AJ's BBQ Pit

AJ's BBQ Pit
3691 E. 3rd. St
Los Angeles
323-263-7427

A BBQ restaurant in East LA? Yes, in the land of great Mexican food, you have a BBQ restaurant!!! AJ's is about a block east of the Indiana Station of the new Gold Line Eastside extension. AJ's is easy to recognize because of the flames painted on the outside of the restaurant.

I went to AJ's earlier this week but they were out of ribs!!! Then last night I called and asked if they had ribs, they again were out of ribs. I asked are you going to have ribs tomorrow during lunch. She said yes. Then asked me my name, so they can give me a discount when I came. Well I called and asked if they had ribs. They said Yes. I asked if I got there in about an hour, will they still have ribs, they said yes. So I went.

I ordered the third rack of St. Louis pork spare ribs, $7.80 and 5 piece order of chicken wings, $3.90. Those prices are the regular menu price. I got the 15% discount because the nice lady offered it to me for my trouble. I did not at one time mention I was doing a review.

AJ's is Santa Maria style bbq, where the meats are cooked over oak wood. This isn't "true" BBQ but it is damn good if done right. Take a look at this picture, this is how they do Santa Maria BBQ.



The ribs were pretty good. Nice smoke flavor, tender, little to no fat. But the ribs were so small!!!! The pit master came out and even said sorry for the ribs being so small.

The wings were bigger than the pork ribs!! The chicken wings were about a medium spice level. There wasn't much of a crispy skin but the meat was tender and moist. Overall I did like the wings but I would prefer them to be a bit more crispy.

Service was very good. The lady's who gave me the discount on the phone was super nice. She didn't have to offer any discount but she went over and above. Her daughter was nice, friendly and helpful taking the order. The pitmaster was nice to come out and say sorry for the size of the ribs. He also mentioned they bought some more ribs and put them on the grill, as you can see from the above picture.

AJ's has been open for about six months. They need to work some kinks in their operation. I understand not wanting food to go to waste but ribs are a staple of any BBQ restaurant. They need to have ribs all the time. I wouldn't have any issues going back to AJ's but I would call first to make sure they have ribs.

Floyd's BBQ

Floyd's BBQ
501 W Duarte Rd.
Monrovia
626-616-7121

I was driving to Taco Lita and saw a sign that said BBQ. I was very curious so I stopped in. Floyd's is actually inside a liquor store called House of Spirits.

The meats are smoked, over smoked in those 55 gallon drums. If the pitmaster is good, they can make that work. The pitmaster at Floyd's needs to work on his BBQ!!

I got a pound of pork spare ribs, $8. The ribs were so dry!!! They must have been leftover from Wednesday. They were chewy and tough and just plain bad!!! I also got a bunch of crappy pieces that barely had any meat on them. They did have a smoke flavor, but it was very overpowering.

Service was OK. The people are nice.

I would never go back to Flody's again. This is among the worst BBQ I have ever had.

Mr. G's BBQ

Mr. G's BBQ
8022 Limonite Ave
Riverside
951-681-1993

When I first read about Mr.G BBQ, I had some high hopes for finding some good BBQ pork spare ribs. But after doing some search, I got the feeling this was going to be an oven cooked ribs. I would classify Mr. G as a soul food restaurant, more than a BBQ restaurant.

I got the lunch pork spare ribs, $8.95, with mac and cheese and smothered potatoes and the 15 piece hot wings, $8.95. The owner was very kind to give me a free fried chicken wing.

The pork spare ribs were oven cooked, thin, and drowned in a sweet BBQ sauce. Not my kind of BBQ. But for those people who think BBQ is what is served at Chili's or Tony Roma's, then you'll love these ribs. Now don't get me, the ribs were good. There is nothing "wrong" with ribs being cooked in an oven. But I'm looking for REAL BBQ. Real BBQ is smoked at low temps and for long periods of times. Oven cooked ribs take a couple hours.

The mac and cheese was pretty good but I didn't care for the smothered potatoes.

The hot wings were OK. They were crunchy but had little meat inside, even though they look big in the picture. There were some pieces that were too well done, not burnt just fried a bit too long.

