Jimmy's Bar-B-Que Pit

By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com

Just a few years ago, there were only four barbecues in Central Iowa: Claxon's in Altoona, Hickory House and Battle's in Ames, and Kin Folk's in Attica. Now it seems a new one opens every month. Amateur and professional status often get blurry in the smoke. Many Q'ers start as tailgaters, graduate to competitions and then open as full-fledged businesses. Such free spirits sometimes make up rules as they go.

I set out to visit three new Q's that had reportedly opened in Des Moines. One had been closed down for violating the 72-hour law for mobile cafés. The second had a nice new sign, but no other evidence of business life. The third was still under construction. I continued my search because Hawgeye's, the area's best smokehouse, closed this month.

Mike Tucker told us business was better than ever, but pitmaster Ellie Booth needed time off to have a baby and he didn't want to take a chance on compromising the reputation. Such honor motivates the true Q heart, but Hawgeye's story is a tale of two cities - or, more precisely, of a town that has quickly become a city.

Ankeny has led the state in new housing starts for several years. Hawgeye's occupied a shack on the premises of Tucker's landscaping business. Booth was his only BBQ employee, and the shack opened for walk-up business only on Fridays. That fit the tradition of small town Q. As Ankeny grew, competitors moved in. Chop's came and went. Last year Hy-Vee opened a BBQ shack down the street from Hawgeye's. This year, the independent Jimmy's Bar-B-Que Pit opened a full-service store on Ankeny's main drag, and national chain Bandana's is about to open a couple blocks away. Tucker said he heard that a third new BBQ is moving into the former Pickerman's location on Oralabor.

Ankeny might be a three-barbecue town now, but that's not the way to bet. So we visited Jimmy's to get a clue of what North Polk Q will be like after Hawgeye's (which will still service private parties). Jimmy's offered drive-by window service and indoor tables with self-service ordering. Commercial radio played annoyingly; if I wanted to listen to screaming truck salesmen during my dinner hour, I would eat free hot dogs at a car dealership. Tables were sensibly covered in oil cloth, and paper towels served as napkins. Condiments included two ordinary, sweet, tomato-based sauces.

Chicken, ham, turkey, brisket, pork loin, spareribs and large ribs of beef were all on the smokehouse menu. The boneless meats ranged from barely chewable loin to lean, somewhat tender brisket. There was a very visible "smoke ring" on the loin, but I couldn't taste any smoke. That troubles me because loins are so lean, they don't usually stay in the smoker long enough to get much ring under natural conditions. Ham and turkey were nothing I would ever order again - lean, dry meats with no juices.

The spareribs were tender enough, but once again, I didn't taste the smoke. A beef rib bone was the best thing I tasted, tender and not without some flavor. Rib tips were almost inedible due to extreme dryness. Since overcooking ruins white meat, I tried to order a hindquarter of chicken, but only half-chickens were available. It didn't matter; even the dark meat was too dry. Beans were the best side dish, with some decent contrasts of sweet, fat and zing. Potato salad and cole slaw were basic. A sweet potato pie delivered a flaky thin crust and distinct sweet potato flavor, but it was topped with a whipped cream-like product that had collapsed into a puddle of clear liquid.

Food Skinny

Kingsford announced its annual top 10 grilling cities, and Des Moines ranked second behind St. Louis in national rankings based on charcoal sales. As usual, all top 10 cities were in the Midwest and the South... Spaghetti's, popular in Oskaloosa, brought their family restaurant and bar theme to the old Garfield's location at 1111 E. Army Post. CV

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