Depending on the type of egg, the minimum temperature for frying an egg has been measured to be 144-158F. That’s only a few degrees from the ideal “low and slow” temperature of smoking meats–225°F to 250°F. On scorching summer days in Phoenix, television news shows perennially traumatize visitors and tourists by frying an egg on the city’s sidewalks. It would really traumatize viewers if a pitmaster was shown manipulating the low-and-slow smoke emanating from post oak embers on a sidewalk to barbecue a brisket.
In the first decade of the new millennium, frequent business trips brought me to the Valley of The Sun. At that time, there was a serious dearth of good barbecue restaurants in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Among the very few was The Smokehouse Barbecue Restaurant where me and my Intel friends and colleagues practically lived. Incomparable pitmaster Gary West kept us very well fed (particularly on Wednesdays when the amazing smoked burger was featured fare). The Smokehouse was like an oasis in a culinary desert. Business trips to the Phoenix area gave us an opportunity to explore smoked meats and discover very good barbecue away from the Land of Enchantment.
Among our very favorite was Honey Bear’s Barbecue. Just as The Smokehouse was a pioneer in establishing credible barbecue in the Albuquerque area, Honey Bear’s and its founder-owner Mark Smith were laying the stepping stones for other pit masters throughout the Valley. Honey Bear’s has been serving Tennessee-style barbecue since 1986. Tennessee-style is a tradition rooted in slow cooking over hard woods, with smoke doing most of the heavy lifting while time and talent handle the rest. In close proximity to the airport, it’s a popular destination for people flying in and out of Phoenix–and one of the few reasons I enjoyed business trips to the Land of the Sun. Two slogans define the secrets to the restaurant’s success: “You don’t need no teeth to eat our meat” and “Put a little south in your mouth.”
In its 40 years, the restaurant has received extensive local and national accolades. In its first year of operation, Honey Bear’s BBQ won the New Times Best of Phoenix Award. Ever since, they’ve just been racking up the accolades:“ Best BBQ” in 2000, 2001 (for a diet), 2006, 2012, and 2014. Honey Bear’s was recognized by Thrillist in a compilation of “The Absolute Best BBQ in Phoenix” for their hickory-smoked proteins and iconic sweet potato pie. It also has the distinction of catering to the cast and crew during the filming of “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” The Honey Bear’s team has nearly 100 years of experience working together in the kitchen and around the horseshoe of smokers arranged on a back patio.
If Honey Bear’s has any detractors, it may be because its meat is sometimes laden with “imperfections.” While I disdain sinew, a little bit of fat here and there enhances the flavor of barbecue. Heck, it’s been said that fat IS flavor. That’s the case at Honey Bear’s. Meats are not of the 99.9% snowy white purity some people like. Me, I love that sandwiches are overstuffed with moist meats slathered with a vinegar based sauce with plenty of zip and zest. It’s not piquant in the style of New Mexico chile, but will tease and tantalize your taste buds. Sandwiches were my preferred fare during my visits to Honey Bear’s.
My dear friend Bruce “Sr Plata” Silver and I didn’t work together at Intel so he never visited Honey Bear’s with me. He finally had the opportunity to do so some 19 years after my last visit (2007). As the nefarious “Murphy” (he of the ominous “anything that can go wrong will go wrong” law) might have postulated “the more you brag about a restaurant, the worst the food will be when you bring a friend to that restaurant.” Our first indication that Honey Bear’s may not be as good as my recollections was in finding a nearly empty parking lot and restaurant. During the entire duration of our hour-long stay, only one other guest ate at the restaurant’s dining room though there were three or four take-our customers.
18 July 2026: Both Sr Plata and I wanted “two meats platters” but not in the conventional way you might think of two meats. One of the meats my friend wanted was not among the choices categorized as a meat. He wanted chicken strips and beef brisket (the non-conventional choice being chicken strips). The very accomodating pitmaster acquiesed to the request. Sr Plata was surprised at the size of the chicken strips, two crispy, all white, breaded and fried chicken tenderloin planks. They were golden hued and tender. The brisket was chopped. Sr Plata’s preference would have been for Texas-style sliced brisket, but that had to have been requested in advance.
18 July 2026: My own unconventional “two meats platter” (again, approved by the pitmaster), was fried catfish and babyback ribs. Two pieces of crispy fried catfish filets seasoned and breaded were served with a bread roll. Catfish has a mild, slightly sweet, and uniquely earthy flavor with a firm, dense texture that is less flaky than many other whitefish. More than likely farmed, it’s a “cleaner” tasting fish than wild caught catfish. I like mine with Tabasco sauce and ketchup. My other meat was babyback ribs, four per order doused in sauce. Indicative of a knowledgeable pitmaster, the meat didn’t fall off the bone. It had an easy pull and was “just right” in the tender department.
18 July 2026: My two meats platter came with two sides. “Both” my sides were Cowbro beans. Not your typical plain-Jane molasses based baked beans, they are emboldened with generous amounts of hot links, brisket and hot peppers and reside in a thin tomato sauce. Other available sides were Cajun fries, potato salad, coleslaw and cornbread. Among the intriguing menu items for diners who love beans as much as I do is one called a BBQ Sundae (Cowbro beans topped with your choice of BBQ meats and creamy coleslaw and drizzled with BBQ sauce.
18 July 2026: Dessert options include traditional Southern favorites: peach cobbler and sweet potato pie. Both are homemade. In fact, the peach cobbler was still in the oven when we arrived. When we finished our lunch, the piping hot peach cobbler was ready. Sr Plata nearly scalded his tongue on the cobbler. Though he liked it, he would have preferred more crust. He would also have preferred an a la carte version. The sweet potato pie is a rich, velvety blend of roasted sweet potatoes, warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and rich vanilla.
Though Memphis has long been considered among the pantheon of great barbecue regions (along with the Carolinas, Texas and Kansas City), in recent years Nashville has garnered accolades a plenty for its hot chicken. Sugar Bear’s offers its fried chicken on a “Nash’s chicken sandwich” (crispy fried chicken dipped in a special Nashville hot sauce, topped with pickles and coleslaw on a toasted brioche bun. The menu warns “if you can’t handle the heat, order the original.” Hot is definitely the way I prefer my chicken sandwiches.
If you want ambience, go elsewhere. If you want a reliably solid barbecue restaurant, visit Honey Bear’s.
Honey Bear’s Barbecue
2824 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona
602-279-7911
LATEST VISIT: 18 July 2026
1st VISIT: 11 October 2007
# OF VISITS: 3
RATING: Good – Good food, decent service, and a clean environment; provides a satisfactory, dependable, and standard experience
COST: $$
BEST BET: Barbecue Pork Sandwich; Barbecue Beef Sandwich; Cowbro Beans; Potato Salad