Honey 1, more than good enough...UPDATE

My 7-1/2 yr old son has developed quite the hunger for BBQ. Unfortunately, my ex has been giving him in turn, Rainforest Cafe, Carsons, and Dengeos ribs.

Determined to expose him to some quality 'cue before he is lost irretrievably, we made the trip to Honey 1 last night after calling and reserving his last slab of ribs and ordering a large tips. The trip from Evanston took an hour each way and while it was good I can't in all honesty say it was worth the trek.

The tips were by far better than the ribs; smoky, sauced, with plenty of meat and a nice crust. The ribs were really really fatty, there were large chunks of basically uncooked fat that was pretty unappealing. Mind you this is from the guy who trims the fat off the grilled ribeyes and keeps it for himself (my gf doesn't like it, nor do the kids)! Charred cooked and tasty fat...WOO, uncooked, slimy grey fat...not so much.

What meat there was under this was fairly bland as the jerky like crust pretty much prevented any flavour from getting inside the ribs. I do mean jerky, there were pieces that I sat around chewing on while watching tv late last night that I could. not. eat. The last few ribs (or the first, I mean the largest ones) were pretty good, but I'd say a good 70% of the slab was just so so.

The rib tips were fantastic, I just don't think I can justify 2 hours commuting, Hecky's is not as good but it's 7 minutes away.

Edited 2 times in total,: changed title to reflect reality

Octarine wrote:Determined to expose him to some quality 'cue before he is lost irretrievably, we made the trip to Honey 1 last night after calling and reserving his last slab of ribs and ordering a large tips. The trip from Evanston took an hour each way and while it was good I can't in all honesty say it was worth the trek.

Sorry your experience wasn't so good. They key to the explaination might be the fact that you "reserved his last slab of ribs". That says a lot as in it was the bottom of the barrel of what was there that day. It's a long commute from Evansotn to be sure, but if you ever get in the mood, it might be worth another try.

I forgot to mention, the sauce was unbelievably good, I was rolling up the white bread and dipping it in the sauce jsut to get more. I might have to make the trek just to get more sauce The fries were better than I thought they would be, definitely better than the ones I had at Chief O'Neill's Mon night.

Octarine wrote:I just don't think I can justify 2 hours commuting, Hecky's is not as good but it's 7 minutes away.

Octarine,

I very much like the ribs, tips and links at Honey 1, never had a bad bite from the place. A few weeks ago a fellow LTHer called, said he was about to stop at Honey 1 and should he pick up a little extra and stop by for dinner. Turns out another very finicky, and knowledgeable, LTH rib maven was stopping by as well so it was 5 for dinner.

Two take out slabs, large rib tips, large sausage, not a bite left. The very finicky, but as I said quite BBQ knowledgeable, BBQ aficionado, who is also quite familiar with Honey 1, thought them dead-on that night, as did we all.

I'll be the first to admit that BBQ, especially in a small shop like Honey1, is not an exact science. But when Robert Adams of Honey 1 is on, he's really on. I'd say give them another try, even with the 2-hour drive.

Honey 1's BBQ pit in action.


Enjoy,
Gary

Honey 1
5135 W Division
Chicago, IL
773-626-5436

What did your son think of Honey1's Q?

Thanks for bumping this, I was tlaking to GWiv yesterday and promised to clarify my post.

Andrew LOVED the tips, he also loved the fake lime drink we got from the armoured convenience store to the R of the Honey 1 order window. I will admit to a childhood love of those plastic containers of lime KoolAid type beverage even though I now prefer Limeade with a few slices of lime zest tossed in

I must repeat, the tips were easily the best I've ever had, the ribs had some flavour but the combo of overcooked crust and grey fatty deposts inside just turned me off a bit. I will ty them again, but not before I get full time employment! I think stevez got it right, I will have to try them at a busier time next time.

As Wiv started the day with a heartfelt confession, I'll end the day with one: I've never been to Honey 1.

