Rave Reviews

Divine deliverance Bonnie B’s Smokin’ BBQ Heaven bestows its slow-cooked goodness on Pasadena By Dan O'Heron 07/08/2010 It’s that time of the year again, when ominous puffs of smoke being spotted over local neighborhoods signal the beginning of barbecue season — a period of equal parts pain and pleasure in Pasadena. Dicey? What could have been a tiki torch turns into Vesuvius when slow-starting briquettes are doused with lighter fluid. The pivot on your tongs gets as hot as a hinge on the gates of hell, and the tongs never seem to be long enough to keep you from getting splattered. Around the grill, adult conversations are interrupted as kids chant “burnie-burnie” while a once-happy occasion goes up in flames.   If beer is the only sauce that makes a backyard barbecue seem like fun, why not stop what you’re doing and ask your guests to join you at Bonnie B’s Smokin’ BBQ Heaven? Bonnie’s fare elicits its share of second looks and second helpings. It weaves professional techniques with rich ethnic traditions. Bonnie Henderson does the cooking, sister Betty does the counting and nephew Michael serves as waiter. The restaurant reflects a style that uses quality ingredients, with an emphasis on freshness and simplicity — even health — without bastardizing the delicious barbecue. Briskets are chopped, not sliced, and are succulent and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. More than any dish, Bonnie’s pork spareribs get style points for keeping alive the Oklahoma spirit that inspired them. None of this tender, baby back rib stuff, where sissies wiggle the meat off the bone. Most restaurants serve these little ribs because they cook quickly and are easily managed. Bonnie’s spareribs, in contrast, are bigger, are at least as tender and possess much, much more flavor. How does she do it? Sparerib meat is tough and requires low heat and long cooking — “and don’t forget love,” said Bonnie — to break down the meat fiber, render the fat and make the meat succulent and tender. In the smoking barrel process, the smoke from oak briquettes hangs in the cylinder like hot Tule fog in a marsh. This develops flavors more suavely assertive than the flash-fire searing of lesser processes. But not all smoke tastes the same, as anyone who has ever lit a cigar can attest. Smoked salmon here uses a mixture of mesquite and hickory.  Beyond her slow-smoking strategies, Bonnie also has deep feelings for her 24-hour marinating and secret dry-rub procedures. “I spend long, loving hours in the kitchen. I love to cook for people. I want my customers to feel that my love for humanity makes a difference,” she said. “I work hard to help them experience being wanted, being valued, being loved. Our barbecued ribs may not be filet mignon, but the closer to the bone, the sweeter the meat.” Techniques and recipes learned by heart were generated from Bonnie’s mom and uncle, who operated a chain of barbecue houses in Oklahoma City and formulated the secret sauces used today in Bonnie’s kitchen. Later, the Hendersons operated the popular Gellarosa Ranch BBQ in San Diego. Today, Bonnie’s Oklahoma-style barbecue gets points for dipping — not swamping — Louisiana-style pork links. And she wins even more points from vegetarians for cooking vegetables separate from meats.  Even though your neighborhood pit boss is expert enough to put a velvety crust on every rib bone, he’ll still want to side with Bonnie. Dishes like collard greens, tomatoes over rice, baked beans, potato salad, black-eyed peas so fresh you can almost hear them pop from the pod and candied yams might sideswipe your appetite before main entrees of ribs, chicken and fish appear. The walls of this little place are textured with photos of esteemed friends and idols of the Hendersons. “Beloved friends and idols,” said Bonnie. A big wall mural depicting life in Oklahoma includes a figure of an overworked cowhand who’s about to fold up like a feed sack in a bunkhouse. Miles Davis’ music often relaxes the room. With her restaurant’s culinary personality, great tastes, ambiance, moderate prices and generous portions, Bonnie sets a mood you’ll want to be in.

Barbecue Heaven on North Lake

Bonnie B’s Smokin Barbecue Heaven lives up to its name: it’s smokin and the barbecue is heavenly

By CANDICE MERRILL
Published: Thursday, April 15, 2010 | 10:30 AM

 

Bonnie, Betty and Michael Henderson

Its times like these that I wish computers came equipped with scratch and sniff  — maybe a special F-Key that emitted a puff of scent. Because I want you to enjoy that moment you walk into Bonnie B’s Smokin Barbecue Heaven. It’s the smell that gets you first. Rich wood smoke: think a campfire filled with oak logs, now add slabs of ribs cooking — you get the idea.

 

Spare Ribs, Baked Beans and “The Sauce”

Bonnie Henderson with her partner Betty Henderson have created a bit of barbecue heaven on North Lake Avenue. Using their Uncle’s super secret recipe for barbecue sauce (all that Bonnie would divulge was that it was cooked for 23 hours and contained “lots of love”) the pair has brought a little bit of Oklahoma-style barbecue to Pasadena.

All their meats are marinated overnight, slow-smoked, and served with a dash of love on the side. (Seriously “the love” plays heavily into all that Bonnie and Betty do.) They’re truly nice, gracious people.

“Anybody that walks through that door, we want to give them TLC. We have a profound love for people,” says Bonnie.

 

Hot links, spare ribs, chicken and beef brisket

And the food? “Bonnie puts her FOOT in the food,” smiles Betty. I don’t know about her foot, but her heart is sure in it.

