GLEN MACNOW'S RIB SAFARI        For Rib Safari Blog, click here.

     Well, the Rib Safari is over – at least the hunt. I sampled babybacks and pork spareribs at 24 different places! I visited smokehouses and road houses, chain restaurants and cooking trucks in a quest for the best. It did no good for my waist line and my cholesterol level, but it sure was delicious. 
     I want to thank all the WIP listeners who called in their favorite spots, or entered their opinion in our ongoing rib blog. Please continue letting me know where to go – well, for ribs, anyway.
      The 24 places are ranked here. But that’s not the end of it. On Monday night, April 17, a panel of celebrity judges will come to the WIP studios for the Rib Safari Showdown. The top six places in my rankings will offer up platefuls of succulent ribs to my judges. In the end, we will crown the Delaware Valley’s Rib Champion.
     Stay tuned to my show this week to find out how one lucky listener will join the celebrity judging panel. And be sure to listen Monday, April 17, from 7-11 p.m. for the Rib Safari Showdown.

Here are the rankings:

1. Fat Jack’s
1261 Blackwood-Clementon Road, Clementon, N.J.
856-309-7427
When I looked for the best cheeseburger in Philadelphia last year, I found it in Jersey. Well, the Garden State may repeat as a champion, if nobody can top Fat Jack’s.
Fat Jack’s owner/head chef boasts about how many rib-cooking contests he has won, but it ain’t bragging if you can back it up. And he sure does. These babies are slowly smoked over hickory wood to the point where they are tender, yet chewy, flavorful yet subtle. I am not lying when I say that my guests and I wrestled over who was gonna get that last rib.
Fat Jack’s trick, we learned, is in the dry rub, an amazing concoction of brown sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika and other waves of flavors we couldn’t identify. First, the amazing rub slowly cooks into the meat, then, just before it’s finished, it’s slathered with a terrific wet sauce. A slab with three sides runs $22. The green beans n’ ham was one of the top sides we’ve tried to date.
They say that great food can be better than sex. Well, we won’t go that far, but Fat Jack’s puts the theory to a test.

2. Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse
7500 State Road, Philadelphia
215-331-3112
We are talking near perfection. Sweet Lucy’s ribs are among the best combination of fall-off-the-bone tenderness and sweet-and-smoky flavor that we’ve found yet. The ribs were meaty and juicy. The tomato-based sauce was pungent, a little bitter and as addictive as crack cocaine. I am not lying when I say that, having discovered I dripped some sauce onto my notebook, I lapped it right off.
A whole rack of baby backs costs $19.25 and comes with two side dishes. We loved the mashed potatoes, so laden with butter that we could feel our arteries hardening as we swallowed. And the baked beans come with little chunks of pork, just in case you don’t get enough of that in the ribs.
Lucy’s is a great family joint with a great shtick – farm animal statuettes add to the ambience. I really liked the fixins’ bar, with stuff like extra sauce, pickles and paper towels (you’ll need them).
The place is a little tough to find – a converted warehouse tucked behind an extended trailer, but seek and ye shall find some of the best ribs that I’ve tasted this side of Kansas City.

3. Whooley’s
Chestnut and Mt. Pleasant Avenues, Ambler
267-446-0593
Nestled behind the VFW Post in Ambler, chef Charles Johnson mans a huge charcoal pit every Friday and Saturday, weather permitting. He’s cooking up barbecued chicken, pork and some of the most succulent ribs this side of Memphis.
“Mr. Johnson” marinates the ribs in vinegar to tenderize them, coats them in a mouth-watering dry rub, and then slow grills them for almost two hours. They come off the grill crispy on the outside, soft and tasty on the inside. You can get them with or without a mustardy wet sauce which, to be honest, my tasting panel have mixed feelings about. Me, I loved it.
Whooley’s has no phone number and no set hours. Basically, it’s open two days a week until they run out of food. Come early enough that you won’t be disappointed. And, while most customers pack up the food for takeout, I’ll advise you to set aside some time to spend some time at the picnic tables behind the VFW Post, where the Old Heads swap stories and lies all afternoon.

