A review of two barbecue joints in the Seattle, Washington area: Jack's BBQ in Seattle and Rhodie's Smokin BBQ in Preston, Washington.
My wife and I spent a week in the Seattle area visiting our daughter. If I am going to be away from Texas for that long, then I need to find some barbecue to eat. Before we headed off on our trip, I
checked the google to see if there are any barbecue restaurants in the Seattle area. Turns out there are several, but
the one that caught my eye was Jack’s BBQ.
They advertise that they serve Central Texas style barbecue, cooked low
and slow. Got to check this place out.
Jack’s is located at 3924 Airport Way S, Seattle,
Washington 98108. Before I ate, I walked
around back to see where the smokers are kept.
Their pits would rival any we have in Texas. I had a chance to talk with Joseph, one of
the pitmasters. He told me members of
Louie Mueller’s crew had gone to Seattle a few years back to train Jack’s crew
on the art of slow smoking barbecue. I
was already looking forward to lunch and this made me even more eager.
We started off with their rib tips. Nice smoky flavor, very good. In addition to my usual brisket and pork
ribs, I also wanted to try their beer belly sausage. The brisket was delicious – great bark, rich smoky
flavor, tender, and juicy. The ribs were
also fantastic – just a wee bit chewy, but juicy and full of flavor. Their homemade pickles were excellent. My wife had some of the pulled pork. It was good, but then again, I’m not much for
pulled pork.
As good as this was, not everything was perfect in
paradise. The beer belly sausage was
pretty lifeless – no snap, no juiciness, no spiciness. Just kind of sat there. I am grateful that their BBQ sauce was served
on the side (as we do in Texas). It
would have made a great enchilada sauce, but had way too much cumin and other
spices to qualify as a barbecue sauce.
My wife and daughter had some of their side dishes and they were so-so.
Jack’s has two large dining areas inside (one with a large
window overlooking the barbecue pits) and a smaller area outside. The staff is super friendly and great to talk
to. They have recently started serving
breakfast tacos to add to the Central Texas flavors. It’s obvious Jack’s team learned their
lessons well from Louie Mueller’s people.
When my daughter gets a craving for a taste of Texas, she now has a
place to visit in the Seattle area.
While Jack needs to improve on his sausage and BBQ sauce, he can open a
place in Austin anytime and I’ll be there.
I give Jack's BBQ my highest rating: Two Hook 'Ems!
We got a chance to eat BBQ a second time while we were
in the Seattle area. After touring Pete
Nelson’s tree houses, we needed some lunch.
The good folks at Treehouse Point recommended Rhodie’s Smokin’ BBQ that
was just up the road. Sure, what else
are we doing. . .
Rhodie’s is located at 30375 SE High Point Way,
Preston Washington 98050. They are in a
small strip shopping center in what appears to be an old hamburger joint next
to a gas station. I ordered my usual
half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs. The gentleman serving us said they usually
shred the brisket and serve it in sauce much like pulled pork, but my brisket
was sliced and the sauce was served on the side. The brisket was a little stringy and a bit
greasy, but had a nice, smoky flavor.
The outer fat had been cooked to crunchiness and tasted pretty
good. The ribs were big and meaty. They were smoky, but did not have any spices
on them. I think Rhodie’s would benefit
from a good spice rub. Their barbecue sauce
was actual BBQ sauce, thick and red with a spicy little kick. Not sure if they make it themselves or pour
it out of a bottle, but it wasn’t enchilada sauce.
I did not know what to think when we first pulled into
Rhodie’s BBQ. My expectations were not
very high, but I was not disappointed with the BBQ I ate. While my daughter will not go out of her way
to eat at Rhodie’s like she would for Jack’s BBQ, Rhodie’s was actually pretty
good barbecue.
I rate Rhodie's Smokin BBQ a single Hook 'Em!
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