The view to the ‘cue

Big W Roadside BBQ

“Glorious!” is a very apt description of the scenery yesterday as we went on a wee road trip to forage for BBQ in upstate New York. Mother Nature pulled out all the stops with her fall foliage extravaganza as we made the two hour trek to Big W Roadside BBQ in Wingdale, New York. “Delicious”, “Abundant” and “Extremely Friendly” is how I’d describe the fare and the folks there.

I am on a mission to try more country ‘cue. I find that most of the BBQ I’ve had at places I’ve been to in the city is way over-smoked and it’s hard tell which meat is which. I will say that I am partial to the brisket from Fette Sau—Mmmmmm… As I understand it, you can’t use a smoker that allows a lot of smoke to escape in the city without breaking health, building and environmental laws. That’s fair enough, but it doesn’t make for good barbecue. Out in the country you can smoke freely and outside and you can taste the difference in the Big W ‘cue.

Big W has a pretty extensive menu featuring their mainstay of meats and heaps of sides, specials and desserts. My one gripe is the misleading “Try It All” option where you get chicken, ribs and a choice of pulled pork or brisket with side/s. If one must choose between the brisket and the pork this is clearly not an opportunity to try it all. After a two hour trip, I wanted it all, so I asked for the $30 “try it all” platter for two with the brisket and a pulled pork sandwich. The lady sized us up and said, “That is way too much food for just the two of you.” So we got the $20 platter and the sandwich which was way too much food for the two of us.

All in all the meat was really delicious and distinguishable with the ribs and the super-moist chicken being the highlights. It came with two great sauces. One a savory caramel onion and vinegar base and the other a spicy, sweet and sticky more traditional BBQ. The coleslaw was perfect. It had a nice crunch and was not too sweet. I think I would have liked the side of smoky beans with huge chunks of smoked pork in it if it were a side dish on a non-BBQ meal. I think the sides with BBQ should offer a bit of relief from and contrast to the BBQ. The portions are ridiculous (not a complaint — at all). Four people could have been quite happy with what we ordered (in this pic we had already had a nibble and the pulled pork sandwich is not pictured). I will be eating the leftovers today and possibly tomorrow…

We followed up the feeding frenzy with a long, stressful (for me with my vertigo) walk on the Walkway Over The Hudson. For folks without an unreasonable fear of heights the new “park” is a stunning stroll especially with the kaleidoscope of fall colors as a backdrop.