Bashful Bandit Barbecue — Restaurant in Tucson

Was so excited to go to this new BBQ place in town. Went in on a weeknight at around 6:30 pm and was immediately told that they were out of brisket and ribs. Really? This is what we came in for, so we left and decided to come back for lunch another day instead of later in the day or evening.

Came back in a few days and got there before noon. Not too much traffic and did not have to wait in line to order, because we beat the lunch rush. We were so hopeful that this place was going to be the bomb in Tucson BBQ, but soon found out that the experience would not turn out well.

I wanted to try the brisket and pulled pork at least, and the wife wanted to just get the brisket. I got the 2 meat combo and 2 sides and she just got the brisket plate with 2 sides. We both had waters but they offer a good variety of drinks including alcohol. We had 4 different sides to check them all out and was disappointed with all of them. They all needed salt and the best of the 4 was the beans, but they were just mediocre. The coleslaw seemed to have a vinegar base with crushed ramen noodles and cranberries, but was fairly tasteless.

Why you only have one kind of brisket at a BBQ place like this is beyond me. I'm not a big fan of paying $30 a pound for brisket fat, but you can get brisket here that has a lot of fat in it (which some folks like), but I just want lean meat at this price. I also found it very odd that their "fantaboulous" pulled pork is served doctored up with green chili and spices. Not everyone is a fan of green chili, so why not offer up this type of added flavors as an option when ordering. One of the employees did tell us later that we could get the pork without the green chili and spices, but that would be by special order. The pulled pork was decent, but I'd prefer to just have a nice portion of the un-doctored meat with some decent BBQ sauce. The pulled pork also had very little smoke flavor, and.... $20 / Lb for pulled pork??? You got to be kitting me.

Speaking of sauces, I don't know where they came up with these recipes for different sauces, but none of them was even close to what I would consider a decent traditional BBQ sauce. Really didn't like any of them and just had to pass using them for both meats.

On another note, after we sat down and started eating, we noticed that you didn't get a nice dill pickle spear or dill chips with your BBQ which you will usually find at any good BBQ place. We also realized that they didn't offer any kind of rolls or bread to go with your BBQ. After we finished eating, we asked about the pickles and the manager said that they have them, you just have to ask for them. Never saw them in the ordering line, so I guess you just have to know. The manager also said that they were going to start offering flour tortillas to go with the meals instead of bread. Found that to be odd, but that's how they roll at the Bandit I guess. I'd take a nice roll or couple slices of bread to go with my BBQ, myself.

So, all-in-all, we were very disappointed with this new BBQ place in town but did find some great things to note during our visit. The restaurant has plenty of seating inside and out, and was decorated with a nice theme and ambiance The employees are very friendly and helpful The brisket is very good, though it can be fatty The restaurant and bathrooms were very clean There is plenty of parking and handicap access to the restaurant

We'll probably not be back anytime soon, (unless I get a nice raise) and it would only be to get some brisket to go. I hope they can stay in business but have my doubts at these prices for the quality of the food...

Now we all know Tucson is a town of gastronomy which, at first, I thought was a word that meant there was a branch of science that dealt with space farts. I was wrong. As it turns out, gastronomy means the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food. I don’t see a lotta skinny people around here despite it being too hot to physically want to go out and procure food, so it MUST be that good. And I always like to test its limits depending on my current hankerins. And recently I was in hankerin’ hell for some good ol’ fashioned barbecue. Now i’ve spent a decent chunk of my life living or exploring the south and i’ve learned that football and BBQ are their own religions down there. I spent enough time down there to know that I can survive on a bottle of Stubb's® Sticky Sweet or Kinders Mild BBQ sauce. That’s like their version of gatorade down there. You cut me, and i’m sure there will still be traces of sweet brown in that blood.

In the midst of my hankerins, I also thought to myself, ‘wait, do I even know what BBQ stands for?” Instead of going to google, I wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth. So I cornered an old, leather-skinned guy at Quicktrip wearing a cowboy hat and asked him. He took a swig of Jim Beam from a flask and looked through my soul with those yellow eyes and started flappin those whiskered jowls. “Well, I’m glad someone finally asked. The term BBQ comes from the Caribbean Indian tribe Taino's word barbacoa, which means "grilling on a raised wooden platform. Spanish explorers noticed the Taino people roasting meat on wooden frameworks over a fire when they landed in the Americas in 1492. The Spanish adopted the term and eventually brought it into European languages as "barbeque.” Then he tipped his hat and got on a horse and rode off. I’m pretty sure you can still get a DUI on a horse, but I don’t think it’s his first time so I wasn’t worried.

