Let's Talk BBQ
General => General Discussion & Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: jjjonz on March 02, 2014, 11:44:12 AM
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First off I know we can't get bbq as good as we cook at home,when I'm out on the road I sometimes stop at Sonny's for a sliced pork sandwich. When I go to a bbq restaurant I always check outside for a stack of wood . Well, for the last few times at Sonny's I found no wood stacked up anymore. I just don't get it ...the sandwich is as good as ever. Got any ideas ?
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Electric smokers.
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Sonny's has one of the best sliced pork I've had. What do you think they use for the meat? What cut of pork?
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Most BBQ restaurants ( NOTE: not the same as a BBQ shack, or BBQ joint) nowadays are cooking with electricity - or gas as the heat source, but with wood chunks, chips or sticks as the smoke supplement.
Can be good - and when volume production is important, the opportunity for better consistency is important - and part of the reason for the choice of gas or electric.
Sonny's has been converting some of their stores to this cooking method/style. I like the sliced pork as well. And - the BBQ chicken is pretty hard to beat!
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never tried sonny's bbq maybe next time.
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Sonny's has one of the best sliced pork I've had. What do you think they use for the meat? What cut of pork?
Rad I have tried to find out to and it's from a cut called "collar"....
http://bbq.about.com/b/2005/04/28/sliced-pork-sonnys-bbq.htm
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We don't have Sonny's here but I have eaten at several in FL, sorry but it is the McDonald's of BBQ to me.
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Most BBQ restaurants ( NOTE: not the same as a BBQ shack, or BBQ joint) nowadays are cooking with electricity - or gas as the heat source, but with wood chunks, chips or sticks as the smoke supplement.
Can be good - and when volume production is important, the opportunity for better consistency is important - and part of the reason for the choice of gas or electric.
Sonny's has been converting some of their stores to this cooking method/style. I like the sliced pork as well. And - the BBQ chicken is pretty hard to beat!
I'm going to pretend I didn't read this (since it was written by an obviously deranged Texan)... :D
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Chris-
2 rules to live by that will create the appearance of reality for you:
1. the stomach is a blind organ. It is only when the "opinion center" of the brain interferes that the stomach believes something "can't taste good cooked that way" ;)
2. It is perfectly o.k. ( in fact it is preferred) to be surprised that you like something you did not expect to. But - you have allow yourself that opportunity first. ;D
:D :D :D
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Hell, you know I'll eat anything Tee. It's still fun to give you some grief though. ;)
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We don't have Sonny's here but I have eaten at several in FL, sorry but it is the McDonald's of BBQ to me.
Shoot I had me a 'big mac attack" YESTERDAY . :D :D
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Sonny's has one of the best sliced pork I've had. What do you think they use for the meat? What cut of pork?
Rad I have tried to find out to and it's from a cut called "collar"....
http://bbq.about.com/b/2005/04/28/sliced-pork-sonnys-bbq.htm
Your like me. I've tired to figure this out. I guess it's time to post to the butcher and get the answer.
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Hell, you know I'll eat anything Tee. It's still fun to give you some grief though. ;)
Anything?.... ::) Shoot - I have been with you for a few lunches...YOU will eat EVERYTHING! :D...But - seriously, if it's good - I don't care how they cooked it. And - I figure I can always learn something new from some folks that use a cooker that I would not, by choice - use.
I used to say something like that about pellet cookers....Now I own 2 of em! :D
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Hell, you know I'll eat anything Tee. It's still fun to give you some grief though. ;)
Anything?.... ::) Shoot - I have been with you for a few lunches...YOU will eat EVERYTHING! :D...But - seriously, if it's good - I don't care how they cooked it. And - I figure I can always learn something new from some folks that use a cooker that I would not, by choice - use.
I used to say something like that about pellet cookers....Now I own 2 of em! :D
Tee, are ya saying he is a garbage disposal with teeth :D :D
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Hell, you know I'll eat anything Tee. It's still fun to give you some grief though. ;)
Anything?.... ::) Shoot - I have been with you for a few lunches...YOU will eat EVERYTHING! :D...But - seriously, if it's good - I don't care how they cooked it. And - I figure I can always learn something new from some folks that use a cooker that I would not, by choice - use.
