Name: Coops BBQ
Address: 2625 Lemon Grove Ave. Lemon Grove, CA. 91945
http://coopsbbq.com
Date of Visit: August 10th 2013
Keep an eye out for this place or you may pass it by without realizing it. I barely saw it at the last minute and had to turn around. It’s in a very small strip mall so keep your eyes peeled. Also, there are very few tables inside and only a few 4-top tables. So you may have to wait a while if you are not ordering take out.
This is clearly a family run business and you can tell that they put a lot of sweat and love into the food they make.
BBQ Style: West Texas
Food Ordered:
- Pork Ribs
- Rib Tips
- Pulled Pork
- Beef Brisket
- Corn Bread
- Mac and Cheese
- Baked Beans
- Peach Cobbler
Food Review:
- Pork Ribs – The ribs were the best part of my meal with the exception of silver skin. It’s truly unfortunate it was not removed before cooking or I may have considered this to be one of the best ribs I have had in a long time.
- Rib Tips – The rib tips had a tremendous amount of flavor, but unfortunately they were over cooked. Many of my pieces were very chewy and burnt.
- Pulled Pork – The pulled pork tasted a bit like carnitas to me. This is usually a sign that the meat has been boiled or cooked in a crock pot, but I am pretty sure this was not the case as it had a good amount of smoke ring on it. The sandwich portion was huge and there was plenty of left over meat to take home. I wasn’t able to confirm with them how it was cooked, but I am suspecting some sort of jerk seasoned injection.
- Beef Brisket – The brisket was a bit undercooked as it didn’t pass the pull test. The flavor was great though and it had a wonderful smoke ring. I would definitely try this again as it was almost perfect, I may have got a piece that was not quite done.
- Corn Bread – The corn bread was horribly dry and very gritty. I would avoid it.
- Mac and Cheese – The flavor of the Mac & Cheese was very nice, but the dish was on the dry/crumbly side. I think if they added more moisture to the mix, it would be the perfect side dish.
- Baked Beans – OMG! These were the best beans I have ever had. I didn’t expect them to taste very well as most places use canned beans. They added a twist to their beans by adding pineapple chunks. This added a nice sweet flavor to the beans. Don’t pass these up.
- Peach Cobbler – The peach cobbler was just OK. The peaches were really good, but the crust/cobbler part was gooey and doughy. I think it might have been a little undercooked. If you plan to eat in, they will hold the cobbler until you are ready for it. This was very nice of them and ensures it comes out hot.
Darkavich’s BBQ rating: I give it an 7 out of 10.