The fried chicken wing was huge!! It had a nice crunch and great seasonings!! The meat inside was moist and tender. If the hot wings tasted like the fried wings, things would be great.

Service was great. The owners were nice and friendly. They brought your food to your table and refilled your drinks.

I would not go back to Mr.G's for the BBQ. But I would like to try some of the other soul food items.

Updates

Nov. 2, 2009

I went back to The Smoking Joint and tried their beef ribs.

Oct. 25, 2009

I went back to Dr. Hogly Wogly and tried their brisket and beef ribs.

Oct. 22, 2009

I added a picture of the new signage for Phillips BBQ in Chino.

August 30, 2009

I went back to Famous Dave's and I'm glad I did.

July 19, 2009

I went back to Ribs USA

June 14, 2009

I went back to Mom's Bar B Q House

I went back to Grandpa Fred's BBQ

April 27, 2009

I went back to Rib Nest.

April 20, 2009

I went back to Robin's BBQ.

March 15, 2009

I went back to KC BBQ Company and tried their burnt ends sandwich.

Feb 28, 2009

I went back to Dr. Hogly Wogly and tried their sliced beef sandwich.

Feb 7, 2009

I went back to Spring St. Smokehouse and ordered a pulled pork sandwich.

Jan 10, 2009.

I went back to Smokin Mo's BBQ and had a tri tip sandwich.

Phillips Barbecue - Chino

Phillips Barbecue
11748 Central Ave
Chino
909-517-3500


Back in July I did a review of Clark's BBQ, which is now closed. In it's place is the answer to my prayers; a Phillips BBQ closer to me than any of their other three locations, Phillips on Crenshaw, Phillips in Inglewood, and Phillips in Leimert Park.

The Chino location, has been open for about a week now and has seating for about 30 people in their dining room. Always a plus since the BBQ is so good, you can't wait to try it.

I got my usual, half slab of spare ribs, $13.48. Again a wonderful bark, smoke flavor, and meat ribs. Phillips knows how to BBQ ribs and they do a great job. There is no doubt that Phillips has the best BBQ ribs in LA.

Service was very good. I was greeted promptly and they guy behind the counter was nice and friendly.

There are a couple other choices for BBQ in Chino, but the best choice is Phillips.

Update Sept. 20, 2009.

I went back to Phillips and got the three item combination, $17, with pork ribs, chicken link, and sliced beef, which is tri tip and mac salad and cole slaw as the sides.

You already know about the how great the ribs are. This time was no exception. One look at the picture should tell you how great the ribs look.

But the chicken link is awesome!!! The combo comes with two sliced chicken links. The links have a great casing and wonderful flavor. They use good quality chicken for these links.

The sliced beef was only OK. It was bland and lacked flavor, I had to use BBQ sauce to add flavor. The only good thing I can say is that it was tender.

Service was OK. The young girl taking orders must have just started working there because she was very slow and asked the guy in the kitchen a ton of questions. The food came out quickly.

I now have two favorites at Phillips, pork ribs and chicken links!!!!!!!

The Smokin Joint BBQ

The Smokin Joint BBQ
8486 W. 3rd St
Los Angeles
323-655-7427

September 11, 2009. I can never forget what happened on September 11, 2001. Everything I did that day is still perfectly clear, today eight years later. The anger I felt that day is still there. I try and make it a point to be more friendly to others, but most times the anger I still feel comes out. That is wrong but can you blame me? I stood there in shock at the site of that black smoke rising against that blue sky. I saw neighbors going through a living hell. I saw heroes who died just doing what they do. I saw 40 heroes on a flight that fight back.

Today, I hate the stupid conspiracy assholes. Hey stupid, if a missile hit the Pentagon, where the hell did the passengers on Flight 77 go? They just disappear? I also hate the pussy countries like france and canada, who didn't support the US in the war in terror. Gutless bastards.

A friend emailed me about The Smokin Joint BBQ and I wasn't making a huge effort to go because of they only served baby back ribs and they are near the pretentious West Hollywood/Beverly Hills area. I mean an area filled with white people who think BBQ is oven cooked ribs drowned in BBQ sauce. But I decided to go for BBQ on September 11th. But I wasn't having a good day, so I wasn't going to put up with bad service or bad food. Luckily I only experienced great service and great BBQ.

