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Applecreek: A tangy bastion of barbecue

The Meat and Sauce are Worth a Stop, but So are the Sides

By Linda B. Blackford Lblackford@herald-Leader.Com

Barbecue, nectar of the meat gods, provokes a lot of passion in folks. People travel the byways for the perfect cut or sauce, argue over North Carolina versus Memphis or coleslaw versus none.

I like it all: vinegary, sweet, hot, mild. It's not food I can eat very often, but once in a while it's fun to really wallow in a pigfest.

We usually end up at Billy's, mostly because it's close and has onion rings to die for. But I was really happy to stumble into Applecreek Barbecue, a small storefront off Pasadena Drive.

The house sauce is tangy and sweet, an accent that I happen to love, especially when combined with coleslaw on top -- as it was with the first pulled-pork sandwich I tried.

Apparently, two of the most popular side dishes are the sour-cream potato salad, as rich as advertised -- so rich, in fact, that I couldn't follow it. The baked beans also are a favorite -- rich and meaty, with their own slightly sweet tang.

Another time, I ordered one of the family feasts, which seemed like a pretty good deal. For $41.99, you get a huge rack of ribs, three servings of meat -- we chose pulled pork, pulled chicken and beef brisket -- and three pint-size sides, green beans, cole slaw and baked beans.

Yes, it was a lot of food, but somehow we managed to eat most of it. The chicken is less smoky than the pork, but very, very tender. The ribs were packed with meat that

flaked off the bone in chunky bites, with a nice rub of spices. The ribs come with the regular barbecue sauce, a hotter sauce and a hot bourbon barbecue that wasn't as sweet but packed a kick.

After all that pork, though, my favorite was the beef brisket, lean strips of buttery meat that provides such a nice counterpoint to its richer peers.

The green beans were spicy and a little too salty, but the baked beans lived up to the hype.

And speaking of hype, we finished with the house's fried apple pies: light, crisp dough filled with scalloped, cinnamon apples.

Most people get takeout, but there are a few tables in front of the counter if you want to stay to eat. In addition, you can pick up a wide range of jams, jellies and sauces from Applecreek Farms, the products made by owner Buddy Hall. To see the full range, go to www.applecreek.net.

Sandwiches are $3.99 and platters with one meat and two sides are $8.50 to $21.99.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Applecreek Barbecue

Address: 185 Pasadena Dr.

Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.

Phone: (859) 293-3562 or 1-800-747-8871.

Online: www.applecreek.net

Other: All major credit cards accepted, handicapped accessible.