2015 OKLAHOMA CITY BROKEN RIB TOUR

Well after four weekends of sampling ribs at 16  Oklahoma City area Q-raunts. The 2015 Oklahoma City Broken Rib Tour is over and the results have been compiled.

Let me start by saying that this is not intended to be a "Best of" list. I'm not about telling you who makes the best BBQ. I'm about telling you which BBQ tastes the best to me. You and I may have varying ideas on what makes great BBQ and I'm not vain or snobbish enough to claim to know what's best. I just know what I like.


I also did not tell my 3 volunteer judges what I think a great rib consists of. They were told to judge each slab of ribs based on what they think a great rib should taste like to them.

As you read through this you will notice that we all had varying opinions of each slab of ribs we were served even though we were all sampling from the same slab. So I asked each of my volunteers to write a short description of what they look for and like in a slab of ribs.

I'm sharing this information here so you can compare what we like with what you like because while the ribs we sampled  are listed in the order of their overall score. You can also compare each Judges Ranking to hopefully help you find the kind of ribs you like as well. Regardless of where it ended up being ranked..

OKBBQEA:

I want a rib to be tender but not fall off the bone. The bone in a rib should be used as a handle to facilitate the eating of the rib. If the meat falls off the bone then I might as well have just ordered pulled pork. Which should pull clean from the bone when it is properly cooked.

I like a couple of flavor profiles... Sweet with a hint of heat or simple salt and pepper.

The ribs should have a nice mahogany color and a slight shine to their appearance.

Judge #1

I like a rib to be nice and tender but not tender enough to fall off the bone, I'm not looking for pulled pork when I eat a rib, I want to have a little bit of tug.

As far as the flavor, I like a sweet rib with a little bit of heat on the back end. I should be able to eat the rib without sauce. I want to be able to taste rub and smoke flavor but not to much that it over powers the taste of the meat.

Judge #2

As the only non BBQ cook, or judge, this year in the group. I think I look at the ribs a bit different than the other guys. I am thinking "Would I take someone from out of town to this place to eat some ribs?",

 I like my ribs having a small tug from the bone to what some would call slightly over cook. 

On taste, I range from sweet to a good flavor of spice in the rub. 

On how the ribs look, I think it shows how much pride the BBQ Joint has in it ribs.

Judge #3

Aroma: should smell the smoke of the wood, once you get the rib in your hand you should be able to start trying to figure out the different rubs used.

Taste: you can have the best looking rib in the pit in your hand and if it dosen't taste good then you got it all wrong. I think what makes a good rib you got to have few key levels of flavor, even amount of salt, light pepper, an element of heat ( Cayanne, jalapeno, habanero etc. ) sugar, little garlic and onion powder, butter and some honey to sweeten it up. The flavors got to mingle in mouth, should taste the sweetness of the sugar and honey and the heat on the back end. The rib has got to get you guessing what is on it as you eat it. So to some it up, I like a Sweet with some heat rib!

Texture : very important vital element of the rib. You should be able to leave teeth marks in the meat and be able to tear the meat off the bone with your fingers. The meat has't to be tinder but not falling off the bone. Every piece that you serve to the consumer needs to be edible ( DONT SERVE JERKY ).

The criteria for the Oklahoma City Broken Rib Tour is as follows:

• We try and make it to each Q-raunt between 11 AM and 1 PM. I feel like that time period is when any Q-raunt should be serving their best product.
• Each judge will sample two ribs taken from different parts of the slab and shall be eaten as served. Sauces or seasonings are not to be added.
• Scores are given on a scale from 1-9 using a weighted system of four categories (Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Texture) and the judges do not know which categories carry more weight than others.
• The judges are instructed that a score of 6 is average and to adjust up or down from there.
• Conversation pertaining to each slab of ribs is not to take place until all judges have entered their scores.
• Water is the only beverage allowed during the sampling process.

Before we get to the results I have a few observations to share about this years tour.

