Every day is a good day for barbecue and nothing stops us Canucks from firing up the bbq even when the temperature drops well below zero. For a long time, Rand Peterson–the man behind Bubba’s BBQ–served tasty hunks of charred meat to avid followers from his trailer in Triton’s parking lot off Davies Road, and then, like a puff of smoke, he was gone. For months, Peterson became the Waldo of the Edmonton food scene as Bubba fans flooded the Twitterverse with “Where’s Bubba?” tweets.
In November of 2011 Peterson re-surfaced in a parking lot behind Superstore on 51 Avenue and Calgary Trail South and immediately, again on Twitter, Bubba sightings were reported. It didn’t take long for happy eaters to return, lining up even in the coldest temperatures for Bubba’s bbq.
And they keep coming back because what Peterson serves out of his small white trailer is honest to goodness good barbecue: simple offerings of wonderfully smoked, juicy meats (pork, chicken and beef) but what you need to know is that only one item is served each day, and every item costs $11. Here’s the schedule:
Monday – Chicken and Tennessee (pork) Ribs
Tuesday – Tennessee Pulled Pork with Rice and Beans
Wednesday – Carolina-style Pulled Pork on a Bun
Thursday – Beef Brisket on a Bun
Friday – Tennessee Ribs with Shrimp Rice
The difference between Carolina and Tennessee barbecue is in the sauce. Carolina sauce has a base of mustard and vinegar whereas Tennessee barbecue’s sauce is tomato based. The cup of dipping sauce and the spice rub on the ribs and chicken are Peterson’s secret blends (all good barbecue-ers have secret recipes) and come from years of smoking, tinkering and barbecue devotion. According to Peterson, he’s been eating barbecue his whole life…and I’m talking real barbecue folks; what we do here in Canada, for the most part, is grilling. You need to go south–way south–to know what them Americans are talkin’ about when they say “Y’all want some ‘cue?”
So, if y’all want some good ‘cue here (or “Q” as its also referred to down yonder), head on over to Bubba’s Monday to Friday. Start lining up at 11:15, he opens at 11:30 and take cash only; he’s not set up for any other payment method. When the food’s gone, he’s gone, so good luck in gettin’ some, and although Bubba doesn’t tweet much, you can follow him on Twitter
@BubbaKingofBBQThe only thing missing is a place to sit and enjoy the food, something Peterson is hoping to change if he could only find time to build them, so if anyone has wooden picnic tables to donate, he would love to receive those in the meantime. If you have one to give up, call him first to discuss: 780-909-8036
You can listen to my CBC Edmonton AM review on Bubba’s BBQ
here.
For more reading on my travels through the Deep South, follow these links:
Thanks for the post. I will be checking this out for sure! I don’t think I’ve ever had real Q. My mouth was watering at 7:50am driving to work……
Thanks for the post. I will be checking this out for sure! I don’t think I’ve ever had real Q. My mouth was watering at 7:50am driving to work……
I’ve eaten this type of food in Tennessee and Bubba’s food is nothing special.
When my wife went there today to pick up some food, the owner/cook was very sarcastic to a woman who didn’t leave a tip. He was also very impolite to my wife who simply asked how many ribs were in an order.
We will not be going back there. So much for southern hospitality.
Dear “Anonymous”…I’m so sorry to hear of your experience. This is similar bbq to what I had in Tennessee as well; I had better and I had worse. Judging barbecue is like judging pizza or pho, everyone has their likes and dislikes. As for poor service, thats always on my dislike list no matter the establishment. Unfortunately, poor service is found everywhere: north, south and in-between and I’ve had my share of it too. 🙂