#20 – RIB TIPS at JOHN BROWN SMOKEHOUSE

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

There have been many instances where I thought Time Out picked the wrong dish at a particular restaurant. Mostly it’s just a matter of opinion, but it wasn’t until I visited John Brown Smokehouse that I really thought there was a full-on mistake. They must have meant to include the burnt ends instead of the rib tips. I’m sure of it. The names are very similar and when you order a platter of two meats, they’re served awfully close together.

I actually had to ask the girl behind the counter which meat was which because there was no doubt which was superior and I was shocked that Time Out missed the boat on this one. Perhaps they never got to try the burnt ends. Or perhaps it really was a misprint.

I fell in love with John Brown Smokehouse, which is unassumingly situated on a residential block on the outskirts of Long Island City and Astoria. The minute you open the door and receive wisps of smoke-scented delights, you know you’ve discovered some place special. The barbecue is Kansas City-style, but the serving method is reminiscent of the big by-the-pound Texas joints that I love.

Josh Bowen, the pitmaster, was charming and hospitable as he offered us free samples of the stunning lamb sausage and the mid-bogglingly good burnt ends. I said, “If you give us too many free samples, we’ll end up being too full to order,” and he joked that that would probably be a good thing for his reputation.

We managed to conserve our appetites and ordered a 2 meat platter with the rib tips, burnt ends, mashed sweet potatoes, and collard greens. The vegetables were awesome. I could have just done a plate of those: the greens were tender and studded with meaty bacon slices, while the sweet potatoes were fantastically lively with a healthy spike of ginger.

I guess I have to talk about the rip tips since those are technically what’s on Time Out’s 100 Best list, but I can’t think of anything except those burnt ends. The cubes of fatty (but perfectly marbled) charred brisket were so tender and pillowy that the meat just melted into oblivion on my tongue. They were heavenly and dangerously addicting.

Okay, now to the rip tips. What can I say? They were fine – a little tough, but they had some nice flavor (especially if you add the seriously hot and tangy ghost pepper sauce) and a beautiful seasoned char on top. They weren’t as tender as I was hoping, but they were good. Yet they got completely overshadowed by the game changing burnt ends. I think Time Out needs to take another visit to John Brown Smokehouse and listen to me this time.

Would John Brown Smokehouse’s Rib Tips make my Top 100 of the year? They were good earning a 7 out of 10, but the spectacular burnt ends are all I can think about and those perfect hunks of meat topped my list last year.