Cooper's BBQ Co. Gilbert, AZ

20 January 2009

The family and I were out looking at houses in the east valley and I saw a sign for Cooper's BBQ Co. located on Gilbert Rd. just south of Ray between a feed store and a saddle shop.

The restaurant had a buffet style counter to order your food and gave a fast-food joint kind of feel even with its rustic wood booths and western decor. While placing our order, the man behind the counter was quite friendly. I chose ribs, brisket and pulled pork. It came with my choice of two sides. Mine were cowboy beans and cheesy potatoes. It didn't cost as much as I expected. Pretty average prices for larger portions.

I watched him pull the food from the warmer and plate it right in front of me while we chatted about various AZ BBQ places.

The ribs were fantastic. A good rib rub gave them a nice crust that was not too crunchy. The meat was tender and came off the bone without any effort on my part. Delicious.

Next, I sampled the brisket. Again, the rub made a nice crust and the meat was beautifully colored. It had a smoky flavor and the BBQ sauce made it even better.

The last item was the pulled pork. The flavor was good and smoky and I really enjoyed its texture. It was dry enough to not be greasy, but not so dry that I had to drown it in sauce just to choke it down.

There were three varieties of BBQ sauce: Smoky, Sweet & Spicy, and Classic.

The Sweet & Spicy was just that. Sweet & Spicy. Although the flavor wasn't quite as good as the Smoky.

The Smoky sauce was also true to its name. It seemed to have a bit more of a tangy, vinegary taste to it as well.

The Classic was, by far, my favorite. It was a perfect blend of sweetness with just the right touches of spicy and tangy. There was even a hint of smokiness.

Overall, the food was great and I have already been recommending it to friends. I decided to give a 8 of 10 with an extra half point (which says a lot because I don't give half points) just for the BBQ sauce. Definitely a keeper.