Another Uncle John's! Homewood - no longer Richton Park

So I was driving home tonight, and shortly after I got off I-57 onto Sauk Trail, I saw a beacon that startled me... a sign "Now Open Uncle John's BBQ". After regaining control of the wheel, I turned right in with the hopes of some type of relation between this place and Mack's.

When I entered, I was greeted by Gary (apparently there is more than one Gary that knows BBQ). He started to welcome me and tell me about how they just opened, and I cut him off midstream just having to know, and yes they are related! Gary, who owns this branch along with his wife, is Mack Sevier's Godson. He also replaced succeeded Mack as pitmaster at Barbara Ann's after Mack started UJs.

So, how was it? I got my usual tip-link combo, sauce on the side. The tips weren't bad, but weren't in the league of Macks. The seasoning tasted a bit closer to Barbara Ann's than to UJ's, not that that is a bad thing. The tips were slightly dry (in fairness I received them at around 11pm when the place was empty). The links however, had that familiar snap with the great flow of juices, sage and peppery flavor with the comforting blanket of smoky goodness. Just terrific stuff.

Uncle John's
5103 W. Sauk Trail
Richton Park
708-679-0784

***Note***: For the geographically challenged northsiders who may be reading this, Richton Park is a South Suburb, and yes is considered in the Chicago area. Check a map... really it is there.

Glenn

Mod Note (10/1/17): The Richton Park location is no longer open. The only open location is currently in Homewood:

17947 S Halsted St
Homewood, IL 60430
(708) 960-4612

glennpan wrote:***Note***: For the geographically challenged northsiders who may be reading this, Richton Park is a South Suburb, and yes is considered in the Chicago area. Check a map... really it is there.

Exciting news!

And thanks for the geography, I had no idea where Richton Park is located.

Thanks for the tip. Do you happen to know their hours?

glennpan wrote:***Note***: For the geographically challenged northsiders who may be reading this, Richton Park is a South Suburb, and yes is considered in the Chicago area. Check a map... really it is there.

I lived in Rogers Park and was working just east of there in Chicago Heights. The first time I went there i was positive I had missed my exit. I thought I was going to drive off the end of the Earth. This sounds like it will make a nice addition to the area. Maybe I'll take a ride out that way just for nostalgia purposes.

Artie,

Monday-Thursday Noon-10pm
Friday-Saturday Noon-1 am
Sunday Closed.

G

glennpan wrote:Artie,

Monday-Thursday Noon-10pm
Friday-Saturday Noon-1 am
Sunday Closed.

G

Thanks. I stopped there for lunch today around 1pm and had the tips. They were spot on fantastic. Nice smoke ring,good chew,and moist. The store also has about 4 or 5 metal patio type dining tables for folks that would rather not eat on the hood of their car or inside it.

Sweet great news will have to check em out soon! Thanks for the headZ up Glennpan!
How long have they been in this location and what type of smoker they rolling with?

Cbot, they opened at the beginning of July, and they are using an aquarium smoker.

We went out to Uncle John's in Richton Park on Saturday night. Business appeared to be slow -- I guess it will take some time for people to find them.

Both the husband and I got a half slab of ribs. They were toothsome and delicious, although I did not care for the mild sauce. My husband got the hot sauce, and it was better. The carnivorous daughter opted for rib tips and said they were good, but she prefers Chuck's rib tips. My youngest is a vegetarian, and had a peach cobbler for dessert to go with her asian entree from another carryout place. We will definitely be back.

Suzy

Made a trip out there last week. Scored a half slab of spares with hot on the side. Ribs were really great and tasted great without a dip of sauce. Rub and spice on these were done up well! Nice flavor and a smooth medium smoke level. The hot sauce has nice heat and bite, fries were ok and there were 2 slices of white bread. Some high lights from there menu are......Small tip $4.75, full slab of babys $15.00, full slab of spares $16.00, small link $4.75, 15lbs box of uncle johns links $42.50, 1/4 chicken white $3.75 (yeah $3.75) and something i did not see till I got home is beef rib tips $9.00. Will be back for those beef tips and some chicken soon. NEVER had beef rib tips before!

The hours are Mon-Thurs > Noon till 10pm
Fry day and Sat > Noon till 1am
Closed Sub

Did up a small tip with hot on the side. Good amount of tips, nice flavor and meat to em. Not a whole lot of smoke flavor....kinda reminds me of Georges cuz these were lacking smoke from wood, but still were really good. Making small talk with dude and told him I heard alot of GOOD things about the hot links and I never had one. He said really you got to have one and threw one in for no charge. Link was gooood, killer snap to it and great flavor and spice/heat.

Picks for a few weeks back. Enjoy!












Yeah i took a pic of the bag.

Just another updated data point since there haven't been any updates in a while.

First Garry and company over there have gotten their tips to a Mack like level, I actually think their ribs themselves are better than the original. WHat surprised me though on this most recent visit was the beef ribs. For $8.50, it was a huge portion, and while being spectacularly greasy, they were meaty, smoky and fantastic. The brisket is not however, so stick to the tips, ribs, and links, but UJ fans already know this.

