BBQ’s like bacon. It enjoys a natural allure. Maybe it’s the primitivism of its origins. Something about the pure honesty of meat on flame and enveloped in smoke. Time and technique gave it nuance and tenderness. Sauce gave it another layer of bold flavor.
With scores of pits dotting the city, it’s easy to satisfy your craving to gnaw succulent meat off bone. But what if you need to be strategic and only have once in the entire year to enjoy this most tantalizing of treats? What do you do? Especially if you don’t want to waste your shot on the mediocre.
Fortunately, the Trib’s Nick Kindelsperger did the leg work a couple of months ago to uncover those establishments (six in all) that offer some of the best ribs in the city. City Pleasures checked out two of them and is up to vouch for the superiority of both.
The Full Slab, just south of 83rd Street on Stony Island is so classic in appearance it could almost be a cliché. There’s no bullet proof shield separating customers from the restaurant’s staff but all the elements that characterize a no-frills operation are there. The work takes places on the north side of the counter and customers stand along the south wall while they wait for their orders. Since there’s no sit-down service, chairs and tables are completely absent. Big playful advertising posters promoting the restaurant line a corridor and make up the only decoration. The feel’s clean efficiency.
Dangling in the 90’s, temperatures made the restaurant just bearably sticky. Welcoming and cordial despite the heat, the staff didn’t even seem annoyed with the light shower of questions about recommendations and food preparation. Settling on a half slab and rib tips with a variety of sides, we patiently chilled and watched someone hand cut potatoes for fries.
Curiously small servings of sides seem to be a staple of most traditional bbq “shacks”. A couple of dollops of greens or baked beans don’t usually qualify as true accompaniments to a meal. But in the world of BBQ, no one quibbles. At The Full Slab, the hue and odd bitterness of the greens made them taste as if they had been braised. And something left an odd lingering aftertaste making the meager portions more than adequate.
A conversation with another customer gave us the sense The Full Slab’s secret weapon might just be their sauce. We decided to choose wisely from four choices: Chicago (mild and sweet), Memphis (tangy vinegar based), Carolina (sweet mustard based) and Flaming Hot. Even though we were a little taken aback at the carnage when we opened the Styrofoam lid of the tips; the first bite dispelled any concerns about the integrity of the meat. Roughly and unevenly chopped, the meat was still pliable, wonderfully tender and unquestionably delicious. The sauce made them sensational despite the lack of visual bounce.
Ribs fared much better on the eyeball test. They looked meaty, substantial and appetizing as they poised on a large mound of fries; generously doused with sauce. And again, it’s the sauce that’s radiant, or even brilliant, at The Full Slab. The meat’s toothsome, plentiful and more than satisfying. But it’s the layered complexity of the sauce that sets the restaurant apart from others in Chicago practicing the grill arts. They’ll even mix the sauces to give you the heat level or flavor profile you’re looking for. The balance of sweet (Chicago) and heat (Flaming Hot) proved ideal for not only the ribs and tips, it even added interest to the fries. They’d have been bereft of excitement without it.
Because of their popularity, the cashier also recommended the turkey tips. But their high demand also makes them hard to score. One day they had run out by 6pm and it would be a couple of hours before more would be ready. On another they weren’t ready for sale even after noon and wouldn’t be available until midday. Fortunately, the ribs and tips with their covetous sauce are all reasons to return on their own.
The Full Slab
8340 S. Stony Island Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60617
312-620-7522
www.thefullslabchicago.com
Tomorrow: Nine One One – Evergreen Park
