Two Places in Cuenca Where You Can Get Real Texas-Style Ribs

Missing American BBQ? Two Cuenca restaurants are doing Texas-style ribs the right way — low and slow, with real smokers and no shortcuts.

The Rib Company

Run by Osmani Aguilar, The Rib Company is all about the ribs. They serve both St. Louis and American-cut ribs, sold by weight, with a preparation process that takes patience seriously.

The method: a dry rub with 16 spices, followed by a 12-hour rest, then 12-hour low-temperature cooking. That's a full day before the ribs hit your plate. The house standard? "If the bone doesn't pull out clean, the ribs don't leave the kitchen."

The sauce is a custom blend of panela, bourbon, and garlic — a nod to Texas with an Ecuadorian twist.

Beyond ribs, the menu includes smoked pork chorizos, loaded potato skins, extra-large wings, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and a bacon cheesecake that sounds wrong but apparently works. Wash it down with a Coke float or a Jack Daniel's Lemonade.

Pájaro y Bestia

Owner Leroy Kent built his operation around a 3-meter black steel smoker fabricated in Azogues from San Antonio, Texas plans. That's a custom smoker built in Ecuador from Texas blueprints — and it shows.

The star is the St. Louis ribs, marinated and smoked over applewood for hours. But the brisket might steal the show: a 48-hour brisket that Kent has turned into a weekend ritual. Add smoked sausages, pulled pork, and pork chops cut 4cm thick.

Sides run classic American: mac and cheese, coleslaw, dirty rice, cowboy beans, and chorizo. The "Big Ass" combo is shareable and apparently lives up to its name.

Find Pájaro y Bestia on Ordóñez Lasso, across from the Oro Verde Hotel. They're open Fridays and Saturdays from 1:00 PM — plan accordingly, because they do sell out.

The Verdict

Neither place is trying to reinvent BBQ. They're trying to do it right, with real smoke, real time, and real fire. If you've been settling for grilled chicken and calling it close enough, these two are worth the trip.

Source: CuencaHighLife