"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best barbecue in the city. They'll be visiting four locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."
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00:00 LA barbecue today.
00:01 We're starting here at Slab.
00:02 And I'm really excited to do this one with you
00:04 because I absolutely love the barbecue in LA.
00:07 Now, I'm a barbecue head, right?
00:09 Amazing barbecue all throughout the world,
00:11 but LA specifically has some fantastic barbecue.
00:14 - Barbecue in the UK is very different.
00:15 I think you guys would probably associate it
00:16 more with grilling. - Yeah.
00:18 - 'Cause it's very much like something that you do
00:19 probably in your back garden.
00:21 I had a lot of barbecues when I was growing up
00:22 in the summertime. - Sure.
00:24 - It was often like my dad just charring
00:25 the hell out of some sausages.
00:27 - Okay, I think there's a fine line
00:28 between grilling, which I think that is,
00:31 and the craft of barbecue, which this is.
00:33 A childhood of lack you had,
00:36 but we're going to right the wrongs
00:39 while you were raised today
00:41 with four absolutely fantastic barbecue spots
00:44 here in Los Angeles.
00:46 - Sounds good.
00:47 We've got a lot of spots to hit,
00:48 so I'm gonna try and pace myself again.
00:49 - Yes, pace yourself.
00:49 We're eating a lot today.
00:50 - Okay, a lot of meat.
00:51 - Right.
00:52 (upbeat music)
00:55 (upbeat music)
00:57 - So like, if we wanted to get a baseline
01:01 of barbecue menus, what are some things
01:02 that we should order today?
01:03 - I definitely want to get the brisket and the ribs,
01:06 mac and cheese, probably some slaw,
01:09 and any other sides I want to throw in the mix.
01:11 - I mean, I've never really had brisket before.
01:13 - What? - Like proper brisket.
01:14 I know, it's just not commonly eaten in the UK.
01:16 - Oh my God.
01:18 - I've never had some sides on the menu,
01:19 like cornbread, collard greens, I've heard a lot about.
01:22 You ready to enlighten me on these things?
01:24 - Oh my God, I'm sure you'll be having all those
01:27 at some point today.
01:28 Wow, I had no idea.
01:31 Oh my goodness, I think I'm about to,
01:33 I think we're about to witness a religious experience.
01:36 - Hopefully. - So, yeah.
01:37 LA's barbecue scene has long been underground.
01:39 A lot of the places we're going to today
01:41 started as like Instagram only pickup places.
01:44 We had to DM them to get the food,
01:46 and this place we're at today, Slab,
01:47 started as Trudy's Underground Barbecue.
01:49 Bert, the pit master, started it a while ago,
01:52 doing specifically Texas-style barbecue,
01:55 which has an emphasis on beef brisket.
01:57 They started cooking this meat today at 7.30 a.m.
02:00 It's quarter to 12 now.
02:03 - Already like almost five hours.
02:05 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:06 It's all these cuts of meat that are genuinely
02:08 a little bit fattier, but when you cook 'em slow,
02:12 all that fat melts, and then it's almost like
02:14 this rich, buttery meat that's falling apart.
02:17 It's gonna be insane.
02:19 Here we are.
02:21 - Hey, hey.
02:22 - Thanks so much, buddy.
02:23 - There you go.
02:24 - Oh, oh, oh, oh.
02:25 I'm gonna turn this to meat towards you.
02:27 All right.
02:27 - This looks ridiculous.
02:28 - This is brisket.
02:29 It is not similar to pastrami,
02:31 but sort of has a little visually similar
02:34 in the way that's a big slab of meat
02:36 that is slow-cooked for a long time.
02:38 It's going to fall apart.
02:39 Get ready.
02:40 Here, house-made sausage, and of course the ribs.
02:42 There's your collard greens.
02:44 There's your mac and cheese.
02:45 There's your slaw.
02:46 The bread is kind of like an edible napkin.
02:48 So you'll be using it to sop stuff up,
02:50 sometimes to grab things, and yeah.
02:53 I don't even know where to start.
02:54 Where do you want to start?
02:55 - Man, I think if they're known for their brisket,
02:57 maybe the brisket.
02:57 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:58 - It's also gonna be one of my first experiences
02:59 with brisket.
03:00 - Why don't you hit it first, then?
03:01 - Yeah, just kind of like cut a bit off the end here.
03:03 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, go for it.
03:04 And there is some sausage.
03:05 - Oh, man.
03:06 I say cut, but I just kind of touch that with my fork,
03:08 and it's like pulling apart.
03:09 - Yeah, there you go.
03:10 - Didn't even need the knife, though.
03:10 That's incredible.
03:12 I mean, yeah, just touching that with the fork,
03:14 it just falls apart.
03:15 Right, look how juicy that is.
03:17 Cheers, my man.
03:17 Amazing, literally just falls apart on your fork.
03:24 Right?
03:28 Never had that before, right?
03:29 - That's probably the most tender mouthful of meat
03:33 I've ever had.
03:34 - Very nice, very nice.
03:35 All right.
03:36 And of course, they make their own sausage here.
03:37 We just moved out and do the meat lineup.
03:40 - So sausages, again, are very different in the UK.
03:43 Oh, there's like cheese in that.
03:45 - No way.
03:46 Cheesy sausage.
03:47 I'll grab half of that for you.
03:47 - Thank you.
03:49 - Sausage in the UK, very different.
03:51 I'd be expecting more like either a hot dog
03:53 or like a kind of Cumberland on a grill, but--
03:56 - Get in there, buddy.
03:56 - This is very, very different.
03:58 - Ooh.
04:03 I mean, perfection, right?
04:06 This is so fantastic.
04:08 I mean, they're known for the ribs as well.
04:09 - Yeah.
04:10 - You wanna like cut one or two off?
04:11 But I feel like, yeah.
04:13 - I actually, so I think with ribs,
04:15 I don't necessarily want it to completely fall apart.
04:18 I think I actually want a little bit of bite to a rib.
04:20 - Sure.
04:21 - And this one actually does seem to have a bit more of that
04:21 like that hasn't just torn apart as easily as the rest has.
