Further adventures on the BBQ Trail

My mom asked to make sure I wrote about a particular BBQ establishment in Decatur, AL, so it's included in this edition.  The pursuit of good bbq is a very individual preference, and mine is definitely pork, vinegar and hickory.  Some others live for beef and mesquite, turkey and apple - it's really up to you.  I probably won't even mention ribs.  While good ribs are really good, they are usually messier and overpriced for what I want.  That's my .02 and I'm sticking to it.

This edition skips the travel monologue, and goes straight to the joints.

Texas - Salt Lick BBQ - multiple locations. This is a 'chain', but each location is still run separately and has a fair bit of charm.  At the Driftwood location south of Austin, it's got a huge parking lot, and a collection of screen porches for dining, complete with picnic tables.  We were there on a rainy spring day, and you could hear the rain on the tin roof.  The IR heaters overhead did keep it at a civil temperature.  This is Texas, and the meat is beef - brisket to be specific.  They also do beef and pork ribs, turkey and a really good smoked sausage.  Sauces are more molasses/tomato based, good heat and flavor.  They have a good selection of sides and desserts too.  Last time I was there, I had the sausage sandwich with their slaw.  Pretty good.  The brisket is also quite good, although I'm just not a beef fan.
Food - A, Service - B+, friendly but lots of tables for each waiter

Wisconsin - Blair Street BBQ - downtown Madison.  It's Wisconsin, so the sides run more to mac&cheese, cheese curds on the appetizer menu, and lots more non-Q options for those who don't get it.  The menu runs heavy to ribs, but the pork sandwich was very good.  Quite good, actually.  I had a conversation with the owner and did make a couple of suggestions (like leaving off the cheese slice).  He also had me sample a couple of other things while we were talking, like the beans.  I'm generally 'meh' on beans, but these were keepers.  Nice buns, and a customized VW Bug to let you know you are in the right place!
Food - B++ (A+++ for Wisconsin), Service - A+!

Minnesota - QFanatic - Champlin.  The bar is generally pretty low for Minnesota BBQ.  Last year the paper had an article listing several 'good spots'.  I tried them, they ranged from OK to awful.  On the other hand, there's QFanatic.  When Charlie Johnson opened this place, I raked him pretty good after my first visit.  The service was s_l_o_w, they managed to put an Asian sauce on instead of their 'Southern' one (well, they *look* similar), and so on.  Fast forward 2 years.  Charlie and team fixed it all.  The meat is some of the best I've had. LOTS of smoke character, lots of flavor, good sauce.  Probably my only negative comment is that the sandwiches are HUGE.  Carol and I could easily have split one, which would've also brought the price down to about the same as a good Southern joint.  Good sides, reasonable prices.  And the service? They have a note on the wall saying '20-30 minutes'.  I'm not sure why - we had our meals in a perfectly reasonable five!  Oh yeah, this has been plugged on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  And it's survived!
Food - A, Service - A, brownie points for doing it right.

Minnesota - Famous Dave's - lots of locations.  Famous Dave's is the home of Dave Anderson, a poor Native American boy who worked his butt off, became a business success, did a stint as a political appointee, became a reasonably famous (on the BBQ competition circuit and Food Network) chef, and is the 'face' of the chain.  And that's the best of it.  From a food standpoint, it's pretty much a rib joint with options.  The sides are good, all the meat is at least acceptable, but the sauce and smoke are wimpy.  Consistent, but wimpy.  What happens when you have 190 locations, I suspect.
Food - C+, Service - counter only, B+

Minnesota - Big Daddy's BBQ - St Paul.  This was plugged in the Strib, on Yelp and Urban Spoon, so I had to try it.  Tastes vary, I know.  But this was disappointing.  They have a pit.  They have ribs, chicken and pork.  Should've been great.  But when you order a sandwich and watch them MICROWAVE a styrofoam container of already overcooked pork (which kinda suggests it was oven baked), the disappointment level goes up - and rapidly.  They do get great reviews, and I'm sure I hit them on a bad day, but I won't give them a retry.
Food - C-, Service - Counter, C.

Missouri - Smokin' Guns - Kansas City.  I've saved the best two for last.  This was a 'road find' - written up on the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives website, and it actually lives up to the hyperbole.  We hit there late on a Saturday afternoon, having been unable to get into the place recommended by friends (next trip maybe).
The menu is pretty generic - what do you need for a menu anyway? Choice of meat, good sides, plate or bun, tea.  The pork sandwich was great - smoke, sauce and flavor - and the 'burnt ends' are little nuggets of goodness.  I'll stop there again in a heartbeat.
Food - A+, Service - A.  Perky kids who actually knew how to be good wait staff!

And last but not least:
Alabama - Whitt's Barbecue - 3 locations in Decatur.  There are several other Whitts groups, all 'related', but not chain.  This (for me at least) is the Whitts, and all I'm going to talk about.  You can get to eat in, but most people are picking up 'to go'.  Get a pound of pork, a pack of buns, a pint or two of slaw, some extra sauce and head for home.  They also have Brunswick stew, beans, other meats, dessert, and all the other stuff, but all you need is pork, buns and slaw.  True North Alabama sauce is just a blend of cayenne pepper, vinegar, meat drippings, salt and maybe some water.  Mayo for the buns is a good idea to keep them from getting soggy.  This is a real meal deal - you can stuff a family of 4 for around 20 bucks!
Food - A+, Service - not much, but it gets an A as well.