In June I moved to Miami, which is not a real
place. It exists in a strange, unnatural bubble that is many times removed from
the rest of America and from the real world. One of the few things that, I
think, connects it to reality is BBQ, that most American of foods. Florida, and
Miami in particular, are not ‘classic’ BBQ territory in the way that, for
example, Tennessee is. However, there is a real history of BBQ in these parts
and it seemed appropriate to visit as many of Miami’s BBQ restaurants as
possible in my first few weeks here and to compare them accordingly.
In alphabetical order, five BBQ restaurants in
and around Miami…
Brother Jimmy’s BBQ
When I spent a week or two in Miami last
December looking for a place to live I found this restaurant and was super
excited that it would be a few minutes’ walk from where I was likely to end up
living. That did turn out to be the case; I could be sitting outside Brother
Jimmy’s in ten minutes from where I am writing this. Just a shame that it is
barely worth the walk! The brisket and pulled pork platter looks better than it
tastes, even with the array of sauces on offer it is rather bland, especially
the brisket. I think what this place is good for is drinking a beer at the bar
and watching the world go by; with perhaps a little BBQ on the side after
you’ve had a few. Drink-led, not food-led.
900
South Miami Ave., Miami, FL 33130 | www.brotherjimmys.com
Pit Bar-B-Q
This place is a good 45+ minutes away from
downtown Miami, on the Tamiami Trail / 8th St. out towards the
everglades. First of all, it looks awesome, and epitomises the first rule of
BBQ…
The more
run-down the BBQ establishment, the better the food.
(And to say that The Pit looks run-down is
something of an under-statement!) I’ve read a lot about this place and recently
it seems that the ownership has changed and the current custodians don’t seem to be
quite keeping it together as well their predecessors. Unfortunately, I have to
agree with that viewpoint. Much like Brother Jimmy’s, the pulled pork was bland
and the sauces added little to the taste. However, the sides were perfectly acceptable : rice
and beans, BBQ beans and plantains were all good, especially the latter.
16400 SW
8th St., Miami, FL 33194 | thepitbarbq.com
Shorty’s Bar-B-Q
This is another one that requires a car
journey, something like 15 minutes south on US1. Shorty’s has been serving BBQ
to South Florida since 1951; the owner, Edward Louis ‘Shorty’ Allen died in
2013 aged 104 and Miami lost one of its most iconic gastronomic figures. I’d driven
past this place a few times and had barely noticed it until a new friend took me
for dinner one night. On my first visit we had chicken and brisket which was
very good; on my second, third and fourth visits I had the pulled pork which
was fricking awesome! Unlike any other restaurant reviewed here, the pork comes
ready-seasoned with BBQ sauce; taking away the option of personalising your
pork is a brave thing to do but the taste is all the better for it, and remains
hot for much longer than a lot of the other food reviewed in this post. The
second rule of BBQ…
The
sides can make a BBQ.
Shorty’s has some great sides : the cornbread
is excellent, as is the mac and cheese but the clear stand-out sides are the
okra and the fried green tomatoes. I’m a big fan of the former, but in my
experience ‘ladies fingers’ served in Europe are often mushy and tasteless, the
opposite is true here and they are delicious. However, the latter is THE best
side I’ve eaten anywhere : juicy, flavoursome, crisp breadcrumb on the outside
and a delicious Ranch dip.
9200
South Dixie Hwy., Miami, FL 33156 | www.shortys.com
Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue
This was my first BBQ experience in Miami and
I’m going to just come right out and say it : I love it. A 20 minute walk (or
10 minute ride on the MetroMover) over the Miami River into downtown. At
lunchtime it is always busy, but I’d never been in the evening before so went
last weekend with a mate. An after-dark walk around downtown is not a great
experience, and I can’t even tell you what my mate saw a homeless man doing in
the street almost opposite Sparky’s! But that didn’t at all detract from sitting
at the bar with a craft beer and a brisket / pulled pork platter, all of which
was great. Mac and cheese and BBQ beans on the side were great too. This place
is a ‘banker’ any time of day (I've been twice for lunch this week), laid back with super-friendly staff and a
fantastic beer selection. Oh, and the Key Lime Pie is great too!
204 NE
1st St., Miami, FL 33131 | www.sparkysroadsidebarbecue.com
Uncle Tom’s Barbecue
Another Miami stalwart that has been serving
food forever, and another one located on the Tamiami Trial / 8th
St., not far from the heart of Little Havana! The food is good here, but not as
good as a couple of the other places covered in this post. However, it is a
short drive from the office so can be visited at lunchtime with ease… and that
counts for something for sure. Pulled pork is good but not great, mac and
cheese is good but not great, ribs are good but not great… you get the picture.
Bizarrely, the high point is the chilli, which is awesome! Great atmosphere
inside and another restaurant with a good (but not great) selection of beers.
3988 SW
8th St., Coral Gables, FL 33134 | www.utbbq.com
So, five restaurants. Let’s see them on the
BBQ-o-meter…
Shorty’s for me is a clear winner, better by a noticeable
margin than any other restaurant here. However, Sparky’s is also very good and
its proximity to my apartment makes it the place I am likely to visit most
often, and it'll never disappoint. I’m spoilt for good BBQ in Miami, but I know that there are at least 12
other BBQ restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties… so watch this
space. And finally, the third rule of BBQ…
BBQ is
awesome. Thank you cows and thank you pigs.