04:25 I just think in general, you know you're in for a good meal
04:27 when you have kitchen roll on the table
04:30 as well as a bunch of those like hand wipes.
04:32 - Kitchen rolls, paper towel, wink.
04:34 Now I should get hired by Duolingo over here.
04:39 All this translating.
04:40 Ready?
04:41 - Yeah.
04:42 - If I had to guess, it's probably the sweet barbecue sauce.
04:49 - Man, that's good.
04:51 - You've never had ribs this good?
04:53 - No, I don't think I have.
04:55 That sauce is amazing.
04:58 - Yeah, and they have three sauces here on the table.
05:00 You can have yourself two.
05:02 Oh, jeez.
05:03 - I mean, I just had it without sauce
05:05 and I would be happy to eat more of it without sauce
05:07 'cause it was so nice, but I wanna give these a try.
05:09 You got a barbecue, spicy barbecue and a Carolina gold.
05:12 Take your pick, buddy.
05:13 - What is Carolina?
05:14 - I think that's more of a mustardy sauce.
05:15 - Carolina gold.
05:17 - Yeah.
05:17 - A teeny bit of that on there.
05:18 - Squeezing to find out.
05:20 Oh yeah, absolutely fabulous.
05:22 - Yeah, I think you're right.
05:26 Like a little bit of mustard heat to that.
05:27 - I wanna try the spicy one.
05:28 I would say, thank you, buddy.
05:32 I would say, yeah, with, I mean,
05:34 even the sauce is part of the art, right?
05:36 'Cause
05:38 (chewing)
05:41 God, try this one.
05:42 - Good.
05:42 - Try this one, it's so good.
05:43 - Spicy.
05:44 - Of course, the brisket comes without sauce.
05:46 That's your choice.
05:47 The brisket did come with a sauce.
05:49 It's very easy because I think that like,
05:51 look for this, of course, barbecue sauce.
05:53 You gotta, you can get it like in the goggles, right?
05:55 I mean, it's everywhere, but like,
05:57 the, I guess the spectrum of what would be considered
06:00 barbecue sauce is so vast.
06:02 People take the barbecue sauce very seriously.
06:04 So you know when it's on the table,
06:05 it's also been very considered.
06:08 Obviously it's theirs, and obviously,
06:09 much like everything else, absolutely fantastic.
06:11 - Yeah, they're not just buying a sauce from the store.
06:13 This is like, they got their name on it.
06:15 They've made these, curated these.
06:16 That spicy one's delicious.
06:17 It's like, oh, it's like fruity.
06:19 I love the sweetness.
06:20 - Very nice.
06:20 Hey man, this mac and cheese ain't gonna eat itself.
06:23 - I'm also just eating more brisket 'cause it's delicious.
06:25 - I know, but you gotta try everything.
06:26 Okay, I'm just gonna use, do one of these.
06:30 - Carb on carb.
06:31 It really is like a napkin, you're right.
06:33 - Oh my God, this mac and cheese.
06:34 I forgot about how good this mac and cheese is.
06:36 I think you're about to lose your mind.
06:38 When have you had mac and cheese like that?
06:41 Yeah, right?
06:43 - That's so buttery.
06:44 - Yeah, right?
06:46 Yeah.
06:46 - That sauce almost just tastes like pure butter.
06:49 - How good is that?
06:50 - That's really good.
06:51 It's rich, but creamy.
06:53 I always find it's impressive when places are like,
06:57 batch cooking mac and cheese,
06:59 but they manage to get the texture of the pasta
07:02 like, completely spot on.
07:04 'Cause I feel like often if you are batch cooking it,
07:06 it will stay out for too long,
07:06 it will go way too soggy and wet.
07:08 - Yeah, not here.
07:09 - This has still got some bite to it.
07:10 - It's perfect.
07:11 - There's really just nothing on this plate
07:13 that has been bad.
07:15 - Yeah, right?
07:15 - I cannot get enough of this brisket.
07:16 - Isn't it great?
07:17 So meat, perfect.
07:19 Sausage, perfect.
07:21 The ribs, which came with the sauce, double perfect.
07:24 The wood he uses for his barbecue is a white oak,
07:27 which I know that in barbecue,
07:30 the wood that you use has an immense effect
07:33 on the flavor of said barbecue.
07:36 - I mean, I've heard of other woods being used,
07:38 like sometimes you see applewood smoked bacon
07:40 on the menu somewhere.
07:41 So yeah, I'm interested to see if other places
07:43 that we hit today use different woods,
07:45 if it imparts like a different type of smoky flavor onto it.
07:48 But so far, white oak, delicious.
07:50 I will say coming into this,
07:51 my expectations were like sky high,
07:53 because I love meat.
07:54 I've seen a lot of American barbecue stuff online before,
07:57 and always wanted to try it.
07:58 Honestly, kind of lived up.
07:59 This is delicious.
08:00 Like I don't think I've had meats with these flavors
08:03 or textures before in my life.
08:06 And yeah, honestly, it's gonna be hard to go back to the UK
08:08 and not have access to this.
08:10 - Yep, it sure is.
08:11 So I want to call out one thing to you and to the viewers.
08:17 We will not be stopping in any Korean barbecue places.
08:20 That should be its own video.
08:22 - Yes.
08:23 - So this is going to be non-Korean barbecue.
08:25 But great news.
08:26 We have so many more barbecue places to hit.
08:28 - Our jobs are so hard.
08:29 - I know, ready to go?
08:30 - Yeah.
08:31 - Let's go.
08:32 So have you been enjoying spending most of your time
08:35 being driven around?
08:36 - It's been an experience.
08:38 Change of pace, yeah.
08:39 Spent more time in cars in the last few days
08:41 than I have in like six months of living in London.
08:43 - I bet.
08:44 - It's interesting.
08:45 - Yeah.
08:46 - I feel like you at least get to see
08:47 a bunch of different parts of town, which is quite nice.
08:49 - Yeah.
08:50 - Even if it's just briefly through a car window.
08:52 - Mm-hmm.
08:53 All right.
08:55 This is Bloodsos Barbecue.
08:57 All right, we're in the Fairfax, La Brea area of Los Angeles.
