Ribs (BBQ, that is)

For all those who live in the Washington DC area, you probably know that the options for really good bbq, particularly pulled pork or smoked ribs, are pretty slim. There is the southern chain, Smokey Bones, which is a good option in a pinch with two restaurants within an hour's drive of the city. There are a couple of hole-in-the-wall places we haven't tried yet, but two stand-alone restaurants are worth mentioning.

In Rockville, just above Randolph Road, there's Urban BBQ. I tried the rib and crab-cake combo, which combines some of the south with a bit of Maryland cuisine. The crab-cake (which is obviously not BBQ'd) is meaty with a little bit of spice. Quite a respectable cake. The corn bread and collard greens were excellent. The corn bread had real corn flavor (and bits) with some sweetness that wasn't overpowering. Sitting under the heat lamp kept it warm, without making it inedible. I wish I could say the ribs were as good as the sides, but unfortunately they were not. I found the ribs a bit too chewy (I don't think they were smoked). The sauce was good with a hint of cumin and some sweetness too.

A little further afield, near Emmittsburg (north of Frederick, Maryland), you'll find Chubby's BBQ on the side of Route 15. Here's the Washington Post's review. The pulled pork is excellent - moist, well pulled, and with a slight tang to the classic BBQ sauce. It is well worth the drive (okay, it's about 1.5 hours away and I was coming back from Carlisle PA, so I didn't have to go out of my way to get there). The ribs, on the other hand, were fatty with a tough bark. I couldn't really see the appeal. The sides (cole slaw, biscuit, mashed potatoes) are all decent.