Purveyors of great barbecue are known to guard their recipes like winning lotto tickets. Robert Adams Jr. of Honey 1 is no exception. "There's honey in it," he laughs, "and that's about all I can tell you." Robert Sr. mans the smoker, a skill he mastered while growing up in small-town Arkansas. When business flagged at the old West Side location, he packed up the racks, tips and links and headed to hungrier ground. Now in Logan Square, his ribs have hungry "cue" connoisseurs picking bones clean like they haven't eaten in weeks.

Honey's tantalizing ribs peel apart almost instinctively. "A lot of people want to know what the secret is," Robert Jr. says. "We take it out of the box, wash it off and throw it on the grill. You just have to know how to slow cook them ribs." The Adams men do it with cherry, hickory and oak in a slick new four-by-eight-foot pit. Slather on their sharp, sweet sauce and it's practically a class one narcotic. A half slab with white bread, fries and slaw goes for $9.75, and a full one sells for $17.50. Those who don't dig pig can order up wings, catfish or jumbo shrimp with gizzards and fried okra on the side.

In between barking orders, Robert Jr. jokes with customers waiting at the counter, happy to see such a diverse crowd filling his 40 seats. He chuckles when a woman claims Kansas City ribs just can't be beat. "Kansas, huh? I guess they don't know about that Arkansas style! It's the best kept secret." With catering available and delivery on the way, it won't stay a secret much longer. BYOB to this BBQ.

Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Foreman