09:01 And I want to take you here
09:02 because this is award-winning barbecue.
09:06 This place, they get a custom-built smoker.
09:09 He's been smoking this brisket for like 14 hours.
09:13 Come on now.
09:14 - That's a long time.
09:15 - Yes, it's a very long time.
09:16 - There are very few things I am willing
09:17 to dedicate 14 hours of effort to.
09:19 - Yeah.
09:20 - So the fact that he's doing that every day,
09:21 that's pretty impressive.
09:22 - What is something you'd dedicate 14 hours to?
09:25 - A good video game.
09:27 - High praise.
09:29 High praise to this man's livelihood.
09:31 This is Kevin Bloodsos Barbecue Restaurant.
09:35 He started in Compton in 2008.
09:38 Now he's got two locations in LA.
09:39 And this guy, he knows his barbecue.
09:41 He's so well-known in the barbecue community
09:45 that he is one of the judges on that Netflix barbecue show,
09:48 which name I'm not gonna say,
09:50 'cause they're not paying us to say it.
09:52 - I've actually seen that show.
09:53 That was partly why I was so keen
09:55 to try all the barbecue stuff today.
09:57 The fact that we're eating Bloodsos Barbecue
09:59 makes me very excited.
10:00 - Yeah.
10:01 - It's really funny for me to go
10:02 from watching the Great British Bake Off
10:04 to watching the American Barbecue Show.
10:06 - Why?
10:07 - It's just kind of like the two cultures encapsulated.
10:10 I think in many ways, it's our personalities, Joe.
10:12 - Oh, yeah.
10:13 - I'm a bake-off guy, you're the barbecue boy.
10:16 - Boy?
10:16 - And that's why we work.
10:17 - Yeah, that's why we work, yeah.
10:18 That's right.
10:19 It's just across the pond nature we have that, yeah.
10:22 We before have done videos about barbecue in LA.
10:26 And you know, the comments get a little spicy.
10:27 They're like, "LA doesn't have good barbecue.
10:29 "You gotta go to blah-biddy-blah
10:30 "in this part of the country."
10:31 Look, there's great barbecue everywhere,
10:32 and I think that the LA barbecue scene
10:35 is still up and coming.
10:37 It's still somewhat in its infancy,
10:39 but there's an inventiveness to it
10:40 that you're not seeing in a lot of the places,
10:42 and I think that it's fantastic.
10:44 But to be fair, this is a Texas barbecue place.
10:47 - Sure. (laughs)
10:48 Texas barbecue with an LA spin.
10:50 I guess there's other parts of the country
10:51 that have been doing it for longer.
10:53 Parts of the South have been doing this
10:54 for a very, very long time.
10:56 - Yes.
10:57 - But they have their own way of doing things.
10:58 I guess the benefit of being newer to the scene
11:01 is that you can kind of cherry-pick bits from each one.
11:04 You can be like, "Ooh, they do that well in Carolina.
11:06 "They do that well in Texas."
11:08 Take a bit of that, take a bit of that,
11:09 create something kind of new from that.
11:10 - Yeah, absolutely.
11:12 Once again, I know we're gonna be doing the brisket.
11:14 We're gonna be doing the ribs.
11:16 They also have something called hush puppies.
11:18 You know what that is?
11:19 - I do not, no, never had those.
11:21 - We're gonna have 'em as a starter.
11:22 They're really nice.
11:23 I think I got, I think we're ready.
11:24 - Hush puppies with a side of barbecue aioli.
11:26 - Thank you, buddy.
11:27 - Hush puppies are here?
11:28 - Hush puppies.
11:29 - It's like a cornmeal dough that's deep fried
11:31 and has a little sauce here.
11:33 - Okay.
11:34 - Grab one and dig in, buddy.
11:35 - Only Americans could take what is essentially a donut
11:38 and turn it into a starter for your meal.
11:40 - It's a little more savory than a donut.
11:42 - Little barbecue aioli.
11:44 - So good.
11:46 - Yeah, really good.
11:47 So it's like, like you said,
11:48 it's more of like a cornmeal thing, right?
11:49 - Yeah. - Yeah.
11:51 Get the flavor of it.
11:51 I like it with the aioli, actually,
11:53 'cause it's like a little bit chewy and bready.
11:55 - Yeah.
11:56 - It's like it needs the sauce.
11:57 Oh, God.
11:58 - The only place, oddly enough,
11:59 that these were common on the menu is at Wong John Silver's.
12:02 (laughing)
12:03 Which I don't go to very often,
12:05 but as a kid, I know I wanted to go.
12:07 There's a kid for the hush puppies.
12:08 - Right. - Yeah.
12:09 - All right, all right. - Yay, let's do it.
12:11 - So here we have your minimies.
12:12 - Here we go.
12:13 (laughing)
12:14 - All right, so we have your pork ribs,
12:15 your rib tips, and your brisket.
12:17 - Gorgeous.
12:18 - Here we have your sides.
12:20 - Mm.
12:22 This looks so good. - Oh, my God.
12:23 - Thank you so very much.
12:24 My man, what do you think of this spread?
12:26 How good does this look?
12:27 - This looks so good.
12:28 - Yeah.
12:29 - I gotta say, the thing that's catching my eye the most
12:31 is the ribs right now.
12:32 Just the color of that bark on the outside--
12:35 - Perfect. - Is absurd.
12:37 - I like that. - It looks so good.
12:38 - Yeah.
12:39 - A few visual differences, like the brisket,
12:40 I think the colors are slightly different on there.
12:41 It's kind of less pinky,
12:43 little bit more cooked all the way through.
12:44 Again, really nice, crusty herb bark on the outside.
12:48 - I'm grabbing on.
12:48 - You going straight for a rib?
12:49 I might have to join you.
12:50 - Here you go.
12:51 - Sorry, I touched it.
12:52 - This looks so good.
12:54 - Yeah, it's good.
12:55 Like falling off the bone.
12:59 - Again, though, like super tender,
13:03 but, you know, it's holding its shape.
13:06 - Yeah. - I've bitten into that,
13:07 and it's kind of left like a distinct bite shape
13:10 rather than just completely crumbling,
13:11 which I really like.
