Favorite Iowa BBQ Restaurant

[the dude abides]

Calling all Central Iowa BBQ fans.

Just wondering what you're favorite place to go for BBQ is? We're talking about a restaurant here, not your backyard. You can just sound off with your favorite or rate a few of your local haunts. Remember what your mom said "if you can't say something nice, don't say it at all". I'm not out to hurt anybody's business, just want to know if I'm missing something special.
It's been a long cold winter and nothing brings me out of my winter blues funk like eating some tasty BBQ and pretending it's summer. So over the last couple of months I've been hitting places every couple of weeks. A few of the notables I've visited...
Jethro's (by Drake University)
When Pigs Fly (86th Street between Urbandale and Johnston)
Cactus Bob's (in Johnston)
Famous Dave's (86th Street)
Hickory Park (in Ames)

I know there's many others that I've never been to so tell me what I'm missing and why.

I think of my list above I've got to believe that Hickory Park is running in first place. And for a chain...Famous Dave's does some pretty solid eats.

The Dude Abides
Des Moines, IA

 

[jdt]

Do you know hawgeyes bbq? Its at TNT landscaping(its worth a trip to ankeny just to look around-tons of stuff, rubs, sauces, wood, good lump, horizon pits to drool over etc) they have two comp teams and I have never had anything bad from them but I was never able to figure out when the actual trailer is open, sometimes it is and sometime it ain't, I get lucky and they are there on saturdays when I stop by but thats usually to get supplies to cook so I haven't had the food in a year or two.

http://www.hawgeyesbbq.com/

Woodys Smokeshack on cottage grove in DM is good to, he used to compete as has a bunch of hardware to prove he is the real deal.

http://www.woodyssmokeshack.com/menu/

My favorite now is Smokey D's skywalk location downtown, I never tried the other location but assume its the same, these guys were the #1 iowa team in 2008 if that means anything to you. If I ever get forced into arranging the lunch meetings this is where I order from, if you work downtown you can walk over at lunch but I would advise get there a little before 11 if you don't want to wait, I bet about 100 people are in line with no where to sit by noon.

http://www.smokeydsbbq.com/


Finleys Deli on Indianola road is pretty good to, its the closest to me so I get it from time to time, the best part is you can pick up a packer brisket to take home. He used to have a full butcher shop in there but now only has select stuff, Whole Ribeyes and New Yorks cut to order and packer briskets mainly. He has a lang sitting in the parking lot nearly everyday so you can't miss it.


A newer place (? name) just opened on Ingersoll kinda across from big tomato pizza but I ain't made in in there yet, I only tried hickory park once but it was after a football game so I was slightly impaired and just remember I had some ribs lol, they could have been the best ever and I wouldn't have known.

 

[smokebuzz]

Have,nt done much BBQ out, when i first moved to Nevada i ate at Battles in Nevada, they got one in Ames also. Their just OK, only ate there a couple times since in the last 4 years. Hickory park SUCKS, BAD, words cant explain. I am totally shocked at the #'s of people that go there. I have been thinking of loading the girls up and hitting something in DM, just to try it and see what else is out there ,Not willing to bet my hardware on it,yet. I'm not much on eatting out , pizza is the xception, i think i can do better at home when it come to meat. But the girls do like to eat out, they think there is an outside chance of hitting the mall.

 

[the dude abides]

Thanks guys. But Smokebuzz I gotta say I think you're nuts. To say they "suck bad" doesn't jive with the all the "buzz" they've generated over the years. I've been there twice now. The first time I thought it was just ok but last time I thought it was pretty darned good. And I've heard the stories about how there are usually lines to get into a place that seats what, 300 maybe? I'd say they're doing something right. I guess I'll keep going back until I have the bad experience you've had.

And for goodness sake take your kids to the mall. If they're of high school age this is the week to hit Jordan Creek. With the basketball tournaments going on the place is a zoo. I can't stand the place but my 17 year old loves it. But there's nothing good to eat there. LOL Oh, and speed traps everywhere...tread lightly.

JDT,
I've heard a lot about Hawgeyes but never been there. Was thinking about heading over there tomorrow to pick up some supplies for this weekend (1st smoke of the year!!!). Also, I heard really good things about that place on Ingersoll from a friend of mine. I walked by Smokey D's in the skywalk the other day on my way to lunch at Palmer's with a client :(. Smelled awesome and the place was packed. The client said we should try it sometime but we'd have to go early.

