One of the biggest staples of summer when it comes to food has always been Barbecue. It doesn’t seem to matter where you live. Everyone loves it in some form or fashion. While the method might change from that vinegary spice in the Carolinas to the rich sweetness of Kansas City, barbecue is something that almost anyone can enjoy.
When I was considering my next review I caught a commercial that made me laugh. It was for Bob Evans and their new summertime, barbecue dishes. Rather than calling them BBQ, they went with the name Bob-B-Q (get it?). I was skeptical, of course, so rather than heading out and succumbing to something that is probably less than edible I decided to do some digging about their infamous barbecue to determine if it really is worth it.
The short answer to what I found is a resounding no.
I don’t know what part of the world you are from, but when I hear barbecue, I expect a grill of some sort (charcoal or gas) or a smoker to be involved. Bob Evans apparently does not agree or hold the same fondness for the food that I do. Well, either that or they are just trying to make a quick buck.
Their current barbecue summer lineup consists of:
Bob-B-Q Baby Back Ribs
Bob-B-Q Oven-Roasted Chicken
Bob-B-Q Ribs & Chicken Combo
Bob-B-Q Pulled Pork Knife & Fork Sandwich
Bob-B-Q Chicken Knife & Fork Sandwich
Bob-B-Q Wildfire Chicken Salad
I don’t eat at Bob Evans often, minus maybe their breakfast foods, but I couldn’t let this post pass due to their declaration “You haven’t had barbecue until you’ve had Bob-B-Q.”
Let’s start with the obvious shall we? Oven-Roasted does not ever equate to being barbecued. That’s nice that there is barbecue sauce, but there is a science behind barbecue that isn’t met with an oven. Next, the pulled pork sandwich is really a hot pork sandwich. Pulled Pork sandwiches in the traditional sense are slathered in sauce and occasionally topped with coleslaw.
Bob’s pulled pork is on Texas Toast, open faced (usually a bun is used), and includes pork, mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, and onion petals. That isn’t a pulled pork sandwich in anyone’s wildest dreams. Now, it might very well be good, but it doesn’t make it a pulled pork sandwich. The chicken is even further out of the ballpark than the pork. This sandwich comes on Texas toast, open faced, with mashed potatoes, sauce, corn, scallions, cheddar cheese, and red peppers.
My only beef with the ribs are that they have likely been cooked in an oven, as well. Then we have the chicken salad, which (and I may be wrong here) appears to be the traditional Wildfire Chicken Salad that they have on the menu. The main difference being that one has BBQ sauce and the other has Wildfire Ranch.
Needless to say Bob and his Bob-B-Q leave a lot to be desired if looks and facts are any indication of taste. If you live in an area where you have good barbecue, this will certainly never top what is available. If you live in an area where you are barbecue starved, you might want to try some of the awesome mail-order options out there, because Bob won’t be satisfying your barbecue tooth either, I’m afraid.
Technorati Tags: Bob Evans, Bob-B-Q, Barbecue, Wildfire, Ranch, Salad, Pulled Pork, Baby Back Ribs, Chicken, Food, Oven Roasted, Charcoal, Grill, Smoker
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