1. Despite having two new judges on the panel and a slight change in the categories. 3 of the Top 5 Q-raunts in this years tour were in the Top 5 last year.
2. One of the Top 5 from last year fell to near the bottom of the list and one of the worst from last year cracked the Top 5 this year. The Q-raunt that cracked the Top 5 this year was going to be left off of this years Tour but the Q-raunt I wanted to replace it with wasn't open for lunch on Saturday.
3. Last year we had one anomally where two judges voted a Q-raunt very low while one voted it as their favorite. This year we had one Q-raunt that one judge and I ranked at opposite ends of the spectrum. Which is why I don't instruct the judges on what makes a great rib. I want those varying opinions.
4. Because the system I created to rank the ribs is weighted. The average score is 30 rather than 24 due to some categories carrying more weight. So when looking at the Judges Ranking any score of 30 or better means they thought the rib was average or better. A Total Score of 120 or higher meant as a group we thought it was an average or better slab of ribs. We scored 8 (9 rounding up) of the 16 Q-raunts to be average or better as a group.
5. There were no perfect scores given and only three 9's were given out among the 16 Q-raunts by two judges. One to the 1st, 3rd, and 7th ranked ribs.
6. The closest we came to a consensus on any of the slabs was the 3rd, 15th, and 16th ranked slabs. We were all pretty much in agreement on the slabs we didn't like.
7. Our Top Ranked Q-raunt has the lowest Urbanspoon Ranking.... That could mean don't put a lot of faith in Urbanspoon rankings or don't put much faith in our ranking.... Your choice. LOL
8. Last but not least. Last years Top Ranked Q-raunt closed their location a few months after the 2014 Tour. I hope, for this years Top Ranked Q-raunts sake, that I havn't created some kind of Madden Curse with this project. Guess we'll have to wait until 2016 to find out.

Ok.... Now that I've bored you with my commentary. Here are the results you've been looking for.

Gary Glenn's BBQ
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	3	5	3	2	14.8333	16
Judge #1	3	4	3	3	15.6111	16
Judge #2	4	3	3	2	14.6111	16
Judge #3	4	4	6	3	22.6111	15
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			67.6667
16	N/A

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Overcooked with a grey color. Tasted a little rub but lacking in flavor.

Judge #1:
Overcooked, didn't taste any rub or smoke flavor.

Judge #2:
Overcooked. Reheated?

Judge #3:
Appearance was ok didn't jump out at me. Didn't look like had much smoke on them
Aroma was very average
Taste was actually pretty good had a good number of flavors...needs more heat
Texture very over cooked almost like pulled pork

Oklahoma Ribber
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	5	5	4	4	21.6111	15
Judge #1	4	7	4	3	20.4444	14
Judge #2	3	3	4	5	19.7778	14
Judge #3	3	6	2	3	14.8333	16
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			76.6667
15	N/A

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Overcooked and lacked flavor. I could see lots of smoke coming from their smoker but not much smoke smell or flavor on the ribs.

Judge #1:
Overcooked. Not much flavor. Taste like ribs were broiled. Not much smoke flavor.

Judge #2:
No taste or aroma.

Judge #3:
Appearance was poor, upside down, no appearance of any rub
Aroma is ok
Very over cooked

Blu's BBQ & Burgers
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	6	6	6	5	28.6111	11
Judge #1	4	5	5	3	21.2222	13
Judge #2	5	4	3	4	19.0000	15
Judge #3	5	5	5	7	27.7778	11
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			96.6111
14	12

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Texture was grainy. Plate looked great with the garnish but ribs on their own were bland looking.

Judge #1:
Overcooked. Couldn't taste any smoke flavor or much rub.

Judge #2:
No comment

Judge #3:
Appearance looked pretty dry couldn't really see much of the rub.
Couldn't really smell a wood smoke
Taste was very average nothing popped out at me.
Texture was pretty good maybe slightly over cooked.

Ray's Smokehouse BBQ
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	6	6	5	5	26.6111	13
Judge #1	7	6	6	5	29.6111	8
Judge #2	7	6	6	5	29.6111	T-10
Judge #3	5	5	6	5	27.0000	12
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			112.8333
13	4

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Not as good as last year. Overcooked and needed a little more flavor.

Judge #1:
Looked good on plate. A little overcooked. Had a little smoke but not much rub.

Judge #2:
No comment

Judge #3:
Appearance was ok. No real appearance of a lot of smoke or rub St. Louis cut.
Aroma was average nothing jumped out at me.
Couldn't taste any smoke or rub.
Texture was overcooked.

Dale's BBQ House
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	6	6	6	6	30.0000	8
Judge #1	7	6	6	6	31.0000	6
Judge #2	6	5	4	4	22.6111	13
Judge #3	7	6	6	5	29.6111	8
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			113.2222
12	13

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Better than last year but overall just an average rib.