4. Abner’s Authentic Barbecue
505 Old York Road, Jenkinton (also 7155 Ogontz Avenue, Philadelphia)
215-885-8600
Abner’s, too, is also difficult to find, nestled into a shopping center), so follow your nose. You can smell the smoker full of hardwood (hickory, sugar maple, cherry) blocks away.
Now this is a place that’s got it right. The guys at Abner’s smoke the meat for hours, leaving it pink, ultra-tender and tasting faintly like bacon. It’s marinated in a dry rub, not cooked in sauce, but they’ve got four house sauces you can use to drown your meat. Take my advice, eat it naked. The ribs, not you.
For $10.50 you get a half-rack, which was more than enough for my gluttonous appetite. (I actually took one home for later research.) The pork ribs are huge but, let me emphasize this again, so tender they fall off the bone. Side dishes are $1.50 each (I got baked beans and mashed red potatoes), and well worth it. Plus, they don’t give you dirty looks if you keep returning for soda refills.
This is the real stuff – authentic barbecue, no gimmicks, just ribs that are tender without being mushy. Messy to eat without being slimy from too much sauce. Slow cooked to a meaty perfection. Someone is going to win this competition; for now, Abner’s is the place to beat.

5. Tommy Gunn’s
4901 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia (also 630 South Street, Philadelphia)
215-508-1030
I went for lunch and found a line headed outside the door. A good sign. Part of that stems from the tiny size of this Manayunk hole-in-the-wall (eight people make a crowd here). But the larger reason must be the quality of the ribs, which are superb.
The lunch special – three Fred Flintstone-sized pork ribs with a choice of sides – is $6.99 and well worth it. A half rack will run you $11.29. The ribs are tender and sloppy with a slightly sweet, slightly spicy sauce. Maybe I’m nuts, but I tasted some peach in the sauce. I prefer a little more smoke flavor, but I’m not complaining.
The side dishes were great, including baked beans with generous bits of pork and bitter collared greens that taste like you’re chewing a cigar (I mean that as a compliment). Just make sure you’ve got a cardiologist on speed dial before ordering the deep-fried macaroni-and-cheese. I felt my arteries hardening even as I ate it.
If you go to Tommy Gunn’s in Manayunk, I recommend takeout more than trying to squeeze into this phonebook of a restaurant. The biggest challenge will be making it home before diving into the ribs.
 
6. Zeke’s Main BBQ
6001 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia
215-871-7427
After closing down for almost a year, Zeke’s – located across from Overbrook High – has reopened. For that, let us all praise the barbecue gods. Zeke’s (housed in a converted McDonalds) bills itself as a “temple of slow food.” In other words, the meat isn’t in a hurry; you shouldn’t be either.
The pork ribs bask for upwards of a half day in a smoker stacked with three different kinds of wood. After you order a slab, it is warmed up (slowly) in a wood-burning grill and glazed with just enough sauce to give it some crispness on the outside. It comes out as soft as butter, and with smoky traces of apple and cherry wood. If it sounds like I’m talking about vintage wine here, let’s just say I would gladly pay more to savor Zeke’s ribs – swathed in a sauce of molasses and chipotle peppers – than I would for any white Bordeaux.
These are huge ribs, Fred Flintstone ribs, ribs on steroids (well, not literally). Make sure you get some extra sauce on the side (and don’t be a wimp, go spicy), and – if you’ve got room – we heartily recommend the chicken wings, which might be the best in the city. Hmm, maybe that’s next year’s safari.

7. Whistler’s Inn
901 Route 130 South, Cinnaminson, N.J.
856-786-7427
This is my kind of jernt (as Ed Norton would say) – a Flyers game on the TV, a bar stocked with all varieties of beer, and a menu boasting real man food. Friends who’ve gone there swear by the garlic chicken wings.
Well, we’ll swear by the babybacks ($17 for a full rack), which are sweet and smoky, with a little undertaste of acidity and spice. They’ve got just a little touch of grill burn, without ruining their tenderness. Perfect to dig in, get messy and enjoy. The web site boasts that the chefs at Whistler’s Inn have won 15 trophies for their ribs and their sauce, and we see no reason to demand a recount.
Gripes? Well, just a few. Good as the rib sauce is, the folks here are a little stingy brushing it on. Make sure to ask for extra. And the side dishes only work if you’re into serous carbo loading: You get garlic bread; plus fries, baked potato, baked beans or slaw. Don’t let those extras steal your appetite. You’ll need it for the ribs – and those garlic wings.