I got in my truck and hit the googles for a nearby spot and found “Bashful Bandit”. It had good ratings and I figured if there was a roving cowboy gang back in the day, the guy who knows how to cook some darn fine meats, it would be the shy thief for sure. So I made my way over and started walking in while I noticed their outdoor, chained off bbq smoker pit before heading inside. Now there are three things that impress real men. A fine lady by your side, a fancy car and a giant Traeger Pro 575 Pellet Grill and Smoker. A real man knows that it takes money, patience, discipline, skill, tenacity and a certain degree of misanthropy to properly smoke some stacks of bloody meat. If you give me a giant smoker, I don’t know if i’d have the time nor the inclination to properly tame it, but at least it would buy me the respect from strangers I so desperately need. I would forego a car and just place a giant smoker in my driveway to let people know i’m better than them. Anyway, I walked into this beautiul, modern-industrial, wood and steel adorned heaven of slovenly country cooking and began to drool as soon as I saw the wall tapestried menu featuring items such as Sliced Prime Brisket, Green Chile Pulled Pork, Smoked Chicken, Pork Ribs, Chile Relleno Sausage and Smoked Jackfruit. My pants got tighter as I read the sides which included Mac-n-Cheese, Borracho Beans, Dill Potato Salad and Sunflower Crunch Salad. I was standing there staring at the wall for 10 minutes drooling and making weird noises when the nice gal at the counter asked me if I was ready to...

We’ve lived in Memphis many years always knowing we’d come back to Tucson. We gave up trying any BBQ joints here because they all failed so miserably to understand how simple, but how hard it is to do it right. I also remember the Bandit’s former life and wondered if it could ever be anything but a place that served a Boston Butt kicking and a knuckle sandwich. Well, the new owner has created an oasis in the desert of what used to be a city with so much diversity of great food, but not one decent BBQ joint. After parking and seeing the magnificent outdoor dining area, and the industrial sized smokers, the ironwork and the lighting, I was not only impressed, I was speechless! I know you don’t need the infrastructure of a ironwork foundry to make good Q’, but the sheer confidence of the owner to invest like this in their business made each step toward the entrance build my anticipation. The owner met us at the door and was gracious, down to earth and hilarious as we told him how excited we were to be there. And the smells inside are heaven. I had the brisket and pork ribs, but wanted everything. The brisket is the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The smoke ring was wider, yet the smoke was nuanced so the moist and tender just plain beef goodness was like the first bite of prime tenderloin. Brisket takes me about 13 hours low and slow at 225 degrees, and most restaurants force it to serve customers. This had the love of someone cooking for family and friends. I didn’t even try the sauce on it, it was swimming in it’s own juice. There may be someplace in Texas where it’s as good, but I’ve never been there and probably would have to stand in line for hours if it were. The St. Louis pork cut pork ribs likewise, were perfect. The membrane had been peeled off the back of the rib bones so the smoke permeates the whole rack, something almost no restaurant ever does, and they were cooked with smoke and fire, not sauce and excess amounts of rub. I use lots of rub on my ribs, but may not next time. Just the perfect tug to bite off the bone the delicious rib meat, not a chew or a sloppy slide off the bone so many places that par boil ribs before they smoke them do. Bashful Bandit just smokes meat like it’s for family. The sides I had were mac n’ cheese and slaw, both perfectly done and enough uniquely different to keep your interest before going back to the main event, and the iced tea tasted close enough to Luzianne tea to me to take two trips to refill. Everyone working inside was cheerful, enthusiastic and just a joy to be around. So Tucson, you just now have arrived on the BBQ map with something uniquely all your own. I can’t wait to go back and slowly work through the menu. The Bashful Bandit is big time, so much so, that I’ll be recommending it to everyone, telling Memphians about it, and maybe looking forward to letting someone else spend those 13 hours of lovingly...