The odds of two fine gentlemen with rhyming names both opening BBQ joints in Chicago this week are about as slim as the Cubs not winning the World Series since—
Wait.
Shit.
Let’s not jinx anything.
Instead, let’s shift our focus toward Rylon’s Smokehouse and Myron Mixon’s Smoke Show Barbecue.
Rylon’s Pedigree: Mr. Rylon also owns the über-popular brunch spot Batter & Berries. Note our use of the prefix “über.” Digs: A rustic refuge of wooden benches and decorative animal skins. Subtle. BBQ: Meats start on a wood-fired pit and move to the smoker before being lathered in homemade “BBQ butter.” Great combination of words there. Non-BBQ: Beer-can chicken. Lobster mac. Homemade alligator sausage… Drinks: Liquor license secured, they’ll deal primarily in American whiskey and local beer.
Myron Mixon’s Pedigree: Mr. Mixon is a four-time world BBQ champion. [Drops mic.] Digs: Communal tables, 4K TVs and a bar that looks into the smoker room. Speaking of which… BBQ: They’ve got three custom-built water smokers, each of which smokes up to 1,500 pounds of meat (brisket, pork, chicken) at once. Mixon’s method can be described as “hot and fast,” using hickory and oak wood for heat and constant steam for moisture. Non-BBQ: Mixon family recipes for pecan pie and peach cobbler. Unless you want BBQ for dessert, too. Drinks: Beer, whiskey mojitos and a Bloody Mary involving bacon, brisket burnt ends and sausage.
