November 19, 2008 E-MAIL PRINT

True barbecue waits for you

by Brion O'Connor/

When Mount Washington Valley slopes close for the day, those with a taste for authentic barbecue head to Moat Mountain in North Conway and wash it down with home brew. (photo: Bill Lee)

When Mount Washington Valley slopes close for the day, those with a taste for authentic barbecue head to Moat Mountain in North Conway and wash it down with home brew. (photo: Bill Lee)

Who can explain the odd attraction between skiing and Southern fare, especially when those dishes are slow-cooked just right and doused in a rich, flavorful barbecue sauce? Who cares? If it works, it works. And there are few better options that I know of than a big plate of ribs to cure my après ski hunger pangs. There are as many types of good ’cue as there are favorite ski runs in New England, so here’s a sampler. You won’t go wrong with any of these.

BBQ Bob’s Real Pit Barbeque
Bethel, Maine
therealbbqbob.com
Can you say “au-then-tic,” as in the real deal? The brisket and ribs found at BBQ Bob’s, on Route 2 between Sunday River and Bethel, are as genuine as southern barbecue gets. Despite a name that sounds like a bayou original, BBQ Bob Ballou is a Yankee through and through, though he says he’s “as patient as any Southerner” when it comes time to cook, and he’s been “slinging ’cue” for the past 20 years. He and business partner David Nivus, who owns the Good Food Store next door, opened BBQ Bob’s in 2006 in a blaze-orange trailer — “Graceland” — with a commitment to true BBQ roots. This means 100 percent wood-fired meats (only oak, apple and cherry woods make it to Bob’s smoker) and side dishes made from scratch.

The “house” specialties include a mouth-watering beef brisket, pork flat ribs (“like Mom used to make, after she got out of prison”), and Elgin smoked sausages imported from Texas. Bob’s slow-cooked meats are dry-rubbed with spices and dressed up with one of two sauces — a traditional, tangy, tomato-based model or a habanero-infused “wild” variety. The setting might not be ideal for skiers seeking something cozy (though Ballou and Nivus plan on installing a tent this winter), but it’s a small price to pay if you put a premium on great barbecue. “For people skiing all day, what’s a few more minutes outside on a picnic table?” Nivus asked. “Plus, the food will keep ’em warm.” Guaranteed.

Two more BBQ joints worth visiting as you motor through Maine, especially if you’re making the long haul to Sugarloaf or Saddleback, are the Riverfront BBQ & Grille on Water Street in Augusta (riverfrontbbq.com) and the Beale Street Barbeque on Broadway in South Portland (mainebbq.com).

Cider House BBQ & Pub
Waterbury, Vt.
ciderhousevt.com
From one Route 2 to another, two states away, the Cider House BBQ & Pub in Waterbury tempts skiers fresh off the slopes at Stowe, Sugarbush, Mad River Glen and Bolton Valley with an intoxicating mix of Southern hospitality and indulgence. Owners James Dotson and Thomas Sullivan opened the Cider House, situated at the old Farr’s Roadhouse, in 2007. Their vision was an upscale barbecue restaurant featuring local meats and produce and local talent. They snapped up chef Tara Tracy, a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, and watched her create some Southern magic with a decidedly Northeast flavor. The result is a restaurant with a remarkably welcoming atmosphere, at once intimate and gregarious, and a menu of true comfort food that will satisfy even the most hard-core BBQ cravings.

Meats are smoked in-house, heated to order and smothered in one of three house sauces — mild, spicy and bourbon. You can get your pork ribs bone-in or boneless, small or large portions. The beef brisket and pulled-pork dinners also might sway your taste buds. Or you can opt to sample from two- or three-way combo plates. Even the “Southern Lights,” such as the BBQ sandwiches, are served with two delicious side dishes. Choose from horseradish potato salad, caramelized onion mashed potatoes or maple baked beans with bacon, among others. Plus, the Mac Jack hard cider from the nearby Grandview Winery is a real treat. Trust me, this cider house rules.

If you’re north of Waterbury, in Stowe, and prefer to stay close to home, visit the Sunset Grille & Tap Room on Cottage Club Road (sunsetgrillevt.com) for your BBQ hankering. Likewise, if your ski adventures take you farther south, to Killington, a terrific option is the Back Behind Restaurant & Hickory Smokehouse at the junction of Routes 4 and 100 (backbehind.com).

Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
North Conway, N.H.
moatmountain.com
Restaurants don’t always thrive on the real estate mantra of “location, location, location,” but the Moat Mountain Smoke House makes the most of its prime North Conway locale near Wildcat, Attitash, Black Mountain and Cranmore. Just a quick spin from any of these hills (and even Bretton Woods, for that matter), Moat Mountain is on the northern side of North Conway and worlds away from the outlet malls found a few miles south. Housed in a beautiful, historic home, the restaurant offers three great BBQ dinners, two for less than $12 (no small consideration for those of us footing the bill for the entire family).

The first, a beef brisket, is a personal fave. It’s dry-rubbed and pecan-smoked, glazed with a spicy mustard and habanero Austin BBQ sauce. The second, which also promises to prompt a Pavlovian reaction, is a Carolina-style smoked pork butt doused with a sweet and tangy Kansas City BBQ sauce. Last is the decadent, apple wood-smoked St. Louis ribs, almost too succulent to describe. To wash down this bevy of barbecue, Moat Mountain offers seven home brews — including a Cathedral Ledge Lager, Smoke House Porter and Square Tail Stout — that perfectly complement the fare. Best of all, if you plan ahead and grab one of the five rooms at the inn upstairs, you won’t have to worry about squeezing your BBQ-bloated belly behind the steering wheel (at least until the next morning).

For travelers heading east along Route 302 from North Conway, or the Kancamagus Highway from Conway, the Pig’s Ear BBQ on Main Street in Lincoln, just a mile or so from Loon Mountain, is an open-kitchen oasis.

Route 7 Grill
Great Barrington, Mass.
route7grill.com
Name any Western Massachusetts ski area — Bousquet, Jiminy Peak, Catamount, Ski Butternut, Otis Ridge or Blandford — and you won’t be more than a short hop to the Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington. Don’t let your initial reaction sway you. The yellow façade of this Main Street eatery is ordinary, at best. Same for the décor inside. There’s nothing wrong with it, mind you. It’s all clean and neat, with a nice big stone fireplace to warm your bones, but at two years old it hasn’t developed the requisite New England charm. Instead, the “wow!” factor is saved for the menu. Laden with pork ribs, sausages, beef ribs and beef brisket, the Route 7 Grill is a BBQ-lover’s mother lode.

Hungry? The grill’s massive beef “short rib,” an oxymoron if there ever was one, is a slab of lightly smoked protein (affectionately known as the “Dinosaur”) certain to cure any iron deficiencies you might suffer from. The same holds for the generous portions of meaty baby back ribs and tender spare ribs, served with a perfect balance of sweet smoke and natural flavors, prepared exactly to order. The secret is the grill’s whey-fed pork (yes, the cheese byproduct, supplied by nearby Berkshire Cheese Makers). The meat from these pigs is rich and moist, and the finished product reveals an age-old truth in the culinary field: You’re only as good as your ingredients. Just don’t make the mistake of judging the Route 7 Grill by its cover.

For great barbecue stops on the road east from the Berkshires, consider Westside Steak & BBQ on Richmond Avenue in Worcester or Williker’s Tex Mex and BBQ on the Hartford Turnpike (Route 20, near Route 9) in Shrewsbury.

Yankee Smokehouse
West Ossipee, N.H.
yankeesmokehouse.com
It’s not the best career move for ski writers to disparage certain “ski roads,” so I’ll keep my opinions about Route 16 between Dover and Conway to myself. However, I will say that amid the crawling traffic, overpriced “convenience” stores and overbearing billboards is an American barbecue classic — the Yankee Smokehouse. Much like a paper mill town, you can smell the Yankee Smokehouse long before you actually see it (a much more pleasant experience with the latter, I assure you).

Dominating the corner at the confluence of Routes 16 and 25 in West Ossipee, the smokehouse is typically bathed in a thick fog, the smoke produced by the large open-pit fires alongside the building that seem to be blazing all day long. Inside is a simple, unadorned dining area that clearly emphasizes eating. And it’s hard to imagine anyone leaving hungry. The restaurant’s signature dish is the prized smokehouse ribs — juicy, melt-in-your-mouth spare ribs. I’ll often go for the smaller, leaner baby back ribs, which are just as tender but a bit sweeter to my palate, or the hearty beef brisket. You can choose between small or large dinners, but you’ll end up with a doggie bag if you opt for the latter (which includes BBQ beans along with cole slaw, garlic toast and fries). Rest assured, you won’t break the bank either way.

If you’d rather get to a real highway before braking for dinner, Portsmouth offers two super rib joints: MoJo’s BBQ Shack on Islington Street (mojosbbqshack.com), and the Muddy River Smokehouse on Congress Street (muddyriver.com).

Brian O’Connor writes about sports, travel and food from his home in Hamilton, Mass.

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