The Best Smoked Ribs in Manila at Big Daddy Jay's All-American BBQ

According to Pink's song Try, "where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned". No offense to Pink, but on the side of 17th st. in Cubao Quezon City, where Big Daddy Jay's All-American BBQ is located, where there's a flame, or smoke for that matter, something is bound to get served and foodies are bound to get floored.

Judging by the photo you can see below, which looks like a crime scene, (yeah?) Smoked Ribs at Big Daddy Jay's All-American BBQ is meant to be taken seriously. And if seeing one of the funniest guys in the internet world devoid of his usual funny grin does not mean serious business to you, I don't know what is.

Case in point.

But don't get me wrong about the serious business thing. No Hitler will shoot you to death should you get caught having a great time indulging on mouthwatering smoked ribs at Big Daddy Jay's, because trust me, you will have a great time. You and your friends will have a great time. You and your family will have a great time. You and the rest of humanity will have a great time that you would wish you were the big daddy Jay who have come up with the recipe for this mind blowing ribs.

I think it is pretty obvious by now that this smoked ribs is definitely not your run-of-the-mill ribs that can be whip up by anyone, anytime. Its namesake is a man from Southern U.S. who is the brother-in-law of one of the owners. He created such a genius recipe for smoked ribs in the hope of giving us the authentic taste of ribs from down-South. Boy did he succeeded in doing that, and Filipino foodies are forever grateful.

Dry rubbed twice and smoked up to six hours, Big Daddy Jay's Smoked Ribs is not for the faint of heart. Like what I said, it's serious business, because in retrospect, what started out as a stall in weekend markets took the proverbial leap and made its way to the Philippines restaurant scene early this year to rock the world of ribs-loving people.

Full Slab of the Original Smoked Ribs (Php 790)

I, for one have always been the marinated-ribs-kind-of-gal, but I have to commend Big Daddy Jay's for making a believer out of me. Beautifully charred, albeit not in a way we are used to, every morsel of the ribs screams flavor tip toeing within the unassailable pleasure of sweet, smoky, and savory. No gravy is necessary and the presence of one only goes to show Big Daddy Jay's generosity. The texture on the other hand, does not calls for utensils, I deem it is best eaten with bare, albeit clean hands.

This I would have to say, no matter how big your appetite is and no matter how dead set you are to eat your way to kingdom come, a slab of this smoked rib can easily feed a group of four. Buttered rice can be a perfect partner that goes perfectly well with the distinct flavor of the ribs, but you may skip it altogether and just revel in the succulence of the meat, angels are still bound to sing.

The Smoked Ribs, although as conspicuous as its presence on the table suggests, shares a space on a rather simple menu that was kept neat with main focus on American comfort food. The Tomato Basil Pasta (Php 140) leans on the savory sour side of the spectrum which I am not really crazy about, being a proud Pinay that I am. Although it does not hold the sweetness I always long for my spaghetti, I found this dish decent enough for those who has aversion to anything sweet when it's pasta that we are talking about.

Getting my hands dirty with Big Daddy Jay's Honey Mustard Chicken Wings (Php 120) would not suggests world war three (like it usually does under different circumstances) if only to have a bite of this heaven on earth. Laden with honey mustard sauce, I would choose this chicken wings in a heartbeat over other chicken wings in the market.

My own slim likelihood of having a great time polishing any given spicy dish is sometimes burried at the back recesses of my mind when given something as good as Big Daddy Jay's Buffalo Wings (Php 120). Yes, it has the spiciness that buffalo wings are known for, but it is not the type that could blow your mind away to oblivion. And I liked it for that.

Countless of really great ribs are dished out by some of the best restaurants here in Manila and Big Daddy Jay's is definitely a welcome addition. The way they execute their ribs however is what sets them apart from the others. Hence despite the glaring difference on the char and its utter simplicity in appearance but outstanding flavor, it honors itself. The way any food that has a soul should be honored. And I wouldn't mind dishing out high regard for something as self-respecting and as serious as that.