Jethro's coming to Johnston

[cycloneworld]

Personally, I think Smokey D's meat is better than Jethros but that Jethros menu in general is better than Smokey D's. Jethros wings are some of the best I've had, most of their sides are delicious, and the atmosphere is much better. But Both are great.

 

[Bu4ISU]

Is acupuncture code for something?

No there's an acupuncture place that's apparently right where he works

 

[sunnysideup]

Personally, I think Smokey D's meat is better than Jethros but that Jethros menu in general is better than Smokey D's. Jethros wings are some of the best I've had, most of their sides are delicious, and the atmosphere is much better. But Both are great.

I still lean towards Jethro's in terms of meat but otherwise I totally agree with the rest of what you said. Jethro's side's and atmosphere are WAY better. That and Jethro's does a fairly good job of keeping good craft beers on tap. And they also have amazing Bloody Mary's, which are great for NFL Sundays.

 

[Bu4ISU]

I will admit that the BBQ in memphis far exceeds anything here

 

[ISUCubswin]

I will admit that the BBQ in memphis far exceeds anything here

Ugh we didn't see each other in Memphis.

 

[Bu4ISU]

Ugh we didn't see each other in Memphis.

Awwww. I'm hopin to get up to ames soon

 

[chuckd4735]

Can you describe the taste difference between the two ? Why is one better than the other?

Better sauces, more tender meat, and better overall flavor. Again I love Jethros, Im not knocking them at all, but Smokey D's is number 1 in my book.

 

[CykoAGR]

I wish they would move the waukee one out to jordan creek or west glen

No, there is enough other food places out there. Market saturation.

Where it is in Waukee there is actually genius because it has little to no other competition.

 

[azepp]

I honestly don't think there are any top-notch BBQ places in the DSM metro. That being the case, I prefer Jethro's because of the sides, beverages, and atmosphere.

 

[Bu4ISU]

Totally off topic but a pizza ranch is opening in urbandale next to ruby Tuesdays and culvers

 

[dmclone]

I loved the BBQ places I've eaten at in Memphis and KC, Central and Oklahoma Joe's being my favorite, but I honestly think it's a lot about location and folklore. If you stuck a place like Smokey D's in KC it would be considered very good. I would just as rather eat at Flying Mango then a place like Jack Stack. They all have the same meat and cooking options, just because it's in KC doesn't mean it's better.

 

[capitalcityguy]

I found the earlier comment by someone interesting stating that this will be the metro's final location. I kinda wondered if they'd hit their limit yet but thought maybe they add one more on the southside. I also wondered about downtown since Gerleman (owner) is a big downtown supporter but I'm thinking a location there would hurt the Drake location.

 

[TRZA]

Smokey D's identity is in competition BBQ and a catering empire. Jethro's doesn't have a single competition trophy except a bunch of framed photos of a "food challenge". BBQ is cooked in batches, and Jethro's cooks is some large batches, you really don't know how long ago your meat was smoked. Cactus Bob's has a high tech smoker and reheats everything to order. The extra Jethro's locations has eased the traffic at the original one, now it has fewer service issues especially when there isn't an event at Drake. I am not convinced Jethro's or the Emmenecker Challenge would work their marketing magic in another market beyond Central Iowa.

 

[nfrine]

You judge bbq by the brisket...hard to do if you try to speed it too much. Sorry Jethro lovers but Jethro's is a total fail at brisket. It is often served "slimey"...cooked too fast for the fat to get out. The rest of their menu is okay for a change of pace.

 

[capitalcityguy]

You judge bbq by the brisket...hard to do if you try to speed it too much. Sorry Jethro lovers but Jethro's is a total fail at brisket. It is often served "slimey"...cooked too fast for the fat to get out. The rest of their menu is okay for a change of pace.

Sooooooo...to those that don't order brisket, they are not allowed to judge BBQ establishments??

 

[sunnysideup]

Obvious BBQ snobs are obvious.

 

[TRZA]

I judge BBQ by the ribs, and there are like four different textures of meat and a layer of skin on each slab. Brisket is the biggest sandwich seller at local bbq places because a ton of the clientele are just biased towards preferring beef. It can take the longest to cook, and I haven't found any local burnt ends worth eating again.

 

[bringmagicback]

Totally off topic but a pizza ranch is opening in urbandale next to ruby Tuesdays and culvers

pizza ranch has great chicken.