13:12 I think that texture for me with rib meat is what I want.
13:16 - I feel like a rib tip has a lot more tender.
13:20 There's more like fattiness into it,
13:21 so it's kind of falling apart.
13:23 Also amazing.
13:28 - Can I draw your attention to the juice
13:30 if you just give that a squeeze?
13:32 - Beautiful.
13:33 - A little cascade of deliciousness.
13:36 - Yeah.
13:38 I mean, we're here for the brisket.
13:39 We gotta try that.
13:40 - Yeah.
13:41 - We're gonna...
13:42 (laughs)
13:43 Yes.
13:44 So I'm gonna do,
13:45 and I'm also gonna try with a little bit of barbecue sauce.
13:46 - Yes, we've got two barbecues.
13:47 That was mild, and that one was hot, I think?
13:49 - Yes.
13:50 - So I'm gonna go with the mild first.
13:51 - Again, you just like,
13:54 you don't need a knife, do you?
13:56 - No.
13:57 (laughs)
13:58 - I don't even know why they put the knife on the table.
14:01 I guess for the sauce.
14:02 - Yeah.
14:03 - I'm yet to try.
14:04 - Buttery, rich, falls right apart.
14:06 It's that slow cooking.
14:08 You know, it's the 14 hours of care
14:11 that makes this meat flavored so perfectly.
14:13 The texture's amazing, right?
14:15 - Mm-hmm.
14:16 - I'm gonna try a little bit.
14:16 I mean, look at the mac and cheese over here.
14:17 It's all like baked in, huh?
14:19 - Mm-hmm.
14:20 - Baked up.
14:21 - That cheese on the top, man.
14:22 - Yeah.
14:23 - That looks so appetizing.
14:24 - God, amazing.
14:28 So good.
14:30 You can really tell how great a barbecue place is
14:32 by how much care they also put into the sides.
14:35 - Yes.
14:35 - Right?
14:36 'Cause they could just focus on the meat all day
14:37 and skip on the sides, but not this place.
14:39 Incredible, right?
14:42 - That's some serious mac and cheese.
14:44 - Right?
14:44 - The cheese flavor actually comes through
14:46 a lot more strongly here.
14:47 - Yep.
14:48 - Which I personally love.
14:50 I feel like my body needs something green in me today
14:53 'cause we're getting our fair share of protein.
14:56 - We're certainly getting our daily dose of brown.
14:59 - Mm-hmm.
15:00 Oh, that's good.
15:01 That ham.
15:03 - Even the greens got eaten up.
15:06 - The ham all up in there.
15:07 You can't escape the meat in this place.
15:09 It's a good thing.
15:10 - I know you've never had cornbread before.
15:12 Behold.
15:13 Oh yeah.
15:15 - That's right.
15:15 Get some of that honey butter as well.
15:18 (chewing)
15:20 It's like a sweet and savory combo.
15:22 But it's like nice and crumbly, right?
15:25 See how that texture pairs perfectly
15:29 with something like a brisket or a ribs?
15:32 You okay?
15:32 - I am.
15:33 I'm just trying to like, in my mind,
15:35 picture how that would go with the meat.
15:37 It's very tasty.
15:38 - Yeah.
15:39 - Especially with that honey butter.
15:40 - Yeah.
15:41 - But to me, like, and I think maybe to the British palate,
15:43 that is just kind of a dessert.
15:45 - Not in the USA.
15:47 Not in the USA.
15:48 - 'Cause that is definitely quite sweet.
15:50 - Okay.
15:51 - But very nice.
15:52 - Yeah.
15:53 Oh wait.
15:54 I'm gonna try this hot sauce.
15:55 - I'm gonna try a tiny bit.
15:56 - Two sauces on the table.
15:57 The rub on the brisket is incredible.
16:02 Next time you go in,
16:03 just get definitely one of these like darker pieces
16:05 that has like the rub in there.
16:06 The flavor in there is out of control.
16:08 Yeah.
16:09 You can see why over like not even a decade,
16:12 this has been like,
16:13 this place has become like one of the major players
16:16 in barbecue.
16:16 - Mm-hmm.
16:17 - Right?
16:18 I mean, this is incredible.
16:19 - I really can.
16:20 - Yeah.
16:21 - I mean, it's a popular spot.
16:21 - Yeah.
16:22 - So they've got to kind of pump this out
16:23 in quite big quantities,
16:25 but there's been no quality sacrifice.
16:27 - Right?
16:28 - Yeah.
16:29 - Yeah.
16:30 - Which is really impressive.
16:30 - I wish I could eat like this every day, but you know.
16:32 - I think we would both go to an early and meaty grave.
16:34 - Yeah.
16:36 I'd like to think we could stay here and eat all this
16:38 if we really just wanted to end the day here.
16:40 - Yeah.
16:41 - But we have a few more barbecue places
16:43 I want to take you to.
16:44 So unfortunately, I got to wrap it up and go.
16:46 - Yeah, this is staring me down.
16:48 Might have to get this to go, but hey.
16:49 - Definitely, definitely.
16:50 - Next spot.
16:51 - Let's go.
16:52 I know you're full,
16:54 but I figured we could have at least two more
16:56 full barbecue meals before we head out.
16:58 - Pretty real this video.
16:59 - Made it, made it.
17:00 Excuse us.
17:01 We're chilling on the outdoor patio of Moose Craft
17:04 here in Lincoln Heights.
17:05 This is a fantastic, fantastic barbecue place.
17:08 Another underground barbecue pop-up here in LA
17:10 that now has its own brick and mortar place.
17:12 I believe they've been here for about four years.
17:13 What I like about this place,
17:14 it does have the Texas barbecue style,
17:16 but they add their own California/Mexican twist.
17:19 Right?
17:20 - Okay.
17:21 - Right?
17:22 Now that I tell you those things,
17:23 you're like, yes, that will work, right?
17:24 - My interest has peaked, yeah.
17:25 I'm starting to almost hit the meat wall.
17:27 - Yeah.
17:28 - But that's kind of hooked me up a little bit.
17:29 Yeah, I'm excited to see what they come up with.
