The “Dark and Stormy” St. Louis-style Ribs @ B Side BBQ, West Oakland. The Macaroni and Cheese is an add-on. The Texas Toast and Pickled Vegetables are standard, as are the killer soul tunes.
Naturally, there’s always bound to be lots of regional debates about “proper” barbecue, and let’s face it, here in America, we can’t even come to a consensus on the simple pork-versus-beef issue, much less the different styles of sauces, or the merits of dry rubbing and wet mopping, or even what type of wood to use for smoking. But I think that we can all agree that, at the very least, proper barbecue must be tender and succulent, and so that’s all I really look for these days: Has the meat been cooked long enough to become tender, and has it been cooked low enough to retain succulence? As long as that’s been achieved, then I can probably get down with whatever type of sauce is in play (Carolina-style is my favorite though). As promised, I made another trip to B Side BBQ in West Oakland today, this time for some ribs, specifically, their “Dark and Stormy” St. Louis-style Ribs, pictured above. So, are the ribs at B Side tender and succulent? Why, yes they are. Just twist the bone and it’ll slide right out. Automatic stamp of approval. Done.
