First off, I ONLY gave this place 4 stars instead of 5 because I've only been there once and i feel like that's not enough to base a 5 star opinion on. Now on to Firebox. I don't get why they have some of the bad reviews that I'm seeing on here, and i suggest you ignore them. Â I went here for lunch one day just on chance and encountered extremely friendly staff (including the owner(s)) and delicious food. Â If you had a bad experience try it again maybe, and if you've never been i would say that its definitely worth a try.
Review Source:I've been here many times over the last few months - at least once a week  - and I have been very happy with the food each time - the buffalo wings are some of the best I have had - especially with the new hotter buffalo sauce they had last week.
I'm somewhat surprised by all the negative feedback recently - but I do notice they are people with only a handful of reviews for the most part so it is hard to quantify that
Yesterday I brought in a group of about 10 from my company and everyone was very happy with their meals - the brisket burrito is excellent (I think half of us ordered that) and again the sweet potatoes are amazing - I'd love to have those as an app with some sort of dipping sauce for example an Irish style Curry sauce - I may have to bring my own in. Â For $9 it was extremely filling for a lunch. Â These were all people who if they did not like it they would have made sure I knew it
Service wise I know they have added additional staff and replaced some of the issues - the service here is excellent and the owner is almost always here - so if you have an issue you should let him know before you leave and at least give them a chance to address it
They just added Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale on draft and I have to say it is really good - although I like the price of the Pabst Blue ribbon at $2 each. Â Tough Choices LOL. Â They really have a nice beer selection - Dogfish (60 on draft and 90 in the bottle I think- Â too hoppy but I know people like that) , Double Bag (Strong like 7.2%) , Sam's Summer, Blue Moon etc.. Â as well as a nice selection of bottle beer
I think the need to put together a beer list so people can see exactly what they do have
I typically get a to go plate from here as well 3 meats with the add on ribs and they have always been full bones and not the small tips - so I think they have addressed that
I would like to see the burnt ends again though - I'd guess those are not an easy thing to produce
There are very few places in New England that 'gets' good barbecue, and I count FireBox as one of the best three near Boston. I can't decide which is the best - their perfectly-smoked ribs or their Afterburner pepper sauce, which makes me pop a sweat. On Wednesday they have some incredibly tasty smoked wings for just 50¢. They said they are going to try some hot-smoked salmon next week, so we are coming back to check that out!  Also, it's one of few fully-stocked bars in Bedford.
Review Source:Good food - wings are great big and lots of meat. Got ribs and cole slaw, onion rings - ribs good and meaty but not fall off the bone style which most people not use to... Cole slaw worth it ... Yum... I'd leave the rings not worth writing home for - same for the cornbread ...
Now we when in early evening and the place was pretty empty ... Sat at the bar ... Nice beer selection...although the waitress was not that informative... But the owner was behind the bar and awesome! Nice, friendly and really taking the time to know his customers!
I'd be willing to spend a few more $ on this place!
I've gone here a few times and have been pretty satisfied. I went last week after hearing about how its gone downhill here to decide for myself. Yes they put a wall over the front counter and moved the register to the bar at the back and yes its awkward to walk through a dining room if you're getting takeout. The staff are still attentive and friendly and more importantly the food is just as good though. I usually go for the pulled pork sandwich with house sauce, but the only thing I've had that wasn't great was the catfish.
Review Source:I had eaten at the Fire Box when they first opened and was fairly satisfied with the food and the service, but upon returning here after their remodel, I have to say, I was pretty disappointed.
As soon as we walked in, I could tell they were understaffed. Two servers for a room of 60+ people should have been my signal to turn around, but we were seated pretty quickly so we decided to give them a chance. The service then slowed considerably from that point on... with each appearance of our waitress being more flighty and disorganized than the previous one.
Finally we got our food and there were several issues. The brisket, although flavorful, was over 50% fat... I mean, I know brisket is fatty, but the majority of the portion shouldn't be fat. I never even got the sweet potatoes I ordered so I can't tell you how they were. My son ordered a burger medium and it came to him completely blackened on the outside, yet raw in the middle. The portions were decent, but the price for what you get was a bit much. Â We tried adding some of their homemade sauces (which we didn't get until we requested some, by the way) to the watery pulled pork, only to find each one pretty much tasted like white vinegar.
I've been to my fair share of barbecue places and I know they aren't intended to be a fine dining experience, but this just seemed like they could care less about what they put in front of their customers.
Firebox is my go-to place for take-out or for hanging out with friends for drinks. It's definitely the cheapest place to go nearby for a nice but casual night out, especially since they renovated and added a bar.
