Visited
Podnah's Pit BBQ on Saturday, July 5 at 8pm. I didn't see any TVWBB folks there, but was joined by some Portland friends so we didn't dine alone!
Left to right: Adam, Eric, me, Annie, Michelle, and my wife Julie behind the camera
The place was hoppin' when we arrived...a 1 hour wait to be seated, with closing time at 10pm. Needless to say, I was worried they'd run out of meat. But we relaxed with a beverage and hung around outside until our name was called. The place had a cool vibe, which sounds odd when applied to a barbecue joint, but this is Portland after all, and there's an amazing foodie/restaurant scene happening there right now. And remember, this place was recommended by none other than Aaron Franklin himself, so I had high hopes as we waited.
Got seated and got the low-down from the friendly waitress. All meats were still available. Yay! The Saturday night special was smoked prime rib. Saw that going by on a few plates and wanted to try that so bad, but decided to go with my tried and true approach of a BBQ sampler plate.
My wife and I shared The Pitboss: 1/4lb brisket, 1/4lb pulled pork, 2 spareribs, 1 sausage link, cornbread and choice of 2 sides. We got BBQ beans and jalapeno mac & cheese as our sides plus an additional 1/4lb of brisket because we didn't want to run out. Brisket is supposed to be the specialty here, and Podnah's uses the same high quality Creekside Farms Brisket that Franklin's supposedly is known for.
The Pitboss comes piled high on a plate. To be honest, my favorite was the sparerib. Meaty, cooked perfectly, with a spicy rub on it. Freshly cooked, I think, compared to the other meats that I think had been held for quite a while in a warmer. We asked for half fatty and half lean brisket. It tasted great, you could tell it was quality meat, but just a bit too dry, unfortunately. Maybe would have been great at 5pm when they open for dinner, but not very moist at 9:30pm. Pulled pork was also a bit dry. Sausage was nothing special to me, but others at the table really liked it. Cornbread was nice, but a small little sliver of a serving. We didn't care of the beans, but the jalapeno mac & cheese was a winner!
Three sauces were served in squeeze bottles at the table: a mild tomato-based sauce, a mustard-based sauce, and a vinegar-based sauce. You're bound to like one or more of these. Also a squeeze bottle of honey which I used with the cornbread.
Smoked trout and 1/2 chicken are on the menu, plus brisket sammies chopped or sliced and a pulled pork sammie with slaw.
Being in Portland, there was a great selection of beer and wine at the bar, plus mixed drinks and a good selection of whiskey and scotch.
Didn't have room for dessert, but pecan pie and banana pudding were offered.
Bottom line: I've eaten at a lot of bad BBQ joints. Podnah's Pit BBQ is better than average. They're cooking over a real wood fire. If you're in Portland and want to give it a whirl, get there early and go for the ribs and brisket before it dries out.
