Where are the best baby back ribs?

Question

Looking for some awesome baby backs for my bday dinner Monday night. I am in n. Scottsdale and don't want to drive downtown or to Gilbert in rush hour traffic so someplace relatively close to Scottsdale recs preferred, please. 

I've read reviews of both Big Daddy's BBQ and Scottsdale BBQ Co. and both have their fair share of good and bad reviews (as will all places, I am sure). Anyone tried the ribs at either/both of these places?

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Scottsdale BBQ Co
8471 E McDonald Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Answer

I have tried Big Daddy's BBQ. I found it underwhelming. It wasn't bad, but the kitchen was playing it safe by scaling back on the seasoning and the sauces were rather lackluster.

Answer

Thanks . . . I appreciate the input. After further research, I think we might go to Houston's. PCG sounds good and I will definitely keep it in mind for the future.

Answer

Big Daddy's BBQ is as good as you're going to do. It's passable. A little pricey for what you get, but that's par for the course in your neck of the woods. My favorite part of Big Daddy's is that Sweet Republic is 3/4 mile east on Shea. There's also Notorious P.I.G. not too far (32nd Street and Thunderbird, right off the 51), but I'd do Big Daddy's over Notorious; something about Notorious doesn't seem like they have their heart into it. I mean, it's good, it's just lacking... that je ne sais quoi. Offering peach cobbler and then serving me peach crisp was not appreciated, either.

That said, I still drive 20 miles out to Gilbert for Joe's Real BBQ. They just nail it.

Answer

Update . . . I had the ribs at Houston's last night and I have to say I *loved* them. They were fall-off-the-bone, charred a little on the edges, great sauce, just all around great. My only complaint was that there weren't enough of them. I wish they offered the entree in two sizes, or I would have gladly passed on the fries and cole slaw and taken more ribs instead. I will totally go back there just for the ribs, although I definitely want to try some of the other recommendations too.

Answer

I hate to say it, as it flies in the face of everything that I stand for, but the be best baby back ribs that I have found in PHX has been at the 7th St/Bell Chili's.

Sorry for that, but I have just never found better, and I have tried very hard.

Enjoy, and happy belated birthday,

Hunt

Answer

I only skimmed all the replies to the OP, but I simply cannot believe that the baby back ribs at Don & Charlie's haven't been mentioned. Best in town by a significant margin. Not to mention great side dishes and the best chopped liver (free, btw) in town.

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Don & Charlie's
7501 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Answer

Don &Charlies has been a fav for years. Also Thee Pitts Again in the Arrowhead area is great. Honeybears has two locations...

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Thee Pitts Again
5558 W Bell Rd, Glendale, AZ 85308

Answer

We just got back from trying Pork on a Fork's baby back ribs and here's my thoughts:

The good:
1) The ribs were EXCELLENT! Exactly the way I like them! The pulled pork was also good and served WITHOUT any sauce, so you can pick which sauce you prefer.
2) Four different home made BBQ sauces - Sweet and Mild, Smoky and Tangy, Hot and zippy mustard glaze and they have just made them available to purchase by the bottle, as well.
3) Very friendly and helpful staff.
4) Reasonable prices, quick service, clean restrooms, 
5) You can order the food already smoked and cooked, but served cold in a foil baking tray to heat up at your own home at a later time or day. They recommend consuming it within 7 to 10 days which is more than reasonable and the ribs may be even better as they sit and soak up the sauce and become more tender.
6) Mac and cheese side dish is delicious!

The bad:
1) Hard to find the restaurant - its located in an industrial park.
2) Waffle fries don't taste as good as they look. I'm guessing these are not home made, but frozen from a mass manufacturer like Oreida or some such...
3) Different prices on some of the same dishes on Friday's only as well as other sides available on Fridays only from 4pm to 7pm. Its a bit confusing to have a Friday Menu that has many of the same items as the regular menu at a slightly higher price. I understand items like Smoked Salmon are only available on the Friday menu, but why is the regular menu disregarded on Fridays and the prices different?
4) Closes early (7pm Mon - Fri) and 3pm on Saturday.

Summary - This is our new favorite place for baby backs and pulled pork. Will try the beef brisket in the near future. Highly recommended!! And,they accept debit and credit cards where many other small BBQ restaurants are cash only, which I find inconvenient. So that's a plus, as well.

Answer

In the recent past, we have had several great "baby-back ribs" platters from Dillon's, up on N Central Ave.

Hunt

Answer

Honestly, the St. Louis ribs at Bobby Q's were great. Better than the baby back ribs, and I prefer baby back most of the time. Its off I-17 in the Glendale area, exit escapes me at the moment.

Answer

mdepsmom, only 4 years late, but you can make the best ribs ever. Get you Baby Back ribs, put a rib rub on them and place them on an oven rack with a drip pan below them and put your oven on 200 degrees and let them stay in there for 4 hours. Remove from oven and finish on the grill with your favorite BBQ sauce. You now have the best ribs around.

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Where are the best baby back ribs?

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