Here are the things I love:
* 50c wings nights on Wednesdays- I spent several years in upstate NY, and while these wings are different than I'm used to, Firebox always has meaty crispy wings with this great smoky flavor, and the Afterburner sauce adds a good, unusual kick
* The owner, Dave, is chatty and friendly
* They have a great selection of BBQ sauces, ranging from mild and flavorful (I love the Mango one) to very spicy (known as the Afterburner)
* Very affordable beer on tap, including nicer selections like Sam Adams and Blue Moon, and also their own Firebox brew, which is well worth a try
* Incredibly cheap prices for the area (you can do a pulled pork dinner and a cocktail or beer for under $15)
* Always good quality meat and sides
* They wrap up take-out in saran wrap so the sauce and juices don't get all over your car
I really don't understand why other reviewers think the prices are too high- compared to other nearby places with a bar like Margaritas or Waxy's, having a meal and a drink here is much cheaper.
The only thing that isn't great is that Firebox can be very inconsistent. I don't think I've ever had the same mac and cheese side twice, and the chili varies from ok to absolutely incredible- think loaded with smoky flavor and big chunks of tender brisket. It doesn't bother me much- it's kind of nice to eat somewhere that doesn't have a chain-restaurant formula, and I've never actually had anything that was less than 'just ok'. Some plates seem to be more consistent than others- I always have good luck with pulled pork, wings, mashed potatoes, beans, and collard greens.
I'm really happy that Firebox is doing well and expanding, and the owner is definitely putting a lot of energy and thought into making this a cool place- he's added a lot of events like trivia night, the wings night, etc. If you live in the area and haven't checked it out yet, you should give it a try.
What happened to this place? Â It definitely went downhill since I last went.
First, why on earth did they switch from counter service to table service? Â I went in there during a busy lunch rush and they had ONE PERSON being the host and waiter for like 15 tables. Â I think it took us 10 minutes just to get seated and we stared at an empty table the whole time. Â The guy was a total mess too. He never asked us for a drink order and after we finished our meal, he took my leftovers and even though I asked him to wrap them up, he just threw them out. If you're going to switch from counter service to table service, you better as well hire enough staff to serve those tables and hire people who actually know what they are doing.
As for the food.
The pulled pork has gone way downhill. It used to be amazing. Now you can barely taste the smoke.
The ribs are OK, but not a great bargain. To add them to a 2 or 3-meat platter, you have to pay like $4 more. Each time I did that, I got a small end that was 2 inches long. Â For $4, you better damn well give me a full rib.
The brisket was pretty good but somewhat dry.
Half of the menu is gone as well...no bacon, no lettuce wraps, no beef ribs.
I think that I have visited FireBox for the last time.
This was an experimental purchase to test the oft-repeated line that there's no decent barbecue in the northwest suburbs. We kept our expectations low and FireBox lived up to them. For a Saturday night of football watching, we ordered a variety of takeout items: barbecue brisket, St. Louis ribs, pulled pork, three sauces, and several sides (collards, dirty rice, baked beans, corn bread). These are essentially the basics found at any barbecue place, and a good way to judge the overall quality.
The mains:
Brisket: Decent flavor, a noticeable smoke ring and evidence of a rub -- but the unexpected chewiness was a probable sign that the meat had been cooked too quickly at too high a temperature.
St. Louis ribs: OK on flavor but again, the texture was way off and much tougher than expected. The silver skin on the bone side wasn't removed prior to cooking so a flap of connective tissue dangled from each surprisingly small rib.
Pulled pork: Fairly generic. Nothing really stood out as a strong positive or negative aside from the meat being cooked into shredded strands instead of the usual pulled clumps.
Sauces:
House sauce: If a fratboy needed to concoct a quick sauce from whatever was in his fridge, it would taste like this. Quick taste profile: ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, Old Bay and Liquid Smoke. Avoid at all costs.
Mango chipotle sauce: the house sauce with mango puree and some additional heat. I guessed Major Grey's chutney but my wife was adamant about the mango puree.
North Carolina vinegar sauce: Fairly basic, as expected, but was the best of the three and not half bad.
Sides:
Collards: Surprisingly good, among the best I've had at northern barbecue places! They're probably cooked with the vinegar sauce as a base; I'd bet the pot liquor would be amazing.
Dirty rice: Not much flavor here at all, no evidence of the usual prep fixins'
Baked beans: fairly generic beans with pulled pork added.
Corn bread: Dry, crumbly. Cooked on a square cake pan.
Here's the tl;dr version: Keep driving south to the usual places in Cambridge or Arlington.
As a fair warning, we have eaten at all of the great Kansas City BBQ joints actually in Kansas City. Needless to say, we know what good KC BBQ is, and firebox missed the mark.
We started with a pumpkin pie cocktail. This was an $8 glass of milk with what seemed like half a shot of whiskey. There was also a little punpkin pie spice on top. There was also nutmeg on top. I have seriously had better pre-packed mixed cocktails, no joke. Well, it's a BBQ joint. What were we expecting, right? Let's move on...
