Dukes Blues n BBQ — Restaurant in Dundee Township

Had Duke’s for the very first time today. I’ll explain in a bit why it lost 1 star (it’s in regards to the brisket) but first I want to say WOW to that bbq sauce.

We got a half slab of ribs, the brisket sandwich, and a side of Mac. The woman who took our order was so sweet & genuine. Felt personal even tho it was a short interaction.

We ordered to-go. There was a good crowd which is always awesome to see. You wait a little for your order but absolutely no problem with that. Happy to do so. And it wasn’t a bad wait at all anyway.

I got the ribs and my bf got the brisket. We tried the Mac first. SO good! Pasta was cooked well. Not overly soft like some places do but not too firm either. Such good cheese flavors. Gooey and not liquidy.

First bite into the ribs and I was like WHOA! that sauce is killlllller! Spices on point. Consistency is so world class too. Some bbq places lean towards the thinner more vinegar-vibe sauces and others give you that thicker consistency. Dukes had honestly the PERFECT mix of the two. Was blown away. I could have drank it 😂 meat was excellent and you get a lot of it on there. Shared with my bf & he felt the exact same.

They put a piece of white bread underneath to help you soak up the extras or throw on some of the meat. Awesome.

I’m not a coleslaw person and neither is my bf but we genuinely enjoyed the coleslaw they included. Breaks up the meat and heavy savory flavors with a pinch of acidity/freshness.

Okay - onto the single star reduction. The brisket. You get a good portion of brisket on the sandwich so no complaints there. And the parts of the brisket that were actually good, were GOOD. Tender and flavorful. However, on each slice, there was a large portion of fat that just didn’t render down enough. The fat was chewy and rubbery. Just not edible. I love the fat you get on bbq that melts in your mouth. However, this we just could not eat (and trust we tried!). I don’t pretend to know anything about cooking bbq - but I know about eating it. And it’s just too bad because each slice, at lease half was just the inedible fat.

But I fully believe this place is world class. We will DEFINITELY be eating here again and trying more of the menu. Thanks so...

Saw a review of this place covered by a foodie influencer earlier this week - so that landed Dukes Blues n BBQ on my must go soon radar.

Beautiful early September sunny Saturday afternoon would be perfect for an outdoor picnic table late lunch.

Arrived about 3pm to find the place jumping with a couple customers in line. Momma Duke is the warmest personality working the window taking orders with her kind hospitality.

That gave us a couple minutes to review the chalkboard menu. We knew we were going ALL IN & pretty much going to order EVERYTHING taking home leftovers.

So we ordered - pulled pork sandwich - rib tips - full slab of ribs - Mississippi sausage - beans - Mac n cheese. We skipped the pulled chicken and they were sadly out of cornbread.

Note to self - go earlier next time

Food was brought out to us at our picnic table very quickly.

EVERYTHING was delicious 😋 The beans have a couple chunks of pork in them which is an especially nice touch. The ribs are hearty with TONS of meat & nice flavor. Rib tips were yummmm. Pulled pork was a beautiful smoked flavor.

Grabbed a few photos as when I read reviews - I let the photos speak for the food. We took about 3/4 of everything home for 2 additional meals. Chatted with Duke Sr on our way to our car while he was tending to the smokers. We missed Duke as he was at a remote location in Streamwood - next time.

How did I not know about this place ?!?!?

We...

I went to Duke's today and they were having a blues Festival, blues bands and all. I have been looking for a good place for ribs. I thought I'd give them a try. The ribs were very good, smoked to fall off the bone and the sauce was very spicy. I can't say they were my favorite, but they were quite good. The pulled pork sliders looked excellent. The place is definitely worth a try.

I have changed my rating from 4-star to 5-star. I was finally able to bring a rack of their ribs home and the rack was huge. Enough for three meals, so well worth the cost. The ribs are very meaty and prepared fall off the bone the way I like it. The ribs are cooked in a smoker, so have a nice Smoky flavor. My only complaint would be the barbecue sauce. I thought it tasted a little pepper. Not overly hot, but just tasted like black pepper. I would recommend getting a sauce on the side, trying it out, and possibly using a barbecue sauce you...