# Tony Roma's Ribs on Unwrapped



## mulepackin (Jan 5, 2010)

Had the Food Network on in the background while cruising the web tonight. Unwrapped had a bit on Tony Roma's (braised, grilled, slathered in sauce, anything but real BBQd) ribs. Always knew they weren't "real" Q. This confirmed it for me. Anyone else catch this? Oh yeah, "you don't want to mask the pork flavor with a rub of any kind", "so we use a marinade" about 5 seconds per rack.


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## bbqhead (Jan 5, 2010)

sad to say ,they are by far not the only place doing this. applebees,chili's to name a few. even mom & pop places too.


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## old poi dog (Jan 5, 2010)

Yes I saw that.  Seems like the ribs spend more time baking in the oven then on to the grill to caramalize the sugar and for the grill marks.


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## deltadude (Jan 5, 2010)

Hey they are in business and have found a method that gives them a product people are willing to buy.  It's not a BBQ joint.

I have looked for good smoked ribs near my house out to a couple of miles, and so far if you want good ribs in my area, your best bet is my backyard.


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## vince (Jan 5, 2010)

I have to agree with deltadude, They are a business, and they found something that sells, All kind of taste in this world.


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## sporty (Jan 5, 2010)

I saw this too.  I agree they've hit on something to be successful.  But that comment about masking the flavor with rub???


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## mballi3011 (Jan 5, 2010)

There's only one BBQ resturant (The Rib Shack) that I will even walk into and I know the owners. I go mostly for the fried squash but the beef isn't bad either. To me it's really hard to go out to eat anywhere cause 9 out of 10 times I cook better than they do. It's hard to beat the good ole home cooked meal anyway but they have to do it the best that they can.


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## chisoxjim (Jan 5, 2010)

had Tony Romas ribs once, typical Bake-b-q.

I have a couple places in Chicago that do some good ribs (smoque & Honey 1), both use smokers. With that said I have not been to either in about a years time, I prefer what I am turning out, and would rather spend the $$ on some meat for my smoker.


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## fire it up (Jan 5, 2010)

Isn't it amazing how many places out there claim they serve BBQ simply because they put BBQ sauce on it!
I actually want to go to the Neel'y restaurant, order the ribs then when I try them send them back in disgust, tell them there is no way I am paying for that crap and demand my money back while threatening to sue for false advertising (assuming they claim they serve BBQ ribs, which I am sure they do), and then just shake my head or wag my finger.
Sure everyone has their own way, there are several right ways and definitely blasphemous non-BBQ meat-desecration ways.


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## stircrazy (Jan 5, 2010)

I think for the most part a restuarant has to be able to turn out a fast product.  so they have found a way to turn out ribs that taste close to BBQ with out the 5 hours of prep.  the way they do it they can cook up a batch and throw them in the fridge, then they just do the grill part when they are ordered.  another place that was well knowen for ribs where I grew up actualy simmered them for hours in there own maranade and then grilled to order, for boiled ribs they were shure tasty.  I think the biggest part for these places is there own distinct sauce.  make a fantastic sauce and smother the ribs in them and when you eat them all you know is the meat is tender as heck and the sauce is unbeleaveable.

unfortunatly in my 42 years I have never seen a place that makes real smoked ribs and I myself have never had them.. so I am realy looking forward to my first smoke... shortly after my parts from BBQ.com get here..

Steve


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## stircrazy (Jan 5, 2010)

thats the big differance between US and Canada, we call a Grill a BBQ.  they would have to be calling them smoked house cooked ribs or something like that 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  cuz my BBQed steak takes 5 min a side on my BBQ, my smoker would take much longer.  

Steve


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## coyote-1 (Jan 5, 2010)

Fortunately, here in NYC we have a number of restaurants that do smoked ribs. There's a few on Long Island too.

Of course, I don't really need to to to any of those places


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## pignit (Jan 5, 2010)

Before I learned to smoke ribs... Tony Romas would have been my choice for a evening out for ribs. I thought they were excellent before I started smoking my own. It's really hard for me to go out and enjoy a meal these days because my cooking is far better than most anything I can go out and buy. When I'm traveling I will stop at a Mom and Pop BBQ joint and buy a rack or ribs or a pound of brisket and I've run into some dang good food doin that. They always have some sort of smoker out back that gets my attention and the curiosity to hit the brakes.