Good news is, I live about 10-15 minutes away from the place. So, I have a question for Wiv, Stevez, and other Q aficionados: because I can go to Honey 1 pretty much anytime I please, what would be the optimal time to go (i.e., the busiest or otherwise best time to get the best possible rendition of the ribs). I understand that Honey 1 is inconsistent, and that timing is everything, so what time of day -and what day, for that matter - should I go?

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:As Wiv started the day with a heartfelt confession, I'll end the day with one: I've never been to Honey 1.

Good news is, I live about 10-15 minutes away from the place. So, I have a question for Wiv, Stevez, and other Q aficionados: because I can go to Honey 1 pretty much anytime I please, what would be the optimal time to go (i.e., the busiest or otherwise best time to get the best possible rendition of the ribs). I understand that Honey 1 is inconsistent, and that timing is everything, so what time of day - and what day, for that matter - should I go?

Hammond

Honey 1 is different than many of the other Chicago Q joints in that their primary customer isn't there for the ribs (their loss) and Robert takes so much pride in his BBQ that he doesn't cook too many ribs just to have on hand as opposed to, for instance, Lem's where they can count of huge volumes of rib sales and cook accordingly.

Most any day can be fine. I have found that what works best for me (YMMV) is to call ahead and tell them what time you are going to be coming so they have plenty of time to prepare the ribs. (They don't generally keep a lot of ribs around). Give them at least 3 -4 hours notice and then show up at least 30 to 45 minutes after you said that you would be there. This ensures that the ribs have plenty of time to cook and won't be rushed off the smoker slightly undercooked because you showed up too soon or they took longer than expected to reach perfection. Prime time is between 6 - 7:30 each day. If you call ahead and they tell you that there's only one slab left, tell them no thanks and try another day in order to avoid the Octerine "bottom of the barrel" experience.

Steve,

I'll take your advice, and call ahead, come late, and hope for the best. Oh well, so much for spontaneity.

Do you think I'd I improve my chances of getting a good rack by dropping your name or Wiv's?

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:Steve,

I'll take your advice, and call ahead, come late, and hope for the best. Oh well, so much for spontaneity.

Do you think I'd I improve my chances of getting a good rack by dropping your name or Wiv's?

Hammond

Dropping Wiv's name probably wouldn't hurt along with engaging Robert or Robert Jr. in conversation. My name will probably get you a "So what?".

David Hammond wrote:and what day, for that matter - should I go?

David,

Yes, absolutely, go to Honey 1!

My suggestion, if the ribs are to be for family dinner, call around 2-2:30, ask specifically to speak to Robert Sr. Order a couple of slabs of spare ribs, a full order of tips and a large sausage, sauce on the side. (all meats, not just the tips) Mention, once or twice, you are in no hurry and realize spare ribs take 2-3 hours to properly cook.

A little schmoozing never hurts and I'd suggest mentioning either the John Kass column, Mike Sulas Reader article or both, but the main emphasis is that you are not in a hurry. Yes, I know, seems like a lot of thought to put into getting a couple of racks of ribs, but, as you know, BBQ is more art than science. So, for the good stuff, it's not unreasonable we treat a Pit Master extraordinaire, such as Robert Sr., with the same love, care and deference we would an artist.

Enjoy,
Gary "Sauce on the side" Wiv

G Wiv wrote:

David Hammond wrote:and what day, for that matter - should I go?

David,

Yes, absolutely, go to Honey 1!

My suggestion, if the ribs are to be for family dinner, call around 2-2:30, ask specifically to speak to Robert Sr. Order a couple of slabs of spare ribs, a full order of tips and a large sausage, sauce on the side. (all meats, not just the tips)

Gary,

Thanks for the further guidance. I may give this a shot sooner rather than later. By "sauce on the side," I understand you to mean no sauce at all on the meat; just on the side, right?

Hammond

David Hammond wrote: By "sauce on the side," I understand you to mean no sauce at all on the meat; just on the side, right?

