Lem's Bar-B-Q is a barbecue restaurant in the

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

community of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in the United States. The restaurant is known for its

rib tips Pork ribs are a cut of pork popular in Western and Asian cuisines. The ribcage of a domestic pig, meat and bones together, is cut into usable pieces, prepared by smoking, grilling, or baking – usually with a sauce, often barbecue – and then ...

, which ''

Eater Eater may refer to: * Eater (band), an English punk rock group * "Eater" (''Fear Itself''), a 2008 episode of the NBC television horror anthology ''Fear Itself'' * ''Eater'' (novel), a 2000 science fiction novel by Gregory Benford * ''Eater'' (w ...

'' has described as Chicago's "most famous rib tips."

History

Lem's Bar-B-Q was founded in 1951 by Myles Lemons in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood in Chicago. Lemons operated the restaurant with his brothers, Bruce and James. The Lemons brothers were born in

Indianola, Mississippi Indianola is a U.S. city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sunflower County. History In 1891, Minnie M. Cox was appointed postmaster of Indianola, b ...

and moved to Chicago in 1948 to pursue careers in the barbecue industry. In 1968, they opened a second restaurant in a former ice cream shop in the

neighborhood of Chicago. It was at the second location where they first served their

. The Greater Grand Crossing location eventually closed. Lem's trademarked their brand in 2006. In 2018, Lem's sent a

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...

letter to Chicago Brewhouse, when the brewhouse listed "Lem's BBQ Sauce" as the sauce served with its rib tips. James Lemons, who eventually became Lem's owner and the last brother to remain working at the business, died at age 87 in 2015. In his memory, the Lem's menu features the JBL combo. His daughters Carmen Lemons and Lynn Walker became owners upon his death. William D. Lemons, Jr. serves as chef.

Cuisine

Lem's most famous dish is their

, which were first introduced in 1968. The rib tips have been called "iconic" by ''

'' and described as "smoky, finger-licking tips with a tangy, vinegary sauce." The ribs are smoked in a smoker housed in an aquarium and finished quickly over a hot fire fueled by hickory wood. As of 2016, the restaurant sells an average of 360 rib slabs a week. The Lem's barbecue sauce recipe was the Lemons' mother's recipe. The sauce is prepared fresh daily. The menu also includes

fried chicken Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...

, barbecue chicken, and

hot links A hot link (also "red link", "Louisiana red hot" or "Louisiana hot link") is a type of sausage used in the cuisine of the Southern United States, and a part of American barbecue, soul food, and Cajun and Louisiana Creole cuisines. It is also ...

Reception

The restaurant has been called a "barbecue icon" in the United States by ''Eater'' and a "civic treasure" in Chicago by the ''Chicago Reader''. It was named one of ''Eater's'' "essential barbecue restaurants in Chicago" in 2019. Lem's has also been named one of the top barbecue restaurants in the country by '' Time Out'' and

Zagat The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

used to have her assistant bring her Lem's food when she was in Chicago. The restaurant has also been visited by

The Delfonics The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La (Means I Love You)", "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This ...

The Whispers The Whispers is an American band (music), group from Los Angeles, California, who have scored hit records since the late 1960s. They are best known for their two number one R&B singles, "And the Beat Goes On (The Whispers song), And the Beat G ...

The Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...

, and

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...

Gallery

James Lemons.jpg, James Lemons in 2008 Sign at Lem's.jpg, Sign at Lem's Aquarium-Style Smoker.jpg, The aquarium-shaped smoker at Lem's File:Tips & Links at Lem's Bar-B-Q.jpg, Rib tips and links in the smoker at Lem's Sauce Warming.jpg, Lem's barbecue sauce Ordering Counter.jpg, Ordering counter at Lem's

References

External links

*
"Chicago Is A City Divided By Barbecue"
from ''

Saveur ''Saveur'' is an online gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that publishes essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews, who was also the ...

''
"Chicago Barbecue: Rib Tips from Lem's Bar-B-Q and Honey 1"
from

Serious Eats Serious Eats is a website and blog focused on food enthusiasts, created by food critic and author Ed Levine. A Serious Eats book was published by Levine in 2011. Serious Eats was acquired by Fexy Media in 2015 and then by Dotdash in late 2020. ...

Chicago's Best BBQ 3: Lem's Bar-B-Q
from

WGN-TV WGN-TV (channel 9) is an Independent station (North America), independent television station in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is sister station, sister to the company's sole radio property, talk ra ...