. There are crumpled napkins on the table and a small metal bucket with what appear to be chicken wing or rib bones. Considering this is a rib joint I'm betting they are rib bones. I start to wonder if eating here is such a great idea. As I wait for my food I re-examine the menu board and it really is an outstanding representation of the BBQ art. All of the "usual suspects" are present from ribs to brisket. I do notice that there are no takeout menus and no indication that they have a web site....hmmm the only menu is the menu board. I look past the counter and I see red t-shirt guy pouring crinkle cut fries from a restaurant sized and generically labeled plastic bag into the fryer. "No hand cut fries here".... I mutter to myself, "No big deal as I long as they are good." After only a few minutes more, red t-shirt guy calls out, "Here's your order Bud." and "anything else Bud." I tell him "No thank you" and hand him some money...."Just a second Bud," as he makes change. Annoying.....I almost prefer to be called anything else but Bud. I know he means nothing by it but it's somewhat irritating. Handing me a huge brown paper bag with top rolled closed, red t-shirt guy wishes me to "Enjoy your dinner Bud." "Thanks"....out the door and I carry my purchase to my car.
On arriving home shortly after 5:00 PM, I place the entire bag into the refrigerator since I generally don't like to eat immediately when I get home and my normal dinner time is closer to 7:00 PM anyway. First I change my clothes, grab a beer and turn on the television and then I plot out in my head how I will bring my dinner out of its state of suspended animation later in the evening. I watch a couple of Food Network shows I have in the queue on Tivo and now it's time to heat up dinner. I have carefully considered the sequence of events and I'm certain this will work out just fine. I turn the oven to warm, grab a sheet pan and cover it with aluminium foil and place the half slab of ribs, still encased in foil, (wrapped by red t-shirt guy) onto the sheet pan and place them on the middle rack of the oven. Just warming the ribs in this way will prevent the ribs from drying out or overcooking. Assuming the ribs are thoroughly cooked anyway anything above 250 degrees for any length of time will continue to cook the meat. I remove from the bag a large serving of fries and two half cup Styrofoam cups with lids and a waxed paper envelope containing a piece of Texas toast. The Styrofoam holds the cole slaw in one and the beans in the other. I return both to the refrigerator as it is my intent to heat the beans in the microwave. After 25 minutes I bump the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees. After just a minute I remove the sheet pan and place the ribs in their foil onto the cutting board to rest. I scatter the fries across the sheet pan in a single layer and place the Texas toast, minus its envelope, next to the fries and put the sheet pan back into the oven (on the middle rack again) and set the timer for five minutes. I retrieve the two Styrofoam cups from the refrigerator and slightly loosen the lid on the beans and place them on the turntable in the microwave.... Why loosen the lid? I want to spend the next 30 minutes or so enjoying dinner, not scraping beans from the inside walls of the microwave. I set the microwave on high for one minute and 30 seconds and press start. I remove the lid from the cole slaw and place on the edge of my plate...... next I unwrap the foil from around the ribs..... and stop here folks and admire these babies with me....It is a generous half slab glistening with a rich deep red BBQ sauce. It won't fit on the plate without an overhang so I cut the slab into thirds along cut marks that had already been started, (perhaps by red t-shirt guy). What a genius move... he obviously knew this slab wouldn't fit on a normal sized plate so he showed me where to divide the ribs. Next the timer signals that five minutes are up and the microwave also alarms that the minute and one half has also elapsed. I remove the sheet pan to the stove top and scoop up about half of the fries. They cover more than half my plate. I quickly taste one and realize they need just a bit of salt and I add a grind of black pepper as well. I place the Texas toast on my plate and there is only enough room on the edge of my plate for the remaining Styrofoam cup of beans which I quickly fetch, remove the lid and add to the party beginning to start on my plate. Oh boy I can't wait.... I sit down in front of the television and place my prize plate onto a TV tray adorned with a place mat, napkins, knife and fork and remote control.
After a quick nod of my head and silent dinner prayer, albeit a short one; I'm sure God would understand because man I've got RIBS; I go through the tortuous decision of what to try first. Easy. I select a french fry and insert it so that half of the fry is in my mouth and I bite down. The temperature is perfect and they seem none the worse for wear from their cold storage and reheating. Clearly they are restaurant supply french fries and they are just okay and serviceable. But I didn't go to Brothers for fries I went for the BBQ. I grab my fork and taste the cole slaw and it is absolutely delicious. I like cole slaw and I have had it prepared in various ways and with different tastes from naked to vinegar to heavy on the mayonnaise. This was a classic cole slaw with a vinegar and mayonnaise dressing mixed into a very thinly shredded cabbage and carrot. The addition of celery seeds was a perfect complement to the dressing. Okay now as I work my way around the plate I stick my fork into the beans and fill the tines with what appears to be a cross between baked and BBQ beans and stick the fork into my mouth. YEOOOOOOW!!!!! Oh my God what have I done? The beans are so hot and they stick to the roof of my mouth like a glob of peanut butter. Ohhhhhh.....owwwww......eeeee.... I grab my beer and gulp quickly in an attempt to prevent the inevitable, but it is too late. As I rinse out the fire I immediately probe the roof of my mouth with my tongue and feel the unmistakable start of the blister with which I'm sure all of you are familiar, particularly after gulping hot soup or having melted cheese from a too hot pizza adhere to the inside of your mouth and create the blister that takes a week to heal. What an idiot I tell myself.... what were you thinking? Why did you set the microwave on high? Why did you set it for a minute and a half? Why didn't you let the beans cool first. Why? Why? Why? Okay quit your whimpering at least you haven't burned your tongue! That's right and I still have ribs! Hoohah! I wipe my mouth with a paper napkin, heave a huge sigh and begin again. I slice off a single rib bone and nibble around the bone gingerly so that I can test my mouth and so far the burn isn't hampering my ability to eat. Emboldened, I take another rib in hand, bite down and tear the meat from the bone with hardly any effort. The meat very nearly falls off the bone but there is still some tooth to it. There is no apparent smoke ring and I'm not sure I could have spotted one through the thick tasty sauce. The sauce makes these ribs. Sweet and tangy with just the right amount of spice. I noticed that they sell the sauce in their restaurant and tell myself to make a mental note to stop by and get a bottle. This is one great sauce. So the verdict is the ribs are terrific. I've never been to a rib cookoff and so if they say these are championship ribs I will just have to take their word for it....all I know is everything was delicious. I enjoyed the dinner and I can promise you the only thing I placed into the trash was bones and used paper napkins, empty Styrofoam cups and a large brown paper bag. I have been to other rib joints and Brothers BBQ stacks up to all I have had. Brothers BBQ has a unique sauce and a great menu..... Oh by the way, they deliver and have a catering menu too. There are a couple of improvements I would suggest. Prominently display the web site address and also put a take one rack on the counter filled with a tri-fold take out menu with phone number and web site. I can't tell you how many times I would have opted for Brother's BBQ instead of some other food but didn't have the number or web site at hand. So as red t-shirt guy would say, "That's it Bud." I highly recommend Brothers BBQ if you like ribs and especially if you like a great BBQ sauce. I can't wait to go with friends from work for lunch.




http://brosribs.com