Lilian’s Smoking Rack Barbecue

Amazing service, delicious bbq. Loved the pulled pork sandwich, the sauce was so tasty. They sell the original BBQ rubs as well, can’t wait to try mine at home.

Ok, this is a food truck, so basing this review on the service & food. Was pleasantly greeted and quickly given my order for a fairly reasonable price. And told to enjoy my meal with a nice goodbye.
The portions could have been more generous, but it’s decent for the price. ¼ rack pork ribs were tender, could have used more robust flavor for the rub. I did try their sauce which definitely added to the overall flavorfulness (try the spicy/​sweet Alex’s hot sauce too). I had the side of collard greens which were tasty and not your typically over cooked mushy greens. & a soda, everything for about $ 10. I think a complimentary piece of cornbread would have made me super happy. I’ll still go back for a quick fix of BBQ without the free cornbread :)

At the food truck. Smallest pulled pork sandwich I’ve had, for $ 8.50. Tasty, but way too small.

Got the ribs with cole saw and beans. Oh also got the jar of dry rubs. It’s great to have a place that actually gives you the FULL rib.
We used the dry rub to season some steak tips and it was Delicious!!!
Lilian is from Texas. She really knows her ribs. Thanks Lilian!!!

I suppose I should start this review by saying I am a bit critical of BBQ. One of my hobbies is BBQing, and I take a lot of pride in my sauces, rubs and BBQ. I love to try all different styles of BBQ in the hopes of finding new flavors to try to emulate.
I went there for lunch today and got the Rib Plate with 2 sides for $ 11 plus tax. My sides were collard greens and mashed potatoes. The collard greens were pretty darn tasty. I don’t have a lot to compare them to, but I was happy with them. The mashed potatoes had tasty bits of potato skin in them and were almost creamy. Very delicious.
The problem with Lilians was their ribs. I asked what I should get, ribs or pulled pork. I was told that they’re a rib place and I should get the ribs. They were said to be a rib that was smoked and had a dry rub. I asked if they were dry ribs, and got a yes. Now, if you google image search dry ribs, you’ll see some beautiful cuts of ribs which have nice thick layers of bark, and are very well seasoned. That was not the case with these ribs.
The ribs were okay, they were pretty well cooked, and the bone pulled right out. The way they pulled, they felt like they may have been a bit overdone, but that’s fine as the meat was very tender and juicy. However, the ribs had no bark, and I couldn’t really taste much rub. Also, oddly enough, they kept the membrane on the back of the ribs. Typically, when you smoke ribs, you’ll remove it to help allow the rub/​smoke to penetrate the meat.
Another issue I had with the ribs was the portion seemed a bit small considering the $ 11 plate pricetag. The sign said you’d get 2 to 3. I got 2, which is fine. However, I got what appeared to be the end pieces, which are typically some of your smallest ribs. Small gripe. But 2 ribs and 2 sides for $ 11 is not a spectacular bargain.
Finally, the sauce. First, they only had one type of sauce. That’s fine, as long as it’s good. It wasn’t. It was a bland tomato-​base sauce which felt half seasoned. It wasn’t particularly sweet, nor particularly tangy, nor did it have much of any additional flavor to note. Basically, it tasted like a mediocre store brand BBQ sauce.
In conclusion. While I was happy to be eating ribs, I was sad they wen’t particularly good. Would I go back? No.