Hammond

David,

No sauce on the meat, sauce on the side. BBQ sauce, no matter how tasty, masks and covers the flavor of the meat. With good BBQ, such as Robert Adam's at Honey 1, let the flavor of the meat shine through.

BBQ sauce, in my opinion, is simply an accent, a condiment. A dredge here, a dollop there is all that well made BBQ requires.

Enjoy,
Gary

"GWiv: BBQ sauce, in my opinion, is simply an accent, a condiment. A dredge here, a dollop there is all that well made BBQ requires."

Gary, what are your thoughts on the Carolina-style (vinegar-based) versus the, well, i'm not really sure where (kansas city, memphis, anywhere?) style that is ketchup-based sauces, and how they interact with and accent the meat?
i'm always curious to understand learned people's thoughts on such a subject.

Finally had the chance to try Honey 1 for lunch today. Had a tip and link combo. Absolutly fantastic. Cooked slowly to smokey perfection and covered with a nice spicy sauce which, by the way this stuff definatly does not need.

Tried to buy some sauce to go for some upcoming ribs this weekend,but no dice.Not even after dropping Gary's name

John

ParkerS wrote:Gary, what are your thoughts on the Carolina-style (vinegar-based) versus the, well, i'm not really sure where (kansas city, memphis, anywhere?) style that is ketchup-based sauces, and how they interact with and accent the meat?

Parker,

I use Eastern North Carolina vinegar based Dips (Sauce) differently than thick/sweet/tangy tomato based sauces. In my opinion thick/sweet/tangy/tomato should be used as accents as they tend to overpower, masking, as opposed to enhancing, flavor. Eastern North Carolina, used sparingly, enhances and compliments as opposed to overwhelming.

I, mainly, use Eastern North Carolina Dip (sauce) with pulled pork and/or whole piggy. My technique is, after pulling, sprinkle a little Bob in Ga Dip on the meat to keep to keep it moist. The salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper, used in moderation, intensify flavor, the vinegar help cuts the greasy mouth-feel of the pig fat and let the flavor shine through.

One important thing I learned from Bob in Ga, past master of the whole pig, is to mix in all parts of the pig. With whole pig you achieve balance of flavor and it's a slightly different experience than eating individual parts of Mr. PIG.

I prefer, as I mentioned, Eastern North Carolina, which contains no tomato or sugar. The recipe I use came from the aforementioned Bob in Ga who, obviously, lives in Georgia. . I'm a fan of mustard based South Carolina style BBQ sauce as well. I'll include both recipes at the end of this post.

To be entirely truthful, there has been one instance where I used thick/sweet/goopy BBQ sauce on whole piggy. That was the time I used an unfamiliar cooker with an odd spinning grate set-up and 6-food exhaust that made it near impossible to control the fire. That poor piggy looked like it had been cooked in a forest fire then run through a tree shredder. Talk about BBQ sauce covering the sins of the cook.

Dave Lineback, who is an information resource on North Carolina style Barbecue, has a number of NC style sauces on his very enjoyable, and informative, web site The Lexington Collection.

In rereading my post I realize I slightly contradict myself. I use all types of BBQ sauce sparingly, the main difference, for me, between tomato based/sweet and Eastern NC is that I add a modest amount of Eastern NC to pulled pork before serving, whereas I would not add tomato/sweet BBQ sauce to meat before serving.

Coming from Mr. Nothing says Excess like Excess, it may be surprising, but I suggest moderation in all things BBQ sauce.

Enjoy,
Gary
-
Nothing says Excess like Excess


Bob in Georgia's Sauce* (Eastern North Carolina Style)

2 cups vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
(black pepper also if you desire)

Note: When I was at Bob's he used organic unfiltered cider vinegar and whole
cayenne or Tabasco type peppers.

*This is not actually a sauce, more of an accent, and should be used sparingly.

