Quality ribs and tips at Smokin M's

July 3, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The Windy City Ribfest takes place near Lawrence and Broadway during the holiday weekend. The Hungry Hound found a rib joint on the far West Side of the city that won't be a part of Ribfest but is still worth going out of your way for.

Smokin M's is practically in Oak Park. The barbeque scene is mostly about ribs and tips, and there is as much emphasis placed on the quality of those two items as there is on the steady supply of hickory and fruit woods.

The procedures aren't that different from other rib joints.

At Smokin M's in the Galewood neighborhood, dry-rubbing is always followed by slow-smoking over hickory and cherry woods, until the pork is ready.

But the big difference here is the tiny restaurant's emphasis on spare ribs and rib tips.

"A rib tip is the outer part of the spare rib; it's a portion with the bone stops going through the meat and it's cartilage inside the meat," said Anthony Quattrochi, co-owner of Smokin M's.

And while the meatier spare ribs are much sturdier than their baby back cousins, it's the juicy, fatty tips that tend to steal the show here, partly since they don't need to be exposed to the smoke as long.

"The tips anywhere between an hour and half to two hours and the ribs sit anywhere between three to four," Quattrochi said.

If you say nothing, they'll arrive doused in mild or hot sauce and covered with white bread, so be sure to plan ahead. The regulars seem to like them that way.

"They like 'em soaked. They like the rib tips soaked," said Quattrochi.

They also have brisket and pulled pork, as well as the usual sides of coleslaw and collards, plus some nifty peach cobbler. They also have a second location in Forest Park.

Smokin M's
6814 W. North Ave.
773-309-8083

7507 Roosevelt Rd.
Forest Park
708-488-0123

http://smokinms.com/locations

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