• DINING •
Rodney’s Ribs
902 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena 626-818-7427 @rodneysribs
Rodney’s Ribs: Slow and low n a recent Sunday afternoon, on the northwest corner of North Lake Avenue and Mountain Street, a quiet buzz of activity in the CVS parking lot told another local culinary success story. It’s a story of the challenges of success. Pitmaster Rodney Jenkins of Rodney’s Ribs hustled mightily to keep up with the demand for his luscious racks of smoked pork ribs and slabs of brisket at his Pasadena trailer. “I’m selling out extremely fast,” Jenkins said. “People love it. They’re coming right back. I already have repeat customers. It (the press attention) did catch me offguard, but it’s nothing that we’re not adjusting to as we go along.” By about 3:30 p.m. on this Sunday afternoon, Jenkins’ claim was fully supported. The ribs were all but sold out and Jenkins was encouraging a stream of prospective guests to return around 5 p.m. for the next batch of racks finishing on the rotating smoker, inside the trailer. Meanwhile, Mike Eing from Sierra Madre returned for his second visit of the day to sample the smoked brisket. He polished off a half rack of ribs, a few hours earlier. According to Eing, it’s not all about the ribs and brisket though. “The baked beans are the best in town,” Eing said. “The ribs were great too. They fell right off the bone, all in one piece. It was great.” The beans are one of five side dishes on the menu, which also includes green beans, potato salad, cole slaw and mac and cheese. They’re all made fresh daily by Jenkins’ mother, Johnnie Jenkins. Those beans do have a rarified provenance. “She learned how to make the beans from her auntie, who used to cook for Gin-
ger Rogers,” Jenkins said, referring to the late film star and dancing partner of Fred Astaire. Jenkins is a second-generation Pasadena native, having grown up in the northwest side of town, where he still lives, and is a proud graduate of Marshall High School. That said, his grandparents on both sides were from Texas. Any family influence on his barbecue? “Texas is a center point of barbecue,” Jenkins said. “That’s where we learned how to do brisket, from people in Texas. They have it down pat, melts in your mouth. It’s always been there on (the menu). It was originally going to be pulled pork, instead of brisket, but I have friends, who don’t eat pork. They persuaded me to change to brisket.” Jenkins’ path to becoming the most celebrated pit master in Pasadena was circuitous and largely unplanned. “I didn’t see this coming. I’ve got to tell you. I’ve always barbecued, my whole life. That part I knew was always there. But where it was leading to? No, I didn’t know,” Jenkins said. After graduating from Pasadena City College, Jenkins worked as a payroll administrator for various entertainment companies. “I was in the office one day,” Jenkins said. “My boss came up to me and reprimanded me about some paperwork that I thought was just so petty. With that, I started gazing out the window (and thought) ‘I got to get out of here.’ I was staring out the window and a big rig drove by.”
Photo by Luis Chavez
O
By Frier McCollister Pasadena Weekly Contributing Writer
16 PASADENA WEEKLY | 08.26.21
PW-08.26.21.indd 16
8/24/21 3:21 PM
