Unbreaded

Bebe’s Barbecue Smokes The Competition

Barbecue is popping up all over Philadelphia these days. From the recent opening of Q BBQ & Tequila to the popularity of pulled pork sandwiches on gastropub menus (think Slate, Pub & Kitchen, etc.), the heat is on for competitors in this category. The newly opened Bebe’s Barbecue on 9th Street in the Italian Market is the newest foray into smoked meat. We unbreaded their signature item, a Carolina-style pulled pork sandwich, and found that is has the right stuff to smoke out the competition.

Bebe’s pulled pork sandwich starts with a cut of pork shoulder coated thickly in homemade dry rub. It is then smoked for twelve hours, when it emerges tender and with a pronounced and flavorful “bark,” or crust created from the rub. To construct the sandwich, the pork is pulled apart by hand, tossed with homemade Lexington-style barbecue sauce (a tangy red sauce with a deep and complex flavor), and served on a toasted roll. “Don’t waste good bread on barbecue,” proprietor and chef Mark Coates says. “The bread should melt away… it’s about the meat.”

Coates, an affable and charismatic character with a Southern drawl, was born in Charlotte, NC but raised on a chicken hatchery in Mississippi. On the hatchery, he got started on barbecue with his family’s chicken recipe (whole chickens mopped with vinegar, butter, and lemon over an open flame). Coates’ grandmother Bebe, the namesake of the restaurant, taught him how to cook early on and he still calls her for recipes. But it wasn’t until 1998 that Coates learned the nuances of Carolina-style barbecue from an uncle in Greensboro.

When Coates moved to Philadelphia in 2005, he settled in Bella Vista and perfected his pork and other goodies on a home smoker. After tossing around the idea of opening a restaurant with friend (and now business partner) Tamara Van Winkle for a couple of years, Coates finally pulled the trigger in April and moved into his Italian Market location.

Why a barbecue joint in the Italian Market? Coates was reading an article in The Inquirer about girlfriend Heather Bryson’s sculpture installation at The Inquirer’s offices on North Broad (she also owns B-Squared gallery up the street from the market). In the same edition of the paper, he stumbled upon Rich Nichols’ article about the revitalization of the Italian Market. “It clicked,” Coates says, adding that “the Market has a reputation for thriving during tough economic times.”

Besides the pulled pork, which is also served as a platter with two sides and cornbread), Bebe’s serves a rotating selection of dry-rubbed, smoked ribs (“try them without the sauce first”), brisket, and whole rotisserie chickens. Look for the brisket and chicken as sandwiches when available. Sides, which are all vegetarian, are made in-house and include collard greens, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes and Dixie-cut cole slaw. Coates sources everything he can from the Italian Market itself, and stresses that his kitchen lacks a freezer, microwave and can opener–which means that everything he serves is fresh.

Despite his commitment to authentic Southern barbecue traditions when crafting the pulled pork, Coates is eager to incorporate the flavors of today’s Italian Market into his cooking.  On Sunday mornings, he makes a nod towards the market’s heritage by serving prosciutto and provolone sandwiches on homemade biscuits.  Noting the explosion of taquerias and Mexican grocery stores in the area, he is experimenting with pulled pork tamales.  He even imagines someday serving smoked tofu sandwiches for the vegetarian crowd.

Bebe’s will be a fine addition to the booming food scene on 9th Street. As Coates puts it, “If you want a hoagie, go to Sarcone’s. If you want roast pork, go to George’s. For some real barbecue, come to Bebe’s.”

Bebe’s Barbecue
1017 S 9th Street Philadelphia, PA, 19147 (Google Map)

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