Review: Black Diamond Barbecue
Author: indianapoliseater | Filed under: Food Reviews, Location: Indianapolis, IN
Black Diamond Barbecue
6404 Rucker Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46220
http://www.blackdiamondbbqcatering.com
I’ve driven by this place on Binford Boulevard (it’s on a side street right off Binford) about a thousand times over the years and have never stopped. In all honesty, when it first opened, I figured it would last about three months and then go out of business because it’s not in the greatest location. Three years later, it’s still chugging along and has even expanded to include outdoor seating. Good for them.
Ordinarily, I do all my barbecue smoking by myself, but I was feeling lazy one Sunday and didn’t want to spend my entire day waiting for meats to smoke. So, seeing that this place recently expanded, I figured it must be good and finally gave it a shot (one of the owners was working and gave me a little ribbing by saying, “you know we’ve been here for three years right?”).
What I Got: Hungry Man’s Special (not listed on the online menu), $19.99. This includes three meats (I got ribs, brisket and chicken wings) and two sides (I got cole slaw and macaroni and cheese).
First things first, the name of this combo does not lie…this is a TON of food. Any regular reader of this site knows that I can throw down some food from time to time, but even this was too much for me for one meal. It was actually enough for two meals because they serve you ample portions of all the meats and all the sides. As such, let’s address these individually:
Ribs: I’ve got to say, I was really impressed by these. You often hear the term “fall off the bone” to describe how ribs should be cooked and these ribs fit that description to the letter of the law. They were tender and had a strong smoky flavor. A little greasy, but when you smoke meats as opposed to grilling them, that is to be expected. Honestly, these were the best ribs I’ve had in a while.
Brisket: These were served in a separate container because there was so much of it (LOL) and much like the ribs, this was also tender and had a strong smoky flavor. I prefer my brisket to have juice oozing from it when I cook it and unfortunately, this brisket did not have that. That said, when compared to other barbecue restaurants in the area, the brisket was exceptional. The only reason I can complain at all is because of my ego when it comes to making it myself. Ha!
Chicken Wings: I’ll admit, I don’t know that I’ve ever had smoked chicken wings before and since I am thinking of doing it on my own smoker, I decided to give these a try in order to see what I was in store for. My first impression of the wings was that they were HUGE (a good thing) and there were A LOT of them (a recurring theme). What I found interesting about these wings was that while they were meaty, tender and juicy on the inside, they had a crispy outer skin that provided a nice texture contradiction to the softness of the inside. As with the ribs and brisket, these also had a strong smoky flavor and I liked them quite a bit. So much so that I’m anxious to try this myself.
Sides: Along the lines of the recurring theme, the sides didn’t come in little miniature cups…they came in sizeable containers as you can see in the picture above. The cole slaw was obviously homemade (big positive in my book) and was more vinegar based as opposed to mayonnaise based, which I prefer. It was crunchy and fresh, although it could have used a little something extra to give it some kick. I would rate this as a B/B+ effort.
As for the macaroni and cheese, well, I’ve got some strong thoughts on this one. I will be the first to admit that I’ve never been a huge macaroni and cheese fan because it is so often botched and lazily made (cheeses are too bland, not enough cheese, etc.) in so many different places. Because of that, about the only time I will eat macaroni and cheese is when it is out of the Kraft box and yes, I know that is pathetic. So, in what I thought at the time was an act of stupidity, I decided to give Black Diamond’s macaroni and cheese a try and I am so glad that I did because this was incredible. It was easily the creamiest and richest macaroni and cheese that I have ever had and I loved it. They certainly didn’t skimp on the cheese and unlike most places that I’ve eaten macroni and cheese, they actually used a cheese that had a little kick to it and I LOVED that. Honestly, if you skipped all the meat and just got a huge order of macaroni and cheese, you would be delighted with your order.
Would I Buy It Again? Absolutely and without hesitation. I can see why that despite an odd location, Black Diamond has managed to stay in business and actually expand in the three years that it has been open. This is damn fine barbecue and it will always be my FIRST choice on the days that I decide to not make it on my own. There are not a lot of great barbecue options in this city, so I would strongly advise you to give it a try if you are a barbecue lover.
By the way, Black Diamond caters (one of the owners made sure to let me know that) and also has coupons on my new favorite website, Coupons4Indy.com.
-IndianapolisEater
Tags: barbecue, beef, black diamond, brisket, Chicken, chicken wings, cole slaw, Food, Macaroni and Cheese, Pork, Ribs
This review makes me very happy. I, like you, have been driving past this place every day, and I have maintained a certain level of curiosity since the first time I saw their sign. My first thought when they opened was, “Hey I should give that a try before they go out of business!” The next year my thoughts transitioned to, “They have to be on their last leg… I bet quality has suffered.” But by now all I can think is, “Well they’re still open after all this time so I must be missing out on something.”
This review confirmed my suspicions and I can’t wait to go.
