Central BBQ brings tasty no-frills meat to Summerville

Image by Chrys RynearsonImage by 20090703-bbq.jpg Central BBQ, which opened four weeks ago, and can be found at 903 Central Avenue in Summerville.

Summerville has a new BBQ joint, and by "joint" you know that I'm talking about a no-frills (not even a phone), inexpensive, it's-all-about-the-pork restaurant

Read more stories on this subject in our BBQ topic page.Central BBQ is located at 903 Central Avenue in Summerville, the spot once occupied by Smoke Signals (another BBQ joint) was recently purchased, refurbished (top to bottom), and opened by Jay Lancaster and his family only four weeks ago.

I exchanged e-mails with Jay and when I asked him about the style of BBQ he serves and he responded with the following:

The style we cook is "my" style. That meaning the BBQ is served with no sauce. I season butts and cook them with oak for 12-14 hours (every butt is different). Selling out every day means that I cook fresh each and every night.

Music to my ears.

Of course, I felt duty-bound to pay a visit and give you a run-down on the place.

I tried the large pulled pork platter ($7.50, all prices include tax) which includes two sides, while my wife and son had the pulled pork sandwich ($3.50 for small and $5.00 for large which includes one side). Before reaching for the sauce (more about those in a minute) I reminded myself to sample the un-sauced meat which proved to be a real winner - tender with a hint of smoke.

To quote my three-year old, "Dee-lithus!"

Besides pulled pork, they also offer smoked BBQ chicken and ribs (only on Saturdays) which Jay told me tend to go fast. Side dishes include homemade hash (a little thick/bland for my liking but still good) served over white rice, baked beans, potato salad, mac & cheese, green beans, and slaw.

There are four different sauces available: Lexington-style vinegar & pepper, hot vinegar & pepper, mustard-based, and Trinidad & Tabago Caribbean which is a sweet/tangy red sauce that's the recipe of his wife, Hedy. It's the last sauce that goes the quickest from what I'm told and I can see why. I have to admit though, that Jay's homemade mustard-based was fantastic, one of the best that I've had, and I practically licked my plate clean (as did my three-year old!)

And get this, they also have RC Cola, glass bottles and all, and MoonPies! A true BBQ Joint, love it!

Bottom line: Highly recommended.

Central BBQ is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. until they're out of food (usually between 7-8 p.m. from what Jay told me) and you can grab it to go or dine in. I recommend dining in and chatting with the friendly owners, Jay and Hedy.

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