I used to say something like that about pellet cookers....Now I own 2 of em! :D
Tee, are ya saying he is a garbage disposal with teeth :D :D
Guilty as charged.
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I know I'm going necro on this post.
I wanted to see how people thought of Sonny's BBQ. It is the one restaurant I miss the most since moving from Florida over 3 years ago. And in 10 days I will be back in the sunshine state.
Sonny's uses the Southern Pride industrial smokers. They are gas powered, but uses actual logs for smoke. For several years they did do all of the smoking in a central location and ship the meat to the franchises. Customers complained (rightfully so) and now all locations smoke on site.
My favorite thing there is to make smoked turkey sandwiches on Texas toast and use their spicy Smokin' bbq sauce. They have a Sizzlin' Sweet sauce that is a sweet heat, but their spicy sauce is my all time favorite from anywhere. If I knew how to cook bbq sauce that is what I would try to imitate, but without any commercial chemicals everyone uses for shelf stability.
And I am looking forward to McBBQ over this New England crap I am stuck with.
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Our local Sonny's is remodeling.
I guess they, too, are going through the change of life.
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My local Sonny's caught fire a few years back. It was a fairly new location at the time. They have since rebuilt it and made some changes. Their food is okay but I have sworn them off due to bad service but may give them another shot one day. What's REALLY sad is the BBQ shack I grew up eating had caught fire (old school pit) and now due to having to rebuild, they are no longer grandfathered in and have to build to new codes. Sadly, the red tape is more than they are willing to cut through so they are closed and it looks like they will remain so. If I only could've had ONE more sammich :(
https://www.yelp.com/biz/deans-barbeque-jonesboro
Sorry for the hijack!
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Look's like you two Georgia boys are only 1 to 3 hours away from Myron Mixon's place. Have y'all tried his joint?
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My local Sonny's caught fire a few years back. It was a fairly new location at the time. The have since rebuilt it and made some changes. Their food is okay but I have sworn them off due to bad service but may give them another shot one day. What's REALLY sad is the BBQ shack I grew up eating had caught fire (old school pit) and now due to having to rebuild, they are no longer grandfathered in and have to build to new codes. Sadly, the red tape is more than they are willing to cut through so they are closed and it looks like they will remain so. If I only could've had ONE more sammich :(
https://www.yelp.com/biz/deans-barbeque-jonesboro
Sorry for the hijack!
Sonny's is OK, but I would prefer the old school BBQ joint over Sonny's any day. When we travel across the state at work, we always google for a local "mom and pop" style BBQ joint and try to work in it. They are out there and although most don't have a web site, they generally have some presence on facebook.
Not to hijack the thread further, but.....
We used to eat at Dean's all the time. My office was right across the street from them for years. They had great Brunswick stew and a $5 lunch deal of a chopped pork sandwich, bag of chips and canned soda in a brown paper bag (flat $5 bill with no tax?).
They have had other issues though. Roger Dean was a former GA Revenue Agent and he ended up going to prison for collecting sales taxes from his customers and keeping them. Sort of ironic he used to put people in jail for that same thing and then did it himself. Then after their father Jessie passed, Roger and the other children have been in court for years squabbling over ownership of the business. I think the sister was running it last when the fire happened. It's all been in the local papers, but that pit fire was the last nail in the Dean's BBQ coffin as the State and county will not let the rebuild the old style pit and they apparently cannot afford to build or buy one that will comply with current fire/life safety codes for BBQ pits. There was a fundraiser on GO FUND ME to rebuild the pit, but it only raised about $1,500 since last year. It was not the first time Dean's pit house had burned down, but the codes are way different now.
Interview with Roger Dean for "Southern BBQ Trail" project in 2010.
https://www.southernfoodways.org/app/uploads/GeorgiaBBQ_DeanBBQ.pdf (https://www.southernfoodways.org/app/uploads/GeorgiaBBQ_DeanBBQ.pdf)
GA Attorney General press release on conviction of Roger Dean for 1 count of false statements and 19 counts of theft by conversion in Sales Tax theft case in 1998.
https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/1998-01-30/attorney-general-prosecutes-sales-tax-violator (https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/1998-01-30/attorney-general-prosecutes-sales-tax-violator)
Youtube video on Dean's BBQ (with old photos)
https://youtu.be/uee8624jnq8 (https://youtu.be/uee8624jnq8)
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We hit Sonny's every now and than and i like their sliced pork as my fav. Sometimes the ribs are hit or miss but noting to turn down. I love the sauces and now there are several places around here that carry them.
