Reno Barbecue Round Up

Reno Barbecue Round Up

What makes a good barbeque? Anyone can dump barbeque sauce on a mound of unseasoned and unsmoked meat, but a handcrafted sauce complementing meat that’s been smoked for hours is barbeque heaven. Scouring every barbeque house that could be found in the Reno/Sparks area from family-owned joints to casino dining, we’ve rustled up only a few of the several places to try for some good eating.

Located in Sparks’ industrial area, Carolina’s Kitchen & Barbeque Co. at 950 Glendale Avenue welcomes you to eat on their checkered picnic tables. Locals love the tender pulled pork that soaks up the tangy sauce, the ribs that are full of meat, and the shredded, well-seasoned beef brisket. Carolina’s showcases homemade sauces: Georgia sauce for beef selections and a tart Carolina sauce for pork dishes, both perfect accompaniments for their meats that have been smoked for 18 hours. Carolina’s Kitchen offers take out and catering, but for customers dining in, each table offers hot sauces from mild to nitro, a hot sauce that could melt the taste buds off a pig’s tongue.

Speaking of sauce, Saucy’s Smokehouse, in a corner inside the Peppermill, lets diners choose from five sauces. For those who love a sweet sauce, try the Memphis-style sauce with cinnamon aromas. If you prefer a sourer flavor, sample their Carolina-style vinaigrette to pour on the smoky pulled pork or succulent baby back ribs. For more of a balance of the sweet, tangy, and spicy, try the House sauce, Kansas City sauce, or the Texas sauce that has small chunks of onion. But you don’t have to drench your meat in sauce. All their beef and pork spend 4 to 12 hours in the smoker, coming out tender and tasty when it reaches your table.

Dickey’s Barbeque Pit at 395 East Plumb Lane, Reno isn’t what you’d expect from a fast food chain. The cooks make everything from scratch in-house, from smoking ribs to all the side fixings. The brisket sandwiches feature liberal piles of beef that fill the mouth with a smoky and peppery Texas-style sauce on a sesame bun. The tender ribs and moist pulled pork go well with the sauce that they keep heated in the restaurant.

By Lori Ann P. Kruse

BBQ Sauce Rundown: Know Your Sauce

Memphis barbeque sauce tends to be sweet, thick, and spicy with a larger proportion of brown sugar and/or molasses than other barbeque sauces. Memphis-style barbeque is known for its spicy dry rub crusts on ribs and then sauce is added at the eater’s discretion.

Carolina barbeque sauce uses a vinegar-based sauce to marinate and drench slow-cooked pork. This sauce is more fluid instead of thick, highlighting the kick from chili peppers and black pepper in a tart, vinegary background.

Texas barbeque sauce builds on a tomato base with Worcestershire sauce and/or vinegar, popping with bold and tangy flavors, usually with an emphasis on chili peppers, onion, and sometimes garlic. Texas barbeque is famous for its smoked brisket and ribs slathered in sauce.

Kansas City barbeque sauce boasts a combination of Texas barbeque and Carolina barbeque: not too runny and not too thick. It’s tomato-based with some vinegar, chili peppers, and a touch of brown sugar.

Georgia-style barbeque sauce is mustardy, often in a tomato base with generous proportions of vinegar poured on the meat after it’s been smoked. Georgia-style barbeque sauce recipes tend to be simpler and more fluid.