The pulled pork was salty and flavorless. I am not sure f they added any sort of spices, but the salt was definitely overpowering. They don't mix their sauce in with the meat, which isn;t necessarily a bad thing, but it would have possibly helped in this case.
The brisket was a bit dry, although much less salty. Nothing to write home about, but also not nearly as bad as the pulled pork.
For sides we got green beans as well as bakes beans. Green beans looked and tasted like they came out of a can; they probably did. Baked beans were better though. They added their own shredded pork. Still nothing to write home about. I have had better.
This is the first BBQ restaurants that we have visited in New England since out move from the midwest. Did we come on a bad day, or does New England not know what good 'cue is all about?
My wife is sitting here wondering why I did not give this place one star. Well, the food is edible, and I have certainly had worse, although maybe not worse barbecue. If this is what passes for BBQ around these parts, we are happy to stay away. The seafood is to die for everywhere we go, and that more than make sup for it!
We read the reviews on yelp and decided to give firebox a try. We took the waiter's suggestion and ordered the grilled brisket and ribs. The brisket was very fatty and not very good. The ribs were undercooked and quite tough. The should have stayed in the smoker a lot longer. The ribs at Ninety Nine are better cooked. The sweet potatoes were good but over seasoned, the Mac and cheese overcooked and tasteless, the collards were bland and underseasoned, the beans were good, once we added some BBQ sauce. The corn bread was good, as was the beer.
Over all the food was very disappointing. Firefly's and  Redbones are much better. We won't be coming back.
Just OK, disappointing, even for the suburbs. Pulled chicken sandwich was bland, BBQ sauce watery, roll near stale. Dirty rice side also singularly forgettable, bland. Â Service was pleasant, but inconsistent. My food came up almost instantly, my friend's burrito 10 minutes later, with no crowd in the restaurant. Â Seemed to be a copycat attempt of Tennessee's BBQ in Natick concept without the food chops to back it up. No return in the future
Review Source:I'd love to give this place a better rating, but there are just so many things they need to improve. Now, their food has improved a lot since they first opened. It's not the best BBQ I've ever had, but it's good for Bedford considering there really aren't many good restaurants in the town.
The place has seemed to pick up a good business crowd which is good. Their service has improved a lot and the atmosphere is much more inviting. Their chalkboard could use some revisions for making it less confusing.
The two times I've been there, they have younger girls taking orders which can be fine, although they seem really chatty and don't make you feel welcome. With the 30-40 something business crowd, I don't think they mind.
If you do decide to frequent this place try to find what you like and stick to it as sadly it seems like you're in for surprises if you jump around on their menu, especially with the sides.
Had a bad experience here last night. Â I live in town and have tried FireBox before with so so results. Â This is not the first time they have messed up my takeout order.
I had a Groupon for $40, so I was trying to make an order of around that amount. Â I was using a takeout menu at home to calculate the pricing. Â While making my order on the phone, I asked for shrimp skewers and was told they were no longer offered. Â I was offered ribs instead, but was not told of any extra charge. Â I also order fried catfish. Â There was no mention of an extra charge for catfish on the phone nor in the menu. Â When I arrived to pick up my order, the amount was more than I anticipated because of these extra charges. Â I asked to change my order based on my new knowledge of the extra charges, but was told that the order was already made and changes could not be made. Â Therefore, I said that I didn't feel I should pay the extra charge for the catfish since I had no way of knowing about when I ordered. Â
The manager then sternly asked me if they should then "eat the charge" because I didn't want to pay for it. Â I said if the menu had been correct and stated the extra $4.25 charge for catfish, I would be happy to pay it, but the menu didn't say anything about it. Â
They ended up modifying my order so I paid $4.25 less, but when I got home I realized that they forgot to provide cornbread and also only gave me one meat in my two meat combo.
Needless to say, I will not be going back.
Had a Groupon to use and today was the last day of the deal, so as a procrastinator I used it yesterday. I ordered my food as takeout as I wanted to have left overs for the week.
I ordered a full rack of ribs and must say they were pretty good. I prefer more sauce added but the ribs fell right off the bone which is a great! The taste was Delicious for BBQ in New England. This isn't the South so I rate the BBQ at a lower level. All in all, I was satisfied and pretty much gobbled down my ribs. I had two sides of mash potatoes and macaroni/cheese. The mash was delicious but the macaroni could have used some more spice. I enjoyed the corn bread as it was fluffy and moist.
I ordered takeout so can't comment on the sit in service but wasn't happy when I had to wait a minute or two when there were three employee's right in front of me. I would go back again for the ribs and mash not to mention try other items on their menu!
