Speedy

Matt’s BBQ is an example of legit Texas barbecue in Portland

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Name: Matt’s BBQ
Date: 9/13/24
Address: 4233 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Order: Two pounds brisket, two pounds of pork spare ribs, 2 jalapeno cheddar sausages, 2 original sausages, mac and cheese, slices of Dos Hermanos potato bread (link)
Pricing: $$

Monk: It’s that time of the year again: the annual gathering of our group of friends who graduated from High Point Central High School (this year was the 18th iteration). And with that gathering, for better or for worse there is usually barbecue. To wit, last year us Barbecue Bros forced the rest of the HPC Bros to check out Wilson County Barbecue in Portland, Maine, which was a great representation of NC whole hog.

This year, we found ourselves in the Portland located on the other coast, and after consulting Daniel Vaughn’s recent Top 50 Texas Joints Outside of Texas list after a morning hike at Wahkeena Falls, we pointed our GPS towards Matt’s BBQ and made our way towards the food truck park off N. Mississippi Avenue.

Little did we know that our lunch at Matt’s would lead to the biggest disagreement on rating to date for the Barbecue Bros. Will we survive? Ok, that’s probably overstating our disagreement on ratings but read and find out…

Speedy: Let’s start with the atmosphere. Matt’s BBQ is situated in the middle of a food truck park, with lots of picnic tables, other food trucks, and most importantly, a beer truck. I thought this was a super cool area, especially with the perfect weather we had. Certainly a cool spot to hang out, have some food, and get your grub on.

Rudy: I thought the brisket was really well done, especially for being that far away from Texas. There was plenty of fat (well rendered) that kept it from drying out. It was easy to pull apart (good for sharing) but was not a bunch of mush. The best bites were at the ends, which led to Speedy’s upcoming complaint about consistency of seasoning.

Speedy: The ribs were quite big and meaty, and cooked well, but unfortunately I thought they were inconsistently seasoned, which I also thought was true of this brisket. While there were certainly some good bites, I want to taste the salt and pepper seasoning in every bite, with full permeation of the seasoning throughout the meat. So, good quality meat cooked well, but could have been better seasoned and probably could have gotten a little more smoke on the meat.

Monk: Personally, I found no issues or inconsistencies with the brisket or ribs being under seasoned, so I was on the more positive end of the spectrum. I was on the other end of the table for our group of 8 and there was nothing but positive vibes there. And if I am recalling correctly, we finished everything on the two platters. That may be on account of my precise ordering abilities, though…

We ordered two of each of the sausages, of course accommodating Speedy’s lack of tolerance for dairy. Both beef sausages came pre-sliced which made it nice for our group but made it hard to gauge the snap in the sausage. Regardless, I felt like it was a well executed beef sausage on both fronts.

Rudy: I loved the jalapeno cheddar sausage and thought there was a good amount of spice (but not overwhelming) and plenty of creaminess from the cheddar. I thought the heat from the jalapenos did not overwhelm the flavor of the sausage but complimented it. 

The sides were also tasty and there was a big variety of options to order. However, my favorite thing of the entire experience was the pickled onions. If I had told you going into a barbecue restaurant that the best thing you’d eat would be the pickled onions, that would pretty much be a huge insult to the meat but that was not the case with Matt’s. The flavor and crunch that they added to each bite (and also by themselves) was great. The acidity of them really cut through the savory fat of the meat and added to the experience.

Speedy: Personally, I went into Matt’s with super high expectations, as I’ve been to several of the joints on the top 50 list referenced above, and left all full and happy. So while I thought the barbecue was good (and would visit Matt’s again), I was not blown away, which is my expectation for the top 50. That may not be fair, as Portland is not exactly known for barbecue, and sans list (and expectations), I would have probably been pretty happy. That said, Monk, Rudy and the other guys really enjoyed it, so I’m open to the possibility that my taste buds were just a little off that day. Hopefully, I’ll find myself in Portland again to give Matt’s another try. 

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 3.5 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Favorite Bites from last month’s Carolina BBQ Festival

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Note: a version of this article originally appeared last month in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

Monk: For this year’s edition of the Carolina BBQ Festival, while some pitmasters were new  and the festival changed locations from Camp North End to Uptown (not to mention it was now part of the Charlotte SHOUT! Festival), not too much changed in terms of the quality of the barbecue served from two years ago when I went to the first edition of the festival.

Speedy: Well, here was one other big change: your boy Speedy made an appearance! I happened to be in town to catch a couple final Charlotte Hornets games as a season ticket holder and Monk’s Spring Break travels aligned with us going to the festival on Saturday.

On the drive in, Monk gave me a rundown of the scene (i.e. the pitmasters) before the festival, and I must say I was pretty excited about the volume of talent from all across the great state of North Carolina (oh, and the lesser Carolina as well). We arrived to beautiful weather on a warm Saturday, checked-in, got our wristbands for some refreshing beverages, were issued our silverware, and we were off to explore the smoked meats across Victoria Yards. 

