Joey's Smokin BBQ - Downtown San Diego

I think most people, if you ask them, would say they like barbecue. Within that group though, there seem to be two types - those who are passionate about it, and those who just like it. Those who just like it won't notice whether the meat was sauced after cooking, whether there's a smoke ring on the brisket, or if the ribs are truly falling off the bone - if it tastes good, that's enough for them.

The passionate ones are adamant. The meat must be smoked. If not, it's just grilled. But pit smokers create a lot of air pollution and risk drawing the ire of not only the neighbors but the Air Pollution Control District. (Remember what happened to Phil's a few years ago?) There's also the matter of cost. Smoking meat on a large scale requires a lot of wood - not exactly an economical fuel source. As a result, most barbecue restaurants here in town par-cook their meat, then finish it on a grill with a rub and some sauce. Regardless of how you feel about the authenticity of this method, the results can be delicious when it's done right.

Joey's has several outlets, one of which just opened a few blocks from my office downtown. It's just North of Broadway, between the Local and the Yardhouse on 4th Avenue, a stone's throw from the Gaslamp. (It's not in the Gaslamp as the website specifies, but that's being nitpicky I suppose.) They've been open for a couple of months, but this past week was their "Grand Opening" - completely with a TV crew filming a reality show about the place.

On my first visit for lunch with some co-workers, we ordered a sampler of things to try: a "three meat" platter with sliced brisket, beef ribs and pork ribs, and a pulled pork platter. For the sides we chose cole slaw and beans, and added an extra side of collards. We also decided to try the hush puppies, pictured below - a South Atlantic variety of onion-spiked corn fritters not often found in San Diego. Corn muffins were also served with the platters.

The hush puppies were the highlight of the meal, crisp and well seasoned, served with a lovely remoulade sauce. The rest of it didn't quite measure up, even to the level of an inauthentic bbq joint. The pulled pork was mushy, the ribs were rubbery, and all of the meat was doused with a slightly too sweet tomato-based sauce called, fittingly, "Suh-weet" sauce. The sliced brisket was the exception - tender and flavorful even with the sauce. The beans and coleslaw were passable but a little too sweet, and the collards were al dente when they should have been tender. The corn muffins served with the meal were cold, rubbery, and again, too sweet.

It's hard to form a credible opinion (especially a negative one) about a restaurant based on one meal though, so before writing this, I convinced James to return to Joey's with me to give it another shot over the weekend. It was a lot less crowded this time around, there being no downtown lunch crowd and no film crew. We ordered a similar meal, but received a very different looking plate. Instead of the sliced brisket we enjoyed on the earlier visit, we found this:

At first I thought it was a mistake and we'd received pulled pork instead of the brisket, but no - after tasting it I realized it was, in fact, beef. The explanation we received was that the coupon we had used didn't specify what kind of brisket was included. I couldn't find any reference to chopped brisket anywhere on the menu though, and the platter we had ordered expressly offers sliced brisket as an option, so the whole thing was just a little strange. Our very agreeable server did bring us some sliced brisket, but it wasn't quite as good as what I'd had the first time around. The lump of sodden, chopped meat sat untouched.

Our other two meat choices were the pork ribs and the hot link. The hot links are house-made and the one on the platter was split and grilled. Other than the hush puppies, which were just as good as they had been before, the hot link was the best thing on the table. The ribs were a little cold and certainly no better than they had been the first time around. The pulled pork sandwich was mushy and unappetizing. Accompanied by a side of cold and pasty yellow macaroni and cheese, it had all the appeal of a school cafeteria lunch. The corn muffins were just as cold, rubbery and too sweet as they had been the first time around.

While ordering, I spotted a happy hour menu on the counter offering several appetizer items after 3:00 PM for $1.99 including the onion rings, so I added them to our order. If you're a fan of the large tempura battered style ring, they were pretty good - especially with a beer (props for offering some local brews.) Joey does alright with the deep fryer, it would seem.

Joey's has an usually complex menu for a barbecue joint so we couldn't try it all - but assuming the meat is the thing (and it certainly should be) I think we got the gist of it. It might not be such a bad place for a beer and some hush puppies or onion rings after work, but The Local and the Yardhouse already have that block pretty well covered for bar food and beer. If they can't move beyond the industrial quality food we were served - and in a hurry - I predict a rough go of it for Joey's in their downtown location.

Joey's Smokin' BBQ
1041 4th Ave
(619) 702-2226