Pearl’s BBQ June 8- July 1 Picnic Deep in the Heart of DTLA

 

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Pearl’s Texas BBQ celebrates a Good Ol’ fashioned five-day (June 27-July 1, noon to 9 PM) Fourth of July Texas Picnic, worthy of its name, right smack in downtown Los Angeles.   Live Music, Full Bar and ice cold Beer, Games and the best BBQ west of Texas headlines the event.

Live Music from Alice Wallace on Friday, June 29^th, 2018, Ted Z & The Wranglers on Saturday, June 30^th, 2018, and a performance from Rob Leines on Sunday, July 1^st, 2018, noon to 9 pm.  Games like Corn Hole, Horseshoes and Rope-A-Steer take place all weekend.

The story for me at Pearl’s BBQ is three words long:  Texas BBQ Rib.  Before I got to help open the Baby Blues BBQ in Venice,  all BBQ was equal and fantastic – with a preference for pork if I was asked.  At BBQ, original owners Jimmy, Danny and Rick would pile a variety of ribs on a plate for us, then hover — “what do you like best?”  As much as I love pork, the carnivore in me settled on the larger, meatier and, yes, less fatty, Texas Style Rib — so much so that ever since I can feel my face break out into a spontaneous  grin as soon as that bone is in sight, on a plate or in a take-out box.  Sigh.  Sauce, as they say, is “frosting on the cake.”

In American style ribs, beef or pork racks, are served with various barbecue sauces to be “torn” apart by hand, then the meat is eaten from the bone.  By the way, one order of the Texas beef ribs at Pearl’s holds about four servings.

Beef short ribs are the equivalent of spare ribs in pork, with beef short ribs but almost always larger and meatier than pork ribs.  And it is served, classic-style, with two pieces of white bread that make me long for meals in Watts at the Lark.

“Boneless” short ribs are cut from either the chuck or plate and are made up of rib meat separated from the bone.   Brown and bland, to me it is a thing of beauty.

Key to the taste is the smoker. Pearl’s BBQ’s 1,000-gallon smoker, a big, impressive number created by at Fat Stack Smokers in Sun Valley, holds court on one side of the dining feed.

Pitmaster-owner Blanchard and his team push out dozens of brisket slabs on it daily, along with beef short ribs and sausages.  

Pitmaster, owner Dana Blanchard trained with the best pitmasters in Texas is the designated  “Head Cowboy”  at Pearl’s BBQ.  His training from the best Pitmasters in Texas complement the superb smoker quality.  All the meat real handcrafted Texas smoker with white oak wood, only C.A.B. or Certified Angus Beef. 

Pearl’s BBQ 16 -hour Smoked Brisket and 12- hour Smoked Beef Short Ribs.  

Across the way at one end of Pearl’s “half an acre” is their gleaming Airstream trailer. Meals of brisket, ribs, and chicken are handed out on country cardboard trays with parchment paper liners.  individual containers hold generous portions of Cowboy Roy’s HandmadeBaked Beans, and Coleslaw with house-made mayo or creamy Potato Salad complement the meat.

 

 

Pearl’s BBQ Homemade Apple Pie and Grandma Pearl’s Pecan Pie are made from secret recipes handed down for five generations

The picnic area, big as a football field, is matched by a field three times the size outside the fence.  Right off Santa Fe Street, near the LA River, (and the 10 freeway entrance) there is also parking right outside of Pearl’s BBQ.  The big picnic area is matched in size by a field three times as big right outside the fence to the right.

 

A Full Bar, including Tito’s Vodka and Jack Daniels, also includes ice-cold beers, such as Lone Star Shiner and Coors Banquet.  Bottles of non-alcoholic, refreshing Big Red Soda, Classic Mexican Cola and Nesbitt’s Honey Lemonade will also be served.

For complimentary tickets to Pearl’sBBQ 4^th of July Texas Picnic please visit Eventbrite – Pearl’s BBQ Memorial Day Picnic BBQ.   Pearl’s BBQ is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm ‘or’ until sold out. For more information please visit www.PearlsBBQLA.com.