LITTLE ROCK — Out of the 45 barbecue restaurants visited, here are the fourth through 12th finishers.
Tie 4th, Pig’n-Chik
Pig’n-Chik’s meat may not possess those pretty purple smoke rings, but it’s juicy and tender with a pleasant flavor. But where Pig’n-Chik really succeeds is its perfect marriage of hot barbecue sauce with pulled pork. The mild sauce served up by the restaurant is tough to beat; but the red-top hot barbecue sauce is on another level. It’s barbecue sauce nirvana.
Tie 4th, Sims
Throw out the question: “What’s the best place to get barbecue in town?” The answers are plentiful, otherwise this barbecue adventure would be pointless, but Sims will surely be named. It’s an institution; well-established through decades of finely chopped, smoky meat smothered in a smoke-filled sauce served between two pieces of white bread.
5th, Fat Boys
We dined on Fat Boys for a late Saturday lunch early in this barbecue odyssey and finished the meal by running a finger along the edges and corners of a Styrofoam container, capturing all of the Arch Street barbecue restaurant’s sauce. But the texture of the meat is outstanding as well: Tender chunks of beautifully colored meat, with a charred crust covering a purple smoke ring.
6th, Cross-Eyed Pig
Why did this place emerge as a pleasant surprise? Maybe because the restaurant sometimes gets overlooked, coming after a chain of eateries along Rebsamen Park Road. The folks here don’t scrimp on the meat; you get a fat barbecue sandwich — a two-hander, heavy on the napkins, especially if, like us, you ask for sauce on the side and douse the pork as if it’s a fire in need of putting out.
7th, Pruett’s Bar-B-Q and Catfish
Worth a trip to Lonoke, Pruett’s offers barbecue pork sandwiches, fried catfish, plate lunches, homemade pies, and a slew of tempting sides from fried okra to corn nuggets (highly recommended). The pork comes sliced, not chopped, and mixes well with the sauce. It’s a solid sandwich, consistently good on both our trips but, truth tell, we had eyes on the pies the whole time.
8th, Mean Pig
They can serve up a darn good sandwich at the Mean Pig. The meat is tender and smoky, if a touch dry, and the three sauce choices are each strong: mild, sweet and hot. One local suggested mixing the hot and the sweet, which proved delicious. This is a place that’s gotten national attention for its by-request-only “911 sauce” or “shut up juice.” That wasn’t tasted, but the patented beans were, and they were quite good, too.
9th, Three Sam’s
The first visit to this Mabelvale barbecue spot found a moist and tender pork sandwich whose downfall could only be a lack of flavor. However, that problem was remedied by the tomato-y sauce that had just a hint of heat. If only they’d up the flavor ante, Three Sam’s could easily be higher in the top tier.
10th, Breitweiser’s
This sandwich became a finalist mostly out of sheer surprise. The guy behind the counter took the chopped pork sandwich order, pulled the meat out of a fridge and heated it in the microwave. Amazingly enough, the whole meal emerged a little like a sloppy joe with smoky meat, a mildly sweet sauce and an irresistible flavor.
11th, White Pig Inn
Family-owned, friendly, and reliable, White Pig serves up some of the best pork around. The meat is chopped fine, smoky, and full of flavor. An added bonus is the y’all-sit-a-spell atmosphere. Note the eraser-board sign behind the register which names the customer who claims to have eaten at White Pig longest ago.