I’ve heard amazing things about Whitey’s BBQ in East Peoria for the last couple of years and I keep meaning to go over there and try out their BBQ and other items on their menu. So you know what? That’s exactly what we’re going to do on this 36th week of our year-long sandwich tour. And we’re not traveling alone in this saucy sandwich journey, this week we’re being joined and driven by...
MBIP Pal, Contributing Writer and owner of ACME Comics, Bob Gordon! How about a little applause for this guy?
Come on, you can do a little better than that...
That’s more like it! Uh oh, while I’ve been worrying about applause I’ve forgotten one thing, to get to East Peoria...
We have to go over a bridge...aaaaahhhhh! Actually, it’s not as scary for me when I’m in the passenger seat, in fact, check it out, I even took a drive-by shot of the Illinois river looming below us! And then it’s back on the open highway and soon...
We’re driving right up to Whitey’s BBQ on Washington Street in East Peoria.
And here we are! Let’s go in and begin week number 36 of our year-long sandwich tour!
It’s nice and spacious in here, let’s head up to the counter. Whoops, someone’s beat us up there, so let’s take a look at the menu that’s on the chalkboard behind the counter, while we wait for our turn to place our order. As you can see, there’s a selection of a half a dozen sandwiches to choose from and they all sound really tasty. I’m going to need a little help in deciding which one to order...
Well as our turn came to be, we met Ashley who’s looking really cute behind that counter and she told me that her favorite sandwich is the Burnt Ends sandwich. That’s the one I was thinking about ordering, so I’m taking Ashley’s suggestion and it’s a done deal! That was easy! Just the way BBQ should be! They obviously know what they’re doing here!
Ashley told us that the homemade sauces are over here on the counter. The clear bottles are the sweeter styles of sauce and the red bottles have a little more spice and heat to them. We took a bottle of each, just to be safe! And there’s Bob at the booth we chose to sit in and I took a shot of from our point of view from our seats at the booth.
As you can see, the chalk board not only serves as a menu behind the counter, it runs the around the entire perimeter of the restaurant. There’s chalk at the counter and customers are encouraged to draw and leave messages on the board. It’s fun to look at all the chalk art and graffiti on the boards in here.
When Whitey’s says they serve “award-winning” barbecue, it’s no boast! Here’s the trophy’s, plaques and ribbons that they’ve won at ribfests and BBQ cookoffs through the years. Pretty impressive and I’m anxious to try this barbecue!
Well, we won’t have to wait long now! Here’s Eric with our order! Time to start sampling the barbecue delights here!
Bob got the two meat sampler of barbecued chicken and brisket and said they were really tender, juicy and delicious!
Here’s my Burnt Ends sandwich which I got with an order of their homemade Mac and Cheese. The sandwich is really packed with burnt ends and it looks and smells so good! It’s going to be rough to pick up this monster of a BBQ sandwich, but let’s give it a try!
Wow, it’s so good! The Burnt Ends are so smoky, tender and juicy! And the sauce is so tasty! I used a little of each and it provides a nice combination of sweet and heat to the smoky goodness of the meat which is crispy on the outside and so succulent on the inside. I had to end up using my fork to eat the sandwich because I didn’t want to miss a bit of it. I love burnt ends from ribs and I’ve never had a sandwich made of them and this was really tasty and delicious!
Of course, we couldn’t go to a BBQ joint and not try out the ribs, so Bob and I split a half rack and these ribs are fantastic! The meat is smoky and fall of the bone tender! And the sauce really compliments the savory meat nicely! Great BBQ here, if you’ve never been I suggest you go and give it a try!
Luckily there was a large supply of napkins at the table and as you can see, Bob and I made good use of them!
Here’s the owner and pitmaster of Whitey’s BBQ, Mike “Whitey” White! Mike opened Whitey’s about four years ago here in East Peoria after years of participating in competitive barbecue cookoffs around the area. The sauce here is from a recipe his Grandmother invented and Whitey tweaked it a little bit and I can verify that it’s delicious! All the meats here are smoked and slow-cooked and I’m anxious to come back and sample some more!
Whoops-a-doozy, looks like Bob has slipped into a BBQ coma! Oh well, we’ll let him sleep it off! Thanks to Whitey, Eric and Ashley for a great sandwich and barbecue and thanks to Bob for driving and hanging out for the afternoon! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Sandwich Rating
Three and three quarters Dagwood Bumsteads—The Burnt Ends sandwich is so good and the other sandwich I want to try is the smoked meatloaf! And try the ribs while you’re there, some of the best in this area!
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131 E Washington Street
East Peoria
309-699-570
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