Judge #1:
Appearance was good with hints of smoke and rub.
Slightly overcooked.

Judge #2:
No comment

Judge #3:
Appearance was pretty good looked Ike they had a little smoke and rub looked moist and juicy.
Aroma average.
Taste was very average no flavors jumped out at me.
Texture was close to being right on one of the ribs the other was dry.

Big Boys BBQ Express
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	5	7	6	5	28.2222	12
Judge #1	4	6	4	3	19.8333	15
Judge #2	6	8	8	7	36.6111	3
Judge #3	6	7	5	7	30.0000	7
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			114.6667
11	N/A

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Aroma was good. Flavor was ok. Texture needs work.

Judge #1:
Overcooked, meat fell off bone before biting.
Not much smoke flavor and I couldn't taste much rub.

Judge #2:
Good taste. Great hole in the wall.

Judge #3:
Appearance was petty good looked dry.
Aroma was ok could smell the rub.
Taste was good first rib was cold second one was hot.
Texture was good was cooked almost just right.

Spencer's Smokehouse BBQ
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	7	6	6	6	31.0000	7
Judge #1	7	7	5	5	28.2222	11
Judge #2	8	6	7	6	34.0000	6
Judge #3	6	5	5	5	26.0000	T-13
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			119.2222
10	6

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Looked good enough but aroma and flavor just average.

Judge #1:
Tender rib with not much smoke flavor. A hint of rub. Nice looking smoke ring.

Judge #2:
No comment.

Judge #3:
Served upside down so could not see if they had any rub but had a very viable smoke ring and looked like they had a good layer of smoke.
Aroma was ok nothing spectacular.
Taste was very average nothing spectacular didn't really get any flavor combination couldn't really taste much rub.
Texture was a tad tough and alittle crispy.

Simmon's BBQ Shack
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	7	6	6	5	29.6111	9
Judge #1	6	6	7	5	30.6111	7
Judge #2	7	7	7	6	33.6111	7
Judge #3	6	5	5	5	26.0000	T-13
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			119.8333
9	N/A

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Flavor and aroma were good but the texture of the meat was mushy.

Judge #1:
Good smoke and rub flavor. A little tough. Nice smoke ring.

Judge #2:
No comment.

Judge #3:
Appearance was pretty average looked like it had a little smoke and a level of rub looked moist and juicy.
Aroma was average.
Taste was average had a little heat that hits you right away needs other components for me.
Texture would have been great until I got ahold of one fatty end of one I couldn't bite through it.

Big Daddy's Smokehouse
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	7	7	7	5	32.2222	6
Judge #1	7	5	6	5	29.0000	9
Judge #2	7	6	6	5	29.6111	T-10
Judge #3	8	7	5	6	30.6111	6
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			121.4444
8	8

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Good color and aroma. Just a little overcooked.

Judge #1:
A little overcooked. Had a little smoke flavor but couldn't taste much rub.
Appearance was nice. Good char with a nice smoke ring.

Judge #2:
No comment.

Judge #3:
Appearance very good. Looked like it had the right amount of smoke and rub looked moist and juicy. Very visible smoke ring .
Aroma very good.
Taste was underwhelming for a rib to look that good.
Texture was good just a little over cooked

Leo's Barbeque
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	7	8	8	5	34.8333	3
Judge #1	5	8	5	5	26.8333	12
Judge #2	8	6	5	5	28.6111	12
Judge #3	6	9	6	7	33.2222	3
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			123.5000
7	7

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Simple salt and pepper rub gives great flavor and the aroma was pleasing.
Texture was slightly overcooked but I could have eaten the entire slab.

Judge #1:
Ribs were overcooked. Good smoke flavor. Not much rub.

Judge #2:
No comment.

Judge #3:
Appearance was surprisingly poor. From a diatance they looked good but we're mishandled and some or most of the rub was pulled of by tongs or whatever they used to prepare them.
Aroma was very good but the restaurant gets a point for that also smelled like hickory or pecan.
Taste was above average but wasn't spectacular needed some pepper an some type of heat.
Texture was spot on but was a little temp hot the membrane was crispy.
Leo's is a BBQ experience that every BBQ lover should try.

