The Quest for the Perfect Pig: Rib Pit

Rib Pit, Located at 14th and Randolph

This is the third segment the The Hay Sayers Quest for the Perfect Pig.  Check out our reviews on Rocklands and Mr. B’s.

Kareem:

The BBQ pit conjures images of a place that has nothing but smoked meat hanging around waiting to be sauced.  In the case of the BBQ pit on 14th street, that was not the case. The Rib Pit was a small shop that required us to order through a Plexiglas window.  The menu options were limited, there was BBQ brisket, ribs, and fried fish (whiting, trout, croaker) if I recall correctly.  We ordered a rack of ribs and decided to make our own side dishes at home.  Another friend of ours ordered the brisket sandwich (just over $5) and a slice of sweet potato pie.

Our choice of Recession Sides

I’ll begin by saying that this quest is proving difficult to find a rib that has both a good flavored meat and sauce. The BBQ Pit had a pretty decent sauce flavor but the meat was nothing special. It was average at best. The price was $20 for a rack so I suppose that’s reasonable considering it was the middle of DC (and cheaper than Rockland BBQ).  I will say that the sweet potato pie was pretty good and should have ordered my own slice to go along with the wonderful jumbo sized Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade mixed together) I had to wash the ribs down.

Doug:

I have to admit, I really had high hopes for the Rib Pit.  Online reviews are mixed, mostly steering us away from the sides, but the smell pumping down the street is very enticing.  When I walked in, however, things quickly turned for the worse.  The guy behind the glass wasn’t all that helpful.  It took us at least 30 minutes to grab the food.  This is a takeout only place (no tables), which adds to its character, but means my delicate little legs got a little tired.

When we finally made it back home and ripped into the rack, it was somewhat anti-climatic.  As Kareem said, the sauce above par, but the meat nothing to brag about.  If I find myself looking for an easy place to run for some BBQ, I might head back.  Otherwise, looks like we have a few more stops along the long road that leads to the perfect pig.

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