Best BBQ in Okc metro.

[okatty]

I saw in the Oklahoman today that Smokin' Okies food truck was named in the 100 best BBQ restaurants in America for its Burrito and its Port and Pinapple Stew!. Gonna have to try those out! Congrats to them.

[zachj7]

Best BBQ in OKC is drive up to Kansas City, go to Q39 or Joe's, then drive back.

[Thomas Vu]

Best BBQ in OKC is drive up to Kansas City, go to Q39 or Joe's, then drive back.

There's a Joes in OK. It's Tulsa, but the drive is shorter than KC

[MagzOK]

I recommend The Boundary on 66 between Arcadia and Luther. I know it's technically not inside the metro, but it is really awesome. It's a mom and pop place with pops homemade sauce and succulent meats. The menu isn't enormous which allows him to specialize in a few things. It gets mixed reviews, mostly because of a mistaken attitude given off from the owner. He's just rather a matter-of-fact person, but very friendly. He does a fantastic job here. And really, I think he does some of the best coleslaw I've ever tasted. If you're up for a Saturday gander into the not-so-far-distant country, this is really a destination joint.

[Urbanized]

I've ridden out there before and enjoyed the location quite a bit. I found the BBQ to be sort of middle-of-the-road. Def not bad, just not worth making a special trip, though I won't hesitate to stop on another Route 66 ride. That said, my next ride out there will be structured around trying Butcher BBQ in Wellston.

[rezman]

I know the owners of the Boundary personally. They are very good people. And yes, they are matter-of-fact, and they don't take crap off anyone. I've watched them show more than one belligerent customer the door.

Donnie does all the cooking and Buffy does all the serving. Occasionally they have a third person helping out, but for the most part, they do it all. And it is very good.

[Jeepnokc]

I know the owners of the Boundary personally. They are very good people. And yes, they are matter-of-fact, and they don't take crap off anyone. I've watched them show more than one belligerent customer the door.

Donnie does all the cooking and Buffy does all the serving. Occasionally they have a third person helping out, but for the most part, they do it all. And it is very good.

Why would anyone...let alone more than one person have to get belligerent at a bbq restaurant ?

[kevinpate]

Why would anyone...let alone more than one person have to get belligerent at a bbq restaurant ?

Because some folk just shouldn't ever reach higher in life, and should instead remain content to dip their nuggets in mcd's version of bbq sauce?

[Roger S]

I, unfortunately, have encountered the "matter of factness" at The Boundary.... Whatever their reason for it. It is off putting and while I thought the Q was good it was enough to not make me want to go back.

I had already ordered a large amount of food, and was considering ordering more to go, and asked if I could just have a small sample of their pulled pork before I made the purchase... You would have thought I had asked for a free meal the way I was responded to.

I could understand the reaction I got if I had just walked in to use their restroom and had stopped and asked for free food. But I had just made a substantial dine-in order. I fail to see how a small bite of pulled pork was going to throw off their meal plans for the entire day.

[Jeepnokc]

I, unfortunately, have encountered the "matter of factness" at The Boundary.... Whatever their reason for it. It is off putting and while I thought the Q was good it was enough to not make me want to go back.

I had already ordered a large amount of food, and was considering ordering more to go, and asked if I could just have a small sample of their pulled pork before I made the purchase... You would have thought I had asked for a free meal the way I was responded to.

I could understand the reaction I got if I had just walked in to use their restroom and had stopped and asked for free food. But I had just made a substantial dine-in order. I fail to see how a small bite of pulled pork was going to throw off their meal plans for the entire day.

I was wondering. Generally, imho, I find that if a particular place has a problem with numerous belligerent patrons, there generally is a resident catalyst.

[Urbanized]

For the record, the woman who waited on me was very pleasant. That said, if "belligerent customers" and the owners "not taking crap off of anybody" are regular enough occurrences to be mentioned in casual discussions about a place, the problem probably AIN'T the customers...

[rezman]

Well, it certainly isn't the "resident catalyst". And who said it was a regular occurrence?

By the way, I've seen boorish behavior by customers at many businesses, not just restaurants. ... People who walk in like they own the place, who are loud or mouthy and disrespectful, don't control their kids, make a mess and and leave it for others to clean up. I once saw a clerk brought to tears by a "belligerent customer" who showed no manners or respect.

My wife and I also owned our own business, and along with the good, which were the majority, we also delt with a few customers who talked to my wife in a way that was inexcusable.

I have no problem with the owner of a business sending a customer home kicking rocks if they choose to act like that.

[Bullbear]

it just seems odd that as stated before in casual conversation about a place of business it was mentioned by everyone about the "matter of fact " attitude. doesn't sound pleasant or inviting at all. and odd to think that this establishment could have so many bad customers that everyone would experience this behavior. hmm.

[Jeepnokc]

I've watched them show more than one belligerent customer the door.

More than once makes for regular occurrence. People react to people. It generally takes two to tangle and there is generally a moment where a business owner can diffuse a situation or escalate a situation. It is part of being in a business that deals with the public. I was in the restaurant management business several years. I would much rather diffuse a situation if only for the sake of my other guests.

[rezman]

They just don't put up with it. ... and they don't have to. That's all.

Mean while, back to the BBQ,

Has anyone been to Val's in Altus. It's been a long time since I visited there , but I remember it being very good.