Not so good!  BBQ sauce thin and uninteresting.  Ribs were fatty and, to my taste, undercooked (chewy and bit tough).  Brisket was very fatty and also rather tough, smoky, but with a scorched taste, and chicken tasted like it  was cooked a week ago.  Sides undistinguished:  slaw had no flavor but mayonnaise, mac and cheese below grade school cafeteria quality, mashed potatoes tasted stale and bland.  Sweet, sweet cornbread, not he worst, but very commercial.
Got it as take out at a friend's house, none of us thought it was worth a second try.
I've been to FireBox about a dozen times in the three years they've been open - once every 3-6 months - hoping that they will improve enough to justify more regular visits. Â But it has never risen above the level of serviceable BBQ if you're in a pinch. Â The chicken half is by far the best BBQ they offer. Â But when I'm in the mood for BBQ, I want something that isn't easy to make at home on my own outdoor grill. Â I want slow-cooked pork and beef. Â And FireBox just doesn't seem capable of doing that well enough to satisfy a craving.
Now, they have improved a lot since they first opened. Â In the early months it was just plain awful - canned smoke poured on so thick your eyes watered; meat that was so tough you literally couldn't chew it; burnt ends that seemed to be nothing more than regular slices of brisket converted to charcoal on the grill. Â Three years later, the canned smoke has been replaced by real flavor and the biggest complaint I have is that they don't pull the membrane off the back of their ribs (a short-cut that seems cheap but does not render the meat inedible). Not great, but certainly better than where they started.
The place is super clean, bright and appealing. Â If you're just looking for some calories in the wasteland that is Bedford, MA FireBox will serve you fine. Â If you are craving luscious BBQ, keep driving... this ain't it...
When you walk into FireBox, you get the vibe that you are going to eat something good. The atmosphere is super-casual lunch - perfect for a big, juicy pulled pork sandwich. The menu is huge, but the pork BBQ was what I went for.
Smokey, tender, and unsauced. The three things I look for, FireBox had them all. This was step-above for New England BBQ, and I was impressed.
The sauces were pretty good, with the standard tomato-based sweet/rich number being the most remarkable. The only side I had was slaw, and it was very good.
I want to go back for brisket, ribs, and some of that bacon. The bacon is calling.
I work in the area so I visit this place maybe once a month.
The pulled pork is great and so are their fries, brisket and mashed potatoes. I also like that they brew beer and have lots of different sauces options. The Chipotle sauce is the bomb.
I don't like the pulled chicken, though. Call me crazy but, here's the reason I don't like it: it is white meat, only. So it's too dry for my taste.
You read what I like, it all has that bit of grease that adds extra flavor to a meal. White meat just doesn't have enough flavor. Don't judge. You probably love McDonald's and I'm not judging... just saying.
Great for Wings and Beer
Just came back from an early family dinner courtesy of Groupon. Interesting surfer decor, much nicer inside than out. We ordered spicy wings appetizer, pulled chicken sandwich, a kids cheeesy quesadilla, and a beef, chicken on the bone, and pulled pork dinner. My wife liked the pulled chicken (better than Blue Ribbon) and I liked the spicy wings. The other meats+sides were just so-so.
The beers on tap looked impressive, including a couple of house brands.
With a couple more TVs it could pass as a cool hangout for lunch or beer and wings while watching the game.
Finally got here for lunch after much procrastination (I am cheap and bring my own as much as humanly possible). Went with a pulled pork sandwich, slaw, and a "single" rib (which actually was two, woot!).
The pulled pork was great. Crazy tender, nice flavor and good smoke. Served on a really nice sized bun too - bonus points there. Slaw was great, and went well on the sammich.
The rib(s).. however.. ugh. I was so, so bummed out by the rib that it almost cost them the 4th star on this review. It looked good - well rubbed and dry (a good rib should never need sauce). However.. it took all of my strength to get the meat off of dem bones! What the deuce? That thing was either not slow cooked - or had been under a heat lamp for days. It was so disconcertingly dry and tough that I have to go back and try again. I don't believe a real BBQ joint could serve a rib like that. So - that 4th star may go away. Â
How'd they keep the star? Well.. they have sauces. Lots, and lots of sauces. From vinegar to NC mustard sauce - and a few nice regular ones in between. Serve yourself, meaning you can get all kinds of saucy. Added vinegar to my pork , and dipped it in the other sauces to test. The mustard and the "hot" ones were great. Standard house sauce was decent. Â I was very happy with the sauce.
Another perk here - great atmosphere. Plenty of seats, and a very smart serve-yourself beverage setup. Â They also have some good beers to choose from, which I unfortunately could not test at the time. Â I certainly wish I had a place like this in the 'outter' burbs.
