Bird Dog BBQ

I have only tried barbecue outside of the state of Texas once at this point. We had some pulled pork while we were in South Carolina. I remember it being pretty good. Colorado Springs, Colorado was the destination for a work trip. After I landed, I head straight for Bird Dog BBQ. They had good reviews on Yelp and Google. I went to the original location in Stetson Hills. The owner had worked at a County Line and wanted to open a restaurant that served Oklahoma style barbecue. I did not even know that was a style. The guy there said Oklahoma style is where you order from a counter, have the oak smoked meat cut in front of you, and barbecue sauce is served on the side. That sounds like most places I go to in Texas...

I ordered the three meat plate that came with moist brisket, ribs, hot links and sides of baked bean and coleslaw. When they were cutting the brisket, I saw that the brisket had no bark. I was confused by the whole thing. I know they were using an Old Hickory smoker, but I cannot explain it. Not enough rub or seasoning? Over-trimmed? The brisket was roast beef like, dry and falling apart. You can see the smoke ring, but it had nothing else going on for it. The pork ribs were tender and juicy. They had smoke, but it was light on the rub. The ribs were not bad but were bland and boring. The sausage was the best meat I had, and of course, it is a commercial sausage out of Denver. That is not a good thing. The baked beans with brisket were really good. The coleslaw tasted crisp and fresh.

I knew I was not in Texas anymore when I went to Bird Dog BBQ. It was not terrible, but it was not good either. They had a wasabi style barbecue sauce on the table. It was good and spicy. I am the type that thinks if you need barbecue sauce on your meat, you are probably doing something wrong. But then again, I am only an "expert" on Texas barbecue. Grade: N/A

Until next time, happy smoking...

Address: 5984 Stetson Hills Blvd #200 Colorado Springs, CO 80923
Phone: (719) 596-4900
Website: http://birddogbbq.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bird-Dog-BBQ