Jake's BBQ in... WALNUTPORT PA? HUH?
Sun, 06/11/06 9:41 PM
(
permalink)
Well, this just goes to show; "One never knows, does one?"
So here's the situation. Today was the[URL='http://www.lvmoc.net']LVMOC's[/URL] spring Pocono drive, a 5 hour drive throught the back roads of the Poconos. (This included a stop at Callie's Candy Kitchen for some macadamia nut turtles; mmmm, but that's another story!) The drive ends at a Bennigan's, not so much because we all love Bennigan's but because they have a meeting room that can accomodate 75 people and we get a deal from the franchisee. Anyhow, after picking at something called a "Turkey O'Toole" (yech), I was driving home (about an hour's drive) and while passing through Lehigh I saw a handwritten cardboard sign with an arrow saying "Jake's BBQ". The arrow just happened to be pointing in the same direction I was going, so in a moment I was passing a roadside trailer with a big barrel smoker on the back, and a sign saying "Boy Scouts Fundraiser".
IMO it is a bad omen for one to pass up roadside barbecue. So I turned into the parking lot of the church where the trailer was parked and I was greeted warmly; they'd seen the 58 cars of LVMOC pass by earlier in the day, and they were just as curious about us as I was about them!
After pleasantries, we got down to business. The offerings were simple; $10 adult platter, $5 child's platter. Beef brisket sandwich, pork brisket sandwich, or mixed, pickles and onions or plain, choice of 2 sides from beans, cole slaw, and potato salad. Since I was going to be taking everyting to go for my family of three, I decided to get all sandwiches the same, pulled pork with no onions no pickle, and 2 of each side for everyone to split.
I still had a 45 minute drive, and the smell of smoked meat was very light in the car. Frankly, I had my doubts. BBQ in my part of the world can be pretty awful; it's usually sliced pork kept warm in hot water, on a Stroemann's bun with relish. And I couldn't really smell more than a wisp of smoke, although I was driving in a convertible with the top down. But all was to be turned around when I got home and we opened the styro-packs...
There were three pulled pork sandwiches that must have weighed a pound each, with just a little bit of absolutely heavenly bbq sauce on top, with two of each side in containers that would feed two people easily! How big were these sandwiches? Well, I ate my fill of mine, and I can easily eat half of what's left for lunch tomorrow and the other half for dinner. The pork was exactly what you would want; moist, smoky, meaty flavored, with a nice mixing of burnt ends throughout, like someone knew what they were and wanted to make sure everyone got some! And the little bit of sauce was excellent, with tastes in it that were way beyond molasses and ketchup and pepper and vinegar; someone in Walnutport knows their sauces. This one is superb. I can usually pinpoint ingredients, but these I couldn't name. Both my wife and my picky-eating daughter gave enthusiastic thumbs up.
Of the sides, the beans were outstanding, sweet and oniony, with lots of pork brisket in them. The cole slaw was distinctive and horseradishy, coarsely chopped, with carrot and a little bit of celery seed; I liked it, Mary Joan didn't. The potato salad was OK, nothing special.
But OH! The pulled pork! MAGNIFICO! Man, am I ever glad I stopped there!
You know, I saw the phone number on the sign, but I didn't think to write it down and I didn't think to ask for a card. I thought I could Google the address and ph#, but I couldn't find it quickly. I'll dig some more. Lord only knows who would ever go to Walnutport for anything, but if you're ever there and hungry for Q, this is the place to go.
Tom
