BEST LIL PORKHOUSE

Barbecue is not a food you associate with Marin. In fact Marin County has a reputation of being a very liberal, vegan eating, tie dye wearing and uber politically correct group of whackjobs. 'Best Lil Porkhouse' probably had to jump through hoops to sell bbq in this area. In fact we did find out later they have to use electric smokers so as not to slight the pristine Marin air quality. In the name of barbeque we stepped through the doors and braved this establishment.

Best Lil Smokehouse is located in a small strip mall on the main thoroughfare I am sure they are not called strip-malls but maybe urban shopping piazza. The setup is a little different. You order in a small kitchen area and then go to a dinning room which is two shops away. We ordered our usual bbq items from the owner's son. He was very friendly and answered our numerous questions.

The tables had a group of house made sauces. I really enjoyed the sauce that refereed to Satan on the label. It was sweet and balanced with just the right amount of heat for this chilehead. There were also good tasting sauces for the chile challenged including a very flavorful mustard based sauce. The table also had the bbq staple roll of towels to mop up all the wayward sauce and bbq love from your mug and extremities. After a short wait our food arrived.

Both of our plates looked delicious. They were not only good looking but huge.Ms. Goofy ordered the "Porkhouse Melt"; a sandwich of pulled pork, bacon, and cheese. The pulled pork was smoky good with pieces of bark diapered throughout' (Bark is the candy like crust of the pork roast). Ms. Goofy devoured this with a side of some of the best Mac & Cheese ever. Ms. Goofy may be a Mac & Cheese aficionado and this was very good. Bonus point were awarded for the bacon crumbles on top.

Ribs and brisket filled my large platter. These were baby back ribs. They were meaty and had a flavorful crust achieved by a spicy dry rub. They did not need any sauce. The brisket was decent enough but not memorable. It was tender but not smoky or a beefy flavor that I crave. This meat was a good vehicle to sample the house made sauces. My side of beans had an unusual twist of having bell pepper in it. At first I was a little concerned with this odd ingredient but it seemed to work. The coleslaw and corn muffing both were decent.

The Best Lil Smokehouse brings very good barbeque to Marinites. The local populace may have to wear disguises so they will not be recognized enjoying meat and enjoying an American food icon without guilt. The Best LIl Smokehouse has another location in Corte Madera were they can use real wood burning smokers. They are also opening another location in Alameda soon. They are doing barbeque right to have this success. We enjoyed our meal and may visit the new location when it opens. We need to leave Marin before the politically correct police come.

Best Lil Smokehouse