American BBQ and Pakistani BBQ are two different crafts that rarely share a kitchen. The American style cooks big cuts like ribs and brisket with indirect hickory smoke, low and slow, for hours. The Pakistani style cooks spiced meat fast over direct high heat on a grill. Ribs 'n' Kabobs in Artesia does both under one roof, which is still unusual anywhere in Southern California.
If you have only ever had one of the two, this guide explains what sets them apart, where they overlap, and how to order a meal that covers both.
What is American BBQ?
American barbecue is about smoke and patience. The meat sits in a closed smoker, away from the fire, while wood smoke and low heat work through it over several hours. Tough, flavorful cuts are the point: the long cook turns connective tissue soft and leaves the outside with a dark crust.
At Ribs 'n' Kabobs the smoker burns hickory. Our Back Ribs, Short Ribs and Dino Ribs all come out of it, as does the brisket that goes into our Brisket Burnt Ends and Loaded Fries. The brisket alone takes about 12 hours. The ribs are done when they are fall off the bone tender, then finished with one of our sauces.
The seasoning in American BBQ is mostly a dry rub before the cook and a sauce after. The smoke does the rest. Our guide to halal BBQ in Los Angeles covers every rib cut and sauce on our smoker side.
What is Pakistani BBQ?
Pakistani barbecue is about spice and fire. Meat is cut small or minced, mixed with spices, then pressed onto skewers and cooked directly over high heat. The cook is quick, the outside chars, and the inside stays juicy. This is the food of roadside grills in Lahore and Karachi, and it is what most people in Southern California picture when they hear the word kabob.
Our kabobs cook on a lava rock grill. The menu covers the classics:
- Beef Seekh Kabob. Minced beef, hand-mixed with our spices and shaped on the skewer.
- Chicken Koobideh. Minced chicken seasoned with sumac and saffron, a Persian cousin of the seekh kabob.
- Chicken Malai Kabob. Mild, creamy and tender, the one to order for kids or anyone who skips the heat.
- Chicken Tandoori Boti. Chunks of chicken in a tandoori-style marinade, grilled until the edges catch.
- Grandma Recipe Lamb Seekh Kabob. Our family recipe, in lamb or goat.
We wrote about the mixing and shaping in how we make our kabobs. The grill also turns out Lamb Loin Chops with a choice of Moroccan, spicy or jerk sauce, and there is a whole post on halal lamb loin chops in Artesia.
How do the two styles compare?
| American BBQ | Pakistani BBQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Heat | Indirect, low and slow | Direct, high heat |
| Fuel | Hickory wood smoke | Lava rock grill |
| Cuts | Back ribs, short ribs, dino ribs, brisket | Seekh kabob, koobideh, malai, tandoori boti |
| Cook time | Hours | Minutes |
| Flavor from | Smoke, rub and sauce | Spices and char |
| Usual sides | BBQ beans, mashed potatoes, grilled corn | Basmati rice, naan, green salad |
Neither style is better. One rewards waiting, the other rewards heat. A smoked rib is soft, deep and sweet from the sauce. A seekh kabob is bright, spiced and a little smoky from the char. Eating them side by side is the fun part.
Where do the two styles meet on the menu?
The ribs come in five sauces: Hickory Smoked BBQ, Korean BBQ, Spicy, Spicy BBQ and Tikka. The first four live on the American side of the menu. The last one is where the two styles meet.
Tikka ribs take hickory-smoked beef ribs and finish them with a tikka-style sauce, the same flavor family as the tandoori chicken on the grill. It is a plate you will not find in a Texas pit or a Karachi kabob shop, and it is the clearest example of what a halal BBQ house in Artesia can do that neither tradition does alone.
The Korean BBQ sauce is another crossover, sweet and savory, and it suits the Short Ribs especially well because that is the cut Korean galbi is built on.
How do you get both styles in one meal at Ribs 'n' Kabobs?
There are three honest ways, and none of them is a secret combo:
- Order a Kabob Platter and a rib plate for the table. Kabob Platters come with one to five skewers and sides, so a family can mix seekh, koobideh, malai and boti on one tray and pass the Back Ribs around.
- Order Ribs Platters for a crowd. Ribs Platters come in 10, 20, 30 and 40 pieces, and you can split the sauces across the platter. Add a Kabob Platter and you have a party.
- Order ribs plus a single skewer. If it is just you, get Back Ribs or Short Ribs in the sauce you like and add one Beef Seekh Kabob or Chicken Koobideh on the side.
Sides work across both styles. Basmati rice and naan go with ribs just as well as mashed potatoes and BBQ beans go with kabobs. See the full menu for sizes and current prices.
For events, our catering is built the same way: live grilling for the kabobs and the smoker for the ribs and brisket, served buffet or plated, with delivery across nearby cities such as Cerritos, Buena Park and Cypress.
Visit us in Artesia
Ribs 'n' Kabobs, 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701, is a family-owned, HFSAA-certified, 100% Zabiha Halal BBQ and grill restaurant serving Los Angeles County, Orange County and the rest of Southern California since 2014. Everything on both sides of the menu is hand-slaughtered Zabiha halal, with no pork and no alcohol on site, and you can read about the certification standard at hfsaa.org.
We are a few minutes from the Pioneer Boulevard Little India district, off the 91 and the 605. For directions and ordering, see the contact page.