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Growing up in Panama City, FL, in the 80's (and later living in Pensacola in the 90's and early 2000's), Sonny's was the only BBQ chain we had and better than 90% of the local mom-and-pop joints. Back then they used wood fired smokers, but I do know some franchisees are now using gas assist smokers. Honestly, it's cost effective and provided flavor and consistency ... I don't judge.
Back in my fraternity days, we'd hit the AYCE rib night with a frightening single-mindedness ... and our servers never batted an eyelash. They (like Chick-Fil-A and so many other Southern restaurants) had impeccable service and were maternal in the extreme ... and never let my sweet tea run dry. The Sweet Sauce on center cut spares, with some Texas Toast to mop up the mess ... delicious.
I've got a high school reunion next year in Panama City and you can bet that I'll be grabbing at least one meal at Sonny's before I head back to Texas.
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I have to admit....When I came to N. Carolina from Texas....Sonny's was the ONLY place I could get decent BBQ. And - to this day, when I am near one- I will still eat there if convenient. No, it is not the best...but I will often default to "consistent mediocrity" ( like McDonald's coffee...) in lieu of the unknowns.
Every Sonny's I have been to has had great service, was clean and the food was pretty similar to the others I had traveled by.
But, each location can vary I know....I have been lucky I suppose.
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When I earned my bachelor's and traveled to Florida to walk two years ago, Sonny's was what I chose for my graduation dinner.
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I'll be honest, I haven't eaten at Sonny's a looooong time. Guess I'll give it another try . . .
BD
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I'll be honest, I haven't eaten at Sonny's a looooong time. Guess I'll give it another try . . .
BD
It's not bad. It gets lumped into the "Fast Food" category so people are quick not not WANT to like it, lol. I've never eaten at Dickey's BBQ, some hate while others love it but it too is a "Chain" restaurant so I guess I too have been judgmental and not given it a shot.
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I'll be honest, I haven't eaten at Sonny's a looooong time. Guess I'll give it another try . . .
BD
It's not bad. It gets lumped into the "Fast Food" category so people are quick not not WANT to like it, lol. I've never eaten at Dickey's BBQ, some hate while others love it but it too is a "Chain" restaurant so I guess I too have been judgmental and not given it a shot.
Funny, I was actually getting ready to try Dickie's last year when I found out that the Charlotte location had closed.
BD
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I'll be honest, I haven't eaten at Sonny's a looooong time. Guess I'll give it another try . . .
It's not bad. It gets lumped into the "Fast Food" category so people are quick not not WANT to like it, lol. I've never eaten at Dickey's BBQ, some hate while others love it but it too is a "Chain" restaurant so I guess I too have been judgmental and not given it a shot.
Funny, I was actually getting ready to try Dickie's last year when I found out that the Charlotte location had closed.
BD
We had a Dickies just about 2 miles from here...closed after one year. We ate there one time and I know why they closed.
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Look's like you two Georgia boys are only 1 to 3 hours away from Myron Mixon's place. Have y'all tried his joint?
I haven't been to Myron's place. It's about 30 minutes down I-75 from us. I met him at a local exhibition where he talked about pulled pork. He seemed to be a "prima donna" instead of "down home" cook. I have one his books, but never read past the first few pages of his story.
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Dickie's is very much hit or miss with regard to brisket and ribs. Their kielbasa is tasty, as are their baked beans. Definitely "fast food" bbq. I'd classify Sonny's as "fast casual" bbq ... good, simple, filling food at a good price.
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So I had Sonny's twice during my vacation. One location seemed a little lackluster but it hit the bbq jonesing spot. Solid c+/b-. The second location was a newer location and was fantastic. B+/A-. I wonder if the time of day and busyness played into the taste versus location.
I did get a bottle of their spicy "Smokin" sauce and a couple bottles of their all purpose dry rub to test with.