Takeout: Pulled-pork sandwiches

June 4, 2008

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The minute that the weather turns summery, the air should be filled with the smoke from barbecue cookers. So on a recent sunny afternoon I drove around the Baltimore area, sniffing for smoke and eating pulled-pork sandwiches.

I found several, including two very good ones.

BEST BITE
Address // 11007 York Road, Cockeysville

Phone // 410-527-1226

Hours // 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Good barbecue is the joyful union of smoke and meat, and this $5.72 sandwich is pure hickory bliss. The finely textured meat, perfectly pink, has the authentic sweet smoke flavor of pig cooking over hickory wood. The accompanying sauce is pleasant, but the pork is so well-cooked, you don't need sauce.

BEST BARGAIN
Address // 4311 Harford Road

Phone // 410-254-1440

Hours // 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, noon-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

This pork sandwich was, as they say in barbecue contests, first runner-up. It is very good. Large chunks of white and darker hamlike pieces of Boston butt were stuffed in a substantial seeded bun, bathed in a mild homemade sauce that was a tad sweet. This big, toothsome sandwich came with a cup of honest, tart coleslaw. At $6.75, it makes for a substantial, frugal meal.

ALSO TASTED
Address // 5713 Harford Road

Phone // 410-444-6422

Hours // 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday

The pulled pork in this $5.75 sandwich, in large, almost feral pieces, comes on a massive kaiser roll. The meat was a bit dry, but there was a choice of seven sauces to add moisture. I had Kansas City sweet on mine; perhaps the Carolina vinegar would have helped the pork a little more.

Address // 2833 Baltimore Blvd., Finksburg

Phone // 410-861-8675

Hours // 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

The pork in this $5.25 sandwich was dry and somewhat chewy. It was helped by a tangy sauce.