Pappy's BBQ
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	5	4	5	5	24.3889	14
Judge #1	6	7	8	5	33.2222	4
Judge #2	8	6	8	7	37.3889	1
Judge #3	4	5	6	7	28.7778	9
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			123.7778
6	N/A

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Slightly undercooked. Fat needed to render more.
Liked the sweet flavor but had a chemical flavor/aroma from bad wood or a smoldering fire.

Judge #1:
Sweet rib. A little tough with a lot of fat left untrimmed. No smoke ring but overall a good rib.

Judge #2:
Good size rib. Liked the taste.

Judge #3:
Appearance wasn't very good. Didn't look like they had a lot of smoke on them witch was a little underwhelming because when you walk in you smell the smoke.
Aroma was good in the restraunt but very average on the rib.
Taste was suprisingly good for what they looked like. Had a very smooth sweet taste. Needs salt and pepper but it wasn't a bad rib.
Texture was pretty well spot on. Could leave teeth marks in the mea

George's Happy Hog Bar B Q
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	6	7	6	5	29.2222	10
Judge #1	6	7	5	6	28.6111	10
Judge #2	7	8	8	6	36.2222	2
Judge #3	5	5	7	8	33.1667	4
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			127.2222
5	9

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Smelled good but were underseasoned and slightly overcooked.

Judge #1:
Good flavor. Cooked to right tenderness.
Had a weird sweet taste I couldn't put my finger on but a good smoke flavor.

Judge #2:
No comment.

Judge #3:
Appearance wasn't very good. Looked like they didn't have very much smoke on them,
Couldn't smell the smoke smelled alittle sweet.
Taste was a surprise. Didn't look like they had much rub on them but they had a good combination of flavors with a good heat on the back end.
Texture is good. About the right texture.

Smokey's BBQ and Diner
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	6	8	8	5	33.8333	4
Judge #1	8	8	8	8	40.0000	1
Judge #2	8	6	7	5	32.6111	8
Judge #3	6	6	5	6	28.0000	10
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			134.4444
4	14

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Much better than the possibly reheated ribs we were served last year. They have added a sweet glaze to their flavor profile that I enjoyed.

Judge #1:
Chili powder on top was a nice touch.
Loved the texture.
Has a sweet with a little heat flavor.
Tender ribs that did not fall off the bone.

Judge #2:
Great taste and appearance.

Judge #3:
Appearance was pretty good but looked a little dry and kind of burnt
Aroma was pretty good. Made me start guessing what kinda of rub they used.
Texture had a little to much pull for me.
Taste was underwhelming needs salt and more spice had a little sweetness that was o.

Bedlam Bar B Q
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	7	8	8	9	40.3889	1
Judge #1	8	7	6	6	32.6111	5
Judge #2	8	6	7	7	35.3889	5
Judge #3	7	6	6	6	31.0000	5
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			139.3889
3	2

Comments

OKBBQEA:
Cooked perfectly. Nice color and flavor. Rub had just a hint of heat.

Judge #1:
Nice smoke flavor and smoke ring.
Good rub flavor.
Ok, on the tenderness.
Good flavored rib.

Judge #2:
No comment.

Judge #3:
Appearance was very good. Looked like they had a level amount of rub on them and good smoke but looked a little dry.
Aroma was good. Couldn't tell what wood they smoke with.
Taste was pretty average for me. Nothing really jumped out at me.  Needs more sweet flavor to it.
Texture was a little over cooked. 

Jack's Bar B Que
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	6	7	7	6	32.6111	5
Judge #1	7	8	7	8	37.0000	2
Judge #2	7	7	8	6	35.6111	4
Judge #3	7	7	7	7	35.0000	2
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			140.2222
2	3

Comments

OKBBQEA:
A bit more tug on the bite than I like but enjoyed the taste and aroma.

Judge #1:
Nice texture and excellent smoke flavor.
Cooked to proper tenderness.
Flavor was really good.

Judge #2:
Great taste and appearance.

Judge #3:

Appearance was very good. Made me want to eat.  Looked moist. Looked like it was cooked right.
Aroma was pretty good. Smelled like wood smoked ribs
Taste was good. Had a good layer of flavor. Seemed like it needed something else but did have a spice that I like.
Texture was pretty good. I like it just a little more tender.