I got the half order of baby back ribs, $17, with mac and cheese and cole slaw. I would later realized I made a mistake and should have ordered a full rack!! Ok a bit pricey when compared to other BBQ places but considering the area, the price is right. As readers of The New Diner know I hate baby back ribs and any ribs cooked in an oven or finished on a grill. When I got the ribs and I saw those grill markers, I wasn't expecting much at all. But as I lifted my first rib, a wonderful smoke smell hit my nose. Then my first bite was filled with a wonderful smoke flavor and tender meaty ribs!!! WOW, what a surprise, not what I was expecting. A very good example of BBQ ribs. There was a sweet bark on the ribs. There were tons of great tasty meat on the ribs and almost no fat. Since they are baby backs they were tender. But what a wonderful smoke flavor, I think hickory with apple and pecan woods. I didn't use any of the sauce because of the wonderful smoke flavor. In the area, this is the best BBQ place. Don't waste your money at a terrible BBQ, that started in Venice and opened about 2-3 miles from The Smokin Joint. Trust me, The Smokin Joint just kicks ass over that terrible place.

The mac and cheese was damn good; very creamy and had a bit of heat, I'm guessing he used a pepper jack cheese. I didn't care for the cole slaw, which wasn't drowned in mayo, which I like, but a bit sour for my taste. But I don't care about the sides when the ribs are so good.

Service was great too. A very nice lady, who is part owner, saw me taking pictures of the outside and welcomed me inside. I sat at the counter and was treated to friendly and attentive service. She told me The Smokin Joint had been open for about two weeks. She was really pushing how great the beef ribs were, so next time I go I may get the combination of baby backs and beef ribs.

Ok, for a BBQ purist, it is too fancy for me. I mean real silverware and plate? Of course I'm not going to mark down any place because it is too fancy but I just wanted to point that out.

But they serve great ribs and service is super. If I could stand being around the pretentious, asshole people that make up West Hollywood/Beverly Hills, I would come to The Smokin Joint BBQ much more often.

Update Nov 2, 2009





I went back to The Smokin Joint and ordered the BBQ ribs combo, $27, with double mac and cheese. Out came three huge pieces of beef ribs and half rack of baby back ribs.

The beef ribs were very meaty and tasty. They were good quality beef ribs, not must gristle or fat. But a bit on the dry side.

The baby backs were great as usual. Nice flavor, very meaty, and a nice texture.

Service again was very good.

If you're in the mood for BBQ, The Smokin Joint is the best BBQ place in the area.

Beachwood BBQ

Beachwood BBQ
131 1/2 Main St
Seal Beach
562-493-4500

Quite frankly almost all BBQ places in Orange County suck. They cater to the pretentious, jerk white people that litter OC. So I wasn't thrill nor did I make an effort to go to Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach, two to three years ago, when Beachwood BBQ first opened.

But I went tonight to have dinner with a good friend, who I haven't seen in a long time. Damn did she look hot!!

As you might figure, this being white, Orange County, they do not have spare ribs, but the only baby backs. I got the half slab of baby backs, $16, with creamed corn and corn on the cob. After a few minutes I got a rack of ribs with some noticable fat, you can see the fat in the second picture above, not a good way to present ribs. And of course the thing you always look for a BBQ place is the smoke ring. As the third picture clearly shows, there wasn't any smoke ring.

But I cut the fat off and dug into the ribs. Beachwood "smokes" their meats with oak, apple and pecan. But the ribs were hot to the touch but they lacked any grill marks. So I'm guessing they are "smoked" in an oven. So they did have a nice smoke flavor. The ribs weren't that meaty but the meat was tender. Duh it is baby backs.

The creamed corn was bad. Instead of being sweet, it had more of a country gravy flavor. Not good. The corn on the corn was OK, not that sweet but cooked right.

Service was good. We got to sit in the table by the front window. So we saw everybody walking and waiting for a table. Our server was nice and friendly and even though we were kind of out of the way, she came by often and we didn't lack for anything.

I wouldn't call this a true BBQ, that smokes their meats. But Beachwood BBQ is pretty good. I would consider going back, if I'm in the area.