Friday, May 31, 2013
One Bite / Food Chain / Food & Drink Smoke the accessories at Rub's Backcountry Smokehouse
Posted By Mike Sula on 05.31.13 at 03:33 PM
Sign up for our newsletters Subscribe
- Mike Sula
- Rub's smoked potato
All of this sounds rather grim for the small spot bedecked in porkphernalia and ancient sigils of regional barbecue, with servers all Elly Mae Clampetted in plaids and checkers, and a turntable spinning vinyl at the entrance. But a bunch of other things on the menu are clever twists on standard barbecue tropes, and pretty good to boot. Apart from the option of building sandwiches (Reuben, panini, burger), tacos, or nachos on any number of the meats, there's a smoked, baked, and stuffed potato that can be upholstered with pork, chicken, and brisket. The spud pictured above was ordered with just the standard bechamel, and it held up just fine without any other stuffing; the natural blandness of the tuber absorbed the smoke very well, and the sauce moistened the whole affair to scarfable texture.
Besides that, multivariety baked beans are not too sweet and nicely smoky, brimming with burnt ends, and there's vinegary slaw spiked with giardiniera, and a delicately fungal truffled mac 'n' cheese with al dente rotini. But with all that, as well as house-made root beer, custard-filled corn bread, and smoked apple crisp, it's tempting to wonder if Leonard & Co. spend too much time thinking about the accessories rather than the essentials. That said, it's still probably the best barbecue north of Irving Park Road.*
Rub's Backcountry Smokehouse, 6954 N. Western, 773-675-1410, backcountryq.com
*Tallest hobbit in the shire
Related Locations
-
Rub's Backcountry Smokehouse
- 6954 N. Western Ave., Chicago Rogers Park/West Rogers Park IL 60645
-
773-675-1410
- rubbbqcompany.com
- (based on 3 user reviews)
More by Mike Sula
-
Carnitas La Esquinita hides in plain sight
But it’s a serious contender in the little-meats game.
- Nov 16, 2018
-
Shan Shaan Taste is harboring a noodle hero
Veteran chef Richard Zhou conjures a rare regional specialty in a tiny stall in a Chinatown basement food court.
- Nov 12, 2018
-
Long live the Diner Grill
Now reopened after a 2016 fire, the 24/7 classic is spiffed up but remains a 4 AM haven.
- Nov 2, 2018
- More »