Back Door BBQ
	Appearance	Aroma	Taste	Texture	Totals	Judges Ranking
OKBBQEA	8	7	8	6	36.6111	2
Judge #1	8	8	7	7	36.6111	3
Judge #2	8	6	6	5	30.6111	9
Judge #3	9	8	8	7	39.6111	1
2015 Ranking	2014 Ranking	Total Score			143.4444
1	5

Comments

OKBBQEA:
A beautiful meaty slab of ribs. The flavor profile still reminds me of bologna but I love bologna and I enjoyed these ribs.

Judge #1:
Almost perfect on taste and appearance. Had a bacon like flavor.
I could taste the smoke and with a sweet notes at the end.
A very good rib.

Judge #2:
No comment.

Judge #3:
Appearance very good. Looked very moist. Bark was visual and made me want to dig in.
Aroma smelled like some good smoked ribs.
Taste is very good. I liked the rub. It is smooth and not overwhelming. If I could change anything I would put a little heat on the back end.
Texture was good. Maybe just slightly overcooked but you can't tell from looking at them.

I hope you enjoyed this years commentary on the rib scene in Oklahoma City and while I still maintain that this isn't a "Best of" list. Congrats to the Top 5 of this years Oklahoma City Broken Rib Tour. You managed to impress four picky and opinionated rib eaters with your Q.

	OKBBQEA		Judge #1		Judge #2		Judge #3		Overall Score
1	Bedlam Bar B Q	1	Smokey's BBQ and Diner	1	Pappy's BBQ	1	Back Door BBQ	1	Back Door BBQ
2	Back Door BBQ	2	Jack's Bar B Que	2	George's Happy Hog Bar B Q	2	Jack's Bar B Que	2	Jack's Bar B Que
3	Leo's Barbeque	3	Back Door BBQ	3	Big Boys BBQ Express	3	Leo's Barbeque	3	Bedlam Bar B Q
4	Smokey's BBQ and Diner	4	Pappy's BBQ	4	Jack's Bar B Que	4	George's Happy Hog Bar B Q	4	Smokey's BBQ and Diner
5	Jack's Bar B Que	5	Bedlam Bar B Q	5	Bedlam Bar B Q	5	Bedlam Bar B Q	5	George's Happy Hog Bar B Q
6	Big Daddy's Smokehouse	6	Dale's BBQ House	6	Spencer's Smokehouse BBQ	6	Big Daddy's Smokehouse	6	Pappy's BBQ
7	Spencer's Smokehouse BBQ	7	Simmon's BBQ Shack	7	Simmon's BBQ Shack	7	Big Boys BBQ Express	7	Leo's Barbeque
8	Dale's BBQ House	8	Ray's Smokehouse BBQ	8	Smokey's BBQ and Diner	8	Dale's BBQ House	8	Big Daddy's Smokehouse
9	Simmon's BBQ Shack	9	Big Daddy's Smokehouse	9	Back Door BBQ	9	Pappy's BBQ	9	Simmon's BBQ Shack
10	George's Happy Hog Bar B Q	10	George's Happy Hog Bar B Q	T-10	Big Daddy's Smokehouse	10	Smokey's BBQ and Diner	10	Spencer's Smokehouse BBQ
11	Blu's BBQ & Burgers	11	Spencer's Smokehouse BBQ	T-10	Ray's Smokehouse BBQ	11	Blu's BBQ & Burgers	11	Big Boys BBQ Express
12	Big Boys BBQ Express	12	Leo's Barbeque	12	Leo's Barbeque	12	Ray's Smokehouse BBQ	12	Dale's BBQ House
13	Ray's Smokehouse BBQ	13	Blu's BBQ & Burgers	13	Dale's BBQ House	T-13	Simmon's BBQ Shack	13	Ray's Smokehouse BBQ
14	Pappy's BBQ	14	Oklahoma Ribber	14	Oklahoma Ribber	T-13	Spencer's Smokehouse BBQ	14	Blu's BBQ & Burgers
15	Oklahoma Ribber	15	Big Boys BBQ Express	15	Blu's BBQ & Burgers	15	Gary Glenn's BBQ	15	Oklahoma Ribber
16	Gary Glenn's BBQ	16	Gary Glenn's BBQ	16	Gary Glenn's BBQ	16	Oklahoma Ribber	16	Gary Glenn's BBQ

2014 Oklahoma City Broken Rib Tour