How's the local BBQ dining scene?

[thelakelander]

For those looking for local crusine, this article mentions a few popular BBQ joints.

Slow means tasty

Jacksonville Business Journal - July 27, 2007
by Dolly PenlandCorrespondent

This area loves its barbecue, and at the height of summer, there's not much better eatin' than some of the down-home, real thing. While chain restaurants do a fine job, we've found a couple of mom-and-pop (mostly pop) places that make some outstanding barbecue, guaranteed to satisfy any meat eater.

Blackjack's Best BBQ on San Juan Avenue, between Blanding and Roosevelt boulevards, is best described as a backyard-cooking hobby that outgrew the yard.

"I was doing parties for 35 to 40 people and you can't fit that many people in the backyard," owner Rich Goldfarb said. "I was in dry cleaning, and my wife, Vita, is a teacher at Ed White High School. The restaurant was an accident."

Goldfarb sold his dry cleaning business about five years ago and opened Blackjack's in an old Skinner's Dairy building on Shirley Avenue. Blackjack's has outgrown that iconic little structure. The couple recently bought a larger, long-time barbecue location a few blocks away.

"It was called KC's until we took it over in September. Fred Cotten opened it in 1961. We changed it, put our name on it and do our own stuff."

Some of that stuff includes pork, ribs and chicken, as well as Cole Pepper's Blackjack BBQ Sauce, a collaboration between Goldfarb and Cole Pepper, WOKV sports director and noted BBQ fan.

"We have the best barbecue in town," Goldfarb said, adding that his 15-year-old daughter Robyn is becoming quite the pit boss. "I do all my own cooking. I still prepare them like when I was doing three slabs in the backyard for friends; the only difference is bigger containers."

Barbecue legend Fred Cotten had several locations around the city back in the day, so we'd be remiss not to mention the ever-popular Fred Cotten Barbeque on North Main, now owned by Billy Cowart. "If there's a barbecue place in town that can do a better rib than we can do, I haven't seen it," Cowart said. "We still do our own secret sauce, although there's several people who know how to make it. It's a mustard and vinegar sauce."

Cowart has changed the menu a bit, keeping the ribs, chicken and sliced pork, while adding items such as smoked turkey and fresh sausage.

"We make our sausage," he said. "About four years ago, I was losing about 300 pounds of rib trimmings a week. And the meat from the trimmings was fantastic. I had a good friend and I got him to see what we could do. He got to experimenting with sausages and finally he hit a flavor that I really liked."

Apparently the customers like it, too. "We have made the restaurant better, that's the truth."

Brown Brothers BBQ on King Street specializes in what it calls Authentic North Florida Barbecue. "All that meat is cooked start to finish on the pit, cooked nice and slow," said Manager Eric Markert. "It gives it a nice smoky flavor."

The pork and ribs are hands-down customer favorites. "I go through about 200 pounds of pork a day and 150 to 180 pounds of pork spare ribs a day," he said. "People compare me to [several chain restaurants] all the time and say they're never going back" because they prefer Brown Brothers.

Brown Brothers also has its own special sauces, including a mustard-based sauce. "It's from an old recipe that's been around [North Florida] for about 65 years," Markert said.

But for those who like spicy barbecue sauce, try what Markert calls "SMOG."

"That's for 'Sweet mother of God!' It's got heat."

jbjofftheclock@bizjournals.com

For more information:

Blackjack's BBQ
http://www.blackjacksbestbbq.com/

Brown Brothers BBQ
http://www.brownbrothersbbq.com/

Fred Cotten BBQ
http://www.yellowbot.com/cotten-fred-barbecue-jacksonville-fl.html

[Food Fairy]

Here's decent list of the BBQ joints in the area.

http://www.eujacksonville.com/pages/06-14-07/diningguide.htm

E

[thelakelander]

nice... I see I have a few places to try out.

[02roadking]

Mojo's que is my favorite now. Beach location has ocassional live blues music.

http://www.mojobbq.com/mojokitchen/index.php

[thelakelander]

I haven't tried out the new Mojo's, but the old location is pretty good.  I also have no complaints against Blackjack's, Cotten's, Jenkins, Jim Brown's and Down South BBQ in Ponte Vedra.  I prefer those over the larger chains like Woody's, Bono's and Sonny's.

[spidey]

I like all those you named, Lake, including Mojo.

Don't bother with Woody's or Bono's unless you're going to the original.

Woody's original is at Atlantic and University.....although they now cook in a closed pit, and IMO, I don't think it's as good.

The original Bono's is on Beach Blvd. (west of University Blvd.) just west of the Hart Expressway overpass. 

[alohameisha]

I am not a bar-b-que expert but I have heard good things about

Jenkins Quality Barbecue
830 N Pearl St (904) 353-6388

If you haven’t been to Jenkins Quality Barbecue, you are missing out on a Jacksonville tradition. Jenkins has a place where you can sit down, but they’re most known for their take-home chicken in a bag. They sell them by half or whole, slather them in the Jenkins mustard-based sauce and stick them in a bag with several slices of bread. It looks terrible, but tastes great. Jacksonville natives also love their finely-minced slaw and the Jenkins Sauce for their home barbecues.

Looking at the menu http://www.jenkinsqualitybarbecue.com/menu.htm it seems they have the traditional down home style.

I have been seeing the MOJO ads in folio and that place looks cool too.

[thelakelander]

Update: Jerome Brown's BBQ is moving into the old Guthrie's Chicken spot in Springfield, across the street from 9th & Main.

[fsujax]

There is definately no lack of good quality BBQ in Jacksonville. There are so many good places.  I remember going to Fred Cottens on Main St when I was a little kid. To this day it is still good. Jenkins is also great, especially for those of us living in Downtown and Springfield.

[thelakelander]

Jerome Brown's BBQ, across from 9th & Main in Springfield is now open.

[copperfiend]

Mojo is my fav.

[second_pancake]

I agree with Copperfiend.  If you want some super-succulent turkey, you HAVE to go to Mojo (University and San Jose, I believe).  Seriously, they have huge portions and I've never gotten a crusty, dried out piece of meat ever.

[02roadking]

Jerome Brown's BBQ, across from 9th & Main in Springfield is now open.

Tried the pork on a bun with some baked beans for lunch today. It was ok. Nothing to write home about. The hot lunch buffet table @ 5.95 looked pretty good though.

[Taurean]

Hey Everyone! Is Smokey Bones still open in Jacksonville?

[thelakelander]

Yes.  I just had a beef brisket sandwich from there this past weekend.