Joe's Real BBQ Gilbert, AZ

28 January 2009

In downtown Gilbert, AZ is a classic BBQ restaurant called Joe's Real BBQ.

I decided, on a whim (mostly to appease my readers, of course) to head in for some BBQ. My father-in-law helped me choose Joe's. I had a sleeping 18 month old in my arms so I decided to do carry-out. The prices were about the same as anywhere. In keeping with a fair review, I ordered the ribs, brisket, pulled pork with sides of sweet corn and potato salad.

The ribs were sweet with a nice rub crust. It had a great flavor from the smoke and the BBQ sauce really added to the flavor. It came off the bone pretty easily and wasn't too tough or mushy.

The brisket was pretty sweet also but the rub crust was a little bit mushy on the outside. (It may have been due to the packaging.) It was quite soft and fell apart nicely. It seemed moist enough that BBQ sauce was only needed if you wanted it for flavor.

When the pork touched my tongue I was delighted. It was sweet, like the other food, but also a little salty. A great texture and just the right amount of shredding made it one of the best shredded porks that I've tasted yet.

The sauce was good. I tasted a lot of vinegar and it really worked well with the food being so sweet. A balance of flavors when added to anything. I found myself holding the sauce container and poking fingers in whether food was between them or not. Joe's Real BBQ has a nice sit-down atmosphere and home-made root beer that will addict you quickly. Based on this, an 8 of 10.