Firebox is close but too far away from being awesome. Two trips, one was three meat platter, ribs, pulled pork and brisket along with sides of collared greens and macaroni and cheese. Ribs were the highlight if not somewhat dry. Nice crisp exterior, nice pinkness in meat, tender and fall off the bone. Good smokiness, served dry with good fat content. Well done. Pulled pork was ok, rather lacking in the taste category. Brisket was dry but had good texture.
Collard greens were excellent along with the macaroni and cheese. Good fresh flavor on collards and excellent macaroni and cheese - good bread crumbing for crunchiness.
Second trip was better. Beef ribs were meaty and tender. Fatilicious if I may say. My only complaint is that they are sauced, leave them dry and let me sauce them. The smoked chicken wings were tender and juicy. Not at all dry with good smoke penetration.
Coleslaw and mac 'n cheese were again good.
Good atmosphere, spacious seats, a laid back atmosphere. Good beers on tap - their house brew was particularly tasty.
For the location, this place is 5 stars. It's some of the best BBQ I've had in New England so far and, considering it's in Bedford, I feel that warrants an extra star.
We had a groupon for $40 worth of food and stopped in on a Sat night to get carry out. We both got three meat platters - mine with pulled pork, brisket, and ribs and my bf's with brisket, chicken, and ribs. We both loved the ribs. They had a ton of meat and flavor and they were super tender (they aren't supposed to literally be falling off the bone!). The pulled pork was def the best I've had in the area and neither it or the ribs needed sauce. If I could only order one thing it'd be that pulled pork! My bf's fav was the brisket (I thought it was a bit too fatty) but he thought  the chicken was a little dry. We both really liked the Chipotle Mango sauce (not spicy) and the house sauce.
For sides, I got coleslaw and baked beans and my bf got double fries. Neither of us cared for the sides, but I've come to accept that in this area where you don't really get good BBQ too often, it's more important to love the meat and sauces regardless of what the sides taste like. I was a fan of the corn bread though!
Overall, this will be our new go to place in the area for BBQ. But that doesn't mean we won't keep trying other places just in case :)
Disclaimer: I'm not a professional I am one person who has eaten BBQ from Louisiana to North/South Carolina and New England. So I can say without reason I know a little bit about it Â
Meal: 1/2 Rack with Cole slaw and Mac n Cheese
The Ribs: Ok so everyone claims their ribs are Pit Smoked its fashionable to say so in the business. Only few can really claim their BBQ is properly smoked. Firebox is not one of those places. To start off Ribs when properly smoked and cooked are to fall off the bone easily split apart and have a smoke ring. These had none they resembled more of a Chinese Spare rib with sauce. Also BBQ'd ribs are not suppose to have char on them and these did. Lastly a BBQ rib should stand up on its own in terms of flavor and rub and should not require a sauce on them when served, these did. Bottomline I felt like I was eating Chinese Ribs slathered with a feeble attempt at a bbq sauce thrown onto a grill for mere heating purposes and then charged for what a full rack of rib costs retail.
The Cole Slaw: I don't know about you or how you like your cole slaw but in my world in should be vinegary with sugar and lots of black pepper and the mayonnaise should be thinned out to the point you have a soup/marinade I should even be tasting mayo and I should be able to see black pepper flakes through out. Nope none of the above
The Mac N Cheese: The one highlight of my Meal although the cheese gave way to more cream and a hing of Garlic more than anything but they were tolerable and eatable.
The Corn Bread: Yeah it was dry and tasteless.
The South Carolina Mustard Sauce: Once again I have never seen Thyme and other herbs mixed into a traditional Mustard sauce yet they seemed to think it belongs and taste good.
The House Sauce: Sour Ketchup need I say more.
Lastly, most BBQ places do not serve burritos as part of their menu they focus on the BBQ dishes and not much else maybe Firebox ought to consider focusing on their staples they are advertising to be rather than supplementing them with other easy to make foods.
Got take out from here for lunch today. My co-worker and I both ordered the fried chicken sandwich. Â The chicken was a little dry but the seasoning tasted pretty good, and I don't mind dry meat as much as most. Â We also ordered a side of French fries (delicious) and mashed potatoes. Â The potatoes were way salty. Not sure if that's how they are normally, or if there was a salting issue today. Either way, if you're a salt person, try these mashed potatoes. Â Aside from the salt issue, the potatoes were good.
What I really like about this place is that they seem to be socially conscious. Â They recycle their cooking oil for bio-fuel, their chicken and beef are free range, and they appear to support the local farmers. Â The staff is really friendly too. Â Would definitely recommend this restaurant and I will definitely be back!
This place is really awesome. Not on the same level as Blue Ribbon, but its definitely good BBQ for New England.
So while it seems take out is the main business they have a decent seating area and even have beer on tap. The selections were pretty good and even had Rapscallion.
