Barbecue Throwdown: Rudy's vs. Can't Stop Smokin'

Barbecue is taking over Chandler almost as quickly as craft beer is taking over Tempe (seriously, there are at least a half-dozen new bars/breweries in the works). You can't throw an imaginary rock without hitting a smoked brisket or full-on festival in this particular part of the Southeast Valley.

Let's take two new Chandler franchises, for example -- Rudy's Country Store & BBQ and Can't Stop Smokin'. They are right across the effing street from each other!

Which makes them perfect for this week's battle.

Smoked sausage, brisket, ribs, pulled pork, cole slaw, barbecued beans, potatoes -- we didn't think it was fair to single out one important barbecue aspect, so we tried it all.

May the best barbecue win.

The Rudy's spread -- this is what $30 will get you

In This Corner: Rudy's Country Market & BBQ

The Setup: Texas BBQ franchise Rudy's opened its doors to Chandler's BBQ-loving masses in May and hasn't had a slow day since. The barn-like restaurant functions as a store where you buy your meat by the pound and your sides then find a spot at one of the checkered tables to chow down. You won't find a plate in sight (your food comes wrapped in your "plate") and with lines that can wrap around the building finding a spot to eat in the loud hall can be difficult.

The Good: The smoky aroma at Rudy's is enough to make any mouth water for a nice smoked piece of meat. Their tender pork ribs with a lightly peppered exterior were definitely the star of our meat show. And after they were slathered in Rudy's slightly spicy original "sause" we immediately wished we'd order more than two. The pinto beans had a nice kick of green chile, and the brisket was moist and tender.

The Bad: Oh, my, where do we even start? Aside from the ribs, everything else we ordered was mediocre at best. The brisket was so fatty we could only eat about half of it. The pulled pork was a greasy mush. And the sausage was so dry and flavorless we ended up feeding it to our puppies. The potatoes were nothing more than boiled potatoes sitting in a pool of melted butter and the cole slaw was a boring cup of bland cabbage. And don't even get us started on the line -- it took us almost an hour to make to the front and since there was no place to sit, we ended up having to bring our food home.