BBQ Joint Reviews

With my new found love of BBQ I have decided to rank and review the places that I have been to. Keep in mind I am still limited in the places that I have been and have not been to the BBQ hot spots in the country like Memphis and Kansas City. I will update this list as my waist line and billfold will allow.

* Overall rating 1-5

1. Jethro’s Des Moines and Altoona *****  

Full service dining a barbeque place with a sports bar vibe, with an extensive menu for a BBQ joint. The smoked steak at the Altoona location needs to be tried once.

Sauces: a vast variety of sauces. The original is the best they offer and one of the best I have had.

Ribs: for me the perfect combination of smokiness, dry rub.

Pulled Pork:  The pulled pork is smoked well, some good bark and consistent.

Brisket: Always good.

Sides: Overall the best sides of any BBQ place that I have been. The Hot slaw is the best. The Mac and cheese is good also. The coleslaw is at the top end.

Overall: The best total dining experience. I have eaten here plenty of times is always consistent. Be prepared to wait for a table, it’s worth the wait.            

The best value on the menu is the ½ rack and two meat dinner for two which comes with four sides.

2. Jimmy Jacks Iowa City *****

Limited service dining (order at the counter) for limited service dining the staff is very friendly and helpful. The menu is extremely limited nothing but BBQ.  Limited seating and backless chairs are one of the only drawbacks. All the food is served on or in paper.

Sauces: a good variety of sauces the original is good but the Cowboy is there best and one of the best I have ever had.

Ribs: So far the best I have had, somewhat sweet and a good full smoked flavor.

Pulled Pork: good smoked flavor

Sides: again the sides are extremely limited only three to choose from. I don’t usually eat French fries but these are the best I have ever had.  

Overall: When it comes to just plain meat and sauces this place has the best. I will drive to Iowa City just to eat here. Have been impressed each time with the staff.

3. Rib Crib ****

Full service dining chain expanded menu. I have only been here once and it was some time ago. All I remember was the ribs and they were good.

Sauces: I just remember liking the one I had.

Ribs: Can be ordered wet or dry I preferred the wet and they were very good.

Sides: good selection of sides.

Overall: The ribs left a very good impression on me for only eating there once. Mason City is the only Iowa Location  

4. Woody’s Smoke Shack Des Moines ***

Limited service dining, neat atmosphere, food served in and on paper

Sauces: only two to choose from both good but not outstanding.

Ribs: a strange but not bad rub no smoke flavor in the ribs, not a very meaty rib, mine was over cooked

Pulled Pork: No bark, no smoke, and a tad stringy for me.

Sides: limited nothing to write home about

Overall: I came out smelling like smoke but never tasted any. On the positive side they had a pan of corn bread out to eat with honey and it was the best corn bread I have had in my life.

5. Bandannas **

Full service dining chain restaurant with somewhat of a sports bar feel

Sauces: a variety to choose from I did not care for any of them.

Pulled pork:  has a good smoky flavor with some good bark.

Sides: A good variety of sides. The coleslaw was very good.

Overall: the sauces ruined the trip for me but we did have something that is not listed on the online menu I think they were called donut holes they were like a mini funnel cake and were very good.

6. John’s Shamrock Barbeque Ainsworth Iowa *

Full service dining expanded menu, dark dated dining

Sauces: a variety to choose from I did not like any of them

Ribs: good smoked, flavor nice bark, I could not find a sauce to put on them I ate them dry.

Sides: a vast variety to choose from nothing stood out.

Overall: The sauces ruined the trip for me. They had sauerkraut soup on the menu that the Shamrock used to serve which has been a favorite of mine for years but this one fell short of what I remembered.  

7.  The Q Des Moines

Full service dining, expanded menu

Do not order the barbeque.  This place in not even worth my time to write a review.

Got Joy?

It is easy to rejoice in the LORD when things are going well, but how much better would it be to be in a place where you can still rejoice in the LORD when things are not going so well. Habakkuk 3:17-18 is a good reminder of that

¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
      and there are no grapes on the vines;
   even though the olive crop fails,
      and the fields lie empty and barren;
   even though the flocks die in the fields,
      and the cattle barns are empty,
 ¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord!

This also reminds me of Job 2:10 after losing everything his wealth, kids, and health his wife asked him to curse God and die. Job replied with some very wise words:
¹⁰ But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

Not blaming God and being able to accept what we see as bad is the beginning of joy and I would much rather have joy than happiness. Happiness is fleeting but joy runs deep.

