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newlenoxpatriot.com DINING OUT
the New Lenox Patriot | September 13, 2018 | 27
The Dish
Barbecue joint transforms from catering business to storefront
Jacquelyn Schlabach
Assistant Editor
The last seven years
brought Joe Barry much
success through his catering
business, Big Joe’s Backyard
BBQ, that it only made
sense to take the next step
and open a storefront.
“I’ve been thinking about
it for two years, to try to find
a spot,” Barry said. “And
the last year, I got serious,
and then we finally were just
running, running, and this
happened to pop up, and we
talked to the landlord, and
then that was it.”
The barbecue joint opened
Aug. 15 in Homer Glen, giving
the Burbank resident a
place to show off his expertise
and unique menu offerings.
“I used to work at Chuck’s
in Burbank,” he said. “I
worked there for 12 years,
and that’s where I learned a
lot of stuff. I wanted to stay
away from him a little bit,
because we’re still friends
and stuff like that. I figured
there’s not much out this
way, so that’s why I came
out this way.”
As for now, catering, takeout
and delivery are being
offered, and Barry hopes to
have dine-in as an option
within the next year if business
continues to keep up.
He said he would like to rent
the storefront next door and
remodel it to make room for
dining.
“If it stays busy and it
picks up and I can afford it,
then I’ll do it,” he said. “But
if not, I’ll stay like this, and
I might just open some other
location and keep this the
carryout, catering location
and do dining somewhere
else.”
Every one of the food
items on the menu is an
original Barry created, including
his barbecue sauces.
Big Joe’s Backyard BBQ
12326 W. 143rd St. in Homer Glen
Hours
• 10:30 a.m. until food runs out Wednesday-Monday
• Closed Tuesday
For more information ...
Phone: (708) 949-8584
Web: www.bigjoesbackyardbbq.com
Big Joe’s Backyard BBQ offers
four different types of
sauces, including original
(mild), spicy, honey chipotle
and North Carolina, which is
a more vinegar-based sauce.
“I learned a lot from those
guys [at Chuck’s], and then I
just went home and basically
just played with my own
rubs and my own seasoning,
and just did my own thing,”
Barry said.
Five years ago, he created
the original sauce, which
is the first he made for the
Windy City BBQ Classic
competition held at Soldier
Field. It was there he entered
his pulled pork sandwich on
garlic bread and won second
place in both 2013 and 2014.
“I just mixed a bunch of
ingredients, honestly,” he
said. “I Googled some stuff
and just played with it until
it was exactly right. I think
I switched it an hour before
the competition started. I
was mixing it and playing
with it and finally me and
my five buddies were like,
‘OK, this is it.’”
The original sauce has a
sweet brown sugar base with
a little kick, he said. The
honey chipotle and North
Carolina sauces were made
just days before he opened
in Homer Glen. The original
sauce is the only one currently
packaged in a bottle
customers can purchase.
The homemade sauces are
not the only things that distinguish
Big Joe’s Backyard
BBQ from other barbecue
spots. Barbecue sundaes
have become a popular item
with customers. Barry said
he got the idea from a friend
who tried something similar
at a restaurant in Florida and
suggested it.
“We tried it, and it’s a
huge hit,” Barry said. “So,
that’s why we put it on the
menu.”
Slammin Sam ($8.50) is
made with multiple layers of
garlic smashed red potatoes,
smoked pulled pork, fourcheese
mac and cheese, and
smoked brisket, topped with
green onions and a cherry
tomato. It is served with tricolored
tortilla chips on the
side.
The Boss Hog ($13.25) is
another unique food item,
which is a burrito filled with
smoked pulled pork, brisket
and hot links, jalapeño cilantro
coleslaw, four-cheese
mac and cheese, fried onion
strips, and garlic aioli.
Everything is made fresh
each day. As of press time,
Big Joe’s Backyard BBQ
had been open for six days,
and four of those days he
closed early because everything
sold out.
“Our computer systems
tell us what we sell per day,
so I’ll have a better idea after
the first two weeks,” Barry
said. “So, I’m going to try
to stay open until 8 p.m.,
but I’m never going to overcook,
because I don’t want
to waste it, and I’m never
going to use it the next day.”
The full-slab rib dinner
($23.75) has sold out every
day, Barry said. It comes
A full-slab rib dinner ($23.75) at Big Joe’s Backyard BBQ in Homer Glen comes with two
sides (three pictured are four-cheese mac and cheese, garlic smashed potatoes and gravy,
and jalapeño cheddar cornbread. Photos by Thomas Czaja/22nd Century Media
The BBQ nachos ($11.99) at Big Joe’s Backyard BBQ feature tri-colored chips, topped with
pulled pork, brisket, Texas caviar, Monterrey jack and cheddar cheese. It is served with
sides of sour cream and roasted tomato salsa.
with white bread, housemade
pickles, red onions and
a choice of two sides. The
brisket burnt ends ($9.50)
also have sold out everyday
by 2 p.m. It has slow smoked
brisket shaped in cubes, with
the house rub and tossed in
the original sauce.
“I’ve had people call in
tell us how good it was and
stuff like that,” Barry said.
“We’ve been selling out almost
every day, so I can’t
complain right now.”