San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
The Bay Area’s best barbecue Smokin' Warehouse Barbecue
The Bay Area has never been a barbecue wonderland, and well, it probably will never compete with the likes of Texas and Carolina. However, recent years have seen a surge of excellent new options throughout the region, from dynamic popups to cultural mashups. Coupled with the revitalization of several established spots, the Bay Area now has enough respectable barbecue options to warrant a summer outing – that is, if you know where (and when) to look.
4505 Burgers & BBQ
With San Francisco’s notable dearth of barbecue restaurants, 4505 Burgers & Barbecue is the city’s most well known outpost. The Divisadero hot spot bends the formulaic barbecue spectrum — ribs, chicken, sausage, brisket — by offering a grass-fed cheeseburger, and it’s the restaurant’s best item. The brisket comes in at a close second, both of which usually have a deep smokey char that steers the overall taste. Owner Ryan Farr has parlayed his success across the bridge: A new Oakland spinoff just opened (see page 8).
Order: The “Best Damn Grass Fed Cheeseburger” ($9.95), but be bold and double it for $4 more and add an egg or bacon for another $2 each. Then prepare to sleep for hours after.
Location: 705 Divisadero St., San Francisco and 3506 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. www.4505burgersandbbq.com. Lunch and dinner daily.
— J.P.
Burnt Ends BBQ
Since barbecue often trucks come and go in the Bay Area, it’s worth noting longevity when you see it. That’s the case with Oakland’s Burnt Ends BBQ, which started rolling in 2015 and now parks seven days a week outside Almanac Beer Co.’s facility in Alameda. The menu has shifted over the years but the must-order has stayed the same: the truck’s namesake burnt ends. Here, the Kansas City specialty consists of cubes of brisket smoked for 12 hours over hickory wood. Each fatty, super-tender piece features a nice strip of blackened char — grab a squirt of spicy sauce for dipping. The set-up is pretty ideal as far as food trucks go, with ample picnic tables and umbrellas stationed outside. You can also take your food into the brewery and decide whether burnt ends pair better with an IPA or sour beer.
Order: Steer clear of the pulled pork and chicken, which can be dry, and instead choose the obvious. A plate of burnt ends
($13) comes with a side, and it’s tough to resist crispy-gooey fried mac and cheese balls.
Location: 651 W Tower Ave, Alameda. 510-590-2749, www.burntendsbbqtruck.com. Lunch and dinner daily.
— J.B.
Everett and Jones
Perfecting a smoked brisket, curating that ring around its edges that gives way to pinkish meat, is a Herculean task. The same goes for smoked pork ribs, cooking them until a fork can be placed in its side, sliding the meat from the bone. But if there’s one place in the Bay Area that, over time, has come close to nailing each, it’s Everett and Jones. The restaurant has history stretching back four decades in the Bay Area and in that time, has become known for menu items that skew both spicy and smokey, and are always satisfying. The brand has multiple locations in the East Bay, the newest of which is Oakland's Laurel District. What's true for all of them is the flavors are consistent at each — beef links have a slow building peppery heat and the chicken is smoky and tender.
Order: Sliced beef brisket ($10); smoked pork ribs ($10.25)
Location: 4245 MacArthur Blvd. (plus locations in Jack London Square, Berkeley and Hayward). 510-698-4340, www.eandjbbq.com. Lunch and dinner daily.
— J.P. In an industrial swath of the Bayview on Carroll Avenue, there’s a window with sporadic hours where some of the best barbecue in the city is sneakily served. The rules are as follows: Call in your order and do not try to just walk-up and order, because the shop is too busy. Find seating either on a curb or for the lucky few, a table that appears from a door next to the window. The restaurant’s pork ribs in particular are a byproduct of attentive slow-cooking — pop a fork into the meat and it pulls away from the bone with ease. The window is both fleeting, magical and addictive.
Order: Pork ribs ($17), beef brisket ($15). Both come with two side items and cornbread.
Location: 1465 Carroll Ave., San Francisco; Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Must order by calling 415-648 - 8881 or via various delivery apps.
— J.P.
Hardwood Bar & Smokery
Hardwood intentionally avoids the feeling of a classic barbecue joint. It’s a snazzy bar in the Design District, with creative cocktails, more than a dozen craft beers on tap and even frozen rosé. Then there’s the food menu, full of eclectic eats like Spam musubi, spicy fried chicken sliders and Caesar salad. Combined, you might wonder, Am I actually in a barbecue restaurant?! Don’t worry, you are — and in one of San Francisco’s top brick-and-mortar options. Executive chef Jake Kwan-Rosenbush (Gary Danko, 15 Romolo) combines traditional and non-traditional barbecue techniques but keeps the smoked meats list short and sweet with ribs, brisket, chicken and links. The results taste like serious barbecue, while the sides add unexpected fun and Hawaiian flair. Tangy pickles on every plate are an appreciated touch. Order: The Texas-inspired brisket ($15/half pound) is solid but the spare ribs ($15/quarter rack) — cured and then smoked over mesquite and oak — are even better. Try them with the coconut black beans ($5), crunchy slaw ($5) or Hawaiian mac salad ($5).