How much do the sides matter to you?

Poppa's PTL Club · Posted: Nov 08 2007 Post subject: How much do the sides matter to you?

Simple question, can mediocre or bad sides ruin a very good BBQ experience for you? There is nothing more disappointing to me than to get a very good sandwich or piece of chicken only to have some bad mac and cheese or cold beans.

How 'bout you?
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wnkt · Posted: Nov 08 2007 Post subject:

For me the sides aren't a deal breaker, I figure that I'm there for the meat......but man a good side or two really make the whole meal special!
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DawgPhan · BBQ Super Pro Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 3444

Honestly it depends on the place...sides can certainly make a meal. Let's face it...for most of us eating BBQ out isnt about getting great meat. I can do the meat at the house better than just about anyone going. Been to a few places that I would go to again, but there aint many, but if I can get good service and a some great sides I would be much more likely to come back and eat as opposed to decent que and bad sides...I am never going back to a place with bad sides...If you dont pay attention to your sides you probably aint paying attention to your meat...

CrazyChef · Posted: Nov 08 2007 Post subject:

ALL of the food has to be good - hands down. YES, if the sides suck (or are even mediocre), it will DEFINITELY reflect negatively on your business. Pure and simple...
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voodoo · Posted: Nov 08 2007 Post subject:

It,s about the meat sure,but i need some good slaw and beans baby! And agood cornbread too! Crying or Very sad

OKBBQEA · Posted: Nov 08 2007 Post subject:

Well since I usually just order the meat the sides aren't as important to me but I feel like they are important to the overall experience for the typical customer.

And as far as the typical customer goes.... BBQ restaurants are usually defined by their sauce. Ask just about anyone you know that doesn't make their own Q what they like about a restaurant and most of the time that will be their answer.
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BigOrson · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

My wife and I are opposites on this one. I go for the meat and she goes for the sides. Not just when it comes to BBQ, either. For us, the sides are the deal-breaker. If she doesn't like them, I'm going to be eating there alone or taking it out for later.

lantern · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

Slaw and hush puppies are the only two that can pull down my grade for a BBQ joint. If those two suck then I'll order to go and by the pound if the BBQ is good.

OKBBQEA · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

Hmmmm.... I think I've only been to one Q restaurant here in Oklahoma that served anything even close to hushpuppies as a side.
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jib · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

Big Mike · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

While I have been known to eat just BBQ on quite a few occasions, if I am coming to your restaurant I am coming for a meal. So sides matter. If your sides suck I will probably be in very infrequently.
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necron 99 · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

I agree, the whole meal should be the focus.

having said that, my critical side dish is beans - gotta have them on the menu, and them frijoles better not be sub-par, or I guarantee I won't return. When ordering a plate with 2 sides, usually, it's beans & beans for me.

The 3 B's diet - beef, beans, & bread Cool

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Poppa's PTL Club · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

One of the most disappointing experiences I ever had with a side was at Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse. They offered "Southern Greens", which seriously piqued my curiosity. Imagine my surprise when they came out not only crunchy, but they had left the stems in (pulled out and chopped up)! I called the waitress over and told her that they were cooked about two hours short and that the stems were trash to be thrown away in the prep. She laughed and said that a few other southerners had made similar comments. I offered to go to each of their menus with a magic marker and knock the "Southern" part of the description off.
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lantern · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

Poppa's PTL Club · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

Anybody have any idea how the hushpuppy thing started in NC? I don't get it (too much like bread to go with a sandwich for me), but tastes and traditions are always local.
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lantern · Posted: Nov 09 2007 Post subject:

If I had to guess, I'd say it went like this.

"Boy I sure do love BBQ, cornbread, onions and fried stuff. Wish there was a way to get everything at once. OOOOOHHH WAIT....I GOT IT!" Wink

Sa-Mokin · Posted: Nov 10 2007 Post subject:

It's been my experience that IF you find a place with truly good barbeque, the sides are generally good too. If someone goes to the time and trouble to cook barbeque like it should be, they usually know what it takes for good sides.
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OddThomas · Posted: Nov 10 2007 Post subject:

Sides matter. A lot.

Slosmokes · Newbie Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 83

The sweet muffin/cornbread stuff and some hp's are good with BBQ but to eat Southern cornbread with BBQ is like having ice cream and ketchup. I guess it's the same here as some folks try to imitate food you normally find up north and it just is not worth a toot. Folks usually have to have been raised cooking certain things all of their life to make it taste like it should for that area. There isn't too many things I have found that I just can't eat but one on toward top of the list is the chopped mush stuff (baby diaper wipings as someone said) with vinegar poured over it that some folks swear is BBQ. Course each to their own taste!

txbbqman · BBQ Fan Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 159 Location: Katy, TX

BBQ is should be served with white bread and crackers. If you go to a BBQ place and you get caught up in the sides than you need to refocus becasue none of us go to websites becasue we r obsessed with potato salad. BBQ places are about the meats. Now don't get me wrong I love sides like beans and potato salad and they make a difference at some places but always judge a place by its meats.