The food was also very good with a wide range of selections. I especially like that they offer burnt ends and did them very well. That is something very few places in New England offer. The ribs were good, but not spectacular. They had an assortment of sauces available. The house BBQ was decent, but a bit bland. The chipotle mango was very flavorful, but didn't have much of BBQ flavor to it. The spicy sauce was actually spicy, but retained a good BBQ flavor not letting the spiciness overpower it. They also had a carolina vinegar sauce, but I didn't try it. The sides were also very good. The sweet potato cubes were great. The baked beans were good, but I prefer when they are cooked in BBQ sauce. The mac & cheese was good.
I feel like FireBox owes me a big apology for bringing me to tears again and again - bringing me to tears over how amazing their smoked out -of-this-world delicious meats are, and then to tears again when I go home and count the calories I consumed in just one meal. you hurt me so good FireBox - I just cant stay away from you!
all I can say is: WOW. I am usually a sweets and desserts kinda girl, but the meats here at FireBox makes me embrace my primal carnivorous nature and crave BBQ for every meal of the day! as soon as I left stuffed after my first visit, I was already planning my next trip out. yes, its all the way out in bedford and YES it is totally worth the trek.
my first time, I got the burnt ends with collards, sweet potatoes, and corn bread. yes, the sweet potatoes are good. as are the other sides. sure, Â whatever. look, honestly I was so enamored with the giant slices of lean brisket on my plate, with their signature bbq sauces and carolina mustard, I was transported into another dimension of bbq nirvana. I couldnt see anything else - only meat. smokey, flavorful, perfect. even the chicken was tender and delicious.
I came here just before closing, so I was a bit concerned that it wouldnt be as fresh as say the lunch servings, but it was every bit as excellent as I could hope for. I was so impressed, I have been thinking about my meal here for DAYS.
Ive never been a fan of Red Bones, and was underwhelmed by my experience at Blue Ribbon. I was beginning to think it was hopeless to find good bbq/smoked meats in the boston area - thank you FireBox for being a beacon of hope among the meat-eating masses! very highly recommended.
First time here. Â Ordered the fish tacos. Â The tender moist fried catfish itself was great! Â I think I would have enjoyed the catfish much better as a meal accompanied by a few of their side dishes, and not looking lonely on the corn tortillas with just a touch of an onion/cilantro mix and a wedge of lime.
Saw a sign for live music on Thursday nights from 7-9 (I think blues, which I love), so will have to come back and check that out. Â
Also saw that their chicken is all natural with no hormones or antibiotics and that they serve local farm raised grass fed meats, which is another appreciated reason for me to come back and try other items.
The atmosphere kind of reminded me of Chipotle does BBQ.
Moab is one of my favorite places on earth, so it put me in a happy place seeing pics of Moab on the walls from their local artist.
I really think YELP needs to have 1/2 stars because this place really deserves only 2 1/2 stars.
So I was HUNGRY...like I usually am when it's late and haven't had anything to eat for a long time...and Hubbie had kept me away from food because of something he had to do - so I asked him to treat me to lunch =) I'm sly like that.
I will not blame him for the choice of places to eat - I chose it because he ate at FireBox before and told me about their collard greens (and I love me some collard greens!)
So we went today (Sunday) and it was dead. Â The guy that greeted us was friendly and gave us time to look over the menu - all I could see was MEAT YUMM!!!
So I ordered...1/4 rack of pork ribs, collard greens and rice.
Hubbie ordered...pulled pork, beef brisket, cole slaw (I was too chicken to order it) mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.
let me tell you about my cole slaw thing - Â yea I have one... it's like I love love cole slaw but it seems that not all slaw is the same as the one that I love love - KFC's. Â So I want to try it but I don't want to be the one that buys it just the one that tries it in case it stinks and then I'm left without a good side...does that make sense???
Ok back to my meal.
Ribs - generous but very fatty (I'm not one to complain too much about fat - I mean it's in many things but this was too fatty)
Collard Greens - Pretty good - wished there was more of it (almost as good as mine)
Rice - kinda ambivalent - nothing too good or too bad about it - definately a starch
Hubbie's meal
Beef Brisket - greasy and fatty too - they should have trimmed the fat off that sucker
Pulled Pork - equally greasy - not too impressed and really, truly not pulled, more like chopped
Mashed potatoes - YUM - the saviour, messiah of my hubbie's meal
Sweet Potatoes - thought we were getting them like mashed but instead they were cubed and fried
and last but not least...
Cole Slaw - it was layered with carrots and kinda too big pieces of cabbage - and I think they used onion powder or something in it - it was different. Â KFC still has the best slaw to me!
Oh and they only sell Pepsi products =T Â thankfully I wanted water...
Overall experience was meh. Â I probably would not visit again for the food but the ambiance is nice and the TV was gorgeous.
I loved it.
