Omaha Metro Area's Best BBQ

[Brad]

Survey Says...

The United States of BBQ: The Best Barbecue From Each of the 50 States

http://firstwefeast.com/eat/the-best-bb ... -jacks-bbq

Nebraska - Phat Jack's BBQ

While the author hasn't been there, I agree with his pick!

[WBR_Tom]

My wife and I tried out a new BBQ joint on Galvin Road in Bellevue over the weekend that wasn't on Brad's list above -- Big Mike's, which apparently used to be a food truck built into an old school bus, but is now a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Nothing earth shattering, but it was competent BBQ. Better than some places I've been in Omaha, worse than others. Side dishes were underwhelming with the exception of the corn bread "waffle", which is a fun idea (instead of a muffin or bread, it's 1/4 of a belgian waffle made from corn bread). I couldn't believe the price though. Under $15 for two sandwiches, two sides apiece and two drinks. That's probably what will get me back in the door.

[nebugeater]

My wife and I tried out a new BBQ joint on Galvin Road in Bellevue over the weekend that wasn't on Brad's list above -- Big Mike's, which apparently used to be a food truck built into an old school bus, but is now a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Nothing earth shattering, but it was competent BBQ. Better than some places I've been in Omaha, worse than others. Side dishes were underwhelming with the exception of the corn bread "waffle", which is a fun idea (instead of a muffin or bread, it's 1/4 of a belgian waffle made from corn bread). I couldn't believe the price though. Under $15 for two sandwiches, two sides apiece and two drinks. That's probably what will get me back in the door.

Was curious where on galvon and found their web site.

http://www.bigmikesbbqne.com/

[Brad]

wasn't on Brad's list above -- Big Mike's

Cool, I think I saw the (CLOSED) next to a couple of the google search results, but that must have been the food truck.

Can't beat $15 for BBQ!

[skinzfan23]

For anyone who hasn't tried Swine Dining in Bellevue, they currently have a daily deal $10 for $20 good until 10/14/17:

http://www.dailydealomaha.com/deal/omah ... nmbly=true

[Nick808402]

Anyone tried Tattoo Bob's by White House bar or whatever its called?

I bought a smoker and haven't looked back (Pit Barrel Cooker), but I am tempted to try some of these spots around town (Smoking Jays, Tattoo Bobs). I liked Hog Wild a lot, made it a hungover Sunday tradition while watching NFL games.

I only smoke ribs for the most part, but have done pulled pork and chicken before. Haven't done brisket yet, but want to (but not particularly compelled to)

[HskrFanMike]

I've never heard of Smokin Barrel. Anyone had it?

Yes, and it's the best brisket I've found in Omaha. Better than many places in Kansas City.

[Brad]

Update from Boxer BBQ

I’m excited to announce that Boxer BBQ will officially be under new ownership on March 1, 2018!
Renea Dieatrick will be the new owner! And along with Jeff Westbrook they are bringing Boxer bbq to the next level! And yes, I will remain on as the Pitt master! The dining room will be open till 8pm and the fryer will soon be back in action! So you can get your long overdue order of DEEP FRIED BREAD PUDDING! And, as soon as things get going.....the Friday night smoked prime rib dinner! Also, coming back to the menu is the awesome Cod plank, Breaded Shrimp and our huge Chicken tender dinners! And of course the French fries, onion rings and more! I’ll be smoking up all the yummy meats you have come to love, I thank you for that! And I want to thank you all for many many years of support down here Boxer BBQ, Renea and Jeff are looking forward to your support....for many more years of fun to come!

[nebugeater]

Hog Stop at 2327 S. 24th St in CB is closing and will convert to a food truck operation.

https://www.nonpareilonline.com/busines ... hKHqpp81jw

[HskrFanMike]

For those of you who work during the day, Smokin' Barrel BBQ in Millard has added dinner hours from 5-7 pm Wednesday through Friday evenings. They are in an industrial shopping plaza just to the south of Deerfield Place. (East of 138th & Discovery Drive.) I still maintain it's the best brisket in Omaha; it rivals KC joints in quality.

[Omaha Cowboy]

For those of you who work during the day, Smokin' Barrel BBQ in Millard has added dinner hours from 5-7 pm Wednesday through Friday evenings. They are in an industrial shopping plaza just to the south of Deerfield Place. (East of 138th & Discovery Drive.) I still maintain it's the best brisket in Omaha; it rivals KC joints in quality.

Still on my list to try out..

Thanks for the update...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Brad]

For those of you who work during the day, Smokin' Barrel BBQ in Millard has added dinner hours from 5-7 pm Wednesday through Friday evenings. They are in an industrial shopping plaza just to the south of Deerfield Place. (East of 138th & Discovery Drive.) I still maintain it's the best brisket in Omaha; it rivals KC joints in quality.

