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| - Staying in Phoenix for the night before an early flight out tomorrow, so decided to check these guys out. I'm a Kansas City native, so know something about BBQ.
Most people don't realize that BBQ is only half about the food. The other half is about the family. BBQ was born in places where money and resources were tight, but the family was tighter. When you walk into MJ's, you feel like family and are treated as such. They might be from Tennessee and Michigan, but I may as well have known them my entire life. When it comes to that aspect of BBQ, they have it nailed, no question. Even if they were serving cold cut sandwiches, I'd come back just for the hospitality.
The food was good as well. I got the two meat platter with brisket, pulled pork, coleslaw, green beans, and added a hot link. The brisket was cooked properly and had a solid crust. The fat was rendered just right and left the meat excellent. The pulled pork was sort of hit or miss, but also had a solid crust. Part of the pork was a bit dry, but the other part was juicy and fantastic. Could have just been because it was late in the evening and it was a 20 minute drive back to the hotel for me. The sausage was the typical andouille sausage found in lots of BBQ places. The coleslaw was extra saucy, which I like, and delicious (try adding BBQ sauce to coleslaw sometime!). The green beans were sort of rough - seemed like canned green beans just warmed up. Fresh green beans with bacon, onions, and some seasoning would have been a welcome replacement. The BBQ sauce was vinegary, Memphis style (no surprise there), verging on Carolina style. Bigger portions than I expected. Overall, nothing to complain about with the food.
The worst part about MJ's is the location. I'm not a Phoenix local, but it sure seemed like a tough part of town. There were a number of folks just walking in the middle of the street, staring at my car as I drove by, etc. Everything was fine, but there were certainly no warm fuzzies to be had driving to their location. It's also situated in kind of a weird place and you have to find a particular side road that leads you to their restaurant (although my GPS navigated me without issue).
So, overall, solid food, questionable location, AMAZING people. If M & J can manage to find a new location, there will be nothing to stop them.
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