I have been watching a great programme on TV recently called "Man vs. Food". It's about this American guy (Adam Richman) that travels around the USA finding the "best pig out joints in the States". This includes BBQ restaurants, fried chicken shacks, burger bars, pizza places etc and he always ends up doing some kind of food challenge which normally involves eating an obscene amount amount of fatty, indulgent food. Awesome. Seeing the huge hunks of beef brisket and ribs smoking over open hickory wood pits gave me a real hunger.
The "burnt ends" which are the outside bits of the beef brisket that get charred and collect all the flavour of the smoke and seasoning got me really excited. I wanted them in a massive sandwich just like my friend on TV. Look at this guy, heroic...
But where to go in London? Does this great BBQ fare even exist here? After a bit of investigation, I headed to Bodean's in Tower Hill.
We started with a portion of the hot wings. Every ounce of my male ego told me to go for the extra hot sauce. Thank the Lord I resisted and went for the medium hot version which were fiery enough for most people and pungent with vinegar and spices. They had a good amount of meat on them, more than the usual skinny things. One word of warning, don't wear a brand new shirt here like I did. You will cover it in hot sauce. I made full use of the kitchen roll on our table, making the requisite bib, a bit like a fat Italian Don eating a bowl of spaghetti. Good stuff and great with a couple of beers.
After some deliberation I followed with the burnt ends (not available everyday) and ribs served with fries. The ribs were tasty. The meat was nice and charred on the outside and moist within but I would like more of a smoked, BBQ taste. Fries were OK. The much anticipated burnt ends however were a disappointment. I wanted an intense meaty flavour like you get when you eat the outside end of a well seasoned, good quality rib of beef. What I got was indistinguishable from any average cubed beef stew. Not great.
Since it was the weekend, we had a liquid dessert and went with a round of shots. Amen.
Bodean's didn't really hit the spot for me. Thanks to Man vs Food, I found I had a passion for the smokey, meaty goodness that a good, proper American BBQ offers. Did I find that at Bodean's? Unfortunately not. If you do have a real hunger for BBQ, I would stick to the ribs and wings. This place is a good venue however for a group of guys, beer, wings and football.
Monster Munch Rating: 60%
Bodean's
16 Byward Street
London
EC3R 5BA
www.bodeansbbq.com
0207 488 3883
