Bebe's Barbecue

Description:

• South Philly's so inundated with recipes handed down from Italian grandmothers, they start to run together in your mind, until it seems like everyone had the same grandmother -- the all-saucing Ur-Grandma. For goods from a different type of culinary matriarch, hit Bebe's Barbecue. Named after the owner's grandmother, who as a teen served up southern vittles for boarders in Greenville, MS, Bebe's is a little takeout joint dropping scrumptious redneck fare right in the heart of the Italian Market, and into yours. The standbys are ribs (brined 12 hours, then treated with a secret dry rub and slow-cooked five more hours over a hickory applewood smokebox), pulled pork, and chicken, the last two served with a choice of rival mop sauces: vinegar-based "East Carolina", or tomato-based "Lexington", named for Lexington, NC, which boasts one bbq resto per thousand residents, almost all of whom work for Wet-Nap International. Sides include collards, slaw, corn on the cob, and baked mac 'n' cheese, while rotating pies like chocolate cream, rhubarb, and sweet potato are all baked on premises, which hopefully isn't true of the staff, or there won't be any more pies. Beginning Memorial Day Weekend, Bebe's will offer 48-hour advance notice takeout for larger orders like multiple racks of ribs and whole chickens/briskets, perfect for tailgating or trips "down the Shore" -- where everyone seems to have the same Guido, the Ur-Guido.
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