BBQ: 4505 Meats Vs. Texas

The food stand hamburger specialists at 4505 Meats just opened up a brick and mortar BBQ location at Divisadero and Grove Streets in San Francisco.  Naturally I ran down there as fast as my little piggy legs could carry me.

The best Brisket I ever had was at Franklin’s BBQ in Austin Texas.  The place has become a bit of a national sensation in the last couple years.  After being featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, it’s now being victimized by 3+ hour lines on a nearly daily basis.  The new 4505 Meats & BBQ reminded me a lot of my Texas BBQ experience and gives Franklin’s a run for its money.  In both places the staff was warm and welcoming, they serve you meat at a picnic table and on a traditional piece of butcher paper, and the brisket is delicious and nearly melts in your mouth.  There were some notable differences though, first of all, in the Texas Spring it’s 100 degrees in the shade, and there are horse flies the size of Volkswagons buses, but that of course is part of the charm.  In San Francisco it’s 62 degrees in the sun and the flies can no longer afford to live here.

Now let’s talk about the food.  The 4505 brisket had all the hallmarks of great BBQ, it had a nice healthy smoke ring, good flavor, and it was incredible tender.  Tenderness is very important because the brisket is famously the toughest cut of meat on the cow, so smoking it at a low temperature for 10+ hours is the best way to make it taste phenomenal.  Now for the ‘sides’.  In Texas they give you a stack of wonder bread and scoop of potato salad, but in San Francisco they give you a buttery dinner role and chimichurri fries which in unison with the brisket was good enough to make my toes crack.

4505 BBQ Brisket Plate with 2 sides $12

I also ordered the famous 4505 cheeseburger ‘to go’ because I loved eating their burgers at the food stand they do outside the Ferry building on Thursdays…and because I had the full intention of eating it for dinner that evening.  The burger lasted for about 20 minutes after getting it home before I devoured it…and yes it it was delicious…and yes, I am a little ashamed of myself.  (Those burgers will be available until 2 am for you weekend Divis bar hopping and Independent rocking crowd).

4505 Meats is a winner for a lot of reasons, their CSA policy for meat (Community Supported Agriculture) is one of them. 4505 CSA is about buying meat and produce directly from local ranchers and farmers, which is just a smarter and better way of doing business.  The cows are grass fed in a pasture and the chickens are given French first names and personalized life coaching sessions.  Ok, I made up that last part but if you would like more info on why Community Supported Agriculture is so great just click here for CSA San Francisco website.

The Menu for 4505 takeout is here, and I’m told they are going to expand they’re patio in the coming months to accommodate larger herds of foodies, so we have a big nice outdoor patio on Divis to look forward to.

4505 Meats & BBQ
705 Divisadero@ Grove St
[Western Addition]
Open 7 days a week
10:30 am – 10 pm Sunday – Thursday
10:30 am – 2 am Friday and Saturday (late-night menu after 10pm)
Call 415-231-6993 or email bbq@4505meats.com