17:31 - Food and wine did a best barbecue
17:33 in every state list in 2020,
17:35 and Moose was California's best.
17:37 - Okay.
17:38 - Right?
17:39 - Let's go to some pedigree.
17:39 - Let me tell you, buddy.
17:40 Michelin Bib Gourmand.
17:43 They got one of those.
17:44 - Yeah.
17:45 - So I had to take it here, right?
17:46 - Of course.
17:47 - This place is fantastic.
17:47 - So what are we gonna be ordering?
17:48 I guess a similar spread to the last place.
17:49 - You know, you know we're getting the brisket.
17:51 You know we're getting the ribs.
17:52 They got house specialty sausages.
17:54 Want you to try?
17:55 And I can choose.
17:56 - Okay.
17:57 - So, you know, the tasty stuff.
17:59 - The usual.
18:00 - Yeah.
18:00 - Usual suspects.
18:01 - I'm so stoked for you to try this place.
18:02 - Yeah.
18:03 - This is gonna be really great.
18:04 Yes!
18:05 - Oh, man.
18:06 - Got you covered.
18:07 - Oh, oh yeah.
18:08 - Oh, man.
18:09 - I'm gonna try it, what you ordered.
18:09 - Sure, that's fine.
18:10 Okay.
18:11 (laughing)
18:12 - There we go.
18:13 (laughing)
18:14 - Joe, I thought you were just gonna order us
18:15 like some ribs and some brisket.
18:18 - I feel like I wanted you to try a little bit of everything.
18:20 - Okay.
18:21 (laughing)
18:22 - So we went ahead and got obviously the ribs,
18:23 the brisket, sausages.
18:24 Also did a Frito pie down there.
18:26 We got some slaw.
18:27 We got mac and cheese.
18:29 Threw in a burger there.
18:31 A full house of bread here.
18:34 And these glazed pork belly.
18:37 And we got some pulled pork over here.
18:38 - Okay, I mean, what'd I tell you?
18:40 This place.
18:41 - They've hooked us up, I'll be honest.
18:43 This looks ridiculous.
18:44 - It's like, I don't even know where to start.
18:45 Do you wanna start with the brisket here?
18:47 - Man, that sounds good.
18:48 Yeah, let's do it.
18:49 I don't know how I'm gonna attack it.
18:50 (laughing)
18:51 - Oh, yeah.
18:52 - Oh, look at the color on that.
18:54 That's beautiful.
18:55 Again, just like no fork, no knife needed.
18:58 That just fell apart.
18:59 - Even though the brisket we had today.
19:04 What'd I tell you?
19:05 What did I tell you?
19:06 - Bro.
19:06 - I know.
19:07 - We gotta get this to go.
19:09 This is so good.
19:10 - That, I barely had to chew.
19:13 - Yep.
19:14 - That just like dissolved.
19:15 - Look at how juicy these are.
19:18 - All right, I'm ribbing it.
19:20 These ribs are huge as well.
19:23 Man.
19:25 - Oh.
19:26 - That's crazy.
19:27 The bark and the sort of seasoning on the outside
19:30 is so evenly distributed.
19:32 - It's great, right?
19:33 - Mm-hmm.
19:34 - And I think the consistency of the rib,
19:36 it's tender enough that you can just barely bite into it,
19:38 but it's firm enough to where it stays on the bone.
19:41 Right?
19:42 Yeah.
19:43 So we got a few different sausages here.
19:44 This one I wanted to highlight, this beautiful green one.
19:46 It is a Oaxacan queso poblano sausage.
19:50 - Right.
19:51 - Right?
19:52 - Talking about the Mexican influence
19:53 that they've put on the barbecue here.
19:55 - Put that in your mouth now.
19:56 - That's right there.
19:56 I need a piece of this.
19:58 - Trust me.
19:58 - I love Oaxaca as a cheese.
20:01 - But the poblano, oh my God.
20:05 - The poblanos.
20:06 - Oh my God.
20:06 - A little bit of heat to that maybe?
20:07 - Mm-hmm.
20:08 - With these sausages,
20:09 are these also kind of like low and slow cooked, like smoked?
20:12 - I mean, I would think almost certainly, yeah.
20:14 I mean, I don't know exactly how to cook sauce,
20:16 but I think everything here is cooked, right?
20:19 I'm sorry, I can't think straight.
20:21 What did you just ask me?
20:21 [laughing]
20:22 How good is this?
20:24 - I know we're here to compare like the main event things,
20:27 but I do want to try like some of these.
20:28 Like this pork belly over here looks crazy.
20:31 I think it said they put some like Korean sauce on this.
20:34 - What is that?
20:35 Yeah.
20:35 - Korean glaze.
20:36 - The sesame and the scallions.
20:38 - No, it mentioned that it has like a Korean flavor,
20:40 a Korean glaze to it.
20:42 So we're getting Korean flavors,
20:44 we're getting Mexican flavors,
20:45 and of course we're getting the Texas barbecue.
20:47 Korea showed up, I didn't know that was coming.
20:49 How great is that?
20:50 You know?
20:50 And obviously they're doing their own thing.
20:52 It's this great blend of like paying tribute
20:55 to great barbecue, but also they feel free
20:58 to experiment, I guess.
21:01 - Yeah.
21:02 - And how great is this?
21:02 - So good.
21:03 I think when you do the basics that well,
21:05 you kind of earn enough clout to be able to try stuff out.
21:09 And the stuff they're trying out is fantastic.
21:11 Like that poblano sausage.
21:13 - Absolutely incredible.
21:15 - That's sensational, yeah.
21:16 - I mean, hey, I mean they got a mac and cheese over here,
21:19 so.
21:19 - Got a mac and cheese.
21:20 - I mean, we got a.
21:21 - Crispy bread crumbs.
21:22 - I'm gonna put it down over here.
21:24 (laughing)
21:25 Gonna try over here, got the crispy bread crumbs.
21:28 - This is, yeah, this is kind of ridiculous.
21:34 It's so hard to exercise restraint.
21:36 - Perfect with the crunch, you know,
21:37 we've been talking about texture on mac and cheese all day.
