It’s been a long, chilly, and rainy winter, and I just can’t wait for spring and summer. To help me get over the hump of waiting, I thought I might treat myself to a hot meal at a cozy restaurant. This led me to Brazen BBQ in Hillcrest, on the corner of 5th and Washington. Because I’m not a fan of large or noisy crowds, I timed my trip to just before their dinner rush, and before their small, yet practical parking became full. When you walk inside, you’ll witness a large spacious restaurant and front and center behind the counter is a large meat smoker. In the middle of the restaurant, there’s an epic hand-washing station, which I was able to appreciate personally because at the end of the day, eating bbq ribs gets messy, and it’s nice not having to enter a restroom just to wash your hands!

Sometimes you just need to treat yourself, you know — to a half rack of baby back ribs, with peach cobbler on the side.

Brazen BBQ is known for ribs, so ribs are what I ordered. To get the best of both worlds, I ordered the dry rub baby back ribs with a side of their “Competition Sauce.” This way, I could savor the meat and rub alone, and also experience it bathed in BBQ sauce. The pink meat fell right off the bones, and I could have eaten it all without the Competition sauce, but once I dipped into the sauce, I couldn’t stop.

They choose a great name for their BBQ sauce because out there in the BBQ sauce space — it’s a competition! It takes one teeny tiny taste to realize it’s one of the best BBQ sauces out there.

The rub is made in-house, and the ribs are smoked in-house for 5-6 hours, per their Pitmaster, John Bracamonte.
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I devoured half of a half rack of ribs, and was ready for warm peach cobbler ala mode. The peach cobbler was huge. Unlike many cobblers I’ve had before, this cobbler had a light, fluffy loaf of cake, and wasn’t overly sweet. It was savory and balanced, and the vanilla ice cream was excellent.