Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Pork-rib trimmings smoked in aquarium-style smokers over oak and hickory, sliced into cartilage-knobbed cubes, sauced in a sweet vinegar-based barbecue mop.
Chicago's barbecue tradition runs through the Great Migration: African-American cooks from Mississippi and Tennessee brought wood-smoking up to the South and West sides between the 1910s and the 1960s. The Chicago particular is the aquarium smoker, a glass-and-steel cabinet packed with oak and hickory, designed for the city's lots and ordinances. Rib tips (the cartilage-rich trim from St. Louis-cut spare ribs) became the everyman cut: cheaper than ribs, deeper-flavoured, served in cubes with hot links, white bread and a tangy-sweet sauce. Lem's Bar-B-Q on 75th Street, open since 1954, is the cathedral. Honey 1 in West Town and Uncle John's on the South Side are the second tier.
3 editor picks for South Side rib tips in Chicago, ranked by editorial score. All Chicago signature dishes · South Side rib tips across every city.
Lem's Bar-B-Q in Chicago is the Chatham South Side aquarium-smoker barbecue counter on 75th Street since 1954, with rib tips and hot links wrapped in butcher.
OrderRib tips, hot links
TipCash and counter only; open until 02:00 most nights. The tip-and-link combo on white bread is the canonical Saturday-night order.
Honey 1 BBQ in Chicago is the South Side aquarium-smoker BBQ counter on 43rd Street from the Henry family, with the rib-tip-and-link plate for under $12.
OrderRib tips, smoked links
TipClosed Sundays. The brisket sandwich is the under-the-radar order; sliced thick and dressed with the sweet-vinegar sauce on the side.
Uncle John's BBQ in Chicago is the South Side aquarium-smoker BBQ counter on Cottage Grove, with the rib-tip plate locals send out-of-towners to first.
OrderRib tips
TipCash only and the wait is long; arrive 16:30 to beat the 18:00 rush. The link-and-tip combo is the all-the-way order.
South Side rib tips makes more sense with someone from Chicago explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
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