{"id":4956,"date":"2013-11-19T23:57:57","date_gmt":"2013-11-20T07:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/?p=4956"},"modified":"2017-05-23T11:30:14","modified_gmt":"2017-05-23T18:30:14","slug":"wood-ranch-bbq-grill-irvine-spectrum-media-tasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/?p=4956","title":{"rendered":"Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill @ Irvine Spectrum – Media Tasting"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve never had BBQ before coming to the US.\u00a0 I honestly don’t even remember when I was first introduced to BBQ.\u00a0 But I clearly remember when I first visited Wood Ranch in Anaheim Hills, I fell in love with the Baby Back Ribs.\u00a0 It has been a regular spots for our family gathering over the years.\u00a0 You can imagine my excitement when I received an invitation for a new menu tasting hosted at the Irvine Spectrum location.<\/p>\n

How does this location differ from the other locations I’ve been to?\u00a0 It’s not just the big neon sign with the cowboy riding a bull, but the big a$$ fan hanging above the reception podium.\u00a0 You heard it right; that is the name of the HUGE fan – the BIG A$$ fan!<\/p>\n

\"\"We kicked off the evening with some yummy starters – Fresh Salsa & Chips, Spinach-Artichoke Dip and Fresh Guacamole.\u00a0 I loved the Half & Half with Shredded Onions + Sweet Potato Fries, two of the most popular starters in one. \"\"We were also treated to refreshing cocktails like\u00a0WR Margarita (Sauza Hornitos Plata tequila, freshly-squeezed lime and orange juices)\u00a0and Raspberry Ranch Lemonade (Cruzan Raspberry rum, fresh lemonade, raspberries). \"\"The Carolina Pull Pork Sliders (pictured below top) can be had as appetizer to share or even as an entree.\u00a0 The Killer Wings were everyone’s favorite appetizer (pictured below left) and can be ordered in Buffalo, Fiery or Habanero-Peach BBQ.<\/p>\n

New on the menu was the St. Louis Ribs (Dry-rubbed & smoked, choice of BBQ sauce on the side) (pictured below bottom right).\u00a0 I could not believe how tender these were.\u00a0 The secret rub, which I actually got the recipe, was absolutely amazing!\u00a0 There was no need for any additional sauce.\u00a0 Someone recently asked me where they could get great dry-rub ribs.\u00a0 Hands down, Wood Ranch has got them!<\/p>\n

\"\"It was such an honor and treat to meet Chef\/Partner, Alex Benes, aka, Sultan of Smoke, who shared a wealth of information with us from the different cuts\/types of meat, different techniques in grilling and smoking BBQ\u00a0 and how to easily apply dry rub. \u00a0 \"\"Perhaps the most intriguing moment was when he pulled out the Spit Jack Magnum Meat Injector Gun.\u00a0 I’ve never seen it before.\u00a0 Chef Alex explained that this was used if you wanted get some extra flavor deep into your meat that went beyond rubs and marinating.\u00a0 In case you haven’t noticed how funny he was, just take a look at picture below on the right.\u00a0 There were many loud laughs throughout the evening. \u00a0\"\"Also new on the menu was Natalie’s Salad (Baby greens, candied pecans, Gorgonzola, avocado, cucumber, balsamic vinaigrette) (pictured below top).\u00a0 I absolutely loved it!\u00a0 I would order this with my meal or even as a meal itself.<\/p>\n

Tuscan Kale Salad (Baby greens, candied pecans, Gorgonzola, avocado, cucumber, balsamic vinaigrette) was such a beautiful salad, too.\u00a0 I have just recently discovered kale and have grown quite fond of it.<\/p>\n

\"\"I had no idea Wood Ranch severed Short Rib.\u00a0 It turns out that it is not on the menu because it’s not always available.\u00a0 But please make sure to ask because if they have it, you must order it.\u00a0 They were so ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ tender and flavorful!\u00a0 I honestly wanted to just pick up that whole piece and took it home.\u00a0 LOL!!!\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