I confess I haven't been back here in a while, but now that you've put it on my radar, Glennpan, I will try to make it out there this weekend.

Suzy

Nothing quite as pretty as a brand new glass house smoker. As far as I know, these contraptions are unique to Chicago. It aggravates me when BBQ snobs do not consider Chicago BBQ a legitimate genre.

d4, I feel the same way, but many of them are operating on dated knowledge. The bbq scene here is rather different than it was a decade ago. I could be missing an area, but to me Chicago has moved into the back end of the top 5 geographic destinations for bbq in the country (KC, Memphis, Hill country, Carolina) with our very own distinct style.

SO disappointed to make my quarterly trip up to Alsip for a Restaurant Depot restocking run only to find Uncle John's is closed on Sunday and Monday. sigh. I'd been actually looking forward to the trip this time after finding they were open in Richton Park! grr..

this place has been out there for years, did they get new owners???? or new cook????....

They opened in July 2010. If there was a Q place there before it wasn't Uncle John's.

My wife and I don't make it to the southside for BBQ as frequently as we'd like, but when we did, the original Uncle John's on 69th was our favorite. We're sad to hear it's closed, and though it lacks the decades old neighborhood charm of the original, UJ2 is a worthy replacement.



As usual we went with a tips and links combo and this delivered. The meat was smoky and little chewy, exactly as it should be. It was perfect with a small dip of their tangy barbecue sauce. The links seemed to have a little less sage than before, which works for me. They are coarsely ground and pick up the smokey flavor very well.

It's looking like I may be taking some trips to Champaign in the coming year and now I've got my go to spot on the way!

HI,

Just don't expect to eat there on Sunday, they are closed.

Regards,

FYI:
Uncle John's Richton Park has a website

I've got this on my radar to hit, will be having a dinner 3rd week of March to check it out.

days open on the website is confusing, one page states:
Hours:
Sunday & Monday - CLOSED
Tuesday - Thursday - 12:00pm - 8:50pm
Friday & Saturday - 12:00pm - 10:50pm

yet another page touts lunch specials Mon-Fri.

I'm assuming the former info is correct, that they are closed Sun & Mon.

Am I assuming correctly that there are tables in this restaurant? (if so, can anyone give me an approx. # of seats)

thanks

Not really. There are two small lawn tables, but they would seat 4 max.

turkob wrote:Not really. There are two small lawn tables, but they would seat 4 max.

big thanks, that would have been bad to walk in with a group of ~12 expecting tables!

Correct Sweet Willie, don't go craving on tips on a Sunday OR a Monday as I found out a few weeks ago. Sad sad day....

As part of the Southside GNR Nomination Crawl last weekend, I got a chance to visit Uncle John's II in Richton Park. I'm happy to report that the spirit of Mack Sevier is alive and well at this far flung location. Both the tips and links are up to the standards of the 69th Street original (as are the sides, but they were never a strong suit for the original UJ's and aren't one here, either). To hear Gary the owner tell the story, Mack is there at least a couple of times a week for "quality control" purposes (or lunch, as it is better known), so they are on their toes trying to please the master.

Uncle John's II





Here's a few shots of what we had

Appetizers

Okra, shrooms, zucchini

Links


Tips


Beef Ribs


The tips and links are exactly what you would expect from a place calling itself Uncle John's. They were great and among the best in town. The beef ribs are probably not worth driving an hour for, but might make a nice addition to an order of tips and links if you need a bit more food. Also on offer are spares and turkey links, which we did not try.

Uncle John's II
5103 W. Sauk Trail
Richton Park, IL 60471
708-679-0784

Perhaps eventually (we can hope) this might deserve its own thread but in the meantime this was posted to the "original" Uncle John's Facebook page that I still follow. Perhaps someone closer to this location (or traveling nearby) can check in and report:

"Good news everyone my daughter open up a bbq shop on 47 Vincennes it's called uncle J bbq check her out.."

From Menu Pages

Note the inconsistency in method of payment.

Uncle J's Bar B Que

502 E 47th St, Chicago 60653
(Btwn S Vincennes & S Forrestville Ave)

Phone:(872) 244-3535
Notes:
Cash Only
Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 1pm-11:30pm
Serves:
Lunch, Dinner
Features:
Accepts Credit Cards, Take Out

stevez wrote:The beef ribs are probably not worth driving an hour for...

neither is the chicken, my bad on an assumption that I had (the chicken being smoked), however the chicken is simply fried (overly) & sauce put on it.

stevez wrote:The tips and links are exactly what you would expect from a place calling itself Uncle John's. They were great and among the best in town.

could not agree more Steve, my apologies to the other drivers on I-294 north today around 12:30pm as I was demolishing the tips & links on my way back north to Des Plaines and therefore probably wasn't the most observant driver.

I'm pleased that Uncle John's II has won a GNR, very well deserved.

Edited to add: UJ2 serves a Turkey Tip meal, which is a boneless turkey thigh that is cut up like rib tips. If smoked I'll likely be a big fan of this item but if fried like the chicken, not so much.

Uncle John's II
5103 W. Sauk Trail
Richton Park, IL 60471
708-679-0784