Miami's Best Ribs: From Downtown to the Strip Club

By Zachary Fagenson Thu., Dec. 6 2012 at 9:03 AM

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Perhaps it's the closely guarded techniques, sauces and rubs that make rib enthusiasts, whether they're eating or cooking them, so devout. It could be the way smoke and heat transform tough slabs of bone and connective tissue into tender sweet magic. The fact that they're handheld, and supposed to be messy might also have something to do with it.

Miami by geography is a southern city, yet no one we know would say Miami is "in The South." Nonetheless there's no shortage of racks being smoked, cooked and slathered in sauce. Here are a few who do it best.

Anais Alexandre

5. Babyback Ribs at Shorty's Barbecue
The 50-year-old restaurant, now with several locations across Miami, has had locations burn to the ground and even change ownership in 1980. Nonetheless they continue to dish out top notch, hickory-smoked ribs. What makes it all special, besides the log cabins dropped in the middle of suburban Miami, is the spicy, sweet vinegary sauce that comes in a glass that's most often a Parmesan cheese shaker. Apply liberally.

Tags:

Andrew Carmellini, Club Lexx, Ribs-2-Go, Shorty's BBQ, Sparky's Roadside Barbecue, The Dutch

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cms3642

They obviously didn't try the babybacks at Loggerhead. But, then, I haven't tried the Club Lexx...yet.

TK Small

What pork ribs in miami??? being born and raised in "the south" ive had ribs all over and sorry but shorty's doesnt qualify havent tried the others but would love for someone to do a cuban style smoked pork rib.

Joshua Greg Osorio

shortys isn't even real bbq they just grill. shortys is the worst garbage I ever ate. real q has 2 cool for hours and hours. u have ppl on here from ny an la makin q ha ha thats cute. whoever wrote this obviously doesn't know dick about q.

Rob Arcelo

Ribs at club lexxx parking lot are fiiire!

jgcamp99 topcommenter

RE: Shorty's, although the concept of warmed bbq sauce is novel. I suggest the sweet KC style bbq sauce. The house sauce is just nasty and you wind up ruining the meat/food with it. The secret ingredient is liquid smoke, a product that came out in the 70's and was supposed to give non-smoked foods a psuedo smoked flavoring.