When I go to Wood Ranch, I often order a WR BBQ Combo with All-American Baby Back Ribs and WR Tri Tip, both were on the plate below along with Texas-Style Brisket.<\/p>\n

\"woodranch-65\"<\/p>\n

If you have been to Wood Ranch, you know how addicting the Garlic Rolls are.\u00a0 I was happy to see some Broccoli served with all the meat, but even more pleasantly surprised to see the Fiery Green Beans which tasted a lot like the ones found in Chinese restaurant.\u00a0 The good old Mac and Cheese was a familiar side.\u00a0 But take note of Smashed Sweet Potatoes (unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of).\u00a0 It was sweet, smooth and creamy.\"\"We were pretty stuffed by now and we still had desserts to come.\u00a0 But Chef Alex wanted us to try the Brisket Burger 2.0 (Chipotle-cherry BBQ sauce, Famous Shredded Onions, toasted sesame-seed bun).\u00a0 It looked really good but I couldn’t take a bite because I needed to save room for dessert. \u00a0 \"\"Our mouths almost dropped when all the desserts came out.\u00a0 OMG!\u00a0 I had gone to dessert heaven!!!<\/p>\n

Mom\u2019s Deep-Dish Cobbler (pictured below left) – Peaches or Granny Smith apples, whole grains, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla ice cream.<\/p>\n

Warm Chocolate Cake (pictured below upper right) – Flourless Guittard chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, hand-candied pecans.<\/p>\n

Pumpkin Spiced Cheese Cake (pictured below lower right) – Seasonal for the holiday.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"The Best Cheesecake (pictured below top) – Classic graham cracker crust, raspberry sauce, fresh berries.<\/p>\n

Oreo\u00ae Cookie Crunch (pictured below bottom) – Vanilla ice cream hand-rolled in ground Oreo\u00ae cookies. Served with raspberry or hot-fudge sauce.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now do you see why I love Wood Ranch?\u00a0 Everything was delicious!\u00a0 But you will also be happy to know that Wood Ranch also offers Gluten-Free for those with special dietary needs.\u00a0 Also check out the Wood Ranch Kids menu that offers more than just Mac & Cheese or Chicken Tenders.\u00a0 In fact, there are 11 items such as Beef Rib, WR Tri Tip, Baby Back Ribs, etc. I love that the kids can enjoy adult food in smaller portion.<\/p>\n

Allen and I would like to thank Murphy O’Brien Public Relations, Chef Alex and the entire staff at Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill at Irvine Spectrum for their hospitality.\u00a0 Before I even wrote this blog post, we have already gone back for more at the Anaheim Hills location.\u00a0 You don’t have to drool over the pictures, either.\u00a0 There are 14 locations in Southern California, so find one nearest you and enjoy some delicious BBQ!\u00a0 Don’t forget to pick up a few gift cards for the holiday.\u00a0 You can also order them with free shipping.\u00a0 Right now, if you buy $50, you will receive a $10 complimentary card to be used in the first quarter of 2014.\u00a0 Check out the details on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
\n57 Fortune Drive, Suite 230
\nIrvine, CA 92618
\n(714)974-6660
\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve never had BBQ before coming to the US.\u00a0 I honestly don’t even remember when I was first introduced to BBQ.\u00a0 But I clearly remember when I first visited Wood Ranch in Anaheim Hills, I fell in love with the Baby Back Ribs.\u00a0 It has been a regular spots for our family gathering over the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"pp_embeds":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[246,68],"tags":[102,101,829,600,79,128,552,828,296,259,831,127,140,832,830,301,827],"class_list":["post-4956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial","category-restaurants","tag-baby-back-ribs","tag-bbq","tag-beef-rib","tag-burger","tag-cheese-cake","tag-chips","tag-cocktail","tag-dry-rub","tag-happy-hour","tag-irvine","tag-margaritta","tag-salsa","tag-short-rib","tag-slider","tag-spectrum","tag-sweet-potato-fries","tag-texas"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/woodranch-84.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3lTx3-1hW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4956"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9571,"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956\/revisions\/9571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendyfulworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}