They had a post on Facebook the other day that said something along the lines of “now I remember why we don’t do dinner service”. Hope it’s getting better for them.

[yman97]

For those of you who work during the day, Smokin' Barrel BBQ in Millard has added dinner hours from 5-7 pm Wednesday through Friday evenings. They are in an industrial shopping plaza just to the south of Deerfield Place. (East of 138th & Discovery Drive.) I still maintain it's the best brisket in Omaha; it rivals KC joints in quality.

Smokin' Barrel is my go-to spot for great brisket. Easily the best in town. Agree that it rivals KC places like Joe's.

[Omaha Cowboy]

That’s it. I’m hitting this place up over the weekend.. If the brisket is that good, I’m not waiting any longer.. I see on their web page they’re only open 11am-2pm on Saturday. .and Friday evening 5pm-7pm.. So I have a small window..

This is my plan at least ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[nativeomahan]

For the past 40+ years I always made at least 2 annual trips to KC for, among other things, the fantastic barbecue. This will be the first time since I was a teenager when that won’t happen. I really miss “road trips” especially now that I am retired.
Maybe 2021 will be a better year?

[bigredmed1]

Porkybutts has great brisket. Their construct of BBQ sauces is delicious. Mild medium and hot. Basically, the same sauce with increasing heat. The steps up are detectable, but the hot is not so hot that you can’t taste anything.

Ribs are a bit better than Parker’s. Their sausages are really good.

[ChadJK]

For the past 40+ years I always made at least 2 annual trips to KC for, among other things, the fantastic barbecue. This will be the first time since I was a teenager when that won’t happen. I really miss “road trips” especially now that I am retired.
Maybe 2021 will be a better year?

My last couple of BBQ attempts in KC were both mediocre. The most recent being a really disappointing experience at Jack Stack. My in-laws are moving back there, so I'm sure we'll be down there at least a couple of times a year in the coming years, so I'll get a chance to try a lot more. I'm looking forward to it.

My last great BBQ discovery was probably Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston, OK: https://www.butcherbbqstand.com

[nativeomahan]

Jack Stack has never disappointed me in over a dozen visits, but I don’t think the chain has the best ribs, brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork or chicken in KC (they do have the best beans and sausage, IMO). But they are consistently good across the board, plus they offer an upscale atmosphere. Other individual places have the best this or best that. All of them are better than anything I have recently sampled in metro Omaha.

[garyomaha]

We were introduced to Jack Stack's in KC about ten years ago by some friends. As far as I'm concerned, I will never be able to do anything good enough to pay back those friends. Jack Stack's (again, IMO) is hands-down the best BBQ I have had anywhere. As noted above by another, the upscale atmosphere helps. We often eat at Jack Stack's while in KC then fill a cooler to bring home to Omaha. I've eaten a lot of BBQ from a lot of places, particularly in KC, and none have come close. Oh, some have their own particular flavor or charm. We've had good places in Omaha, too, but we often look at each other and say "it's just not Jack Stack's." But, like pizza, BBQ is a personal preference and I respect whatever you enjoy.

[Busguy2010]

First time I had Jack Stack was like an awakening or something. I never before knew BBQ could be that good. I've only had it twice, though.

In Omaha, I've only had Boyd and Charlies, Famous Dave's, Jim's Rib Haven and Hartland BBQ. Might have had Hog Wild as part of some work lunch before, but I don't really consider that as having had it. Of all those, I've had Jim's the most, so I must prefer it.

[Brad]

Our current Go-To BBQ places are:

Porkybutts in Omaha
Boxer in Council Bluffs (New Location is great)
Phat Jacks in Lincoln

[Omaha Cowboy]

I still contend Tired Texan has some of the best ribs, brisket and burnt ends in the Omaha BBQ scene..The place has never disappointed me in the 10 or so times I’ve sampled their offerings over the past couple years..the only downside is they’re on the pricey side.. Big Jim’s on Ames Ave might have the best ribs in Omaha..

I still need to try Smokin’ Barrel...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[ChadJK]

I enjoy Tired Texan, but I wish they had more meat choices on their menu. Typically, it's only brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. No chicken/turkey. No hot link/sausage. Burnt Ends are only available sporadically. I get annoyed if I have to check a restaurant's FB page daily to see whether they're going to be serving the special I want to eat or not.

[nebugeater]

This is not Omaha specific but statewide. I thought I would put this here, though, rather than starting a new topic.

Here is a story/ranking listing someone's opinion of the best BBQ in each of the 50 states.

For Nebraska, the list states Grandpa’s Ribs and Secret Sauce in Lincoln.

I'm not familiar with this, and it may be just a food truck based on a Google search, but the story in the link implies that it is a brick and more business.

I won't discount the place since I have not tried it, but with all the other places that are discussed, this surprised me at the pick.