I asked Bonnie what was different about Oklahoma-style barbecue. “We chop the brisket, we don’t slice it, so every bite is good. We use oak and slow smoke our meats,” she said. And of course there’s that super secret barbecue sauce. It comes in mild, medium and hot to “kick it right off” laughs Betty.

I tasted all three sauces and I’ve got to say they all had great concentrated flavors from the slow cooking. The hot did “kick it” but did so with flavor and didn’t take your tooth enamel with it.

 

Corn Muffins

We enjoyed plates of assorted meat including the ribs, brisket, hot links and chicken. The ribs are spare ribs, not sissified baby back ribs. They’re meaty and fall-off-the-bone bone tender. The smoke permeates the meat and needs no adornment, but I do suggest you add a dash of the barbecue sauce because it’s too good to be missed.

The BBQ chicken breast was moist and tender, not dried out. And the beef brisket, yum, every bite was a delight. The chopping did make a big difference, just like Bonnie said it would.

If you like Louisiana-style hot links you’re going to love Bonnie B’s. They’re hot that’s for sure, but not so hot that the lovely smoke and other spices are overpowered. Try these with some of the mild sauce; they were made for each other!

 

Barbecued salmon and catfish

I would be remiss if I did not mention the sides. As any barbecue aficionado knows, the sides add to the overall experience and Bonnie’s got some outstanding ones. Vegetarians take note: all of her vegetables are cooked sans meat. No worry about cross contamination, so you too can enjoy a great barbecue experience.

Collard greens with a bit of smoke, baked beans, potato salad and candied yams all vied for my attention. And I gave it to them, bite after delicious bite. Also on the sides list are black eyed peas, okra and tomatoes over rice, and field greens salad. Your choice of two comes with the dinner plate, and one with the lunch plate.

Don’t forget the cornbread, Bonnie B’s didn’t. Theirs is actually a corn muffin, sweet and studded with fresh corn and jalapeno peppers. A bit of sweet, a dash of savory, and just a touch of heat make these corn muffins unique.

Bonnie B's Smokin being new on the scene has not had the honor of being critiqued by Pasadena, Altadena & Los Angeles finest food critics, as of this date.  However owner/partner Bonnie Henderson of Bonnie B's Smokin, Barbeque Heaven, did have the honor of being critiqued by some of San Diego's finest and most discriminating critics when she and her mother Joyce Henderson-Geller owned and operated Gellerosa Ranch Barbecue in beautiful Downtown San Diego California, from 1986-1992 until a family tragedy forced them to close.   Today Bonnie continues to utilize the same techniques and recipes that garnered her and her mom numerous blue ribbons and awards for her BBQ, side dishes and Strawberry Banana Cake, barbeque techniques taught to her by her uncle Leo Smith and cousin Collis Harrison, owner & manager of world famous Leo's Barbecue in Oklahoma City.  Bonnie and Betty, co-owners of Bonnie B's Smokin credit their down-right, down-home delicious soul foods to their mom Joyce. Here are a few of the reviews for Gellerosa & Leo's BBQ:
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Recipe for tasty, ugly ribs traveled well from Oklahoma
The San Diego Union

The barbecued beef ribs at the three-month-old Gellerosa Ranch Barbeque just might be the homeliest in town.  Charred and crusty, with tender meat - glistening with fat - falling raggedly from the bone, they are also some of the best tasting.

But the terrific ribs - both pork and beef - are only part of the story of this promising Oklahoma transplant.

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The San Diego Union

Gellerosa to celebrate 2 years as San Diego's barbecue Mecca

Gellerosa Ranch is probably one of the truly cosmopolitan restaurants in San Diego, drawing people from all nationalities and all echelons of the workplace - it is at once multi-ethnic and stratified, as the menu appeals more to the palate than to "status"

Many regulars ofClick Gellerosa Ranch are not dismayed by the often non-stop lunch crowd.  They know the routine...

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San Diego Monitor News

Gellerosa's barbecue is a secret many should share

...Gellerosa Ranch Bar-B-Que...beef ribs are big and brawny, the meat reddened from the oak over which the ribs are smoked. Pork ribs are tasty enough to make the good Dr. Pritikin himself fall off  the no-cholesterol wagon.

... The yams were like dessert, sweet and cinnamon- flavored, evoking memories of Thanksgiving dinner in the South...

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La Jolla Living News

When you're at the Gellerosa-You're in barbeque heaven!

The Gellerosa is the talk of the town.  A luscious menu, professional staffing and a beautifully spacious interior are among the reasons for the perpetually immense crowds and all the recent word-of-mouth publicity that the establishment has been receiving.

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San Diego Monitor News

City Restaurant Chosen One of Best Barbecue Sites in U.S.

Of all that Oklahomans hold near and dear - the price of oil, wheat fields blowing in the wind, the Sooner football team and barbecue - the latter is about the only thing that hasn't let them down.

Barbecue has brought new fame to Oklahoma City with Leo's Barbecue and Catering, owned by Leo Smith, ranked as one of the top 24 barbecue restaurants in the country.  The honor was accorded by Greg Johnson and Vince Staten, whose research took them a distance of 40,000 miles to sample the fare of 700 eateries before they co-authored Real BBQ, due for publication this month by Harper & Row.

Oklahoma City Journal