Kevin Bludso, owner and operator of the BBQ joint, has been in business for a mere nineteen months and has incorporated fabulous recipes from his 90 year old grandmother who currently resides in Corsicana, Texas. Family is obviously very important to Kevin since he also employees them with sweet cousin Kiescha as the pleasant hostess and order taker and wonderfully, cool cousin Ronnell as manager, window washer, bus boy, grill master, etc. You name it, Ronnell does it.
We arrived at the BBQ joint and were lucky to find a parking spot on Long Beach Boulevard right in front of the restaurant. Although there is a small parking lot next door it only accommodates a handful of vehicles since half the other parking spaces are required to house the huge Texas style BBQ smokers that Kevin uses for grilling. Also, I should not call Bludso’s a “restaurant” since upon entering the rib joint you will find two small barred windows where you place your order and about 6 bar stools and a narrow counter to enjoy your feast. Sitting on an uncomfortable stool at the countertop waiting to eat my meal was the least of my concerns since the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen into my nostrils informed my brain that I was soon to experience some fine ass BBQ.
After much contemplation I decided on Order No. 33, “Meat Lunch Combo with Two Sides”, which included BBQ pork ribs, chicken and corn bread. For my two sides I choose collard greens and macaroni and cheese. I also decided on the sweet potato pie (screw the added fat and calories because I was going to have some of that dang pie and believe me it was worth every added centimeter on my waistline!). Come on folks, BBQ without southern sweet potato pie is like a summer day without sunshine…tolerable but not so nice afterall! The hubby also had pork ribs and chicken but his side choices were baked beans and potato salad. Kevin was also kind enough to send us an order of flavorfully, moist beef brisket for our sampling pleasure and trust me beef brisket fans out in foodie land, you will not be disappointed with his beef brisket.
Do the terms “orgasmic” and “meal” work well together in a sentence? If not, too bad since that is how I will describe my meal...it was ‘orgasmic’. Despite the fact that Kevin’s recipes are a family secret he was kind enough to share with me a couple of insightful facts that make his BBQ superior to all others I have tasted. The baked beans have small pieces of diced brisket in them and brown sugar creating a sweet, lovely infusion. Guys, the baked bean are absolutely delicious! As for the collard greens, Bludso’s adds diced pieces of moist, tender ham hocks, garlic and onions which gives these greens a nice broth-like consistency, unlike other collard greens I have tasted which are usually dry and bitter leaving a nasty after taste in my mouth.
As for the meats themselves they were all perfectly seasoned with cracked black pepper and other hidden spices and grilled fork tender. Bludso’s offers a choice of mild or hot BBQ sauce…I prefer the hot sauce and actually ate my sauce by the spoonful (I know, how utterly tacky of me. Manners aside…more sauce please)!
If I were in the business of rating dining establishments on a scale of one to ten, I would rate Bludso’s a “ten” for food and a “three” for ambiance and that is only due to the seating arrangements since you dine at a slender, cold, metal counter on uncomfortable bar stools. Hey, do not let that dissuade you from cruising out to Compton for some heavenly BBQ since Kevin’s future plans are to purchase the building next door and create a full service restaurant with comfortable seating for your dining and gluttonous pleasures.
In addition to ribs and chicken, Bludso’s offers pulled pork sandwiches, sausage links, fried and smoked turkeys and many more taste treats. For that sweet tooth fix desserts include peach cobbler, sweet potato pie, red velvet cake and banana pudding. Currently, there are no alcoholic beverages available due to a lack of a liquor license but maybe in the future when the new addition to the restaurant is complete.
Thank you Granny Bludso for your diligence, commitment and expertise in perfecting Texas style BBQ, BBQ sauce and all the yummy side dishes that accompany this great meal and for allowing your grandson to bring those delectable recipes to Compton, California for our dining gluttony. Venturing out of the O.C. for fabulous BBQ may not be such a bad idea after all!
Cheers!
Open 6 Days a Week - Closed Mondays
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