8. Black Bull Steakhouse
1470 Buck Road, Holland, PA 18966
267-757-0111
This Bucks Country steakhouse finished second in my Hamburger Hunt last year (see: http://www.610wip.com/startinglineup/staff/macnow_burgers.php). Their ribs are almost – but not quite – up to that level of excellence.
The Bull uses the smaller baby backs, which I usually prefer. They’re slow-smoked and so tender that the biggest challenge is getting them from plate to mouth without them falling off the bone. Great meat, perfect texture. If I’ve got one gripe, it’s that the ribs are brushed with so much sauce that it almost hides the great taste of the meat. Not a bad sauce – lots of tomato, vinegar and, probably, sweet molasses – but do yourself a favor and scrape some off with your knife before diving in.
One big plus: The Black Bull has a great selection of beers. We washed our rack down with a Brooklyn Brown Ale and a Hoegaarden from Belgium. Sure beats those lemonades we’ve been gulping at most other rib joints.
Call before you go, because the ribs aren’t offered every night. This is a slightly upscale restaurant, not the kind of place where it’s appropriate to pick your teeth with the bones when you’re done eating. But don’t be deterred. Whether it’s steaks, burgers or ribs, the Black Bull is red-meat heaven.

9. Bomb Bomb Bar-be-que Grill
1026 Wolf Street, Philadelphia
215-463-1311
A small, atmospheric Wolf Street staple since 1951, where the waitresses still call you “Hon.” We love the bar up front (although bring a gas mask for the cigarette smoke), and we love the Mom’s home-cooking approach.
But my mom never cooked ribs this good. Our tasting panel (also known as my freeloaders) rated Bomb Bomb’s sauce among the best – a gooey, sweet delight. Not as smoke-flavored as other places, but tangy, in a South Philly kind of way. This is what you get when you order ribs in an Italian restaurant. And don’t bother asking what’s in the sauce; the chef keeps it a secret. The babybacks were meaty (this was one well-fed porker), and, if we had one gripe, it would be that the ribs were not quite as tender as we’ve gotten elsewhere.
The full rack, with slaw and fires, runs $20. The server tossed in what he called “pickles,” but what turned out to be some great grilled zucchini.

10. Rib Rack
Tyson and Bustleron Avenues, Philadelphia
215-338-9399
One good rule with food: Smell before you eat. In this case, it’s a succulent smell – one that makes the saliva glands start flowing immediately. The baby backs at the Rib Rack are coated in a sticky, slightly runny sauce that is a beautiful perfume to the carnivore.
So why isn’t the Rib Rack ranked higher? Well, while they pass muster, the ribs were not quite as meaty or tender as others we’ve tried. In this case, the sauce outpaces the meat. Not bad, not bad at all. Just not the best we’ve had.
Despite the name, this is more of a restaurant than a rib joint, with a stucco exterior, vinyl booths and lighting as dark as a movie theater. And good luck finding parking – there were just a handful of parallel-parking spots available outside.
Interesting side dishes at the Rack. We went for the sweet potato, which was disappointingly mushy, and the corn muffin, which was sweet and warm. You can buy extra corn muffins at the counter. We advise it.
 