I'm from New England and I know nothing about "authentic" TX, TN, AK, SC, MS, KS or wherever BBQ... and I don't care one bit. I had a great lunch with a beer for short money at Firebox BBQ and it's definitely going to be added to my list of regular places.
I love BBQ sauce, spice and slow cooked, smoked meat. I love the fact that Firebox makes EVERYTHING themselves and that the meats come from humanely raised animals. I love a cold beer.
I wouldn't order North Atlantic seafood in Austin, so how does anyone from Austin expect "authentic" BBQ in New England? The "drudgery of New England food"? Go home, lad.
I stopped by here on a Monday night for dinner with two friends. Â I'm so glad I did, because I think I found my new favorite BBQ spot in Massachusetts.
I opted for a 2-meat platter with two sides for about $14. Â I constructed my platter with pork ribs, 1/4 of a chicken, some mac and cheese and collard greens. Â I also ordered a Pacifico to wash it down.
My companions went all meat and split a quart of pulled pork and a quart of beef brisket. Â One of them got a slice of pecan pie, as well.
The food was served promptly and we got to chowing down. Â My platter came with 4 nicely sized ribs and a smaller 1/4 chicken than I expected. Â However the portions on my sides were nice and hearty.
I started with the mac and cheese and was pleasantly surprised, since I read a review here on Yelp that said it was lackluster. Â I found it very creamy and cheesy; definitely the quality of something homemade. Â I'm not a huge fan of greens, but I find that if a place does collards correctly, it is a good sign. Â Thankfully, the greens were flavorful and not cooked until they were grey. Â They still had their color and I was even more pleased to find chunks of pork amongst the portion.
I finally tackled my meats. Â The ribs were excellent. Â They had a nice bark and you could taste the rub that had been used on them during the cooking process. Â I was less impressed with my chicken. Â I found it slightly dry and didn't much care for the rub that was used on it. Â I probably should have opted for the dark meat instead of the white meat.
Since my companions had plenty of brisket and pork, I was able to sample both of those a few times. Â The beef brisket was outstanding. Â All of us agreed that this was some of the best brisket that you can find in Massachusetts, if not all of New England. Â The beef was nice and tender, had the perfect pink smoke ring along the edge, and was crusted with a nice rub (I think the same as used on the ribs). Â The pulled pork was also excellent. Â Nice and juicy, complete with a great smoky flavor. Â
Firebox offers four sauces to dip your 'cue into. Â A classic sweet BBQ sauce (not sure if it is Kansas City style or not), an extra-hot sauce, a chipotle and mango sauce, and a South Carolina mustard sauce. Â I found myself using the chipotle and mango sauce the most, which surprised me. Â The combination of smoky spice and sweet fruitiness with the barbecue was terrific. Â
Besides the food, the other highlight of the night was being able to spend a few minutes with one of the owners (I don't think we got his name) to talk about the restaurant. Â We learned he spent about half his life living in the South, but was a French trained chef. Â He was very knowledgeable about BBQ and cooking in general and was happy to talk to us about what he and his business partner were trying to accomplish. Â Very friendly guy and I'm very thankful he was able to step out of the kitchen to talk to us for a while.
I'm looking forward to going back in the near future for some lunch or more dinner. Â I hope that Firebox can survive the down economy and the finicky eaters that our country has produced.
What happens when you take two French trained chefs and let them roll up their sleeves and get messy with a Smoker? Â You get some KICK-ASS PORCINE MAGIC and OUT OF THIS WORLD sauce to lubricate it with !!!!
Boston is at a loss for BBQ options so the 25 minute drive out to Bedford to check out Firebox on a friend's recommendation was somewhat justified, the results however, were off the chart. Â My wife is from North Carolina, so I have had my share of pulled pork, cornbread and slaw down there where its taken as seriously as a heart attack, and nothing in Boston has come close, not until now.
I had the 3 meat combo, burnt ends, brisket and pulled pork, with Collards, beans and slaw and I was in taste and texture heaven. Â I do wish they would trim the fat a bit more off the brisket though, that was the only detraction, however it was just about fell off since everything was so tender.
They smoke all their own meats, so the bacon and the ham that flavor the collards impart a wonderful rich meaty essence to the greens that make them impossible to stop eating, and they are healthy to boot!
But the sauces are what had me at hello ( as well as the Brisket )
They make a Chipolte-Mango sauce that is ethereal, no high fructose corn syrup with liquid smoke garbage here, this is worth the drive alone
The South Carolina style mustard sauce was flavored with Ginger and fresh Rosemary, giving it complexity and depth far beyond the standard Frenches yellow mustard and vinegar offering at Blue Ribbon or Redbones. Â I ended up pouring it over my pulled pork, it was addictive!
The fried sweet potatoes were the best I have ever had, homemade and cut into chunks so they get crispy and not soggy, tossed with Rosemary salt, they are simply incredible!
