Rancho To Go BBQ
665 N Tustin St
Orange, CA 92867
(714) 502-4053
Just a little north of Arthur's Resturant, is Rancho To Go BBQ. The owner won some BBQ competitions and has two trucks and also runs this restaurant. The restaurant is located in a medium sized strip mall, and is set off the street so, it is easy to miss. They are only opened Wed-Sat and ribs are not served until about 4pm.
Half rack of St. Louis spare ribs, $11.95. The first thing I noticed was the very salty rub, maybe the most salty ribs I've ever had. There was good smoke flavor, but I can tell these ribs were "leftover" from the day before. It wasn't "fresh," smoked ribs from that day. The ribs were also too tender, there needs to be some chewiness and this was just way too tender. Maybe he has to cater to the idiots who live in OC, who wouldn't know real BBQ if it hit them in the face. But, fall off the bone is not a good thing when it comes to real BBQ ribs. The ribs were smoked with white oak and should have been taken off the BBQ about 30 minutes earlier.
Service is good. The owner is nice and friendly.
I was looking forward to trying the BBQ at Rancho To Go, but I was disappointed in the BBQ. The owner is very friendly and I wish him well. While I haven't been there in a long time, the two best places for real BBQ ribs in Orange County is Blake's Place in Anaheim and BBQ Bistro in Huntington Beach.
