This week my buddies and I were craving some BBQ and we tried a new place that just opened, Jessie Rae’s BBQ located at 5611 S. Valley View Blvd. They are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A little warning: When they run out of BBQ that’s it’s for the day.
My first visit I got there around 3 p.m. and they were sold out. This time I got there around noon and the place was busy already. It’s mostly take out as they only have a few tables but I think as word gets around about the BBQ they are going to need a bigger space to accommodate more diners.
The minute you walk in you can smell the smoky goodness. They have all the food items available up on a chalkboard. I wanted to sample a little of everything so I went with their three-meat combo.
For my meats I picked Ribs, Tri Tip and Brisket. You get one side with the combo for $17. When they brought out my platter it was huge. I had a pile of Tri Tip, as well as a big pile of Brisket. I was shocked that they served four ribs with it as well.
For my side I went with the corn, which was in a smoked butter sauce. The owner brought my order out to the table and was telling me how he did the smoked butter. Let me tell you, I absolutely loved the corn as the smoked butter gave it a whole different taste. It was sweet yet smoky.
My brisket was very good, even better than the tri tip. I always think brisket is a more flavorful piece of meat. I really liked their ribs, which were moist yet had a crunchy char on the outside. I love when you get that caramelized crunch on the outside of the rib.
Jessie Rae’s BBQ makes all of their own sauces. In fact, Jessie Rae’s BBQ was the winner of the 2015 Best Ribs at the Las Vegas Rib Fest. Their award-winning sauce is called God Sauce, your typical BBQ sauce, and the one I used. They also have a sauce called Fallen Angel, which is made with the hottest pepper in the world. My buddy enjoyed that on the meats he got. The have waffle cut fries seasoned with a special dust that made them quite tasty.
We also tried their pulled pork sliders topped with cole slaw. I found these very good with the God Sauce on them. I will order their smoked sausage on a future visit. The owner had brought out an order of beef ribs to a customer. I can tell you that will be something I try for sure on the next trip. The Beef Rib was huge and looked so tasty.
What I really liked the most was the passion of the owner as this is a small mom and pop type shop but the owner was bringing the orders out of the kitchen himself, stopping to talk to his customers. You could see the pride in his eyes. You don’t get that at the big or chain restaurants.
Mike’s wife Jessie Rae is the inspiration for the restaurant. That’s why I like to find these out of the way little mom and pop places because not only is the food generally really good but the people are even better.
This is some of the best BBQ I’ve had in Las Vegas. I give Jessie Rae’s BBQ a rating of 3.75 Forks.
Marco D’Angelo is a Race Horse Owner and Breeder, Professional Sports Handicapper and Bettor. You can find Marco at WagerTalk.com and Twitter: @MarcoInVegas. Email: [email protected]