2.5 stars for Pride & Joy BBQ in Wynwood

Victoria Pesce Elliott12/31/2012

Lord knows Miami could use some serious barbecue in a fun atmosphere that doesn’t involve wagon wheels or fly swatters.  And I can see why Myron Mixon was tagged to head up just such a joint in Wynwood. From humble beginnings helping his dad run a barbecue sauce business, the white-bearded fireball went on to win hundreds of awards on the barbecue circuit.

The thing is, Mixon and his Miami backers have gotten a bit too ambitious with an encyclopedic menu loaded with every Southern snack or fixin’ and then some. They would have been wise to heed Mixon’s own advice: “Barbecue is a simple food. Don’t mess it up.” Still, after some weeks of tweaking, Pride & Joy has proved pretty darn good at serving up nice slabs of smoked meat, coleslaw and cold beer.

Ambience: They got the look right, with chandeliers of vintage beer cans, saddle-backed booths and well-worn wooden tables. Neon lettering and kitschy signs lend a city edge. B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Led Zeppelin on the playlist make for a fun, if somewhat deafening, time, and staffers have been genuinely friendly on our visits.

What Worked

• Tender, glossy baby-backs ribs with just a hint of smoke
• Meltingly soft sweet, meaty pulled pork
• A bowl of "worth the trip" burnt ends - crispy-edged nibs of moist beef that go down like movie popcorn
• Gently toasted white bread that made for a good sandwich
• Hickory-smoked barbecue sauce
• Four house-made sauces in plastic squeeze bottles range from a sweet vinegar to spicy mustard
• Cooling, creamy Mama’s Coleslaw - an addictively tangy-sweet combination of shredded green cabbage and tomato
• Sweet as candy, soupy baked beans
• Over a dozen brews on tap and twice as many in the bottle
• Banana pudding that tastes like it’s straight off the back of the Nilla Wafer box - creamy, butter-yellow custard that gets extra pop from a shatteringly crisp, brulee coating on the slices of sugar-ripe banana

What Didn't Work

• Dry St. Louis-style ribs
• Smoked brisket that could use a bit more smoke
• "Drier than crackers" jalapeño cornbread with peach butter
• Mixon’s chicken cupcakes - boneless thighs shoved into a cupcake tin, cooked until the skin is melted and slippery and coated in sweet, slightly spicy and overly buttery sauce
• Too heavily breaded & greasy fried chicken
• Disappointing side dishes
• Mac and cheese in a milky orange sauce that resembles school cafeteria fare
• Heavy fried pickles and french fries
• Tasteless collard greens dotted with shredded pork