Lincoln, Nebraska: Grandpa’s Ribs and Secret Sauce
What started as a side venture for Terry Rupert in the ’80s is now a flourishing BBQ business. Even though it had humble beginnings as an enterprise, it quickly expanded. Terry named the place after his elderly friend, who was also his neighbor.
Sadly, age caught up to Terry, and he prefers to stay home these days. But if you run into him at his joint, one can always expect an unexpected treat from him. If you’re lucky, it will be the restaurant’s biggest hit: fresh, delectable briskets.

https://docjournals.com/djbestbbqcopy/? ... LIeu1jHRdI

[Coyote]

What's it like to qualify as a barbecue judge?
We went to Shenandoah to find out



SHENANDOAH, Iowa (KMTV) — On Saturday, reporter Katrina Markel took a class in Shenandoah to become a certified barbecue judge. The Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ Championship takes place in July and organizers want to provide opportunities for locals who want to be barbecue judges.

- Barbeque, barbecue, BBQ: no matter how you spell it, folks take competitions seriously.
- "And then you become certified and then we can actually feel comfortable about moving you into our judging room," said organizer, Mace Hensen.
-Thirteen-year-old Rhys Chambers will compete on a team with culinary students from Essex Jr-Sr High: "It's taught me a lot. It's taught me that different things will be judged differently, by different judges."

Learn more about the Kansas City Barbeque Society here.

[nativeomahan]

That brought back a lot of memories for me. I recognized one of the KCBS judge trainers in that video, back from my judging, judge training and cooking days. I used to cook on the BBQ circuit, where I met so many wonderful people. I also judged over a dozen contests throughout the region. I’ve since stepped back from all of that, but I still appreciate great hardwood smoked meats, and I recognize that it is an extremely time consuming endeavor to smoke a brisket to slow cooked perfection.

[Busguy2010]

That brought back a lot of memories for me. I recognized one of the KCBS judge trainers in that video, back from my judging, judge training and cooking days. I used to cook on the BBQ circuit, where I met so many wonderful people. I also judged over a dozen contests throughout the region. I’ve since stepped back from all of that, but I still appreciate great hardwood smoked meats, and I recognize that it is an extremely time consuming endeavor to smoke a brisket to slow cooked perfection.

I think they're wayyy too particular. The basics are cooking temp, cooking time, final temp, seasoning, and smoke. He hard part is maintaining the fire, keeping good smoke, and the time commitment. I'm sure you know. BBQ is hard to mess up unless you're a real knucklhead,
which when I started, I was .

Personally, I got my practice to the point I rarely ever think I could really improve it any discernable amount. The contests are too subjective to the tastes of the judges. I definitely like my stuff well seasoned and well smoked, whereas a judge might want to taste more of the pig, cow, or whatever meat. So you never know the palate to please to win unless you're really into that circuit. Not my thing.

[nativeomahan]

Teams that enter sanctioned contests (where the prestige and potential money is) know what judges are trained to look for, in part because most cookers have been through one or more Certified BBQ Judge training classes themselves. The classes take about 4 hours, and go into specifics regarding tenderness (too tender = “mushy” meat), appearance (you judge food with all of your senses, including your eyes) and taste (totally subjective). Taste counts for about half of the score, with tenderness and appearance a smaller percentage. Cooking teams obviously try to impress the judges with their entries, starting with how the meat looks. Does it look juicy? Does it look like something you would want to eat? When it comes to tenderness, brisket and ribs benefit most from hitting the right mix…and judges know that a team that has overcooked their brisket will slice extra thick cuts to minimize the meat falling apart when picked up. An undercooked (tough) brisket can be partially disguised by slicing the meat extra thin. Overly fatty brisket always got scored lower, so contestants knew to trim their brisket. Ribs where the meat “falls off the bone” are seriously overcooked. But if you risk pulling out your teeth while eating a rib the meat is undercooked. Seasoning is very subjective, and contestants know that an under seasoned or over seasoned entry is likely to get scored lower. Overly “sauced” meat probably lacks flavor on its own, and the contestant is trying to disguise that fact by ladling on a lot of sauce. Judges each have their own idea as to what is over or under seasoned, but since at least 6 judges will score a contestant’s meat it all tends to balance out.
When I was a judge I always looked forward to traveling to a contest, even if it was a 400+ mile round trip, because I knew that I would be sampling some of the best BBQ to be found anywhere.

[OmahaJoe]

I just read that Porky Butts BBQ is serving up BEEF RIBS tomorrow if anyone is interested.

https://omahafoodmagazine.com/beef-ribs ... -patience/

[almighty_tuna]

I won't be able to get out there to try some but damn! Hope someone can and reports back!