[kevinpate]

The customer and right always go together in a sentence. Most times this is because the customer is right and the service or product was lacking in some respect off the norm. These are typically a my apology, how can we make this up to you situation, and tend to resolve in under 30 seconds.

And then there are the other times, where the lacking in some respect is the customer and well, the door is right there, and the quite unreasonable person can kindly go through it (or be calmly escorted through it) and is quite welcome to go prove what a miserable excuse for a rational person he, she or they are to someone else, anyone else really, but they most assuredly are not going to foul the air where they wanted to do so.

In my life, I've hawked chicken, pizza, burgers and a few different non-food retail gigs. There are good customers, interesting prospects and dregs who want a fight or a freebie, sometimes both, and pretend to be customers as they ply their deceptive craft. Never had much use for the latter, but so long as they weren't throwing punches, they could be calmly escorted out and only after about a mile down the road would they begin to realize they didn't get free stuff. Irrespective of education, once someone's bluff and bluster is made ineffective, they just don't listen real closely, and that's when to slide them out the door.

[SoonerDave]

There was one time in which *this* customer wasn't right at a reasonably notorious bbq restaurant in OK (not going to throw brickbats by putting the name out there), when I misread the menu and found out the hard way that a single regular burger, fries, and drink was $20. And, no, I'm not exaggerating. Twenty bills.

What I saw in large letters on the menu was the lunch special with fries and a drink for something like $9.95 or thereabouts, but what I didn't see in the fine print were that hamburgers were considered a "specialty sandwich" and "weren't included" on the special. I was so stunned when I saw the ticket I just assumed it was an error, and when I asked the waitress to check it she kinda laughed at me and said, no it was right. So, on the letter of the law, yeah, dummy on me, I got skunked, but good grief, the ill will created over a $20 burger won't ever be overcome. Needless to say, I won't be giving them the opportunity for me to make that mistake again.

And, no, it wasn't even *close* to being worth that kind of $.

I thought surely for goodwill (I was with some other folks at the time, and it was a bit embarrassing for them as they had really sold the place so that's where we went for lunch that day) they'd adjust it down to the special price, or given me some token amount off; no way. They Wuz Right And They Wuz Gonna Stick It To Me.

Not again.

[ctchandler]

Well, I ate at Ray's in Norman today and right now (and I'm afraid there's always a little bias when you have just stuffed yourself), I would put at "My" top in the barbecue arena. I had the three meat dinner so I could taste the pork, good but a little dry, sliced brisket and it's the best I've had in years, and ribs also probably the best I've had in years. Speaking of the OKC Metro area of course. The beans were good and the okra was good. And the company (a long time associate/friend and his wife) was the finest, so, what more can I say. I will meet them again in the near future and then I will have either the ribs or the sliced brisket and vice/versa the next time.
C. T.

[Tundra]

Well, I ate at Ray's in Norman today and right now (and I'm afraid there's always a little bias when you have just stuffed yourself), I would put at "My" top in the barbecue arena. I had the three meat dinner so I could taste the pork, good but a little dry, sliced brisket and it's the best I've had in years, and ribs also probably the best I've had in years. Speaking of the OKC Metro area of course. The beans were good and the okra was good. And the company (a long time associate/friend and his wife) was the finest, so, what more can I say. I will meet them again in the near future and then I will have either the ribs or the sliced brisket and vice/versa the next time.
C. T.

CT, I'll have to agree with you about Ray's , I probably eat there twice a month for the last 10 years , I've yet to get a bad meal, and you hit the nail on the head the brisket and ribs are some of the best around. I keep thinking that I'm due an off day from them, and the continue to prove me wrong. I'd recommend Ray's to anyone looking for excellent BBQ.

[TheTravellers]

Saw in the Gazette that Smokey's has a new owner and "revamped" menu. Might have to give it a try now, heard it was horrible before, but hopefully not now.

Nuggets Food Briefs: Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar, Smokey?s Bar-B-Que & Diner, 1492 New World Latin Cuisine and more! | Oklahoma Gazette

[Roger S]

Next week we start the 2016 OKC Broken Rib Tour.... This will be our 3rd year to do this and I'm looking forward to seeing if some of the Q-raunts that managed to stay in the Top 5 of the first two tours manage to stay there again this year and we have 4 Q-raunts that have never been included in the tour before.

[Thomas Vu]

Next week we start the 2016 OKC Broken Rib Tour.... This will be our 3rd year to do this and I'm looking forward to seeing if some of the Q-raunts that managed to stay in the Top 5 of the first two tours manage to stay there again this year and we have 4 Q-raunts that have never been included in the tour before.

So exciting. Wish I could join.

[Roger S]

So exciting. Wish I could join.

Judges are set for this year but I'll keep you in mind if I have an opening next year.

On another note... I have been kicking around the idea of starting a BBQ Appreciaton group on Facebook with the intent of having a once a month gathering to eat BBQ in OKC and also to plan an occasional BBQ road trip.

[kevinpate]

...
On another note... I have been kicking around the idea of starting a BBQ Appreciaton group on Facebook with the intent of having a once a month gathering to eat BBQ in OKC and also to plan an occasional BBQ road trip.

I think that page would have the potential for serious growth.

[Thomas Vu]

I don't have FB, but somebody keep me posted on it?