 

[carpetride]

Been to Hickory Park a few times.

 

[the dude abides]

Thanks Carpetride. What'd you think?

 

[carpetride]

Was Ok, but I prefer what I would call southern Que.

 

[smokebuzz]

Carpetride, where ya from?

Everytime i get stuck going to Hickery park, the meat is over cooked and dried out, and their sauce ain't good enuff to cover it up.

 

[carpetride]

I'm from the southeastern portion of Missouri but travel quite a bit for work. Right where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers meet.

It's probably been 3 or 4 years since I last ate there.

 

[daboys]

Been to Hickory Park a few times. The food was just ok. I wouldn't make a special trip there. They do get long lines though, not sure why.

 

[smokebuzz]

HMMM..........Got a little ducken water

 

[carpetride]

Been a lot of birds around this, I don't hunt'em but the guys that do had a good year.

 

[kurtsara]

We are bored this weekend so we drove down to Des Moines to eat some BBQ.

We ate at http://www.woodyssmokeshack.com/aboutus/ today and we ate at http://www.unclewendells.com/ today, we had brisket and sausage at Uncle Wendalls with beans and corn bread as a side, very good brisket, moist and tender and the beans were excellent, sausage was alright but nothing special.

At Woodys we had brisket and ham with beans and cheesy potatoes as sides, brisket was real good, not as juicy as the other place but real good, the ham was excellent as were the cheesy potatoes, the beans were probably just poured from a can and not doctored up at all.

We might go to http://www.jethrosdesmoines.com/ or http://cactusbobs.com/ tonight for supper, not that I need to eat any more.

And we are going to eat at Hickory Park in Ames on the way home tomorrow

 

[kurtsara]

We ended up eating dinner at http://cactusbobs.com/
very good brisket and sausage, they call there ribs st louis style but they were not trimmed st louis style and not much meat on them, flavor was good but not much meat, the wife loved a couple of there sauces also

 

[the dude abides]

I haven't been back to check this thread in long time. I actually stumbled into Cactus Bobs quite a while back when I was looking for someone to cater a work lunch we were having. I thought it was some of the best BBQ I've had in this town.

Glad you ended up here instead of Jethro's. I think they're ok, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've got a bunch of friends that swear it's the holy gail of BBQ. But I don't think they know much about BBQ. I've been there and they're doing a booming business so I'm happy for them for that. And they advertise a lot which is something I don't see or hear from any other q joint in town.

I've been to Woody's a couple of times and think that place is pretty good and I've never been to Uncle Wendells but hear good things.

JDT is right about SmokeyD's. They're the cream of the crop aroud here. They do a lot of competitions. Currently they're ranked 12th Nationally in the Overall which is quite the feat. You should check them out next time you roll though town

 

[chainsaw]

Hey Dude-As a former long-time Iowegian-there are not a lot of BBQ places to choose from-our old pastor lives in Ames-so Hickory Park is in his eyes outstanding-but we (the wife & I) found the food marginal-a conflict of seasonings that the patrons are too embarrased to say are inedible. They line up patrons who have few if any choices.
I brought him some smoked pork butt recently and he loved it.

I tried Battles BBQ-overpriced & overcooked.

Hey, go to the Machine Shed-not BBQ exactly, but some great chow!

 

[smokebuzz]

Well DUDE, maybe we need to start hitting some of these joints again on Friday afternoons, So we can be the judges and get caught up on some BS'n. I know JDT is game,if there is a Bait Shop involved at the end

 

[jdt]

And another guy opened where Finleys was, I had always though I would use the name two rivers bbq if I ever competed so I was shocked to see the sign reading Two Rivers BBQ and Deli, bonus is he has some fresh meat too, he has a southern pride trailer rig out back, Its been to crappy to get my work lunch buddies to venture out so I haven't tried it yet but I am game, Name the date Buzz.

 

[smokebuzz]

The 26th, name the place

 

[jdt]

that one is for you Jay

anyone else in Des Moines or central iowa wanna come out for lunch and a beer or two, we can work on a time once we know where and who all wants to come hang out.