Restaurant Review: Big Daddy’s BBQ Ridley, PA

I’m in a bit of a food coma as I write this quick and unexpected review. Big Daddy’s BBQ opened in its new location today in Folsom (Ridley) Pennsylvania. Big Daddy’s BBQ had a previous and much smaller location across town in Ridley Park.

Big Daddy’s BBQ is the kind of place that serves BBQ cooked on site and is open only until they sell out. The best place to find more information is the Big Daddy’s Facebook page. I visited on their first night before the official Grand Opening of the new location. I’m ecstatic I was able to get in and give the BBQ a try. They were not aware I was going to write this review, and I was not comped this meal in exchange for my words here.

Because it was opening night, things felt a little chaotic when you first walk in. Between a line of drooling patrons waiting for food, and the thick delicious smell of seared meat in the air, I was unsure of where to go first. The line moved quickly and in no time we were ordering our food.

Tonight I opted for the 2 meat meal, with my selection limited because they were out of ribs (mental note to get there earlier next time), my duo of meat was brisket and pulled pork. The two meat sampler also comes with a selection of two sides, and since my 9yo son really wanted the mac n’ cheese, I selected baked beans and cole slaw figuring these are BBQ joint staples. The sides are just as important as the main course to complete a true BBQ experience.

I barely had enough willpower to snap that photo of the food before digging in. This is BBQ just the way I like it! Extra sauce, well trimmed, steam escaping with just enough spice to dare me to take another whiff before piling the food into my mouth. So eat we did.

The brisket was my first bite, it looked phenomenal and it did not dissapoint….so I’m going to save the best for last.

The pulled pork was well prepared and pulled enough to easily eat, but never felt stringy. The larger hunks of pork were always surrounded by the thinner strands to keep the juicy sauce attached so it never tasted dry. The sauce was sweet but never felt like eating a desert and complemented the smokey meat well.

The cole slaw tasted like a good BBQ slaw should. It was creamy with a bit of tang but nothing out of the ordinary.

The baked beans were special. Baked with extra helpings of pork and onions, they held a juicy smokey flavor that made me think I could make a meal from this one side. The beans themselves were not mushy and the sauce with the beans stuck well enough to eat with a fork.

I am not a cornbread fan in general. This cornbread was moist yet firm enough to help push bits of my meal onto my fork…so that was a win in my book.

My son chose the mac n’ cheese – we shared much to his dismay. A large portion was enough for the two of us with this as his primary meal and my “occasional” forked intruder. There was a decent cheesy taste to the mac n’ cheese, however, I found the sauce to be too runny. With a large pool of the creamy liquid left at the bottom of the container, I questioned the cheesiness of the side. My companion found it to be quite tasty and had no problem scarfing down the parts that I was unable to capture.

For the highlight of the evening…the brisket….

I fell in love with Big Daddy’s brisket at first sight. It was thinly shaved and basking in its sauce in a way that told me this was going to be a great bite. The meat varied from a deep brown to bright pink edges with just the most delicate line of fat lining one side. The meat was shaved so thin that every bite felt like it melted in my mouth. The sauce was sweet and smokey with just the right amounts of spice to remind you this is no chain restaurant.

You would do yourself a sold by checking out Big Daddy’s BBQ. They have a large menu selection of meat that I can’t wait to get back to try but I have a feeling that brisket will always be part of my meal. A note on the new location…parking can be tight with about a dozen spots out front, but around the corner, there is plenty of street parking.

Big Daddy’s BBQ

606 MacDade Blvd or call (484) 494-6138

Vince

http://vincentdiangelus.com/