11. Lonnie’s Rib Shack
40th and Powellton
Phone number? What phone number?
The West Philly locals flooded our blog, insisting that I get to Lonnie’s, which is, to put it plainly, a guy selling top-rate ribs out of the back of a truck next to a gas station. Lonnie has an open grill set up in the parking lot. He fuels it with a couple of propane tanks that, to us at least, seemed perilously close to the open flame.
Regardless, these were worthy ribs. Meaty, succulent, flavorful – pick your adjective. We ordered them spicy, and I’m pleased to report that my forehead started sweating by the time I tossed the second bone. A nice peppery taste to blend with that good pork flavor.
You want glamour, this isn’t the place – and that’s defining glamour simply as a place to sit down. There’s no seating, no side dishes, no ambience beyond the strange folks wandering into the adjacent gas station. A rack of ribs runs $20, a rib sandwich $15. That’s the entire menu. Oh, and get there early. Lonnie packs up and heads home by 3 p.m.

12. Ribs R’ Us
4912 North 5th Street, Philadelphia
215-324-7427
The two guys who opened this joint experimented with recipes for a year. Good work, fellas, the promise you make on the menu – “fall-off-the-bone delicious” – is absolutely accurate.
The pork ribs had one of the most succulent sauces we tasted during the safari. If we have one gripe, it’s that they weren’t quite tender enough. But they certainly are worthy.
Still, we don’t suggest them. Why? Only because the beef ribs at Ribs R’ Us were drop-dead delicious. Our hunt here focused on pork, not beef. But sneaking in a rack of Black Angus here made us realize that we’re missing something. Try this place, but opt for bovine over swine. And try a side of mac-and-cheese. That was damned good as well.

13. Red Hot & Blue
Route 70 and Sayer Avenue, Cherry Hill, N.J.
856-665-7427
RH&B offers “Memphis style” ribs, which is to say they’re hickory smoked for hours and served without sauce. The menu boasts of a “secret blend of dry spices,” which, near as we could figure, was a mix of paprika, cayenne, onion powder and black pepper. No matter, it was a worthy, meaty rib, smoked to that perfect color of pink.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that the side dishes (beans, mashed potatoes and cole slaw) were lame and tasteless. And the little tubs of sauces they give you to dress up your ribs seem like something that would best go with a McNugget. Coating good ribs with bad sauce is like dressing Jennifer Garner in a burka. One other thing that bugged us: RH&B bills itself as a great takeout place, and we’ll give them points for packaging the $22 slab so that it stayed hot for more than an hour. But it ain’t right to tack a $2 surcharge onto takeout orders.

14. Dwight’s Southern Bar-B-Q
4345 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia
215-879-2497
The big sign boasts of Dwight’s as “the boss of sauce.” We’ll confirm, the sauce at this West Philly joint is outstanding – tart, yet sweet, with a bit of pepper to give it a bottom. Hell, make it into a soup and we’ll slurp down Dwight’s rib sauce.
Problem is, the boss of sauce is merely the assistant manager of meat. Our rack of ribs came out from under the counter when we ordered it, which made us wonder how long it had been there. And what was keeping it warm, a steamer? The ribs tasted more oven baked than smoked, which made them tasty, but also a little tough and stringy.
On an up note, we 1oved the mac-and-cheese. And we do remain in awe of the sauce. We probably should have saved a little bit of it to spread on our morning toast.
Bottom line here: If you’re driving by Dwight’s and the aroma pulls you in, you haven’t made a mistake. But with Zeke’s (see No. 3 above) just a few blocks away, you might be smart to keep driving.

15. Rib Crib
6333 Germantown Avenue
215-438-6793
This Germantown haunt has great atmosphere – photos of Lena Horne and Dr. J on the wall, the handlebar mustachioed Mr. Gray behind the counter and a griller full of hardwood charcoal providing smoke and aroma. It’s a neighborhood haunt that attracts folks from around the city and has a huge following of loyalists who form lines on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays (the only days Rib Crib is open).
Well, we admire the style and the devotion, but we thought the ribs were just average. A little rubbery, a little fatty. They don’t make our top six, which means they don’t qualify for the Safari Showdown. That steamed one of our judges – John Chaney – so we’ll let him throw a few words of support to the Rib Crib:
“You want to eat meat like a Viking – rip it right off the bone,” Chaney says. “I have been around the world with barbecue – even down in Argentina, where they dig holes and barbecue whole pigs. I have been to some of the best places in this country for ribs – South Carolina, Florida, New Orleans, Memphis. The Rib Crib is among the best anywhere.”

