Hey everybody, I saw this thread had fallen down near the bottom of the sandwich board so I thought I would bring it back with an entry about tenderloins from BBQ places here in Des Moines. I already posted some, and some photo's are hosted on different sites, so bear with me.
The BBQ places serving tenderloins fascinate me for a couple reasons. One is that smoking meat, or cooking it low and slow can make meat tender without a mallet and add tons of smoke flavour. Another is that these places often have competitive bbq sauces to top the tenderloins with sweet or spicy flavour. Its no secret that both bbq and tenderloin fans are very opinionated about which place has the best, and competition brings out higher quality in both foods without a doubt. The good bbq joints often have tasty homemade sides that aren't fried, like baked beans with the leftover brisket.
The first one I found was at KC BBQ on E. 14th St, across from the huge State of Iowa office buildings. This place opened with high expectations of bringing the legendary flavour of KC to Des Moines. It since changed owners, followed by a fire and month-long closing, then the original owners bought it back with both sides making accusations about what went wrong with the quality of the food. Long story short, it has a giant smoker in front, and a pile of wood in back. The building was a two-story grocery store a long time ago. The tenderloin is not tenderized, its sliced against the grain. It likely gets some tenderness from slow cooking. The ring of fat that sometimes appears around the edge makes me wonder if its even made of pork loin. The preperation is done upstairs, but the tenderloins are brought down through the front door and patrons see a big tray of them in frozen state brought into the kitchen. This place gets extra credit for offering lots of toppings too. Each time I visit there are patrons eating tenderloins, and the State employess pack this place to the gills during the lunch rush. They may nearly move the most in Des Moines, only after Smitty's or Machine Shed in my estimation.
Regular Tenderloin
Big Pig, topped with sauced-up pulled pork, this one probably works best of all the topped tenderloins because the sauce tastes good on the tenderloin and the pulled pork:
The Fat Man, with sliced ham, cheese, tomato, and mayonaise, this has a little too much going on inside to work as a sandwich:
The next place in Findlay's Olde Time Butcher Shoppe and Delicatessen on Indianola. This is another place with a giant smoker in front, they also have a full service meat counter, homemade jerky and the only Tur-Duck-En I have ever found in Des Moines as a special sometimes. The lunch menu is mostly BBQ sandwiches, and the tenderloin was discontinued a few months after went there. They brought it back a couple weeks ago, as the sign in front suggests.
Shane's Rib Shack is a chain based in Georgia with over 30 locations across the country. I think they have some high-tech smoker that does everything automatically, the inside doesn't even smell like BBQ. Their location in just outside Des Moines in a Clive strip mall added a tenderloin earlier this year with a giant sign:
This is another one that isn't tenderized. As far as I know, this is the only location that serves a tenderloin. The fried okra was available as a side when I visited.
Cactus Bob's BBQ Corral in suburban Johnston is another place with a commercially-bought smoker, supposedly with a giant manual on how to smoke the meat and reheat it to order. Regardless of how they do it, this place gets the most smoky flavour into their meats. The tenderloin was added this year, and it has a special biscuit-like breading. They have an eating challenge involving a brisket sandwich in the spiciest of sauces. The sides are all homemade. They even mix the bbq spices sprinkled top of the homemade chips below:
Finally, we have Jethro's BBQ in the Drake Neighborhood. This is a big investment by some experienced restaraunteurs who bought an old Pizza Hut (it was once also a police station) building and made it into a sports bar with smoked meats on the menu. Their business plan must also involve college kids in sports jersey's working as waittresses. This may be the only bbq place in Des Moines with a guy titled Smoke Master. Their tenderloin is pounded thin and served on a toasted bun.
The pork-lover will order the Jethro, they describe it as a tenderloin topped with "Carolina style pulled pork, house smoked pit ham, and a double order of thick slab bacon". Its a lot of food for the $14.95 price tag.