21:40 It's the first one that's brought the crunch, right?
21:44 - It's really good.
21:44 - Yeah?
21:45 - It's so crispy.
21:46 - Yeah.
21:47 - Cheesy as well.
21:48 - I gotta say, I don't wanna forget about the sauces here.
21:51 We've reached a level where my stomach is saying no,
21:57 but my taste buds are saying yes.
21:59 The sauce, oh my God, the sauce.
22:04 - Don't you need to try the sauce?
22:05 - It's also like juicy, you barely even need the sauce.
22:08 - Yeah, I wanna make a rule of third.
22:10 Sometimes standard barbecue uses the sauce
22:14 to hide a not so great cut of meat or whatever they make.
22:19 Every place I've been here today, including Moo's,
22:22 clearly the meat is incredible,
22:24 but the sauce elevates it to just next level.
22:28 You're gonna flip on that sauce.
22:29 - Yeah.
22:30 - I'm predicting flippage.
22:30 (laughing)
22:33 - Oh, it's mustardy.
22:35 - Yeah.
22:36 - Oh yeah.
22:37 - This one's good too.
22:38 Oh man, oh!
22:39 - I wanna catch you in the back of the throat a bit.
22:41 (laughing)
22:43 - I mean, what can be said about this meal
22:45 that has not already been said by Michelin Bib Gourmands,
22:49 boys.
22:50 Any final thoughts on Moo's before we head out?
22:53 - I mean, I think we've already kind of said it,
22:54 like pretty much everything on this plate
22:57 has been perfected, I think.
22:59 Like it's clear the amount of--
23:02 - Sorry, it's so good.
23:03 - Ah, dear, yeah.
23:05 I would happily eat more of this,
23:08 but I think we need to save some for the crew.
23:10 - I know.
23:11 - And save some for our cholesterol's sake.
23:14 - All right, ready?
23:15 - I am, let's go.
23:16 - Let's do it.
23:17 I've eaten so much meat, I'm delirious.
23:23 But I've got my fourth wind, so let's go.
23:28 - All right, man.
23:29 Last place we're hitting today, this is Gus's.
23:32 This is maybe the oldest barbecue restaurant in Los Angeles.
23:36 Been running since 1946.
23:39 - Okay.
23:40 - That's almost 80 years?
23:42 That's very long.
23:43 - That's quite a while.
23:44 I feel like whenever history is mentioned
23:46 in the US and the UK,
23:47 I have to remember that America isn't that old.
23:49 So for you guys, this is pretty historic.
23:51 - Yeah, that is pretty old.
23:52 - For us, that's just like, yeah, fine.
23:54 - This has been on every best barbecue in LA list
23:59 that I've found.
24:00 Like, consistently on every single list.
24:02 Sometimes number one.
24:03 So I have a feeling that this barbecue
24:05 is gonna be ridiculous.
24:06 - A lot of the places we've gone to
24:07 are mostly Texas barbecue based,
24:09 but here they do barbecue that's influenced
24:12 from like Memphis to the Carolinas.
24:14 So it's gonna be a little bit different
24:16 than what we've had so far today.
24:17 - Sure, but again, they're kind of like picking
24:20 different barbecues from around the country
24:22 and making it their own,
24:23 like kind of California style.
24:24 - All the meats here are hand trimmed,
24:26 marinated overnight.
24:27 Come on, overnight, get those juices in there.
24:31 - I think the more barbecue that we eat,
24:32 the more I'm learning that like time really is
24:34 the currency here.
24:36 - The meat here is smoked for almost 14 hours.
24:39 This is four, imagine this plus 10 more.
24:41 For this many.
24:43 Look at that.
24:44 That's a lot.
24:45 We've talked a little bit about wood today.
24:47 They're doing the pecan wood here.
24:49 All right, love the nuts.
24:50 Now we're trying the wood.
24:52 - We've had a lot of like white oak smoked stuff today,
24:55 which we've been reliably informed is like a Texas thing.
24:58 So I guess maybe, yeah,
24:59 looking a little bit further afield.
25:01 I'm interested to see if we can taste any difference
25:03 in the kind of like smoky flavors that we're getting.
25:06 I'm kind of hitting a meat wall, as it were,
25:09 but I think we should order the classics again.
25:11 So like the ribs, the brisket.
25:13 Anything else here?
25:14 - The cast iron cornbread if we can.
25:17 And we're definitely getting the chicken,
25:18 which they're known for here,
25:19 according to the guy who took our order.
25:21 I was very specific and I just said just a very small plate.
25:24 I don't want a lot of food.
25:25 - I'm very full.
25:26 - Hey, yes.
25:27 Okay, bring it in, bring it in, bring it in.
25:28 Yes.
25:29 - Here's the beef rib.
25:30 - Oh yeah.
25:31 - I think the whole family should be eating.
25:32 - Thank you, thank you, sir.
25:33 What do we got here?
25:35 - I know, we got cornbread here for you.
25:37 - Uh-huh.
25:38 - Table-side cornbread.
25:39 - Love this, get a little show, huh?
25:41 - Thank you.
25:42 - You're doing a fantastic job, thank you.
25:44 Oh, finally, some more food.
25:46 Bring it on in.
25:47 Let's go.
25:48 Awesome, thank you so very much.
25:50 - Thank you.
25:51 - Yeah, ooh, you know what?
25:53 I think we're gonna need a box.
25:54 - Yeah, for me.
25:55 (laughing)
25:58 You're carrying me out of here, man.
26:00 - All right.
26:01 So, we got the brisket.
26:05 We got the mashed potatoes.
26:08 Collard greens, creamed corn, one gigantic rib,
26:12 slaw, some sort of beans.
26:14 Fried chicken's supposed to be ridiculous.
26:16 I mean, it's not so bad.
26:18 - What do you think?
26:19 - Not so bad.
26:20 - All right.
26:21 - Yeah, this is a lot of food.
26:23 - Yeah.
26:24 - I'm gonna do my best to--
26:26 - We'll sample a bit of everything.
26:27 - Persevere.
26:28 - It's a sample, it's a sampling.
26:30 - So, I think we start with the brisket.
