Unbreaded » Bebe’s Barbecue

Unbreaded’s Sandwich Picks 2009

Ben Kessler — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:00:46 +0000

It’s been an exciting, sandwich packed year here at Unbreaded. Dare we say, we ate one too many sandwiches. Never! There is no such thing as too many sandwiches. We did however, feel like we should share a few of our favorites from the past year.

Before we get started, let us wish all of our readers a happy, and healthy New Year. Cheers to even more great things coming in 2010. We don’t like the word “best” around here, so hit the jump for our personal sandwich picks of 2009, in no particular order.

Bebe’s Barbecue – Pulled Pork
Mark Coates took the Italian Market by storm when he first opened his barbecue shop, named after his grandmother whose recipes he recreates. We were immediately won over by the massive, unbelievably tender pulled pork sandwich the moment we laid eyes on it. Then we doused it in Coates’ East Carolina sauce, took the first bite, and haven’t been able to stop eating them since.

Paesano’s – The Paesano

Incorporating techniques and ingredients used in dishes at his highly regarded Modo Mio, Peter McAndrews initially started making sandwiches to feed his hungry kitchen staff. The Paesano, his namesake sandwich has evolved over the year; from a slow-cooked roast beef with sweet and sour red cabbage, and peperoncinis to beef brisket with plum tomatoes, horseradish, and a fried egg. Both incarnations are absolutely brilliant, and a stellar example of how fine cooking can be translated into sandwich form.

Barclay Prime – Pub Burger

There are only a few sandwiches that would command $20 or more from our wallets, and this is one of them. The combination of ground NY strip, Kobe strip, ribeye and Kobe filet on top a buttery, fresh baked bun is simply impossible to argue with.

DiNic’s – Pulled Pork

DiNic’s has kept it in the family for four generations, and is a Reading Terminal Market staple. But it’s not the infamous roast pork that we go for. It’s Joe DiNic’s saucy pulled pork, braised in wine and tomato that stole our hearts. Smother in greens, and you’re good to go.

Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich – House Special Banh Mi

Crusty bread, a plethora of fillings, and an unbeatable price. The House Special is a god-like combination of ham, roasted BBQ pork, pork ears, and pork pate.

Bebe’s Delivers Steaming Pulled Pork To Your Mouth

Ben Kessler — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:00:53 +0000

Well, Mark Coates isn’t going to actually feed it to you, but you get the idea. Bebe’s Barbecue is now offering delivery from Wednesday through Saturday, 12 to 9pm. That’s a pretty substantial offer right there, one of our favorite sandwiches in the city landing right on your doorstep. Don’t forget to try the mac and cheese, banana pudding, and collard greens as well.

Michael Klein has a map of the delivery area currently being served.

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

Sandwich Smash: Chef Demo and Sandwich Tasting Event

Unbreaded — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:30:16 +0000

It is with great pleasure that Ben Kessler and Jeff Vogel, creators of Unbreaded, announce Sandwich Smash. The event will showcase five of Philadelphia’s premiere restaurant professionals, who will perform chef demos in front of a live audience and tell stories that go behind the food. This non-competitive event will be hosted by Esquire Food Editor Ryan D’Agostino, who will be interviewing the chefs on stage while they cook and moderating questions from the audience.

The audience will enjoy a five-course tasting menu of the featured sandwiches, plus beverage and dessert service from our sponsors.

Participants

Chef Michael Solomonov, Zahav
Chef Peter McAndrews, Paesano’s
Chef Arthur Cavaliere, Parc
Rick Olivieri, Rick’s Steaks
Mark Coates, Bebe’s BBQ

October 4th, 2009
5:00PM – 8:00PM
Park Hyatt Philadelphia
Grand Ballroom

Seating is limited and tickets are available now for reduced pre-sale pricing until 8/17. Additional information, including event sponsors and charity fundraiser, will be made available at on or before September 1st. Visit sandwichsmash.com to learn more and sign up for e-mail updates.

Bebe’s Barbecue Smokes The Competition

Ben Greenberg — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:00:05 +0000

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)