THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN:
Iron Pig Ale House, 1520 Garnet Ave, Ocean Beach San Diego, Sunday, June 4th, 615pm
Iron Pig Ale House, 1520 Garnet Ave, Ocean Beach San Diego, Sunday, June 4th, 615pm
THE BETTER BITES SAMPLED:
Meat Sampler Plate: smoked wings, brisket, pork ribs
Soul Food Sunday Special: BBQ Shrimp, spicy cajun sausage, BBQ pork belly over cheese grits and light southern corn gravy.
NOTEWORTHY & INTERESTING FACTS
- Been open since 2014
- Tuesday is the fried chicken special and Thursday pastrami sandwich special
- Rick Daniels is not only a born and raised TX BBQ wizard, but he is also a formally trained culinary chef.
- West Texas style BBQ is what they specialize in (my favorite)
- Every Sunday is a new soul food special theme combining the cuisines of Creole, traditional southern and TX BBQ.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS:
As my 4th major BBQ spot in SD to make my debut at now, this one ranks as one of my favorites. Mostly because it offers my favorite kind of Q.......West TX style! Spicy/sweet/smoky dry rub BBQ meat slow cooked for hours. This is where the real magic happens IMO. You let the meat's natural flavor, texture and aroma do the work and then "nudge" it just a bit further with either white oak, hickory or mesquite wood. Dry rub seasoning is left to the pitmaster and I have rarely ever found a dry rub I do not like to be quite honest. Others may have their opinions on how they like their Q but this is mine and that's that.
Rick does a fantastic job with his BBQ meat items as well as showcasing his obvious culinary talents with the Soul Food special I had. Taking such a combination of items and making them into something familiar and traditional yet 100% new on the taste buds. I have just 2 more big players in town to hit to have completed the best of the best for TX style BBQ. At that time I can try if I dare....to rank who is the top dog. The venue seems to attract from across every demographic one can think of. I think truly good BBQ has that unique ability, to pull in every walk of life possible. Something about the aroma and concept of man's evolution of consuming deliciously smoked and tender meats!