26:32 - This brisket right here.
26:33 - As one of our baselines.
26:34 - Ooh.
26:35 Now, I see, notice that they sauced the brisket for us.
26:39 We haven't had a sauced brisket yet, have we?
26:41 - We have not, no, it's always come kind of as it is.
26:44 - You got it?
26:45 There you go.
26:46 - Cheers, man.
26:48 (chattering)
26:50 - All right, really tender, fantastic flavor.
26:56 And you know, whatever sauce they put on it,
26:58 it's really great.
26:59 Chicken sauce is.
27:01 - We have options.
27:02 - Yeah, now we talked before about other styles of barbecue.
27:06 Memphis, Kansas City, Missouri,
27:09 Carolina, both North and South.
27:14 - There we go, just the whole thing.
27:16 - That brisket is fantastic.
27:17 - It's very good.
27:18 - That's really good.
27:19 I can tell that, yeah.
27:20 - The bark on that, delicious.
27:22 - Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
27:23 - Seasoning blend, whatever they're putting in there
27:25 is doing it for me.
27:26 - Yeah, I'm eyeing these ribs.
27:28 These ribs look legit.
27:30 - Saucy ribs, we're going back to the kind of like
27:32 slab style, they come pre-sauced.
27:34 - Yeah.
27:35 - Cut myself off a couple of these.
27:37 - You start down there, I'll start down here,
27:38 we'll meet in the middle.
27:39 - Okay, lady in the trap, this thing.
27:42 I barely had to actually cut that,
27:44 that just kind of like came away.
27:45 - Yeah, I know, it's all just,
27:46 look at the falling apart, dude.
27:48 This is so good.
27:48 - Oh yeah.
27:52 The color on that, it's like pink all the way through.
27:55 - These might be perfect ribs.
27:57 These ribs are perfect.
27:58 How good are these?
27:59 - Mm-hmm.
28:02 - Mm.
28:03 - Oh, bro.
28:03 It's worse than the ribs, wow.
28:10 - With that thick layer of seasoning,
28:12 you get almost like a kind of crispy outer layer,
28:15 and then everything on the inside is just like butter smooth.
28:18 - Butter is a great way to put it.
28:20 Yeah.
28:21 As I'm looking, everything is done.
28:22 It's not a surprise, this place has been here for 80 years,
28:24 'cause everything here is just absolutely phenomenal.
28:26 You can tell that these are the ribs
28:28 they've been making the whole time.
28:29 They're so good.
28:30 I mean, first time fried chicken has showed up.
28:32 - They said that's one of their most popular things.
28:34 - Wanna try, wanna try a little bite?
28:36 - We'll give it a go.
28:37 Jeez, you went straight through that.
28:39 - Wow.
28:40 Here, little bit of the gravy.
28:45 And you get a bit of that.
28:46 This has got like the most shattering crust on it.
28:50 I'll try it with your--
28:51 - We gotta do a fried chicken episode and come back here.
28:53 This is so good.
28:54 He wasn't kidding, man.
28:55 This fried chicken's incredible.
28:57 Right?
28:59 - That batter is so crispy.
29:00 - Yeah.
29:01 - Uh-huh.
29:03 Shatteringly crisp.
29:04 - Oh man, I love this.
29:05 I love this so much.
29:07 - I think we need to attempt to eat some of this
29:11 quite frankly absurd beef rib.
29:12 - How does one eat a rib like, but switch the plates.
29:14 I don't want you to default.
29:15 - Just look at the size of that, man.
29:20 - I don't think I can do it.
29:20 I'm sorry, man.
29:21 [laughing]
29:22 I'm sorry I have to tap out.
29:23 I'm starting to feel it.
29:24 Starting to feel the day.
29:25 Can you just like get a little bite off of it, do you think?
29:28 - I'm gonna carve myself off a little piece.
29:31 - One heck of a pair of the regular ribs.
29:32 Regular ribs are fantastic.
29:33 - First beef rib we've had.
29:34 - But those are pork and this is beef, right?
29:35 - Yes, correct.
29:36 - That's really good.
29:41 - Weirdly, like, taste-wise,
29:44 it's actually really close to a pork rib.
29:46 - Yes.
29:46 - I think it goes to show that a lot of what you're tasting
29:49 with this is the smoke, the seasoning, and the sauce.
29:52 - Yeah.
29:53 - 'Cause I think it's pretty similar on that and these.
29:56 So you actually end up with like pretty similar flavor.
29:59 - I wanna make sure that we are very clear
30:01 that that big boy rib, especially during the weekends.
30:05 Yeah, the price is nice, 50 bucks for that rib
30:08 that you could easily feed your whole family with.
30:11 Oh, the cornbread, how's the cornbread?
30:12 - Cornbread's good, I like it.
30:14 Yeah, still not convinced that is something
30:16 that should be served with mains.
30:18 - Yeah.
30:19 - Still too, a British palate, too sweet, dessert,
30:21 but very tasty.
30:23 As much as my body is telling me to stop eating,
30:25 there's still a couple of things I wanna try.
30:27 So are these like your version of baked beans?
30:30 - Pretty much, yes.
30:31 - Okay, what can I expect?
30:32 - I think it's gonna be more barbecue flavored
30:34 than it is like a sweet tomato flavored.
30:36 - Sure.
30:37 - Get in there.
30:38 - 'Cause in the UK, yeah, like a Heinz baked bean,
30:39 for example.
30:40 - See, look at that, I think I see some meat in there too.
30:41 - Maybe, actually. - Yeah.
30:43 - Some kind of like ground meat going on.
30:45 - Go in there.
30:46 - I feel like even with the collard greens, the beans,
30:49 barbecue places are finding a way to get meat
30:51 into like every aspect of your dish.
30:52 - Yeah, I mean like if you don't eat meat, don't come here.
30:55 (laughing)
30:57 How's it compare to your baked beans?
31:00 - Yeah, very different.
31:01 - Yeah, definitely not having those in the morning on toast.
31:03 - No.
31:04 (laughing)
31:05 If that's what Americans think beans are,
31:08 I'm not surprised that you think beans on toast is weird.
31:11 - Yeah.