=======

South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce:

2/3 cup yellow prepared mustard
1/4 cup white sugar *
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ancho powder **
1 tablespoon chipotle powder **
1 tablespoon guajullo powder **
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
(I add crushed red pepper and, if I want it even hotter,
I use fresh ground piquins)
4 drop tabasco sauce
(I use a Louisiana style hot sauce, and lots of it,
instead)
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon butter

Combine all ingredients except soy sauce and butter in saucepan and
simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce and butter.
May be used as a basting sauce for barbecue meat or as a condiment.

* Original recipe called for 1/2 cup of white sugar.
** Original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of chili powder, not ancho, chipotle or guajullo.

OK, I was in the Austin area yesterday around noon and stopped by and picked up a slab and a mini tips to go. I must say that those were the best ribs I have ever eaten. Absolutely prefect, crunchy exterior, great smoke flavor and ring, sauce as foil to and not mask of meat goodness.

I retract my earlier statement, these ribs rock! The tips were just as good as ever. What did I learn from this? Gotta go early and get em fresh.

For the help of all of us.. a request.

1. What's the address of Honey 1?

2. What's the phone number?

And more generally - can people get in the habit, even with board favorites, of repeating information such as this when they post?

Sounds so good I may have to try venturing out there and getting some - though being carless I'll either have to find a friend with a car to join me, or plan on venturing forth via the Division st. bus... (anyone want to joing me for some ribs this afternoon?)

Shannon

Shannon Clark wrote:1. What's the address of Honey 1?

2. What's the phone number?

And more generally - can people get in the habit, even with board favorites, of repeating information such as this when they post?

Honey 1
5135 W Division
Chicago, IL
773-626-5436

From gary's post earlier on the page..

thanks! I missed it - got distracted by the slabs...

Shannon

The Man and His Wood
Honey 1 BBQ, January 31, 2005

Those of you who noticed the Bat-Signal flashing over Gotham today will not be surprised to learn that it was in fact the announcement of a summit meeting in the kitchen of Honey 1 BBQ. Like David Hammond not long ago, I had never actually been there either, and it was a great pleasure to meet the engaging Robert Sr. and Robert Jr. behind the bulletproof glass in the smoky environs where the barbecue is made, and taste it fresh from the smoker.



First we tried the hot links, while he told us about selecting a new supplier for links in order to raise the quality of the product.* (Much of our conversation had to do with his standards in selecting good meat to cook with-- and how most of his clientele doesn't appreciate it that much, alas, and regards his product as being interchangeable with cheaper BBQ shacks on the surrounding streets.) They were high quality links, greasy in the good sense rather than fatty in the cheap sense, bursting with smoky porky flavor and juice.

* NOTE: GWiv informs me that I got this wrong and he's simply refined his cooking methods to get a juicier, tastier link.

Then we tried rib tips and ribs. Honey 1 adheres firmly to the idea that ribs should have some tooth, and I think we all admired the combination of smoky flavor and meatiness in both the ribs and tips. Robert Sr. was even gracious enough to allow Gary to experiment by adding a little Gary's Chili Oil to his excellent BBQ sauce to create a hot version on the spot:



At some point one of us noticed that there were burnt ends being left on the cutting board. We asked Robert Sr. where they went and he said they were thrown away. Incredulous, we descended on the cutting board in a body and quickly started gnawing the leathery, but wonderfully smoky, by-products of the cooking process.

While Robert Jr. expressed his desire to open up shop somewhere that they could attract a more discerning audience who would really appreciate their BBQ, and asked us about new competitors (he seemed relieved to learn that we didn't think much of the new Hecky's in the city), Robert Sr. talked about other foods he has considered smoking and adding to the menu, such as turkey. That brought up an obvious question-- had he ever cooked raccoon? "I'm an Arkansas boy," was his answer, and soon he was filling in David Hammond (and Evil Ronnie, a very small portion of whom is visible here) on the finer points of catching (use persimmons or shrimp as bait), skinning (so as to preserve the pelt for sale), dressing and cooking raccoon:

As I told Robert Sr., even after two weeks in Kansas City, his BBQ stands up as some great stuff.