Monk: Elliott Moss made his third straight appearance at the Carolina BBQ Festival and while he is now under his own banner of Moss & Moore Barbecue instead of Buxton Hall Barbecue, he brought his ever-familiar whole hog. They may have been out of slider buns for us but with a few dashes of vinegar-pepper sauce in a cardboard boat this whole hog was reminiscent of the pork from Buxton Hall, of which we are both big fans. 

Moss did give me a little bit of an indication of what will be next for him as he posted last month that he would be leaving Asheville this spring, but I will leave the details of the forthcoming announcement up to him. What I will say is that it looks like he is staying in the Carolinas and will still be cooking whole hog barbecue. More to come from Moss in the coming weeks and months.

Speedy: Walking up to Jon G’s Barbecue tent, I saw a heavenly site – a tower of beef rib bones – and I knew we were in for a treat. Beef rib slider with pickled onions on a potato roll? Yes please! The bar is high for Jon G’s and they did not disappoint. This sammie is what dreams are made of, and this is my winner for bite of the day. 

Monk: I always enjoy catching up with Matthew Register of Southern Smoke BBQ at barbecue festivals, and for this festival it was a family affair with his wife and three kids in tow helping him serve some delicious smoked cheese burger sliders. Despite some issues with wood, Register more than delivered on this burger and was one of two non-traditional barbecue bites that stood out on the afternoon.

Speedy: I am on record as saying that any item that is not strictly smoked meat is secondary in the barbecue setting, but City Limits Barbeque made me question that stance with the pork belly hash and Carolina gold rice. I would easily eat a generous portion of this as a whole meal and might even be willing to venture to Columbia some time to check out the full experience at the James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Southeast, which was announced just days before the festival.

Monk: While they were out of consommé by the time I got there, the mini smoked brisket quesabirria taco with avocado salsa from Lawrence Barbecue was still one of the highlights of the festival for me. This was the other standout change of pace bite from the more traditional barbecue served throughout the festival. It’s also a nice crossover of Lawrence Barbecue with owner Jake Wood’s sister concept Leroy’s Tacos. Both are worth making the trip to Durham for a visit, or perhaps Wood’s upcoming barbecue festival next month in Raleigh, Gettin’ Piggy With It, another great collection of Carolinas barbecue talent.

Speedy: Monk had been raving to me privately about Sweet Lew’s sausage game for a while, so I was pumped to get to sample a link at the festival – and it did not disappoint. The sausage was flavorful and smoked perfectly, and did not crumble. The man knows what he’s doing around a sausage stuffer.

Monk: Phew! The Barbecue Bros attendance at this year’s Carolina BBQ Festival came together at the last minute (big thanks to friend of the blog Chigger Willard of The Low and Slow Barbecue Show) but thankfully Speedy and I were able to make it happen. 

It’s such a great festival in large part due to the effort by Lewis Donald along with so many others. Next year, I can’t recommend enough for anyone within driving distance (or even beyond like in Speedy’s case) to make the trip to Charlotte and attend because there’s not too many other instances where you can taste so much good barbecue from throughout the Carolinas in one afternoon.

Pecan Lodge in Dallas continues to be a must-visit

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Name: Pecan Lodge
Date: 1/6/24
Address: 2702 Main St., Dallas, TX
Order: “The Trough” (1 beef rib, 1lb of pork ribs, 1lb brisket, 1/2 lb of pulled pork & 2 sausage links), half pound turkey, collards, fried okra  (Link To Menu)
Price: $$$

Speedy: On my second day of Dallas, it was time to return to Pecan Lodge, a barbecue mecca that I had not visited since 2018. Arriving at around 10:50 AM, ten minutes prior to opening, my group of three was greeted with a small line of maybe a dozen people ahead of us, far shorter than the last time I visited, in the before times (aka in 2018). After a short wait, it was our turn to order.

When it comes to ordering at Pecan Lodge, you only have to make two decisions: 1) what sides do you want? (we went with collards and okra); and 2) what meat(s) do you want in addition to The Trough (we went with turkey)? I cannot stress this enough – you must order the Trough at Pecan Lodge, regardless of how many people you are with. The only exception is if you have a big group and need to order two or more Troughs. Not that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about the food.

The brisket was just as I remembered – peppery and flavorful – and remains the top dog at Pecan Lodge. There’s not much to say about it other than it remains in my top tier of brisket ever tasted, the likes of which you would be hard pressed to find outside of Texas.

The other 5 hog item from my last review was the beef rib. I’m sorry to report that the beef rib did not quite live up to those 5 hog expectations next time. The rib was still very good – meaty, cooked well, and tender, but I felt it was a little under seasoned this time.

The other meat that I was slightly let down by (mostly due to crazy high expectations) was the pulled pork. While tender, the pork was a little dry this time around, and frankly needed some sauce. Thankfully, there was plenty of vinegar sauce available to remedy this, but the pork was probably my least favorite part of the meal.

On the positive end of the spectrum were the ribs. In my latest review on Terry Black’s Barbecue, I went on the great rib rant of 2024, only for the barbecue gods to deliver me two good rib experiences in a row. I had previously been disappointed by the ribs at the Lodge, but on this date, they were meaty, perfectly cooked, seasoned well, and delicious. I would put them a notch behind Terry Black’s (that glaze was good!) but still very good.