31:12 - I mean, they're pretty good.
31:13 It's quite like a sweet barbecue sauce.
31:15 Slightly maybe like soupier than beans are in the UK as well.
31:20 - Okay.
31:21 - But nice, I also like the kind of variety of beans
31:24 in there, there's like some black beans, some kidney beans.
31:26 - Yeah.
31:27 I think of all the places I've been to today,
31:28 this place is doing classics the best.
31:30 - Really?
31:31 - Yeah, this to me is like classic American barbecue.
31:33 They're really hitting it.
31:34 All the other places I've been to,
31:35 also great for their own reasons,
31:37 but they also kind of like honed in on a few things
31:39 that are just killing it, but I mean,
31:41 all that's great stuff, man.
31:42 This is so fantastic.
31:43 - I'm impressed with the size of this restaurant.
31:46 It's busy in here, it's popping off.
31:48 - Yeah, and it's only, it's five.
31:50 - Yeah, just because they are churning this out
31:52 in quantity, they've definitely not sacrificed some quality.
31:55 - That's a good, that bears repeating.
31:56 This place is packed, they're firing at all cylinders.
32:00 There's quality, it's top notch.
32:02 - 100%.
32:02 - Very impressive.
32:04 Okay, so we have to have a conversation now.
32:07 - Yes, we do.
32:08 - About our favorite places.
32:10 - Yes.
32:11 - We've gone to four fantastic barbecue places today.
32:13 - We did.
32:14 - Every place has been amazing.
32:15 Every place, A plus.
32:16 Starting up a slab, I mean that brisket,
32:20 incredible, amazing sides.
32:22 Absolutely loved everything they put on the plate.
32:23 Great place to start, right?
32:26 After that one, the blood sauce, I mean, come on.
32:28 - The ribs were great.
32:29 - The ribs were so fantastic.
32:31 - Excellent texture, good amount of bite to them.
32:33 The color and the flavor that they got on there was absurd.
32:36 Really, really good.
32:37 - Yeah, blood soaks the bark on that brisket.
32:41 Good lord, fantastic, right?
32:44 It was so good.
32:45 Then we went to Moo's,
32:48 kind of doing a twist on their traditions.
32:50 - Yeah, I think Moo's for me was just kind of
32:53 across the board good.
32:54 Obviously the ribs and the brisket smashed it.
32:57 Probably both my favorite that we've had today,
32:59 but also that sausage, the chili cheese sausage, phenomenal.
33:04 - Love to see that they were doing Mexican
33:05 and California inspired flavors,
33:06 which I don't think a lot of other people are.
33:08 Certainly not that caliber.
33:10 We had the sausage, it was a religious experience.
33:12 Everything they put on the tray
33:13 was absolutely incredible, right?
33:15 Real great, really loved it.
33:16 And now we're here at Gus's.
33:18 Institution, this is the classic.
33:20 We've been eating all day and I'm just like,
33:21 I wanna keep going, I wanna keep going.
33:22 This brisket, I think it's a home run.
33:25 The bark is fantastic, those ribs, oh my god.
33:28 And the fried chicken, it's the only fried chicken
33:30 we've had today, and I mean this,
33:31 if we did a fried chicken episode,
33:33 we're absolutely coming here.
33:34 - Oh my god.
33:35 - So, every place here, A plus, fantastic.
33:39 I'm gonna say, and this is for me,
33:41 it could have been Gus's.
33:44 This is the number two.
33:47 This is number two for me.
33:49 I absolutely love this place.
33:51 But my number one, I gotta give it to Moo's,
33:53 'cause not only is everything there incredible,
33:56 but that little bit of inventiveness,
33:57 that little bit of the Mexican, California flavors
34:01 that they added to that, I just think
34:03 that elevated them to the highest.
34:04 So, Moo's is number one, but Gus's is a close second,
34:07 for me personally.
34:08 What do you think?
34:09 - I will say that all four of these places
34:11 have been amazing.
34:12 I would happily recommend any of these
34:14 to anyone visiting LA.
34:15 So if one of them is in your neighborhood
34:17 when you were here, go there,
34:18 you will not be disappointed.
34:19 However, coming in, I actually think Slab
34:23 was my number two, but I think Moo's is my number one.
34:27 - Nice.
34:28 - I think they have my favorite brisket of the day.
34:30 The texture on that was unbelievable.
34:32 The bark, the smoke, sensational.
34:35 The ribs were perfect consistency,
34:37 perfect texture for me.
34:38 Little bit of chew, kind of falling off the bone,
34:40 but not quite.
34:41 And again, delicious flavors.
34:43 But also, man, just all the extras.
34:46 The way they're putting their own spin on classics,
34:48 that Puebla sausage, sensational, oh my God.
34:51 Gonna be thinking about that one for a while.
34:53 But like I say, these have all been great,
34:55 and I really do feel like I've learned an awful lot
34:58 about American barbecue today.
34:59 - Okay, American barbecue, how do we do?
35:00 What do you think?
35:01 - You guys kind of killing it.
35:02 - Yeah, yeah, thank you.
35:02 - Kind of killing it.
35:03 - So what do you say to people who say
35:04 LA doesn't have good barbecue?
35:06 - I would tell them to come here and taste it.
35:08 Have they had these four places?
35:10 'Cause if not, taste it.
35:12 Don't knock it till you've tried it.
35:14 I am gonna be sad when I go home
35:16 and do not have easy access to this kind of brisket,
35:19 these kind of ribs.
35:20 Yeah, I might have to start my own barbecue spot.
35:23 - I mean. - Someone's gotta do it.
35:25 - Right, someone's gotta do it, right?
35:26 Yeah.
35:27 - You two are my son's favorite.
35:30 - No way.
35:32 - Guys, may I?
35:33 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:33 Do you wanna get in the picture with us?
35:34 - Yeah, I would love to.
35:35 He would be like so jazzed.
35:37 - Get in, get in, get in.
35:39 - There you go. - Awesome.
35:42 - What are you guys gonna do?
35:43 - We just got done with Gus's.
35:44 We're doing a barbecue episode,
35:45 so we went to Gus's.
35:46 Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was awesome.