16. Texas Roadhouse
1545 Street Road, Bensalem
215-639-7427
A huge chain, with 225 locations, that recently moved into this area. Like most chains, it’s got a formula that works for the masses, but lacks the kind of personal quirkiness that makes a restaurant special. Long lines, big margaritas, perky waitresses – you know the routine. Nothing offensive here, but nothing memorable either.
The full slab (at $16, a tad cheaper than most other spots) was tasty and not drowned in sauce. A good sign. But the meat had more gristle than most. Ribs should not be crunchy. To be honest, we were more intrigued by the sizzling steaks that waitresses kept carrying by. It’s like being out with your wife and having Salma Hayek smile at you from the next booth.
Anyway, bring a sweet tooth. The side order of sweet potato comes smothered in marshmallows, and the side rolls have a honey taste to them. We required several frosty beers to wash down all that sugar. Nothing wrong with that.
    
17. DeBreaux’s
2135 North 63rd  Street, Philadelphia.
215-877-4559.
If you like ribs sloppy, this is the place. The tangy, peppery sauce will spread over your face, under your fingernails and – if you’re like me – all over your clothes. You end up looking like a Wing Bowl contestant. That’s okay. Eating ribs shouldn’t be a dainty affair.
There’s a lot to like about this small restaurant, nestled into the Overbrook Train Station. The folks who run it – imports from South Carolina – are friendly. The side dishes (I got mac-and-cheese and candied sweet potatoes) were great. Both sides came with the pork rib platter which, at $15.95, can probably feed two.
The only thing that was disappointed me were the actual ribs, which is the quest of this journey. They were, shall we say, kind of stringy. Almost tough. And the sauce that slathers them doesn’t really get down into the meat.
Also, be forewarned. The service is glacially slow. As the sign over the counter says, “Soul food is not fast food.” Trust me, they mean it.

18. Phoebe’s
2214 South Street, Philadelphia
215-546-4811
If you have a sweet tooth – and I’m talking about main courses – Phoebe’s is your place. The small South Street takeout joint cooks up ribs in a Kansas City style sauce that is so sugary it will give you a toothache. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; we were just looking for a little more sock in our sauce.
The portions here are generous. A $21 rack came with 13 huge ribs, more than enough to feed two people. We enjoyed our side dish order of candied yams (again, so sweet it makes you want to call your dentist), but couldn’t finish the mac-and-cheese, although one of my tasters felt it might work well as a substitute for Super Glue.
Bottom line? If I was hungry and in the neighborhood, I’d give Phoebe’s another shot. But in a city boasting so many great rib joints, I sure wouldn’t go out of my way.
 
19. Duck Deli
524 E. Butler Av. (Rt. 202), New Britain
267-880-1190
I thought we were going to get some great barbecued duck. But, no, the name just stems from the deli’s parent restaurant in Duck, N.C. Ahh, darn. That was just our first disappointment.
This is a different kind of rib than most we’ve had. Yes, it’s smoked over hickory logs, but obviously for a shorter time than other places. That leaves the ribs meaty and chewy, but also way too stringy and – to be honest, more fatty. We like our ribs the same as our women – tender and with a little less fat on the bones.
There’s a sugar in the dry rub, which caramelizes nicely on the bones. But the Carolina-style sauce used to baste the ribs has a tomato flavor, almost to the point of mom’s pasta gravy. The whole thing could use a little spicy zing.
The half-rack rib platter was $15 – a decent price – with a couple of good sides. A friend of ours who does not “dig the swine,” as Pulp Fiction’s Vic Vega might say, waxed poetic about her tuna hoagie. Hey, that’s all fine and well, but man does not live on tuna hoagies. Man lives on babybacks.

