When I moved to L.A. I was very impressed with the amount of sushi restaurants, posh lounges and over-priced cafes the city offered. However, I felt alone and confused and ungrounded when I realized I did not have an inkling of a clue where to get good Texas style b.b.q'ed ribs. And I mean good ribs. Being born in Texas, I was used to the hole-in-the wall b.b.q. shacks, where huge smokers cooked ribs for days before serving them. And then, there's the b.b.q. sauce. I'm not talkin' K.C. Masterpiece or Bulls Eye b.b.q. sauce, I'm talkin' homemade, authentic to the chef, b.b.q. sauce. B.b.q sauce with hints of chipotle spices or pineapple juice; B.b.q. sauce that's so spicy you can barely keep your eyes open; B.b.q. sauce so tangy and sweet you feel inclined to drink it, etc. The point is, b.b.q. sauce can have serious depth and variation, if perfected by an experienced and passionate b.b.q'er, and is vital to a good rib.
Through trial and error (and an expanding waistline) I narrowed down the city's best ribs. I judged them based on quality of the rib (does it fall off the bone? is it too dry?), choices of sides (and quality of sides...'cause who am I kidding, ribs aren't complete without a side of b.b.q. beans or mac n' cheese), and environment of the joint (are you looking for a place with ambiance, or do you only care about gettin' quality b.b.q.?)
Well here it is, folks, dive in! (Don't forget extra napkins, it will get pretty messy...)
THE ORIGINAL TEXAS B.B.Q. KING