Rudy's Country Store and Barbeque

Rudy's Country Store and Barbeque
7300 W Chandler Blvd
Chandler, AZ 85226

I took a group of 10 to Rudy's at 6:00 on Saturday night. While it was a bit crowded, they were easily able to accommodate our party and allowed us to be seated in the private room. The atmosphere was essentially a knock off of some places I have been in Texas, as was the food.

On entering the line passes by 2 big tubs filled with ice and beer and pop. The assortment of beers that are mostly from Texas was very interesting to find. The cold salads are in a fridge to your left, but with no signage telling you that you have to pick one up there if you wish to eat on the premises.

Next was the main counter. For those who have never eaten Texas style BBQ, you order by the partial or full pound and it is placed on butcher paper on your tray (or in this case crate). I ordered an assortment of meats including the moist brisket, sausage, ribs, and prime rib. I also got the cole slaw, creamed corn, and for dessert, peach cobbler. I opted to skip the bottled drinks and buy a cup to fill at the soda dispenser which is a lot cheaper.

Upon finding my seat, I found there were two sauces for those who prefer their meat that way, along with some hot sauce. There is also a condiment bar where you can get your silverware(plastic) as well as jalapeno's and packets of everything from mustard to horseradish sauce.

The brisket was extremely moist and easily cut with plastic implements. I felt is could have used a bit more seasoning as it usually is in Texas. Next I sampled the sausage. I felt it could have used more spice in it, and ended up having to put mustard on it to be able to eat it comfortably. Unfortunately, the ribs were very tough, and after a number of tries to bite through them I finally abandoned them to the trash can. Last of the meats was the prime rib. A very nice piece of almost medium rare beef, lightly smoked. While the beef was very nice, once again the lack of seasoning caused me to downgrade the experience.

The coleslaw was nothing special, as it was chopped in a buffalo chopper, but my money is on the creamed corn. What a winner! The brisket with the creamed corn could have easily been my entire meal. In retrospect, I wish I had purchased a quart of the creamed corn to bring home it was that good.

Last was the peach cobbler. The cup I was given was almost all pastry, with just a little peach sauce on it. Nowhere did I ever get a bite of a peach. This was a total waste of money.

Other members of our group ordered the potato filled with pulled pork. The portion was very large, but once again, the meat was lacking in flavor.

On the negative side, about 7:30 the place filled with smoke so bad that our eyes were watering. Apparently, they put out the fire pits at that time, and the lack of ventilation makes it a real problem.

BBQ is not a cheap meal. While what I ordered was larger than the average person might order, it still was over $45. Quite a high amount for the quality of food that was received.

It should also be noted that they serve breakfast tacos which are said to be quite good. In my next review of them.

2 Stars for uniqueness and cleanliness.