Hog Shack is a BBQ restaurant in Steveston that has been open for almost a full year now. They made a big splash on the twitter scene and are really popular… especially for their burnt ends. When I told my friend about this, we made a pact that we’d go there together when burnt ends were available. Fast forward probably 6 months later, and we finally went last weekend.
When we got there, all we really knew is that we wanted a platter of BBQ, and the burnt ends (which are not on the menu BTW). After being seated, we instantly asked if they had Burnt Ends and the waitress confirmed with the back, and we were able to get the last one. I couldn’t really remember what burnt ends were, but they are the points of a brisket that have been removed, and considered a delicacy in BBQ. These burnt ends were served in a smokey sauce and the meat is really a mix of fatty meat, and a bit of a tougher meat. I wouldn’t recommend eating the tougher meat on its own, or the fat on its own. It’s really best when you have a bit of each with each bite. The meat itself was too dry and tough. I don’t think I’d order this on its own as a full meal, I think a few bites of it and I’d be happy. It was good because I had 2 other friends to share it with.
Now onto the real meal. We want to try as much BBQ as we can, and with our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. The three of us ordered Allan’s Mammoth Platter ($89) which is good for 4 people (and a bit). The platter had baby back ribs, St. Louis side ribs, dino ribs, chicken quarters, smoked brisket, pulled pork, as well as 6 sides. There wasn’t any corn bread left when we went, so we went with yam fries, potato wedges, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, beans, and vegetables.
My favourite of the meat dishes was definitely the Smoked Brisket. It was cut a bit thicker than at Memphis blues, but it a lot more tender. The brisket strips were sectioned off with one part really fatty and the other not so much. The fatty part was so delicious and smokey. It was very tender and almost just melted in your mouth. Second favourite was the baby back ribs which easily fell of the bone. So tender, and really good and smokey. All of the meat was really yummy, but those two stood out the most for me. The chicken quarters were the leg and thigh, and was a lot juicier and moist than we thought it would be. My friend loved the dino ribs the most which are huge ribs with tons of meat. The pulled pork was soft and tender, and not too stringy that you had to keep chewing.
The sides were all really yummy as well, though I’d have to say my favourite were the yam fries which came with a really nice dip. The potato wedges were a bit crisp on the outside and fluffy inside and nicely salted. The beans were very smokey, with tender beans. The coleslaw was very fresh. Vegetables were cooked well, and still had a good crisp texture to it, but not raw.
This was a ton of food, and we had enough food left over for 2 more people. We had to pack the left overs in about 3 large styrofoam take out containers.
Hog Shack also serves lots of craft beers, and even mix their own beers. I think we had beer infused with Jack Daniels. It was interesting and served at room temperature.
Hog Shack Cook House
160-3900 Bayview Street
Richmond, BC
(604) 272-7264
