That glorious mess you see above is the hard work of Marc Coates, Smokengrillenmaster at Bebe’s BBQ in the Italian Market. Really, it’s a gamechanger. We stopped by for a taste of the goodness, hoping dearly there might be some of his famed brisket left (Coates doesn’t make everything every day, just what comes in, what’s fresh, and what he goddamn feels like). We did find his brisket, along with pork, ribs, and that amazing bird.
Here’s how we know it’s the best. We ate the following BEFORE sampling the chicken:
- Pulled pork (both ways, East and West Carolina)
- 6 ribs
- Plate of brisket
- Cornbread
- Cabbage
- Mac and cheese
- Collard greens
Chicken truly is the last damn thing you should order at any restaurant if you’re into food. It’s the safe bet of blandness that the chef will usually give the least attention to. For me it goes something like this: Offal, then game meats, then red meat, then pork, and finally chicken. For most you can interchange a lot of that list, but chicken is the ass of the parade.
When Coates pulled the chicken out of the spinner, he didn’t need to do much more than glare at it a little bit as it fell apart into perfectly sectioned pieces. My dining partner and I FOUGHT over the skin. It’s so fucking good, I might go as Bebe’s Chicken for Halloween.
For $12, you get a whole chicken, 2 sides (I say cabbage and cornbread) and a new affinity for chicken. A steal.
Bebe’s BBQ, 1017 S. 9th St. (267) 519-8791
– Collin Flatt
As good as the chicken is, you MUST try Mark’s ribs and pulled pork (as a sandwich of course). His vinegar based sauce with just a touch of tomato is out of this world. Also, I’ve never tasted banana pudding so good.
For 12.00 you get one/half…1/2…of a chicken. For 15.00 you get the whole chicken…and the sides.
A much better deal for 3 bucks….
FYI – Bebe’s started delivery service this week…