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FOOD
Portland is blessed, as with so many other
food types, with a solid array of BBQ
joints. Texas-style, down home Southern and
hybrid BBQ hangouts are busy grilling and
smoking the summer away. So why are you
still sitting there? Wipe that drool from your
mouth, read on and choose the most lipsmacking
shack to toss back a beer and enjoy
some great ‘cue.
At the top of many a Portland BBQ lover’s
list is the LOW (Laid Off Workers) BBQ, held
Tuesday nights from “5:00 ‘til we run out” at
Ken’s Place (1852 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 236-9520).
Originally started in 2003 by Rodney Muirhead
and Kyle Connally as a Portland Farmers’
Market favorite while they were out of regular
Farms to provide quality food for the cult-like,
meat-lovin’ crowd.
Another down home Southeast favorite
among the BBQ set is Clay’s Smokehouse
Grill (2932 SE Division St, 235-4755, clayssmokehouse.
citysearch.com). Described by owner Mike
Slyman as a kind of Oklahoma-style (think
Texas) with other influences, Clay’s pumps
out 800–900 pounds of ribs a week to all those
who plop down at a table amidst the eclectically
decorated Western décor, complete with
a beer can collection enclosed in glass. Some
of the highlights on Clay’s menu include
the BBQ sparerib platter, brisket platter and
smoked chicken. The dry rub that touches
these meats has some 20 or so ingredients,
sticky rice or macaroni salad; make sure you
don’t miss the sweet and tangy mango cole
slaw. Bonus: You can shimmy off the calories
with the hula classes that are held at the restaurant
many evenings after it closes.
The title of one of Portland oldest BBQ
joints goes to Cannon’s Rib Express (5410
NE 33rd Ave, 288-3836). A fixture in the Northeast
neighborhood for some 20 years, current
owner Wayne Cannon carries on the tradition
of great roadside-style ‘cue. Diners sit
at picnic tables under a tin roof as they smell
the nonstop smoking of top sellers like the
pork ribs and rib tips (which can be ordered
in buckets). Smokey goodness at Cannon’s
comes from the hickory wood and mesquite
Big Daddy’s BBQ
work,
LOW BBQ was recently
purchased by Ken’s Place owner
Ken Gordon after Muirhead and Connally
“returned to the real world.” Gordon has
kept true to the LOW BBQ’s founders’ style,
producing some of the best ‘cue this side of
the Cascades. Smoked upwards of 12 hours
and always served with sauce on the side,
LOW BBQ’s mainstays are the briskets, pork
ribs and pulled pork, with weekly specials
like lamb riblets and Cornish game hens
mixed in. Gordon’s location on Hawthorne
uses oak hardwood in the smoker and local
meat producers like Painted Hills and Carlton
developed
over the years by Slyman.
There’s also blackened catfish
or BBQ salmon for the fish lovers, as well
as several vegetarian options. And if that
isn’t enough, save some room for Slyman’s
mother’s homemade chocolate peanut butter
or chocolate pecan pies.
If island breezes are more of your thing,
a drive up to Big Kahuna’s BBQ (8221 N Lombard
St, 522-4012, bigkahunasbbq.com) in St. John’s
will leave you hungry for the signature Huli
huli chicken or Kalua pig. Owner Gary Herrera,
a sometimes resident of Maui, smokes
his pigs upwards of a whole day to get just the
right consistency his loyal fan base has come
to expect. Since Big Kahuna’s is island style,
sides here are more in the nature of white
charcoal, with side
dishes like the potato salad and red
beans and rice making diners think twice
about eating the meat alone. And, of course,
you shouldn’t have your red-hot ‘cue without
a blue note here and there. This summer,
Cannon’s and neighbor New Seasons Market
are serving up some summer Sunday jazz sessions
(5–8pm).
A slightly more whimsical BBQ experience
can be had at Russell Street Bar-B-
Que (325 NE Russell St, 528-8224, russellstreetbbq.
com), where owners Sharon Senter and Diane
Santucci are proving good ‘cue isn’t just a
man’s job. The scene here focuses on consistently
delicious barbecue that borrows its
styles from all across America. Most things
are made from scratch at this meat-eater’s
haunt, and pig theme decorations adorn the
walls, all the way down—er, up—to some
flying pigs hanging from the ceiling. Among
28 PDXmagazine.com / August 2006