Burrell's BBQ
305 N. Hesperian St.
Santa Ana, CA 92703
Writing this blog has taken us to all kinds of restaurants. We have been to fancy places, middle-of-the-road restaurants, and some real dives. We are open to eating in all sorts of establishments. We have had some great dinners in dives, while some of the most expensive places have left us needing to go to Del Taco after to either fill us up or get a bad taste out of our mouths. When reviewing restaurants, you have to keep an open mind. Burrell's put this theory to the test.
I have heard about and read about Burrell's for several years now. The OC Weekly mentions this Santa Ana institution in almost every other issue. Burrell's has been around for over thirty years now. There used to be a location in Irvine, but that has since shuttered.
Pulling up to Burrell's, you kind of do a double-take. Are we sure this is the place? Yes, there's the sign, and the catering vans out front with Burrell's slapped across the sides. Burrell's is located on a residential street, just west of Bristol. The feel and look of this place is what I imagine barbecue shacks back in the Carolinas to feel and look like. Once you step inside the tiny storefront, you are met by the wonderful aroma of barbecue. Behind the glass are meats and Fred Burrell himself. He seemed a little quieter than I imagined he would be. He guided us towards what was good this evening, and we ordered two Pot Luck #1's, which came out to $77 for all the food you are about to see. We had six adults in our group, and this was more than enough food for all of us, with a few leftovers for the next day. There's no dining room at Burrell's; eating here means you are eating in the side yard, where they have set up three picnic tables. After about five minutes, the food made its way out. Let's see what we thought of Burrell's BBQ.
Let's start with the meats since that's essential at a barbecue restaurant anyway. We got to try five different types of meat, so we got a pretty good representation of what to get here. The above container contained the Hot Links and Tri-Tip. Whenever one of us tried the tri-tip for the first time, you could hear an auditory gasp of excitement. This could have been one of the best tri-tips I have had. Very tender, sliced thin, and with a fantastic meaty flavor. Even though this was the first thing I ate, it would be the best item of the night. The hot links, on the other hand, are not for everyone. They grew on me as the night went on, but they had a very rough texture; the heat was more of a slow burn, which I liked, and they were totally overshadowed by the tri-tip.
I have a love-hate relationship with BBQ Chicken, and that held true to form at Burrell's. The first piece of chicken I had was a leg, and it was delicious. Tender, moist, and I liked the sweet barbecue sauce they used here. The next piece of chicken was not so good. I tried one of the breasts, and it was dry, and only made better when I spooned some extra sauce over it. Based on my experience, stick with the moist dark meat here, and you should be fine.
Sorry for the sub-par pictures, but we were all hungry, so I didn't want to make my friends wait to eat. I also lost daylight quickly, so I had to be fast about things. The Pork Ribs, Pork Tips, and Ends sparked the biggest debate at our table. I liked the pork ribs, which had plenty of meat, came nicely off the bone, and were pretty tender. My buddy Richard thought they were just okay. I do not usually put much stock into his food preferences, but he's a butcher and knows meat, so I have to give his views some merit here. He felt the ribs should have fallen off the bone if they were smoked for an extended length of time. He said they were tender, and the flavor was okay, but he needed them to fall off the bone to be declared good. The rib tips and ends were not as tender as others, which is the only reason to get rib tips in the first place. They really failed to make an impression on me and our group.
The sides were polarizing at Burrell's as well. I really enjoyed most of the sides, except for the Sissy's Baked Macaroni and Cheese. I was expecting way more here. The only part I liked was the crunchy top layer, but what was underneath was devoid of flavor, the cheese was not very prominent, and the consistency was wrong because it was too watery. As a Californian, I have not had much exposure to Collard Greens, but these were solid. Little bits of meat were included among the slightly overcooked greens, giving this a charming, subdued flavor. The baked beans were solid at Burrell's. Kind of sweet, with lots of flavor. Even the Coleslaw won rave reviews from most of us at the table, with its nice cabbage crunch and abundance of creamy dressing. The polarizing part about the sides was from my friend Richard, who was not impressed with any of the sides here, but I would have to disagree with him regarding the baked beans and collard greens.
Our potluck meal included Cornbread. None of us were really that impressed by the cornbread at Burrell's. It was on the dry side and very crumbly. It might have been better if butter had been offered, but as it was, we were not too into this cornbread.
Our meal also included dessert, which might have been the first time I had had Sweet Potato Pie. It was like pumpkin pie, but not as sweet. I was surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I'm usually more of a sweet person, but this had a good flavor, even though the presentation of this pie was odd. I don't know why the crust broke off like it did, but it was still a solid pie.
Last but not least, when my friend Angel saw Gumbo ($3.25) on the menu, he could not wait to order it. His excitement waned quickly when he was alerted that this was a seafood gumbo. I guess he was expecting more of a traditional gumbo with sausage or chicken. This gumbo had a strong seafood presence. I was excited to see crab legs in this, but the crab inside disintegrated and was absorbed into the soup. This gumbo was pretty watery, and I would have liked it better if it had more of a stew consistency.
As with all barbecue restaurants, it is easy to mess things up. So many elements go into making a barbecue restaurant great that it is almost as difficult as pitching a perfect game. The meats are great, but the side items are weak, or some of the meats are good, while others are not top-notch. It's hard for a barbecue restaurant to execute its menu at the highest level. This was definitely the case at Burrell's. The tri-tip was some of the best we have had, while the chicken had some pretty dry pieces. Most sides were good, but the macaroni and cheese were below average. I would call Burrell's inconsistent. If I had only had the tri-tip, this would have been a glowing review, but you have to take everything under consideration here.
Burrell's is not for everyone. The inside of the house is a narrow space, with just enough room to see the meats sitting behind the glass case. No soda fountain or ice dispenser here. You scoop your ice out of a cooler, and are given a can of soda, or directed towards a pitcher of iced tea. No dining inside, as you are relegated to the three picnic tables in the side yard. This is an older restaurant, and it may appear dingy or not clean to some people. I'd call it rustic, but you might have your own interpretation. I'll leave it at this: if you are squeamish about restaurant appearances, you should avoid Burrell's and head to a chain barbecue restaurant like Lucille's or Wood Ranch, where you will probably be a little more comfortable.
Out of five footballs, (because when the Redskins used to play the Rams in Anaheim, they used to make a stop at Burrell's when they came to town), five being best to zero being worst, Burrell's BBQ gets 2.5 footballs.
For more information about Burrell's BBQ, go to their website here: http://www.burrellsbbq.com/