It takes sugar to turn lemons into lemonade, and it takes God to turn bad into joy.

American Idol

If you thought you were going to get my take on this year's show, surprise. I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would. But Habakkuk today made me think about idols in America today. We think of the Old Testament day as being a time full of idols, but in America today their aren't any less and possibly even more. First we have to get a proper definition of an idol. Below is Webster's definition of an idol.

1: a representation or symbol of an object of worship; broadly : a false god

2 : a likeness of something 

3: a form or appearance visible but without substance 

4: an object of extreme devotion 

5: a false conception 

 

Our definition of an idol should be anything we make more important than God.

An today in America there are many things that fight for the title of more important than God and we all have different ones. Our jobs, our homes, our stuff, the list could go on forever. The question is what's fighting for your attention? In thinking about this just remember Habakkuk 2:18-19

 

¹⁸ “What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation— a god that can’t even talk! ¹⁹ What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,‘Wake up and save us!’ To speechless stone images you say,‘Rise up and teach us!’ Can an idol tell you what to do? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. 

 Do not put your trust into things that are lifeless inside instead put your trust in the ONE who gave you life.

By the way I think a Scotty, Jacob or Casey will win American Idol.

Comes with instructions

As I was reading Titus 2 this morning verse 12 reminded me of something. It says:
¹² And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,

What I was reminded of is anything with value comes with instructions and we tend not to read them. But there is nothing more valuable than your own life and believe it or not you came with instructions too. If you look around your house you'll probably find it. On the front or on the side it will say Bible. Pick it up and read it. Everything you really needs to know is in there.

But...... What about them?

I finished reading the book of John this morning and I find the verse 22 very interesting.
These are the very last words that John records Jesus as saying.

John 21:22
Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

Jesus knows mankind all to well. We spend so much time saying what about them? It makes me think of someone who get singled out in a line of traffic for a speeding ticket. Their response is likely "what about them"?
This also makes me think of one of my other favorite verses  Job 38:2

“Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?

I think that Jesus is giving us all some very good advice here. I think what he is saying is don't get all wrapped up in what everyone else is doing or not doing but make sure you are following him. If you are truly following him everything else will naturally fall into place. This is by no means an excuse not to speak of Jesus but speaks of God's sovereignty.

Are you one of those people?

Today as I was reading about Peter's denying Jesus three time I remembered a recent comment that was made to me at work a couple of weeks ago. Out of the blue someone said "I heard that you were a pastor." Before I tell you how I responded read          John 18:17-18
¹⁷ The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”
   “No,” he said, “I am not.”  ¹⁸ Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.
 
When I read these verse Peter did really two things first and worst he denied, second and as equally as bad he just stood around. I am the type of person that really likes to be prepared before I answer any question. However when they said I heard that you were a pastor that was nothing that I would have ever been prepared for. So now I had some choices one was to just to politely say no and walk away, another would have been to do like Peter did and say no and then stand around and blend in. But thanks to words that were given to me from above I said no I am not, then took the opportunity to explain the roles that I do play in the church and I also said as Christians we are not all pastors but should all be ministers.
 
As you are reading this you may be thinking good for Mike. Please don't think that at all because comparing that to Peter's situation is not entirely fair. In my situation I did not feel threatened at all, where Peter did. One question that I continually ask myself is how would I react if I did feel threatened? I'm still not sure.
 
You should ask yourself the same question and prepare yourself for your answer
 

You won't find it on EBay.

The greatest gift of all "salvation" in a sense has a do not open until death sign on it.
I realize this point could be argued but what I am trying to say is that we will not get the full benefit from this gift until we get to Heaven. With that said I think John 14:27 describes the second greatest gift we could ever receive and it does not come from Lowe's, a car dealership, a jewelry store or the mall. You can not even buy this gift on EBay.  John 14:27 says:

 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

What could you face today if you truly had a peace of mind and heart? You can not experience true peace without having a relationship with Jesus. Like he says right here it comes from him you can't get it  at Wal*Mart or anywhere online. The cool thing is you can open this gift right now by not running from Jesus anymore.
You can get it just by developing your relationship with him. You will still have troubles in your life, those will not go away in a fallen world but you can still have a peace in those troubles.