Thank to a tip from a friend, I headed up Colerain to Walt’s BBQ. Walt’s appears to be an old Taco Bell, with two stainless steel smokers sitting outside. The parking lot was full and the restaurant was packed — always a good sign. The delectable aroma of smoked meat wafted over us as we sauntered inside and ultimately selected a table outside.
Walt’s has a bigger menu than any of the other BBQ places we’ve stopped at. There’s definitely something for everyone here, though the highlight (and bulk of the menu) is clearly barbecue. Between the four of us, we ordered a brisket dinner, a 1/2 slab of ribs, and two “3 pigs” platters which included small pulled pork, brisket, and pulled chicken sandwiches, along with about 3 ribs.
As usual, I went with the 1/2 slab of ribs and chose mac ‘n’ cheese and sweet potato casserole for my sides. For the first time in the tour, I was a bit envious of some of my compatriots’ choices. The 3 pigs platters contained an awe-inspiring amount of meat, while affording the opportunity to sample all the BBQ delights Walt’s has to offer.
That said, the ribs were served dry with sauce on the side. I like my ribs that way since I can see how the meat tastes before slathering it in sauce. These were relatively meaty ribs that fell of the bone and had a distinctly hickory-flavored smoke. Walt’s offers two types of sauces, regular and spicy. The regular is very sweet, with little tang. The spicy is still a sweet sauce, but packs a little heat. I recommend it over the regular. The mac ‘n’ cheese was disappointing. The cheese was a little congealed and mostly flavorless. Definitely a pass. The sweet potato casserole on the other hand was quite tasty. Sweet, with little crunchy bits of marshmallow and pecans, it served as a nice side/dessert for my lunch. Walt’s also serves the best cornbread thus far on the tour. Sweet without tasting like cake, and just a little grainy — this is cornbread the way I like it.
Walt’s clocks in at the most expensive BBQ joint this side of Montgomery Inn.My 1/2 slab of ribs set me back $12.00. But, I also noted that Walt’s has all-you-can-eat ribs for $14.95 from 4-8 on Tuesdays. I don’t know about everyone else, but…I can eat a lot of ribs…
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