Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Roadrunner BBQ

Roadrunner BBQ is located at the Carts on Foster food pod (SE 52nd and Foster) in Portland, Oregon. Texas-style BBQ here!


Jimmy, the owner, worked as a meat cutter but decided to open this cart a few months ago. He's a Texan (Dallas), and you can always count on outstanding BBQ there.


Not surprisingly, the brisket here is the top seller, which smokes for up to 14 hours. Jimmy smokes all his meats with mesquite wood. Even his tomato-based BBQ sauces are made from scratch. The hot version includes habaneros. Win.


I wanted a light lunch for a change and decided on the Chopped Brisket Sandwich ($6). A generous pile of juicy, tender brisket in a hoagie roll. You'll probably get a nice helping of burnt ends on your serving which adds to the amazing product. I added lots of hot BBQ sauce for instant spicy gratification. The sauce for me has a slight tang and a pleasing, controlled kick. I could easily drink the sauce straight out of the bottle. And as Jimmy promised, the sauce complements the brisket and doesn't upstage it.

Menu
(as of December 2012)
Chopped Brisket Sandwich
(Roadrunner BBQ)

I think lightly buttering and toasting the bun would work wonders for texture contrasts, but it's not required.

One of my good friends from law school got a sliced brisket plate with baked beans and cole slaw ($10). A roll is also included with the meal. A lovely smoke ring formed on that meat. Jimmy makes fresh cole slaw. Excellent with the brisket. In hindsight, I shoulda gotten a side of slaw to add to my own sandwich. As for the baked beans, another big hit. Loved the bacon in there -- a must for baked beans, in my opinion.

Sliced Brisket Plate
(Roadrunner BBQ)
Sliced brisket
Cole slaw
Baked beans
Coffee is $1 here. Given the chilly winter weather, I will gladly pay a buck to fuel my caffeine fix. The coffee isn't anything fancy, but it works for me.

Jimmy also serves pork butt and chicken on his menu. I hope to return and try those as well.

I have yet to visit Texas (outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport), so I can't personally verify what "authentic" Texas BBQ is. But I do know this is one great food cart to hit up. Check out Roadrunner BBQ when your next BBQ craving hits! 8.75/10

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