The sausage and turkey were both above average, and the sides were everything I remembered (aka really good); recommended all around.

All of that was a lot of food, which meant tons of leftovers. Which means, dear reader, it’s time for a new category – reheatability.

Monk: Wait a minute, I thought we needed to take a vote to introduce a new category…

Speedy: …I’ve found that reheating barbecue can be a hit or miss activity, causing dry meats to become inedible and otherwise damaging meats that are not seasoned appropriately. None of that was a problem for anything at Pecan Lodge. I’m not sure how they did it but every meat (and the okra!) from Pecan Lodge re-heated wonderfully with 20 minutes in the oven. It was honestly as good heated up later as it was at the restaurant. 5 hogs!

One challenge about going back to the scene of a heavenly barbecue experience is that expectations have changed. There is no surprise left, and anything that is less than perfect is magnified.

Monk: That was…beautiful, Speedy.

Speedy: That said, the meal at Pecan Lodge was still an amazing experience, and among the best meals I’d had in a long time. If you’re in Dallas, it’s still a must visit.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Brisket – 5 hogs
Beef Rib – 4 hogs
Pork Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Pulled pork – 3.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Turkey – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4.5 hogs
Re-heatability – 5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs (the brisket is that good, y’all)

Terry Black’s Barbecue Delivers on Brisket and Turkey

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Name: Terry Black’s Barbecue (Dallas)
Date: 1/5/24
Address: 3025 Main St., Dallas, TX
Order: Brisket, pork ribs, (original) sausage, turkey  (Link To Menu)
Price: $$

Speedy: On the first weekend of the new year, I went down to Dallas to spend the weekend with a couple of friends. I had already prepped the squad that a visit to Pecan Lodge was a must, which we had planned for Saturday afternoon but that left Friday night open, at least cuisine-wise. When searching close by restaurants, I came upon Terry Black’s Barbecue. Obviously I am familiar with the Black family, and I remember quite fondly my 2014 visit to Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart. So I asked my (normally non-barbecue) bros if they wanted to double up on the ‘cue. They agreed and it was on.

We arrived at the restaurant, which was a typical Texas cafeteria style joint. It was fairly crowded (not many open tables), but only around 5 people in front of us in line, so the wait was short. Side note: Terry Black’s in Dallas has a nice, large outdoor space with plenty of tables, but this evening was a little chilly so it was empty.

We went through and ordered sides (green beans and mac &cheese) and got to a meat station. One thing I really appreciated is that once you got through the sides line, there were several meat slicers, since that takes a little more time. This moved the line really quickly. We got our order, found a table, and it was time to dig in.

Being a Texas joint, let’s start with the brisket. We were not asked whether we wanted fatty or lean brisket (not sure if this is still a thing – we were not asked at Pecan Lodge the next day either), but we ended up with lean. The worry here, obviously, is the brisket getting dry, but that was not the case. Cooked perfectly and moist, the brisket was very good. My only complaint is I felt it could use a little more seasoning.

The other Texas staple, the original sausage, was also good. It did not fall apart when sliced, had nice flavor, and a nice hint of smoke. While enjoyable, nothing really set it apart, and it was probably my least favorite meat of the meal.

Let’s take an aside to talk about ribs. For whatever reason, I’ve really struggled finding solid pork ribs lately. Often overcooked, over seasoned or over sauced, and often overly fatty, this feels to me like a (mostly) lost art form. (Shame note: This has extended to my own rib smoking. Ole Speedy will be going back to the drawing board with his rib technique in 2024.) Well this was not a problem at Terry Black’s. Perfectly seasoned and cooked spare ribs, I was able to get a nice clean bite. There was also a nice, sweet (but not overly) glaze on the ribs, enhancing the smoky flavor of the meat.

OK, saving the best for last: the turkey (yes, I said it). Monk and I are both on record discussing our appreciation for good smoked turkey. Well, this turkey breast took the cake. Moist, buttery, well-seasoned, and with smoke and seasoning permeating every bite of the meat, this was the best turkey that I’ve ever had. While the perfect bite of brisket still shines as the top bite in barbecue, this turkey definitely deserves a seat at the table. It is an absolute must order and something I will dream about.

Rudy: I really don’t have anything to add other than to state that I am firmly in the anti-turkey camp. Mostly because there are so many things that I would rather have than it.  Also, the worst part about this review is looking over it and looking back over my review of Terry Black’s in Austin from 2015. It makes me miss good barbecue so much (Editor’s note: Rudy moved to Michigan from Austin a few years back). I’m looking forward to the upcoming Pecan Lodge review because it may have been my #2 favorite place, definitely top 3, when I lived in Texas.

Speedy: Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Terry Black’s Barbecue. I always worry about “chain” barbecue restaurants, but with only 3 locations, quality at this Dallas location was still on point.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Brisket – 4.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Turkey – 5 hogs
Sides – 3 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs