Even though I’ve had a lot of southern BBQ the last few months, I still can’t seem to get enough of it. So we recently went to Coop’s, which is still our go-to spot in San Diego for BBQ. The Texas-style smoked brisket and ribs are some of the best we’ve eaten.
Rib Tips Plate
The special of the day was the rib tips plate. Our tray was piled high with pork rib tip pieces, corn bread, and our two side choices of collard greens and red beans & rice.
You can see the pink ring from the smoking. The pork ribs were tender and came off the bone easily. You could taste the dry rub and smokiness in each bite, so no need to smother the meat in sauce.
The cornbread was a tad dry for me. It usually costs extra, but for the special, it came with the combo.
Here are all the sides from our plates.
Our favorite sides are the collard greens and red beans & rice.
We like that they use some of the brisket in the red beans and rice, giving it a smoky flavor throughout.
Brisket Plate
We also ordered a brisket plate, which came with white bread and pickles. For our sides, we chose candied yams and macaroni and cheese.
The slices of brisket we had on this visit were not the prettiest, especially compared to previous visits. They looked a little pale in color. One of the other people in our group ordered the same thing and his brisket actually looked better, but I didn’t get a chance to photo it.
I like that that the brisket here is thick-cut and has some texture, but still remains juicy. A lot of the brisket we’ve had is either dry or falling apart and overly fatty. Coop’s manages to find just the right balance. I did feel like it wasn’t as flavorful on this visit. It lacked something, maybe in the rub or the smoking process. It was still better than any other version we’ve had in San Diego though.
Pulled Pork
One of our friends ordered the pulled pork plate and I took a quick picture of her pork. I’ve never been a big fan of the pulled pork here. It’s juicy but it doesn’t have as much flavor or smokiness as the ribs or brisket.
Overall, we still had a good meal here even though the brisket seemed to be missing some of its former magic. The staff is really friendly and it’s still our favorite place for BBQ in San Diego.
Coop’s BBQ
2625 Lemon Grove Ave, Lemon Grove, CA 91945
https://coopsbbq.com/
I’ve been wanting to go back but now that TC is (mostly) vegetarian (she will eat fish and chicken sometimes), there really isn’t much for her to eat. I was bummed when Coop’s left west CV but it has since been replaced with Croom’s, another great bbq place. I think Coop’s makes the best bbq in San Diego. We love their brisket; it’s smoked so well and so tender. You’re right that it hardly needs any sauce.
aw, yeah, if she’s not eating much meat then her options are quite limited. we haven’t been here in a while, so it was nice to come back!
Mmm… I love the ribs there too. 🙂
they are quite good! I can never decide between ribs and brisket