Categories: Restaurants

Finger-Lickin' Barbeque

Author: Constance Cooper

Chicago and the South have always maintained strong ties.  And nowhere, besides Blues music, are those ties more evident than in the city’s barbeque.  An influx of Southern blood, farm workers moving north for factory jobs, brought a whole heapin' mess of soul food to the Windy City.  Here, listed from north to south, are the best and most authentic barbeque restaurants Chicago has to offer.

Located in the western part of Irving Park, Smoque is definitely the barbeque joint du jour for local foodies – and with good reason.  Smoque uses a combination of apple wood and oak in its two Southern Pride smokers to produce some serious finger-lickin’ ‘que.  Carolina-style sauce, Memphis-style pulled pork, Austin-style brisket, Smoque serves up a veritable national barbeque fusion.  For something new, give the meaty St. Louis ribs a try.  More substantial than their baby back cousins, St. Louis ribs are thick and succulent, although less tender than baby backs due to their flavor-producing fat content.  But the real star of Smoque is the brisket.  Tender and juicy, it easily yields to a plastic fork.  Smoque's brisket is crispy outside and succulent inside, with a smoky, spice-kissed flavor.  Smoque, like many barbeque joints in the city, is BYOB.  So bring a cold one (or two), roll up your sleeves, tuck a napkin in your collar (no one will think twice if you do), and dig in.

Run by the Adamses, a father/son team originally from Arkansas, Logan Square's Honey One was the first barbeque restaurant on the North Side to use hickory rather than gas to prepare their ‘que.  Robert Adams Jr. runs the register while Robert Adams Sr. mans the four-by-eight-foot pit – where cherry, hickory and oak are used to slow-cook ribs, tips, pulled pork and brisket.  Honey One’s baby back ribs - served with fries, white bead and coleslaw - have become a citywide sensation.  One truly unique Southern delight offered by Honey One is fried gizzards, or chicken livers.  Although it may sound off-putting to the uninitiated, gizzards are rich, creamy and delicious – the country cousins of foie gras.  Honey One, like Smoque, is BYOB.

Coleman’s Barbeque is as real as real gets.  It’s a neighborhood joint with the best rib tips in the city and the best sweet potato pie to ever grace this Alabama-born writer’s lips.  (Don’t tell Mama.)  Coleman’s is a carry-out-only restaurant staffed by skinny smiling men who work the hickory pit and big, sweet women who take your order and don’t let you walk out the door without saying, “God bless you.”  One thing though, your order is taken through bullet-proof glass.  To say the far West Side of Chicago is transitional would be generous.  To say it is blighted would probably be more accurate.  This neighborhood has seen years of neglect by the city, and this is a side of Chicago many Chicagoans will never see.  But they should.  And so should you, if you take precautions for your safety.  People on the West Side are warm, gregarious and kind, braving adversity in a neighborhood largely cut off from the rest of the city.  And whereas the price of most “yankee” barbeque would make a Southerner baulk, (“Nine bucks for a pulled pork sandwich?!”) Coleman’s delicious ‘que is priced to a Southern sensibility.  Rib tips and fries start at $5.50.  This place is real, and really worth the trip.  A taxi is recommended.

Check out places of interest near Finger-Lickin' Barbeque:

Ruth's Chris Steak House
431 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60610

All the steak house accoutrements are in supply here, but it's the pat of butter on the steak at the end that sells it to steak house aficionadoes. Chicago steak gets solid treatment here.

Shochu
3313 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657

Named after the famed Japanese liquor, Shochu, this restaurant is trendy in nature with their Asian-inspired small plate recipes. 

Alumni Club
871 E. Algonquin Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is the heartbeat of Chicago. The CSO has numerous concerts and special events throughout the year. See the full list at their website. Tickets range from $10 to $200.