The Chicago Barbecue Restaurant Guy Fieri Called 'A Mad Scientist Lab' On Triple D

It's no secret that Guy Fieri likes barbecue joints. From the smoked meats to fresh and slow-cooked sides, they're packed with the thing the "Mayor of Flavortown" loves the most about barbecue: tons of deliciousness. Fieri had the best brisket tacos ever at a Texas BBQ joint and just had to keep trying the hot sauce at the Bar-B-Q King in Charlotte, a North Carolina BBQ restaurant that earned his stamp of approval. But when Fieri toured The Tonk (formerly Honky Tonk) in Chicago for an episode of his hit TV show, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives"", his eyes lit up for a different reason. 

Owner and chef Willie Wagner makes an award-winning pulled pork (among other meats), but what delighted Fieri was the the way he combines his ingredients, which had the host likening the kitchen to "a mad scientist's lab." Why? Wagner doesn't measure the ingredients he uses for the major elements in his signature dry rub, the flavor injections, and the unique mustard-beer binder he uses to hold it all together.

In the episode, Wagner brought Fieri into the kitchen to make the dry rub. Wagner names off the spices he's using as he shakes out abundant amounts into a big bowl: onion, crushed red pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and other spices. As he's working, Fieri asked Wagner, "This is how you do it every time? You eyeball it?" Wagner answered with a simple, "Yes." Wagner's injectable Italian dressing/apple juice marinade and the yellow mustard-and-beer binding mixture are also made in the same manner.

The Tonk is impressive right from the jump. It's housed in a 4-story building right in the center of busy Chicago that was once home to a Czechoslovakian social club. The entrance features the barbecue joint's name in bold letters next to murals painted on the side of the building. It's a lively music venue and has all the space you could want for private events. But the most impressive thing about The Tonk is the amount of time owner Willie Wagner has spent in the barbecue pit. He opened the restaurant in 2007, one whole year before his pulled pork took third place at the Memphis in May BBQ competition, but Wagner had been making barbecue long before he opened the restaurant. He's been formulating his recipes for more than 25 years, starting with barbecue for his own private parties.

A melting pot of influences created Chicago-style BBQ, including the Memphis-style southern flavors that set the tone for The Tonk's menu. You'll also find plenty of Chicago-style BBQ staples at the restaurant, like hot links and rib tips, and in a city devoted to smoked meat, The Tonk has received its flowers from customers online. "The Tonk is the kind of place that quietly affirms why Chicago is so often counted among the world's great cities — not just by travel magazines, but by the people who call it home," read one review on Yelp. Another noted, "My favorite was the Dinky Dunker sandwiches with the sweet bbq sauce and the corn bread. The whole vibe of the restaurant is so fun and cozy."