As this was my first experience at Honey 1 As this was my first experience at Honey 1, and the first time at any BBQ joint since beginning my sub-career as a smoking aficionado, I tried to stay sensitive to the unadorned meat, sans sauce, which was not hard to do, since I wasn't really crazy about using the sauce at Honey 1 (it's good compared to others, but truth be told, I usually don't like messing up exceptional meat with sauce of any kind). However, Robert does warm his sauce in a large stainless steel warming basin because he, like me, refuses to slosh cold sauce on hot meat.

The Honey 1 meat has set the paradigm for me. The outside was gently crusted and mahogany colored with smoke and no burned flesh on any of the pieces I had (not the case with the ribs I've smoked). Robert pays a lot of attention to his ribs as they cook in their glass sarcophagus, and he turns them regularly to get an excellent pink smoke ring that extends maybe an eighth or a quarter inch into the meat. He uses red oak and adds hickory throughout the day.

I saw Robert hatcheting the ribs and leaving a lot of interesting looking black twists of meat on the counter. "What ya do with that stuff?" I queried, and Robert said, "Into the garbage." Reason for junking these dry knots of rib jerky is that most people don't like them; in fact, he told the story of a woman who came back and asked for a partial refund based on their presence in her basket. Now, these toothsome, kinda burned ends are less flavorful than the fatty main mass of the rib meat, but the texture was terrific and it's a damn shame to dump them. I suggested that Robert consider selling them at a reduced price, and he seemed like that might work (heck, ribs are expensive and that's why most folks who eat at Honey 1 go for tips, and getting a bag of gnarly bits for a low price might appeal to some...like me). What he needs, I think, is a good marketable name for this item: Rib Jerky? Gnarled Nuggets? Gnarlings?

Aside from the master class in raccoon cooking, Robert shared with us that if you want to use the same spare ribs as they use at Honey 1, you can get them at Moo & Oink.

I live nearby, so I'm keeping the menu and phone number in my glove box; it seems like calling ahead is must...and well worth it.

Hammond

Hi,

One man's garbage is another man's treasure. Just a little sauce and those burnt ends look like these:

Technical note: "Burnt ends", the dish served up so famously in Kansas City are actually the burnt ends of brisket. The burnt rib ends at Honey 1 are something else entirely and should have a name of their own. I'm liking rib jerkey.

stevez wrote:Technical note: "Burnt ends", the dish served up so famously in Kansas City are actually the burnt ends of brisket. The burnt rib ends at Honey 1 are something else entirely and should have a name of their own. I'm liking rib jerkey.

SteveZ,

I appreciate the clarification. The plate of food that C2 included looked a lot moister and meatier than the rib jerky I was talking about.

Hammond

Yes. Her plate looks like real, actual burnt ends (as served in KC). What about rib-nubs?

Regarding the "Cremains" of the spare ribs. I thought most places just jackpotted this meat in with the tips? I know I have had tip orders around chicago that had them in there because I enjoy them and always take note when I see them. They didnt have little worms of gristle in them so I always assumed they where burnt ends.

From the sound of it Honey1 is going way above the norm to provide quality to his customers. So far I have never been around them during slab prime time so I havent had a chance to try them. I am going to have to go out of my way and give them a try real soon

bob

Bob,

The best advice I can give you is to give them a few hours notice if you want to pick up a slab of ribs. That way, they'll be sure to have a perfectly cooked one ready for you at the time you said you will be there. That's the best policy for getting pefect ribs from Honey 1, IMHO. There are always tips and links ready to go, but slabs of ribs aren't as big a seller for them, so they don't always keep extras on hand.

Bob K., the point (somewhat obscured) of the story told above about the woman who complained about her burnt ends or rib-nubs or whatever was that given them as an extra, she didn't view them as an extra on top of her order, but rather that part of her order was overcooked and thus she deserved a refund. Which is why Robert Sr. is reluctant to toss them in these days.