Saturday, October 10, 2009

Will Brake For BBQ


Stop! There's smoke. And where there's smoke, pouring out of a cooker, there's bound to be good barbecue, right?

I don't know how many times I've tried to find the holy grail of meats cooked low-and-slow over wood in the Pacific Northwest. I thought I had hit the jackpot today in Duvall, a teeny town north of Woodinville.

Ordered up the Bone Jour at Armadillo Barbecue. A combo that included beans, potato salad and slaw on the side. The meat -- cooked over alder -- looked so promising. But... it was underseasoned, the sauce was too sweet, the chicken was dry and the ribs were too fatty.

I really, really wanted to love Armadillo, which has been open about two months in this location. (The original is in Woodinville.) The staff was so nice. The price was right, under $10 at lunch for the generous combo. The sides were excellent. But the meat just missed the mark. I doctored it up at home with some Rendezvous dry rub and sauce. Much better.

Is it possible to find great BBQ in/around Seattle? I'm not convinced.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The best I've found is the Roadhouse just a bit south of Olympia.

Leslie Kelly said...

Yes, I did like that place. Except... the sandwiches were served on bread that got soggy instantly. (Toasting it might help.) And there was a puddle of watery sauce on the plate.
But I did enjoy the ribs.

Neil said...

Leslie, have you ever considered adopting one of these places and teaching them about "Memphis" style barbecue?

Fred Deaton said...

You just need a Memphis roadtrip to taste good BBQ.