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## scarbelly (Jan 5, 2010)

We have a couple of places here in So Ca that have actually been on DDD with Guy - They actually smoke some good ribs and like others have said they are small family owned places.


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## mgwerks (Jan 5, 2010)

Fortunately, there are a number of places that actually BBQ their ribs (and other meats) in central Texas. I know it's really hard to find them most other places...

That being said, we all need to understand that as a group we are way out on the end of the Bell curve. Our experiences and expectations oare far different that those of John Q. Public - most of them don't know or care one way or another, as long as it tastes good. But we can keep recruiting, teaching and encouraging new people to get into the hobby and habit of doing their own, and that ought to make us all a little happier!


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## dick bullard (Jan 5, 2010)

A couple years ago I had a friend that worked as a food rep. for a very large food supplier here in the midwest......sometimes she would come to one of the cook outs a group of friends would have....she always wanted to bring the ribs for us cause she could get them at a very, very good price.....she told us these were the ones they supplied to Chili's (I believe) and a few other resturants (Chains).  She would show up with a full packed box of them, they were fully cooked with some type of rub on them.  Can't say they tasted that good right out of the box and heated up, but she said all their customers just threw them on their grills and added their own sause to make their brand of ribs.  Would imagine that is probably true also at a lot of places.....I have heard around our neck of the woods, a lot of the small or independent resturants use the "SMOKAROMA"     pressure smoking unit.  www.Smokaroma.com...I used one of these when I ran a small grill at one time.   They do a very good job and very, very fast.  Obviously not as good as home smoked, but customers absolutely loved the stuff made in it.  The smoke flavor penetrated fully whatever you cooked in it do to the pressure.

                                     RICK


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## hilbillyinca (Jan 5, 2010)

In my experience, most bbq joints have a hard time churning out consistently good food. Rarely will it ever equal the quality of what you will pull off of your own smoker. 
I think this primarily due to them having to feed masses of people. When you cook at home (or a competition), you are most often eating your food at the ideal time, after a good rest and proper cook.

Trying to time a precise amount of bbq for your customers, not knowing exactly how many you have or what they will order makes it very difficult to get those ribs to the customer after the ideal cook and resting time. Hence, places come up with alternative methods (Pre-cooking, grilling, baking, braising, etc..)

My wife loves my ribs, but often when we go out for dinner, she will order ribs. And invariably, she is always disappointed with the outcome.  

All that being said, I did have two pleasant bbq experiences at Rendevous and Neelys Interstate when I visited Memphis last year.  Either of these two places were probably the best "bought" bbq I've had.


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## meatball (Jan 5, 2010)

I will second your notion about Rendezvous. I even use their rub on my own ribs - it's so good. That place is easily the best dine-out BBQ place I've ever been. You can even sit there and watch them work the smokers. And the atmosphere is great. I never made it to Neely's but certainly will try on my next visit to Memphis.


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## mulepackin (Jan 6, 2010)

Boy, didn't expect such staunch defense of Tony Rs from a bunch of die hard Qers
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





. Must be stockholders or diehard capitalists. But I'm as guilty as the next guy of eating these style ribs and even, dare I say, enjoying them some. Famous Dave's is the only chain in the state that has real smoke BBQ, and most of it has been pretty good. I smelled smoke, and saw the smoker.


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## john3198 (Jan 6, 2010)

I'm with you guys, Hard to beat my home smoked ribs. Once you get good at cooking, going out is more for convenience than flavor. 

A friend of mine got the rib reciepe from Rib Crib (OK, TX chain). I don't remember the details but it went something like put on a rub, put in the smoker for an hour then into the over for something like 2 hours. He has thrilled and excalaimed "Wow, now that I have ribs figured out, I'm ready to move on to butts and brisket". I hated to tell him that he was a long way from getting ribs figured out!! Back to school time.


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## iadubber (Jan 11, 2010)

Unless you are going to a real smokehouse you aren't going to get real bbq'd ribs. The good places make one or two batches a day, smoked, and when they are gone they are gone.


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