Baby Blues BBQ

Barbecue has always been something of a secret art form in the cooking world. Chefs pass down their secret rubs, sauces, and recipes to only the most trusted. “Low and slow” means that some of the best barbecue comes from a long and laborious process. All these things makes tasty barbecue a bit difficult to find. Luckily right at 3402 Sansom Street in Philadelphia, PA is Baby Blues BBQ. They’ve even got locations on the west coast in Venice, CA and San Francisco, CA

Baby Blues BBQ also has their own food truck which allows them to join in local festivals and bring the barbecue to you! Their most recent awards include “Beast in Show” Bacon and Beer Festival and “Best Overall” Sea Isle Food Truck Festival in 2016. Other titles include People’s Choice Award at Citizens Bank Park BBQ Challenge, “Customer Favorite” from GrubHub.com, and “Noteworthy Newcomer” from Zagat.

We stopped in on a cool, rainy night to fill up with some of our favorite comfort food- barbecue. Our eyes grew big over the selection of Appetizers. We loved the Smokin Wings which are dry rubbed, smoked, then grilled with your choice of sauces: BBQ, Buffalo-style, sweet, XXX, or sweet-kick. Obviously we’re always tempted by something spicy and found a mix of sweet-kick and BBQ wings hit the spot.

If Hush Puppies don’t make you happy I don’t know what will. These little fried cornbread balls served with cinnamon honey butter are a perfect way to snack without ruining your appetite for the rest of the meal. The Fried Green Tomatoes are also a Baby Blues family recipe from Georgia and if you can’t decide why not try the Tackle Box, this sampler includes two grilled tiger shrimp, two hush puppies, two fried green tomatoes, and four wings. The Suicide King is also very unique with two slices of fresh baked cornbread topped with your choice of meat, cotija cheese, a dab of remoulade and BBQ sauce.

If you’re trying to be health-conscious about your dining Baby Blue’s has got you covered with their BBQ Chopped Salad, this portion is ideal for an entree or shared family style, filled with romaine lettuce, roasted corn and red peppers, black beans, diced tomatoes, and tortilla strips tossed in a house ranch or balsamic dressing. We added Grilled Shrimp, these Black tiger shrimp are grilled and drizzled with a New Orleans style remoulade.

Of course when it comes to barbecue almost every protein is offered as a sandwich or platter. At Baby Blues every sandwich is topped with cole slaw and served on a fresh-baked, grilled bun. We opted for the classic Pulled Pork Sandwich. The brined and seasoned pork shoulder is smoked with Guinness Beer, and then hand pulled. They’re also serving Sliced Brisket made with Black Angus beef, pepper crusted, slow smoked for 14 hours, and hand carved to order. If you’re looking for a burger we’d recommend the Bacon-Blue Stuffed Burger. This monster is made with a half-pound of prime chuck hand-blended with blue cheese and maple bacon into a patty, and we bet you’d never guess that its served with lingonberry mustard.

Pulled Pork, Smoked Chicken, and Brisket are all offered as platters in addition to the Gulf Coast Catfish filet seasoned with Cajun spices and blackened in a cast iron skillet, or crispy fried with a cornmeal crust. Each platter is served with 2 Fixins and house-made cornbread. Fixins include Mac N’ Cheese, Collard Greens, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob, French Fries, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Coleslaw, Chicken Smoked Rice, Fried Okra, Sauteed Veggies, and more.

And what would a barbecue restaurant be without ribs?! Baby Blues is serving up three types to your liking. They’ve got Memphis-Style Ribs, these are square cut, long-bone pork ribs, rubbed top to bottom with our blend of dry spices, slow smoked, then grilled and lightly basted with house BBQ sauce. Tender Baby Back Ribs which are prime cut pork ribs, dry rubbed, slow smoked, then grilled and brushed with house BBQ sauce. And then there’s Texas-Style Ribs and they’re Texas BIG. A rich, heavily marble slab of beef, smoked on the bone. As fork tender as a rib can get.

And if you’ve got a little room left for dessert, check out the Banana Pudding, its a house specialty made from scratch! Baby Blues BBQ is also offering great drink specials all week. All day specials include Margarita Mondays for $5.50, Tuesday Victory draft beers for $4.50, Wednesday Sweetwater drafts for $4.50, Thursday Lagunitas drafts for $4.50, Friday Flying Fish drafts for $4.50, Saturday Stoli Vodka drinks for $5.50 and Sunday Yuenglings for $3 (drafts and bottles).

Everyday grab a $6 City Wide  with a 16 oz. can of PBR and shot of bourbon or $8 Dew and a brew (shot of Tullamore Dew and a Yuengling Lager). Happy Hour is also offered Monday-Friday 4 – 6 pm, plus Saturday and Sunday 3 – 5 pm with snacks for $5-6, $3.75 draft beers, and more.

Baby Blues has also got barbecue to go! Check out the Family Style packages like The Butcher’s Block (Feeds 4-6) with 8 bones Baby Back Ribs, 8 bones Memphis-Style Ribs, half Smoked Chicken, ½ lb Pulled Pork, ½ lb Brisket. Choice of any 4 Fixins (1 pint each). Plus 6 servings of cornbreads. Barbecue is also sold a la carte by the pound. Catering options available from Baby Blues BBQ and their food truck.