@Andrew: Same here. I have a buddy that lives down that way and every time I go to his place I noticed this bbq joint but never stopped. I think the girlfriend and I are gonna have to give this place a shot. This is a good review because I bet a lot of people have been wondering about this place for a while, and I haven’t seen it talked about on any of the other Indy food blogs.
nice – I’ve also been on the fence for years… I’m a supporter of GT South’s (particularly love the beef manhattan w/ smoked brisket), so it is hard for me to pass them up when I’m in the area. High time I give this outfit some business.
Cheers
-tom
Thanks for posting this – I, like everyone else, have driven past this place a million times but never stopped. I’ll make sure to break that cycle soon.
@tom h: Nothing about GT South’s has ever impressed me. Don’t get me wrong, their food is not bad, but I wouldn’t classify it in the “good” category either. It’s better than average, but not outstanding. Black Diamond, on the other hand, is leaps and bounds better than GT South’s, in my opinion. Of course, you will have to be the judge of that yourself.
I’ve never been here, but one time I went to GT Souths to watch a dude load up on everything he could eat in preparation for a beer belly contest…..he won too!
Ribs look superb, you can even see the meat falling off the bone in the picture. If I ever leave the house, I’ll have to try this place.
Plus, your feet won’t stick to the floor like they do at GT Souths
I must agree. These guys put out an incredible product. Certainly better than G.T. Souths in the rib department. And better, in my opinion, than King Ribs down the road. I live nearby and after passing it for a year or so, went in and tried it. I try to sample BBQ when I travel the south and in Kansas City. This will give any BBQ place a run for their money. I like the mild/sweet sauce or a mix of mild and hot, however would not object if they offered a Carolina vinegar based sauce as well. I believe they are affiliated with a church in some way, as some of their employees mentioned something along those lines.
@Robert: Thanks for the comment and I agree in that they are definitely better than King Ribs. I’ve got to say though that I wasn’t a huge fan of the sweet sauce although I did like the hot sauce. The sweet sauce just seemed to thick and way too sweet to me, which is odd because I mostly prefer the taste of sweet sauces as opposed to spicy sauces.
Wow! I’m so happy to see this glowing review. I live about a mile away and have been hesitant to give this a try. No more!
My neighborhood throws an annual bbq party, and this year we’ve hired Black Diamond to do the catering. After eating their food in the restaurant, we’re excited to see what they do at the event next month!
that sounds nice. I live in NC. barbecue means pig. but if you have never had beef briscuit, slow cooked, you are missing somthing good. its like ant barbeque, beef or venison. and mac an chesse out of the box is not pathetic at all. its like rice brocoli and cheese casserole. realy good, or really bad. like ribs. or seafood. the best places dont advertise. they dont have too. kinda like laywers, insurance companies or car dealerships. when ever I see an advertisement on tv, I know its not gonna be very good. but that looked mighty nice. now excuse me while I eat this rice, brocolli and chesse casserole. thanks wibi.
I’m with tom h, I usually go to GT Souths when I’m getting bbq down that way but I have been to Black Diamond a few times and it is very good also. I’m all of a sudden craving bbq. Thanks Indianapoliseater.
I moved here from Dallas, TX about a year and a half ago, so when I saw you review a BBQ place and said how great it was, I was honestly prepared to be disappointed.
Made a special trip this evening to grab some, and Black Diamond has some damn good BBQ. Brisket was amazing, and the ribs were superb. I also got the pulled pork, which was good, but I can’t justify having that vs the brisket and ribs. Also have to agree on the mac and cheese being excellent. Tried the potato salad, which was tasty, but I think I’ll try another side next trip.
There are also three sauces: mild, sweet, and hot. Mild is traditional BBQ fare with some spice, and is tasty. Hot is actually on the hot side, and tasty too. The sweet BBQ sauce is odd — has a strong pumpkin sweetness, which I didn’t care for overall. Mixing the hot and the mild is the way to go in my opinion.
Keep up the good work guys!
I’ve been to Black Diamond a few times. I used to live just off Rucker Rd. on the other side of Binford.
I always thought it was good.
However, I also used to bring my dry cleaning to the place next door. I’d pick up my clothes and I’d want to eat them.
So just a cautionary tale for all of you that may think it is a good idea to drop off your dry cleaning at the same time you pick up your Barbecue……
You have to give a whirl to any place named after one of the better KISS songs.
After reading this review, I ran down there Friday night and got carry out for hubby and me. He had the half-slab dinner and I had the Ribs and Chicken, subbing wings for the 1/4 chicken. I have to say there was a TON of food! The guy even said it was a lot for two people! We had leftovers, which is fine with me. We got the sweet sauce, which was good, but I might try the mild next time. The ribs are AWESOME, and the chicken wings were too. Loved the mac and cheese, but will try something other than cole slaw next time. It was okay but not stellar.
Thanks for the recommendation. Hope they’ve had an uptick in business since your post!
Looking at the picture of mac and cheese just gave me a mega craving … and I’m trying to eat healthy this week. Thanks, IE
Nice review, but wow…….a lot of money!!!!! I can get 1 1/2 pounds of whatever bbq the place makes plus sauce bread, two sides and pickles and onions for the same price, and the place has been featured in Texas Monthly’s best bbq places. Keep up the good job on here.