They still have some things to fix, to be sure, like adding Hushpuppies to the menu or doctoring up the Pecan Pie with some dark chocolate.
As far as the basics go, tender meat, ( local too) and sublime sauces that give you an excuse to eat MORE MEAT, Firebox knocks it out of the park in my opinion, I just hope they do well and open a location a bit closer to the city!
I'm bringing Tony here next time he visits!
So I decided to try my luck at Firebox again because of how much I love BBQ and how sick of fast food I was. And boy I am glad I did. I got the smoked turkey sandwich with sweet potatoes and greens.
The smoked turkey was good, not great and it could have used a little more time in the smoker but did have a nice subtle smokey flavor to it. I was surpised to find that it was served cold but was still suite good.
The greens were also good and they had chunks of the smoked bacon in it. The sweet potatoes stole the show,,,,simple but friggin amazing. Chunks of sweet potatoes fried until soft in the middle but slightly crispy on the outside with the perfect amount of salt.
To add updates to my previous review, 11:30 seems to be the time to go because there was no line in there. Also, it was clean and they seem to have cleaned up their act on the BBQ sauce. There are now massive dispensers of the difference sauces with take home covers as well.
I am going to have to try the pulled pork next but am going to still with those melt in your mouth sweet potatoes!
Guess what I had for dinner last night?
Go ahead, you get 3 guess, and you won't even need the last 2.
Yep, you're spot on with Firebox... or you're way off, and I apologize for giving you false hope. Â Guess you don't need those other guess though, since I ruined the surprise.
This place wasn't half bad. Â It was only about half good (LOL), but definitely the not the worst BBQ dinner experience I've had to date. Â Hence the 3 stars I managed to rate it. Â It has potential here, so I'll return to try a few dishes that I missed out on the first go.
Now, let's get to what we had here, and hopefully point you in the right direction (or a new one). Â :-)
This was a to go order (but I do live close) so to be safe I avoided order fries. Â I checked good ole yelp first, and didn't want soggy fries. Â :) Â Thanks fellow yelpers! Â What I did go with was 2 meat platters with 2 sides x 2 (one for me and one for my girl). Â Both plates had 1/3 slab of ribs, then pulled pork for one, and beef brisket for the other. Â Sides were Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Veggie (sweet corn kernels), potato salad, and mac and cheese.
The ribs were actually tasty, the saving grace I think. Â They were not overly tender, but not chewy either. Â Nice bark to them, but not a ton of BBQ flavor. Â Not a bad taste overall, but could have used a bit more rub/sauce. Â (IMHO)
The pulled pork was... well, different. Â When I think pulled pork, I think stringy, saucy, moist piles of pork. Â It's the classic look, and what I've had at most places. Â Firebox does it more like 'ground' pork. Â Not a horrible idea, as I would imagine it's easier to keep tender, but it was mushy (not a good texture for me) and reminded me of a hash in appearance. Â It had a good flavor, but the mush didn't appeal to me.
The beef brisket was tasty, and tender. Â I had a bit too much fat on the portion I received, so that was a bit upsetting, but overall this wasn't a bad choice. Â Could have been a bit less dry, but the flavor was there.
I wasn't impressed with their BBQ sauce. Â It was very tomato-ie. Â More like a ketup or cocktail sauce then a BBQ flavored sauce. Â Def tasted like something was missing. Â In small portions (a VERY light coating) it worked well with the ribs, but didn't find it to appealing with anything else. Â Their hot version didn't smell, or taste, hot either. Â Just a bit more watery.
The sides were all tasty. Â The mashed potatoes are what most places would call "smashed" potatoes because they leave more chunks in them, and still have the skins mixed in. Â (at least most places I've been) Â My girl mentioned that the mac and cheese wasn't overly cheesy... lol... but she likes it like that so didn't complain. Â :-P Â (I'm personally not a fan of mac and cheese so I'm going with her on this one!)
The cornbread wasn't as sweet as it would normally be at most places I've tried, but that isn't always a bad thing. Â Being from Mississippi, I'm use to a more dry cornbread (not sweet at all) that you would use to basically scoop or soak up some jucies. Â This cornbread from Firebox was like a combination of the two. Â Dry with a hint of sweet for flavor.
Prices were reasonable, but not fast food cost. Â I think I was under $30 for both meals, about the same as I would have spent at Chili's or similar. Â So not a horrible cost over all. Â Service was friendly, helpful, and quick... they server even took the time to plastic wrap my to-go sauces so the cap wouldn't come off and spill in transit. Â :)
All in all I plan to check them out again and try some of the other options + the ribs really weren't so bad. Â
If you're in the area and looking for something different, without the drive to Lester's BBQ in Billerica, then I'd recommend Firebox.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