20. The Grog
803 West Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr.
610-527-5870
This Main Line standard has a lot to offer – plump burgers, cold beer, friendly service. Just don’t – repeat DON’T – go there for the ribs.
The $11.95 half-slab special came with two side orders (in this case, decent fries and bland coleslaw), plus a mushy, overcooked piece of meat that reportedly bills itself as baby backs. The barbecue sauce tasted like, well, tomato catsup. And the ribs were full of gristle. One of the first things I was taught over the grill is that, before you cook ribs, you’ve got to remove that rubbery membrane from the underside of the rack. Someone, please, tell this to the chefs at The Grog.
This is serious stuff. If you’re going to offer something as grand as ribs on the menu, do them right. If not, you’re wasting people’s time – and money. The Grog should know better.

21. Mesquito Grille
128 West State Street, Doylestown
215-230-7427
We’ll give it to you straight – go for the beer. There are more than 150 brews on the menu – bottle and draught, stouts and lagers, darks and pales. The Mesquito has separate smoking and non-smoking bars, great TV viewing and (we’re told) excellent wings.
What it doesn’t have is passable ribs, even if the last four digits of its phone number (7427) promisingly spell out our favorite food. These spareribs reminded us of Shawn Bradley – good size, but no zest. The 12-bone rack ($21) tasted like something out of a Chinese restaurant, with a superficial glaze that tasted like soy sauce and ginger. Now that may be your preference, but we’re looking for genuine American barbecue. Plus, the cooking method – more grilled than smoked – also left us with feeling jaw fatigue at the end of the meal.
Too bad. This is a fun place with a lively crowd. We’ll probably go back – not for the ribs, but to see how far we can make our way through those 150 beers.
 
22. Ron’s Ribs
1627 South Street, Philadelphia
215-732-3561
Every place has its loyalist, and Ron’s Ribs certainly has no shortage of fans. But don’t include us among them. For all the good things we heard about Ron’s we were thoroughly disappointed.
The ribs were meaty, yes, but also tough and stringy. Spare ribs are not supposed to be as chewy as beef jerky. And the sauce – which, to be honest, seemed right out of a Heinz ketchup bottle – doesn’t cook into the meat, so most of it falls off onto your napkin. Maybe the napkin would have tasted better than the ribs. It was more tender.
We wanted to like this place, because it looks – and smells – great, and the servers are very friendly. But we’ve got to be honest. The slab of ribs was one of the worst $23 we spent. If you get dragged to Ron’s, stick with the sides – sweet baked beans with little chunks of port and baked macaroni that’s got a surprising kick to it.

23. Bridgeport Rib House
1049 Ford Street, Bridgeport
610-278-1275
This is a local hangout with a tough crowd of sweaty bikers and surly waitresses. That would be okay with us, except that the ribs were as nasty as the service and had the chewy consistency of a motorcycle seat. Plus, they smelled like used hockey equipment.
The Rib House’s website boasts that the ribs have been rubbed, peeled and smoked for 32 hours at 225 degrees. Maybe, but they sure weren’t as smoky and tender as the ones from all the places we listed above. Listen, I’m a glutton and so are most of the guys on my tasting panel. After a couple of babybacks we gave up and left the rest for Big Daddy Graham. He didn’t even finish them, and that tells you something.
The baked beans from Bridgeport Rib House tasted right out of the can. On the plus side, the side order of sausage stuffing was delicious. Also, they sell beer. That’s about the nicest thing we can say.

24. Churchville Inn
1500 Bustleton Pike Southampton
215-357-3967
What a disappointment. Several bloggers and callers highly recommended the Churchville, so we ventured up to Bucks County, drooling the entire way in anticipation. But as soon as we walked through the door, we knew something was wrong here. First off, the place is smothered in Pittsburgh Steelers paraphernalia. Hey, congrats on that Super Bowl and all, but last I checked, this remains Eagles country.
The ribs didn’t remove our sour taste. Yes, they “fall off the bone,” as supporters promised, but that’s not because they were tender – it’s because they were fatty and overcooked. We literally had to peel off layers of fat with our knife. The sauce? Like something right off the supermarket shelf.
Nothing made us feel better. The French fries were limp and tasteless. The roll that came with the ribs was like an oversized oyster cracker – hard as a hockey puck and just as tasty.
Oh well, somebody’s got to come in last place.