Do they slaughter/smoke/rest/carve the meat a la minute? Because I’ve been waiting here 30 minutes already for food. And the orders come out one at a time every couple of minutes.
Seriously WTF are they doing back there?
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Also PSA: no beef ribs until after the new year
Sorry to hear you’re stuck in the holding room. I feel your pain but in a different way.
I usually order over the phone to avoid the wait. The last three times I got shut out because the call went straight to a message informing me the the message bank was full.
The first of three misses hurt because I had already committed to having Bludso’s and had guests over.
Since that mud-on-face moment, it’s a “we’ll see if I get through on the phone” proposition - none of which have been successful. Thank goodness for Maple Block.
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Prepping phone orders? I can’t recall how long I had to wait for my order (which I had placed a few days beforehand), but I think it was prob ~30 min…
How was the meal, @Ns1?
Yeah. That is part of the “Charm”
–Dommy!
I finally made it there myself for Christmas Eve dinner.
I don’t even know how Bludso’s and Maple Block are in the same conversation… I’ve enjoyed Bludso’s very much over the years, but Maple Block seems like years better to me. The only reason to hit Bludso’s is to save a couple bucks I guess? And maybe if you are really craving beef links or the sauce in particular?
I always just show up and order. Around holidays it gets crazy and you can easily wait forever and possibly not get everything you want. The upside to the wait is that there are always some interesting people to share the wait with you…
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Different strokes I guess… While I really enjoy Maple Block, the rest of my family prefers Bludso’s for the rib tips (I agree), the ribs and brisket. I’ve found the sausages to be on the dry side. We hardly use sauce on the food from either place - always have tons of sauce left over. The beans and potato salad at Bludso’s are what I look forward to as well.
When ever I’ve phone ordered at Bludso’s it’s been ready when I’ve arrived…I know how crazy it can get in that waiting room, but the staff has always been friendly and kind and I do love that Texas Sampler.
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Same here. I’ll give them a call right before leaving work and show up about 15-20 mins later and it’s ready and waiting.
I have walked up to the window and ordered with only a wait of 10 mins at most, but that may have to do with the time of day I go in (around 3pm).
If you’re ordering enough for many people, it ends up being more than a few bucks, I think…
So I’ve had a night and some leftovers to think about it.
On one hand, it’s possibly some of the most tender bbq I’ve ever had. On the other hand, without the sauce the bbq was borderline flavorless. Much lacking in both salt AND smoke, which was surprising given the fat smoke rings on the pork ribs.
Also, some traditions should be treasured and kept, like low and slow bbq. Others should be banished and never talked about again, like serving low and slow bbq with wonder bread.
Bottom line: I’d give them another shot but given the current # of BBQ shops around I’m not exactly inclined to drive the 40 minutes to Compton. Maybe my thoughts would be different if those beef ribs were available…
Oh yeah, I got to Bludso’s at 1 and left at 1:50. Some poor girl tried to go there on her lunch break and had to get a refund cuz she was waiting so long.
Thanks for the follow-up. No smoke flavor? Wow. I really embrace(d?) the smoke flavor their ribs. Even after washing my hands, I could still smell the smoke on my fingers. Has something changed?
That’s definitely what I expected…
FLAVORLESS? That’s really sad to hear. Were you the one who had posted about a possible downhill alert at the original location a few month’s ago? Yikes.
Nah this was my first time here. Put another way there is no way that brisket that I had could stand alone, even if it was perfectly tender.
I have never been a fan of their brisket.
Shocking. I always thought one had to use sauce at Bludso’s…as that was part of the fun/quality there. I usually have the same experience as NS1, not much in the way of smoke flavor in the meat sans-sauce.
Wonder what’s going on…
I wish I knew what’s going on. As I mentioned above - I’ve been shut out on my last three attempts to call in an order, and I did try calling repeatedly. We always get the large party tray, so no way am I walking up and ordering that at the window. I did that on my first time there and we waited over an hour. I can’t even recall the last time we’ve eaten their food because it’s been that long now.
I always get the sauce on the side, then end up never really using it. IMO, it doesn’t really compliment the meat and isn’t all that great to begin with.
Beef ribs and pulled pork are where it’s at with Bludso’s for me. Brisket has been hit and miss (I’ve actually enjoyed the brisket more at Horse Thief’s in GCM…ducking thrown chairs)