4505 BURGERS & BBQ

It is a very hot day in the ‘City’. What better way to spend a lunch break, but to gather with three ‘Master Judges’ and a fellow ‘Meatmen’ team member (Meatmen is our competition ‘Dutch Oven’ cooking team) and experience the hottest new barbecue joint that just opened. The ‘Racing Honda’ set its GPS to 705 Divisadero Ave. San Francisco. Parking seems to never be a problem for this karma blessed meat man. We even remembered to bring a pocketful of quarters. We walk up to an old school brick built bbq joint. The brick chimneys screamed out with the smoky goodness to come.

The inside is small and bustling with activity. You place an order with a friendly clerk and pick up a number and your beverage. Micro-beers, sodas, and root beer on tap are offered. There are no inside seats so we proceed out into the sunny and very hot patio area. There are only a few hot days a year in the City and we picked a scorcher. The outside patio is no ordinary outside eating area. There are tablecloth lined tables that have real silverware on top. Pitchers of ice water and several bbq sauces are offered. One sauce was a white sauce which was stored in an ice bath. We have never seen a white sauce offered on the West Coast before. We all hoped that this fancy dinning area was an indicator of the food to come.

One by one a server brought our dishes. As each dish arrived we noticed the presentation of our various meat combinations. Each plate was like a canvas painted with food to create a visually stunning work of art. This was not your white bread topped plate of Que. In fact most of our plates had an in-house baked parker roll that rocked. It was time to eat before we melted from the high noon sun.

Ms. Goofy ordered her usual pulled pork sandwich. This sandwich of smoky pork received two paws up. She especially enjoyed the roll that cradled this tender and smoky pork treat. Some Cole slaw that had a black pepper kick topped and complimented the rich meat sandwich. As some of you may know Ms. Goofy is a mac & cheese aficionado. This was no ordinary offering of her favorite but was called the ‘Frankaroni’. Mac & cheese studded with house made hot dogs, battered and deep fried was this creation. This creation was a jaw dropper. Oh my! Genius! It was everything you could imagine about decadence and pleasure.

My usual combination is ribs and brisket. I too enjoyed some peppery Cole slaw and the house made parker roll. Let’s start with the brisket. It had a bark/crust that was dark and glistening with caramelized love. Drool may or may not have formed just looking at this offering. The brisket was sliced with just a little layer of caramelized fat.  I took a big bite and closed my eyes. I closed my eyes because I did not want anybody to see my tears of pleasure. This may have been the perfect bite of smoky tender meat and sweet, spicy, caramelized fat. The brisket had a nice beefy flavor.

The ribs were coated with a salty dry rub. Salty in a good way was the verdict. The pork flavor shined with this rub.  I enjoyed the flavor so much I did not even use the sauces offered. I did try the white sauce and if you enjoy mayonnaise this may be for you. The white sauce is a taste/ flavor that is not usually offered in this bbq region.

Ryann Farr is the owner proprietor of this newly opened dinning establishment. This is not your white bread topped bbq juke joint. Ryann also has a butcher shop (4505 Meats), offers classes on butchering and is an author. He has transformed an old brick bbq joint into a destination barbeque establishment. Be sure to bring your camera if you come. The plates are not only a pleasure to eat but are put together to create stunning bbq art. This Mad Meat Genius has a new found love of the arts.

4505 Burgers & BBQ
 705 Divisadero
 San Francisco.  (415) 231-6993