Sparks Barbecue — Restaurant in Rexburg

Got lunch from this place and I am going it a 3 out of 5.

Pulled Pork I got two entrees. One of them was the pulled pork. It was good. But felt like I paid 4 bucks for a teaspoon of pork. It was such a small amount. If I got this again....I'd probably get three orders of pulled pork just to feel like I got enough. The pork was good....but the portion size was disappointing. For that I'd give the pork a 2 out of 5.

Savory Ribs I got a half rack of Savory ribs. And being that I got a small portion of pork, I was happy I got these ribs. The price for a half rack isn't too bad. Around $14. And it was cooked well. Tasted good. But if I got it again, I would ask if they have any barbecue sauce. Perhaps that is the point of the savory ribs. But they were dry and I felt like they could of used a sauce. But if savory ribs are supposed to be more of a dry rub, then I will definitely try the sweet ribs next time. I was impressed with how fall off the bone they were. A good sign of good quality ribs. I am going to give the ribs a 4 out of 5.

Baked Beans Shockingly enough, my favorite part of the meal was the beans. They were so good! The portion size was ok. But I felt like they were a little pricey. I want to say they were around 3 or 4 bucks. For the amount I was given, felt like that was too much to pay. Considering the portion size and taste, I would give the beans a 4.5 out of 5.

Mac & Cheese I am not a big fan of Mac & Cheese. But this was good too! If I liked Mac & Cheese, it would have been amazing I am sure. My only complaint is again...the price. If I am going to pay 3 or 4 bucks for a side, I am going to assume that is a good amount. But both the beans and mac did not seem to match what I paid. I give the Mac a 4 out of 5.

Corn Bread This was my least favorite thing I got. They gave me some honey butter and I can truly say that putting the butter on the corn bread was the only way I was going to eat it. I think I paid 2 bucks for this thing. For a slice of corn bread, ok, I get it. Not too bad. But it was dry. And even if it wasn't, didn't taste like much. I wouldn't get this again. Might order some of the honey butter alone though! That was good. I give the Corn Bread a 1 out of 5.

Final Thoughts

Would I eat here again? You bet! Guy was super nice over the phone when I called in to place the order and they let me redeem a discount even though I didn't have my flyer with me. As much as I hated the portion sizes, I definitely want some of that pulled pork again. And I am going to give their sweet ribs a chance too.

And those beans! Man, I can't wait to try em again. Super good. The only reason I won't get the mac again is because I am not a big fan of mac in general. But if you like Mac....you...

I was really excited that we were getting a barbecue place, because driving all the way to Rigby isn’t exactly something that can be done often. However, for how much big game they talked and their advertising before they opened, especially the comment that they posted outside the restaurant betting they would “…be closed by December.” They really missed the mark.

Every time I go to a barbecue place, I always, try the tri-tip and the brisket because if you screw those two meats up, then it’s pretty clear you either don’t know how to cook tender meats. And that’s exactly what happened here.

I ordered a slice of brisket, a slice of tri-tip, some of the ribs, and some Mac on the side.

The mac & cheese was SAD at best and for a business that is claiming that it is made in house they should really use some better cheeses. It was very rubbery and when it cooled down I could BOUNCE it. I don’t care if it’s made in house, it tasted like it came out of a box and had the waxy-rubbery texture of craft single slices.

The tri-tip, I’m not sure what they did there. Either y’all didn’t cook it low and slow after doing a flash sear to establish a crust OR they cooked it too long, either way it was dry and tough and I couldn’t finish it. It had such strong notes of chlorine that I ended up spitting it into my napkin.

The ribs were dry. They’re supposed to easily come off the bone with a gentle tug, not completely fall off like you see in some videos, that is a sign of overcooking. The meat on these were so dry that it was a struggle to get the meat off the bone. Which is usually a result of cooking the rib too hot too fast, otherwise if cooked properly, there would be a collagen breakdown so the meat could become tender. Bland.

Lastly, the brisket. Again, it was dry and tough like it was cooked too hot too fast, or not allowed to rest properly before moving to be cut. I would hope that as a barbecue place, they would know that they need to rest all of their tender meat before moving them to the warmer box so that the meat has time to properly soak up the juices. No flavor.

The sauces you can get on the side were vinegary.

Summary: the meat was dry, either due to improper cooking or improper resting. The mac & cheese was rubbery. Beans didn’t taste quite right almost like they had too much tomato in them. Coleslaw was more like a soup. Atmosphere was the only thing they had going for them. Spent $42! Not worth the price.

Ended up leaving still hungry. I will not be returning. If you want good barbecue go to Lil’ Mikes in Rigby. It’s well...

We were so excited to come try this place (relocated from Texas a year ago and anxious for good BBQ) I’ve seen so many positive things and unfortunately we we might have been a little oversold. I know that Sparks just recently opened and will likely continue to refine themselves but the ribs need to totally start from the ground up.

The good

Staff 5/5 - so friendly and very informative which absolutely added to the atmosphere.

Cornbread 5/5 - so good wouldn’t change a thing

Corn 5/5 - I was intrigued by the street corn with BBQ and it was super good.

Baked Potato 5/5 - Baked Potato, it’s Idaho, you have to have solid potatoes to be in business and they rocked it. Added brisket and would do that again.

The ambience 4/5 - love what they did with the existing building, only wish it smelt more of mesquite or whatever wood they are using.

The Needs Work

The Menu - Kind of interesting to see smoked turkey in place of chicken, when chicken is so much more of a staple in any true BBQ restaurant.

The options - I would have loved to see a combo platter especially for people coming in and wanting to try multiple options, pretty standard in majority of restaurants.

The Brisket 3/5 - brisket should be the staple of any BBQ place, it was moist, had good flavor, could have used more bark. Also more options for cuts from the point or flat. Ordered 1/4 pound chopped and was just given the flat asked for the point after noticing.

Ribs 1/5 - ordered the savory ribs and just seemed like no science into the rub too much garlic smoke ring was good, also was just given cuts from the end. Went back and ordered the sweet to give it a shot and it might have just been a bad rib, no flavor profile and just seemed like it was glazed.

Sauce 3/5 - sauce was fine, could have used more flavor to define themselves, you could have stacked up 5 different mid tier options and I couldn’t have told you which one it was.

Mac and Cheese 1/5 - just velveeta mixed with noodles, missed an opportunity to add some parm or other cheese and smoke it for some crunch.

Overall - Will absolutely give them another try in a couple months once they’ve been open a while longer, maybe right at the start of lunch when things...