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| - Pork and Beans is hands down the best bbq in Pittsburgh. For a little background, of the 5 of us that ate there on Saturday, 2 of us are official judges with Kansas City Bbg Society (KCBS) a group that sanctions bbq competion world wide. We have all eaten bbq from the best in the U.S. We ordered a vast sampling of the menu including the coffee dusted wings (incedible), jalapeno cornbread balls, (very nice) and then the meats. Since this is all served family style piled on a tray Texas style, we all decided to sample hard. The meats were tri-tip, pork ribs, brisket, beer can chicken with piri-piri sauce. Our sides were the collard greens, mac and cheese, bbq beans w/brisket. Our waitress was great. She explained what everything was, reviewed all the available sauces, and was knowledgeble about the whole operation.
In the bbq world, brisket is the hardest meat to cook properly. P&B has nailed it. Juicy and flavorful while being extremely tender, without being over smoked. Just outstanding. Tri-tip is a rare treat as it is mostly served in the west. It too was beefy and tender, sliced thin and served med. rare. The chicken was a little spicy for some of our group, but was cooked perfect. The white meat was moist and tender, a big challenge for most cooks. The ribs were fall of the bone tender, but still had a nice texture and were not mushy or overcooked. Collard greens were perfect, tender, but still had a firmness to them, not too salty like some get, and had a nice flavor from the cooking liquid. Next, mac and cheese. They had a perfect ratio of pasta vs. cheese with a nice bit of a crunchy bread crumb topping. Exactly the way you wished mom would make it.
Last, the bbq beans. Since beans are dish that seems to be one that people either like in general or never eat at all, these were very good. They had chunks of brisket mixed into a spicy sauce and a variety of different beans resulting in a nice flavor and varing textures of the mixed beans. We had more food than we could eat, which allowed for a nice bag of leftovers to take with us.
I would like to comment on the pricing of the meats offered. Some people will be suprised at the cost of the meat which is sold by the half pound. You need to know that to cook bbq like this requires extremely long hours and you need to start with high quality meat. A brisket takes up to 16 hours to get to this level of tenderness. You also need to tend to it, not just throw in the smoker and walk away. The brisket served at Pork & Beans is as good as you will find in any place in the country. I've tried.
Overall, the experience at Pork & Beans was what I dreamed about for Pittsburgh. While every menu item won't be your favorite, the combination of appetizers, sides, and meats to choose from will leave you planning your next visit while still enjoying your current one. This, my friends, is the real deal. Eat up and "Get fat-n-happy"!
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