So a while back, the Boston Globe posted a round-up story about barbecue joints in New England. And last Sunday, the Patriots had their bye week, so you know what we had to, right?
Armed with a bottle of Russell’s Reserve bourbon, some Grappa, and New England’s own maple spirit, Cabin Fever, our journey began. Thankfully we planned ahead for this one – there was a sober driver, courtesy of First Choice Limo. We trudged over an hour to Sturbridge, Mass. Aside from a quirky village, Sturbridge is home to B.T.’s Smokehouse, where we scored a rack of pork ribs, a brisket sandwich, and a pulled-pork sandwich.
Well, on this particular trip, the ribs sure looked pretty to the eyes. Sadly, they were a let-down to the mouth. Our rack was a little overcooked, and may have sat around a tad too long. It’s a shame, too, because the ribs have potential – gritty rub, nice bark, pinkish meat and a light smoke flavor all hinted at the promise of what could have been.
The brisket sandwich was a home run. It went so fast that – gone before we knew it. After the initial meat sampling, we slathered on a bit of the house sweet sauce with a touch of the hot. The hot sauce is hot, perhaps ridiculously so to a barbecue pallet, but if you like it hot, then this is for you. The sweet sauce was nice, thick enough texture so that some of it sticks to the meat. The pulled pork fell a notch below the brisket, but was also an excellent sandwich. We tried a touch of the house mustard sauce on the pork sandwich….then a touch of the Eastern Carolina-style vinegar sauce. Both of these sauces were also good, but this sandwich is a pleasure served plain!
BT’s should be commended for the extremely fresh bulkie rolls our sandwiches were served on – very noteworthy. Also noteworthy is the simple fact that these guys really know what they’re doing. We’ve crisscrossed the country in search of barbecue – Kansas City, Memphis, Lockhart – and BTs serves up real good barbecue, that is very reasonably priced, and goes great with bourbon!
Good thing we ate light…because an hour and twenty minutes away Chester’s Barbecue awaits in New London, CT.