Slow-cooked meats the real deal at Vernon Hills' Real Urban Barbecue
Real Urban Barbecue occupies what looks to be an old Potbelly's sandwich shop on Milwaukee Road in Vernon Hills. Tchotchkes and wooden signs about pigs and barbecue take over the walls. Diners order entrees (sandwiches, ribs and other barbecue standards, plus chicken, turkey, sausage, and fish or meat tacos) at a counter spanning the length of the restaurant. The proteins come out on an aluminum tray, and guests carry the tray down the counter to the sides station, then to desserts and drinks (try one of the many unique pops, like blue cream soda), then to the cashier. It's a confusing process at first — you have to keep track of exactly what comes with your entree (two sides, a salad, etc.), because the staff does not remind you. But in the end, the stellar meat makes it worth the effort.
We began our meal with hush puppies and beef barley soup. The soup verged on stewlike with nice chunks of meat and a filling portion of barley. It's good enough to be an entire meal, so make sure to share if you plan on ordering anything more. If you're looking for a good crunch to start, definitely get the hush puppies. Crispy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside, they were dense and delicious. An order comes with a sweetly spicy sauce that seems like ranch with Sriracha. With both the sauce and dough together, the sweetness was a little overpowering for me, though.
The best thing about Real Urban Barbecue is the meat. It is smoked to fall-apart perfection: 12 hours for the pulled pork and 14 for the brisket. We had the burnt ends and the Red Neck Tacos with pulled pork. Let me say right now — I love burnt ends. They are one of my greatest food joys. So when it comes to RUB's burnt ends, these are my new favorites. RUB makes about 1-inch cubes and the meat collapses under the slightest bite for a slow-cooked, soft, delicious mouthful. I may have been spoiled for life.
The Red Neck Tacos, to add to their silly name, is meat served on a hoe cake. Basically it's pulled pork on a cornbread round with sauce. The pulled pork was another display of exceptional meat, and the hoe cake was soft and sweet. A little too soft though, so don't try to eat this like an actual taco; it falls apart right away.
When ordering entrees, you have a choice between sweet or spicy sauce. The sweet has a good tang but not much else, and the spicy is disappointingly mild, so get those on the side and hold out for the selection waiting on the table: Piedmont, a Carolina-style vinegar-based sauce; M-Q, a sauce blended with three mustards; RUB's original Kansas City sweet sauce; and Texas Road House, a spicier version than what you'll find at the counter. You can also get the sauce-of-the-month — October's is pumpkin although I did not see it advertised anywhere. Check the website first so you know what to ask for. Every order comes with a side of spicy pickles. These things are volcano-hot. Make sure you've got water on hand to quench the burn.
For sides, we flirted with the idea of the roasted bacon brussels sprouts, but the sample was pretty flavorless. Instead, we chose the smoked baked beans, homestyle mac and cheese, golden corn bake and creamed spinach. Both the spinach and mac and cheese were average and lacked the kick that I expected from a place like this. The baked beans were a flavorful medley of robust legumes and while I didn't taste much smoke in the sweet sauce, there was a pinch of bacon thrown in for good measure. The corn bake was exactly as I expected from a good Southern meal: warm, moist and sweet cornbread with whole kernels mixed in for that little pop.
To finish out your meal, get one of the whoopie pies or seasonal cupcakes. We tried the pecan bar, and it wasn't much more than an awkward flavor combination of nuts, sugar wafers and Splenda. Luckily I had practically an entire meal left to enjoy when I got home.
• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.
Real Urban Barbecue
1260 S. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, (847) 613-1227, <a href="http://www.realurbanbbq.com">www.realurbanbbq.com</a>
<b>Cuisine:</b> Traditional Southern barbecue and sides
<b>Setting:</b> Casual, counter-service barbecue shack
<b>Entrees:</b> $6 to $19
<b>Hours:</b> 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday