The Place
Bubba’s Food Co., the first Texas-style BBQ joint in all of China, first opened back in 2006 all the way in Hongqiao. Since then, it moved around to a few different locations, like the Expo site and Cool Docks, but nothing has fit quite right until owner and pit master Ken Walker settled into his new digs in the backside of Shankang Li.
Why would he open up way in the back near a bunch of storefronts that haven’t yet been claimed? “Well that’s simple,” says Ken, “I get a ton of space for my smokers and unlimited room for events. Who doesn’t like a giant backyard BBQ? Come summer, I can do that every day!”
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Ken built his own smokers for each BBQ spot he’s owned, and the newest version of Bubba’s is no exception. Beauty – located inside the restaurant – and The Beast – a behemoth of a BBQ grill/smoker combo situated outside – are both tended with apple wood. During the winter, Beauty is busy all night long, smoking those fatty cuts for the next day’s service.
The Food
The menu is a labor of love, combining highlights from a number of Ken’s previous venues – there’s BBQ meat from the original Bubba’s, some tacos from La Mesa, and Tex-Mex from Bordertown.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Jalapeño Poppers (RMB48) are a fine choice for whetting your appetite. Fire-roasted peppers are stuffed with cheese and chorizo, breaded, deep fried and smothered in a trifecta of sauces – roasted red pepper aioli, homemade hot sauce and avocado cream.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Bubba’s Famous Wings (RMB68 for 8) are prepared two different ways – smoked and served with the thickest blue cheese sauce in town, or fried and served with ranch dressing. To take advantage of The Beast (pun intended) of a smoker, we chose the smoked option and are glad we did. The order comes with all drumettes – a whole lot of meat for your Mao – and veggie sticks for extra dipping.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Onto the Tex-Mex side of the menu, Ken takes inspiration from his previously owned La Mesa, and brings to life some the wackiest yet most delicious tacos in town. We’re talking hash browns, ground beef and a runny fried egg on The Matador (RMB30).
Smoked chopped UDA Prime brisket covered in a zesty “pickle de gallo” mimics a cannibal sandwich topping for the Smoked Brisket Taco (RMB35), and smoked pork shoulder, tinga sauce, slaw and avocado crème rounds out the Cowboy Carnitas Taco (RMB35).
Throw some jalapeño poppers on a taco with mozzarella, guac, sour cream and marinated onions for the Jalapeño Taco (RMB30) if you can’t get enough of those jalapeno popper starters.
Other more run-of-the-mill – but just as tasty options – include tossing chorizo, barbacoa beef, spicy beef or chicken tinga on a tortilla with slaw for RMB30 each. Jumping on the Taco Tuesday bandwagon, you can crush two tacos for RMB40 (chicken tinga, beef barbacoa or pork carnitas tacos only) every Tuesday.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Wash 'em down with any of the four beers on tap, bottled Belgian brews, wine by the glass or cocktails from an expansive list, including everything from the classics, like an Aperol Spritz (RMB60) or G&T (RMB55), to the funky, like a smoky Mezcal Old Fashion (RMB85) or aromatic Kyoto Spring (RMB70) made with sake and white wine.
We are eagerly awaiting the return of the notorious Taco Boner, which Ken promises will be joining the menu soon. Think of a mammoth-sized smoked pork rib, deep fried, dropped onto a taco. Slowly slither that clean-as-a-whistle bone out of the taco shell, leaving all the tender yet crispy meat to be devoured. If that isn’t food porn imagery, then we don’t know what is.
The Food Co. Burger (RMB78), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Burgers are another key feature on the menu, but these aren’t your typical stacked sandos. The Smoked Brisket Smash Burger (RMB88) sees the combination of chopped, smoked brisket and in-house ground USDA chuck formed into a patty and fried on the griddle. Top that with aioli, marinated red onions and spicy pickles, all nestled between a pillowy potato bun for a bite that will make you want to don your best cowboy boots and yee-haw your way straight into a food coma.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
The Fried Cheese, Cheese Burger (RMB78) is the lovechild of a mozzarella stick and a burger – a glorious deep-fried cheese curd nugget sits atop a griddled patty, oozing bright yellow cheddar all over everything it comes into contact with.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
The smoked meats, made in Ken’s smoker duo, are really where he takes it to the next level. Prime beef brisket, pork ribs and pulled pork are available almost every day, with other options like hot gut sausage, chicken and beef ribs available on special rotation or for events.
All Texas BBQ smoked meats come with a side of your choice of potato salad, fries, onion rings, coleslaw or Texas caviar – America’s white trash version of a delicacy dish, featuring corn, beans, black eyed peas and peppers drizzled with vinegar, olive oil and lime juice.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Do NOT come to Bubba’s and skip the Prime Beef Brisket (RMB158 for 300 grams), the hero of all Texas BBQ meats. The beef is smoked for eight hours to create that initial bark – the charred crust that forms on the outside of the meat from the caramelized sugar, rendered fat and smoke that cooks on the surface – and then continues cooking for another 10 hours, seasoned with just salt and pepper, in true Texas style.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Glistening with rendered fat, Ken carves a couple slices from both the deckle – the fattier cut of each brisket slab – followed by some leaner slivers from the cross-hatched flat – the other half of the brisket. Meant to be consumed smothered in Ken’s secret recipe BBQ sauce (that hasn’t changed since he was in high school), the meat’s texture spans from succulent to juicy, from crunchy to melting. There’s no other way to put it – this is damn good smoked brisket.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Next to Ken’s signature brisket, his forte is American Pork Ribs (RMB148 for 4) – a meaty mosaic of dinosaur-sized ribs sporting appealingly taut meat, barely clinging to the bone. The flesh is crackly, ruddy and overly direct in its smokiness, fitting in with America’s new era of barbecue that emerged in the 2010s – urban, higher quality (and therefore pricier) and pulling from a variety of regional styles of BBQ.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
The Pulled Pork (RMB75) is a mountain of warm smoked Spanish pork shoulder, soft and ropey, topped with sweet and spicy pickles made in-house from hot capsicum brine, crunchy coleslaw and a tangy mustard BBQ sauce that we believe the adjective “finger-lickin’-good” was invented for.
Ken’s culture clash part of the menu, which includes Smoked Shank Beef Noodle (RMB68), Char-su Pork Belly Over Rice (RMB68), Mala Smoked Chicken Quarter (RMB68) and Sticky Finger Canton Ribs (RMB88) are coming soon to appease a lunch crowd near you, as more offices move into the space in and around Shankang Li. Almost the entire menu is available for delivery on Elema, JSS and Meituan.
The Vibe
The venue is warm and welcoming, full of Southern hospitality, making you want to kick back and hang out for a while. Blind Melon, Shania Twain and other artists with a notable Southern twang blast from the speakers, and there’s a live music corner for regular music events.
Fitting roughly 60 people sitting (130 standing), Bubba’s is a stellar option for a meat-forward party with friends, co-workers or for networking events.
But, let’s be honest, we aren’t coming here for the vibe – Ken could serve those smoked meats behind a dumpster on paper plates, and we would still be first in line every day.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Price: RMB75-175 per person
Who’s going: BBQ connoisseurs, meat lovers, #grilling followers, the Jing'an expat contingency
Good for: ODing on meat, wearing sweatpants in public as a result of a food baby, satisfying meat cravings
See a listing for Bubba's Food Co. Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews.
[Cover image by Sophie Steiner/That's]
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