[Coyote]

‘It’s all about the smoke’:
Omaha restaurants celebrate National BBQ Day



All across the U.S., restaurants and meat lovers are celebrating National BBQ Day. Heartland Bar-B-Que in Omaha has been in business for 16 years. Here, it’s all about the smoke. “We take a lot of pride in the fact that we smoke our meat,” said Yanet Hart with Heartland Bar-B-Que. “We want you to taste the smoke. Not the BBQ sauce, but the smoke.”

Hart is also proud of their side dishes, especially the baked beans. “I think because we put apples inside our baked beans, that makes them a little bit unique,” Hart said. “They’re homemade. Everything we make from scratch.” Hart believes the BBQ here in the Omaha metro is just as good as it is a couple hundred miles south in Kansas City — a town that’s world famous for its delicious BBQ. “Omaha has good BBQ, yes we do,” Hart said. “We’re actually very lucky. I think there’s a lot of good restaurants in Omaha.”

Another one of those good spots is Jim’s Rib Haven, a BBQ staple in Omaha for close to 35 years. Like Heartland — at Jim’s, smoke is king. “We got a Midwest style BBQ,” said Willie Thompson with Jim’s Rib Haven. “We got a little Midwest and a little down south. We only use hickory wood. You go out west, people like to use mesquite, but we stick with hickory. In some places, they like oak, but I still think hickory has a better flavor.” They call this place the rib haven for a reason.

“We got two pork ribs, got the spare ribs... we have pork back ribs, and we have beef ribs, too,” Thompson said. The popular side dish at Jim’s isn’t necessarily the side dish — it’s the desert: a peach cobbler. It’s a big seller, and it’s got that southern flavor. “I’ve got to give credit to my wife’s grandmother, that’s her recipe,” Thompson said. “I learned that through my wife. That’s a family recipe.” BBQ is subjective, like all food, but the people who do the ‘que in the Big O believe theirs is on par with any other city across the nation. “We got a little bit of a variety of everything, but I think in Omaha right now, we’ve got some great BBQ.”

[Busguy2010]

I've got to restore my taste for good BBQ. A little off topic, but when I was in Valentine about 6 weeks ago, I decided to support their local BBQ joint. I recall in another post saying these exact words : "BBQ is hard to mess up" and that was shortly before I tried that place. They messed up, big time. I'll only get into the details if anybody asks, but it essentially turned me off BBQ since then. So it made me appreciate what we have here in Omaha, Jim's specifically. I need to get there soon to restore my love of BBQ.

[Busguy2010]

I finally made it back to Jim's a few days ago. I literally had a dream that I got Jim's Rib Haven that night, and I went there ASAP. Between driving through some old stomping grounds and getting some top notch BBQ, it was a dream come true! I'm so glad they came back after the fire.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Jim’s has BEEF ribs..

Need to get back there and purchase a rack to go…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Busguy2010]

Jim’s has BEEF ribs..

Need to get back there and purchase a rack to go…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I called em Brontosaurus ribs the first time I had them. I was just shocked at how big they were. Not only that, but delicious. I've made beef ribs at home plenty of times with the sole intent of emulating that first time I had them. Nothing like Jim's. I can't believe I waited that long to go back.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Jim’s has BEEF ribs..

Need to get back there and purchase a rack to go…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I called em Brontosaurus ribs the first time I had them. I was just shocked at how big they were. Not only that, but delicious. I've made beef ribs at home plenty of times with the sole intent of emulating that first time I had them. Nothing like Jim's. I can't believe I waited that long to go back.

No doubt!..

I wasn’t able to get to Jim’s this past Saturday as I hoped, But did grab some carry out from PorkyButts. 3 Meat Platter with 2 sides and cornbread. Excellent Burnt Ends as always…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Busguy2010]

I had been waiting for the excitement after their reopening to die down. While I was the first person in the drive thru, I showed up at 10:50, their Google maps info says they open at 10, but they open at 11. I was far from the only person raring to get me some Jim's. That ended up being the best wait time I ever had there.

[slowhandNE]

I had been waiting for the excitement after their reopening to die down. While I was the first person in the drive thru, I showed up at 10:50, their Google maps info says they open at 10, but they open at 11. I was far from the only person raring to get me some Jim's. That ended up being the best wait time I ever had there.

[ChadJK]

Are these all the private (non-chain) BBQ places in the Omaha area? Am I missing any? (Excluding food trucks and catering-only).

402 BBQ
BBQ Brothers
Boxer Barbeque
Boyd & Charlies BBQ
Hartland Bar-B-Que
J's Smokehouse
Jim's Rib Haven
Parker's Smokehouse
The Pit BBQ Lounge
Porky Butts BBQ
Rib Shack Smokehouse
Smokin' Barrel
Smoking Jay's BBQ
Swine Dining
Wayne's New Skoo BBQ
We'll Smoke U BBQ

[nativeomahan]

Thank you for that list!