Chuck’s Bar-B-Que

Chipped or chopped? That is the question to ask yourself as you approach Chuck’s Bar-B-Que. The meat in question is slow-cooked pork, off the pit. Chopped means bite-size hunks, some inside and velvet soft, some with a crunchy burnt-end surface, some with veins of melt-in-the-mouth fat. These come dressed with a zesty, mustard-twinged sauce that elicits maximum pig flavor and are well-accompanied by sweet relish and tart pickle chips.

Chipped barbecue is the same meat hacked to smithereens and simmered in mild sauce until it becomes a soft, dense hash that fairly radiates flavor but lacks the textural thrills of chopped.

These fine porks are available on plates or in sandwiches. As pointed out by Cliff Strutz, who directed me here, the sandwiches are small enough that it makes perfect sense to get one of each to compare and contrast.

Beyond the chipped/chopped issue, Chuck’s menu is a classic repertoire of ribs, chicken (which also gets simmered in sauce), stuffed baked potatoes and such side dishes as Brunswick stew, baked beans, cole slaw and BBQ slaw (the latter mixed with sauce), corn on the cob, and potato salad. There’s also an effulgent barbecue salad topped with your choice of smoke-cooked pork, ham, chicken, or turkey.