bbq in slc (I)

H and I loooooove barbeque (a/k/a barbecue a/k/a BBQ for the rest of this blog).  We once started planning a BBQ road trip whereby we were going to fly to Charlotte, NC, trace a circle on the road map with a 300 mile diameter (or maybe radius, I disremember and am also no good at maths) and then hit as many BBQ joints as we possibly could within that circle in a week.  We are so going to do that trip some day.  I'm drooling just thinking about it.

When we moved here to SLC, we noticed that there didn't seem to be an overabundance of BBQ places.  Greater Portland (ME) has a bunch, all of them different, all of them good: Beale Street BBQ (in So. Portland and Bath), Buck's Naked BBQ (Freeport) and Norm's (Portland) were our most frequently visited spots, and I know there are more that I'm forgetting or don't know about.  [Sidebar: Is Uncle Billy's still around anywhere?]  We asked around and found that two places were recommended the most: Pat's BBQ (heartily endorsed by that kid at Lumpy's who couldn't say half a sentence without dropping an F-bomb) and Sugarhouse BBQ which I drive past twice each day.

There were a couple of H's coworkers from back east in town this week and we got together with them for after-work beers and BBQ at said Sugarhouse Barbeque Company (2207 S 700 E).  Even though we hadn't scoped it out for ourselves yet, we figured how bad could it be?  It's got smoked meats and hoppy brews - it's gotta be good!  And good it was.  They do Memphis-style - which is one of my favorites since the meat is cooked with a dry rub and served with sauce on the side - and also Carolina-style pulled pork - which is another of my favorites because of the tangy vinegar-based sauce - and also Texas-style beef brisket - which I know next to nothing about but am always willing to expand my BBQ knowledge base.

Two of us had the brisket platters, a large serving of chopping smoked brisket served with cornbread (kind of dry) and choice of two sides; two of us had a one-third slab of Memphis ribs (4 ribs) which were good sized, meaty and not too fatty, with a choice of two sides.  Sides include BBQ beans, mac & cheese, collard greens (the greens were quite good - not cooked into mush), several styles of potatoes and etc.  The sides themselves are fairly small but you're really there for the smoked animal parts, so whatever.  There's plenty to eat.

They had several local brews on tap, including Squatter's Full Suspension, as well as Bud bottles and PBR tall boys.  The best part about the beers was that they were only $2 that night.  Whether that's a Thursday night special (there were also musicians setting up to play later on) or an early bird price, it didn't matter. $2 beers are just a bonus when there's BBQ on your plate. 

We definitely have to check Pat's out to see how the two compare, but I'm relieved to know that there's at least one place in town where we can get our BBQ on.