Porkey’s BBQ, Lothian, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Porkey’s BBQ bills itself as having the “best North Carolina pulled pork, baby back ribs and fried chicken anywhere in all of Southern Maryland!” (We won’t go into Eastern vs. Western style here.) Porkey’s is in a small strip mall on the west side of MD 4.

If you’re in the left lane, forget about exiting. It comes up fairly suddenly, and traffic moves briskly there. I’ve driven by it scores of times, but never stopped. The access is awkward, especially if you’re in the left lane, and I think it used to be called Bubba’s, which actually was a bad sign. Barbecue places called Bubba’s are usually in places like Jackson Hole and La Jolla where no actual person is or ever has been called Bubba.

It’s now Porkey’s after a change in ownership, which isn’t much better than Bubba’s. Great barbecue places tend to bear the name of the owner (McCabe’s, Red Bridge’s) — or to have whimsical names (Dreamland, the Skylight Inn). My interested was piqued when Michael Sebold of the Calvert County Foodies Facebook group posted about the Brunswick stew at Porkey’s. That was something I needed to try. On my next trip, I stayed in the right lane and kept my eye out for Porkey’s flag.

Porkey’s is a small place, with no seating. I went in, confirmed that Brunswick Stew was available, and ordered a pint. Here’s what it looked like from directly overhead on a silver car on a sunny day.

I glanced down and a fried chicken thigh caught my eye and called out to me in a most beguiling manner. I ordered it.

Then I figured, well, they say they have the best North Carolina style barbecue in Southern Maryland, so it would be impolite if I didn’t get at least a small (5-ounce) sandwich.

I look my loot back to the car and set it on the hood. Did I tell you that we had to get new seat covers? I started with just a taste of the Brunswick stew. Very good! Very good indeed thick and smoky. I confirmed that later when I polished it off at home. There was plenty of meat and vegetables, but it also had character. I almost invariably have to add barbecue sauce to Brunswick stew, consistent with my grandmother’s classic South Georgia recipe, but that wasn’t necessary here. Porkey’s has mastered Brunswick stew.

Next I went for the fried chicken, and I was impressed. Admittedly, I’m usually impressed by fried chicken thighs, but this one was very good, maybe the best I’ve had this side of North Carolina, hot with crisp skin and moist, flavorful meat. Well done, Porkey.

I approached the sandwich with low expectations. Aside from the Federalist Pig Hyattsville location and the occasional whole hog at 2fifty, the Washington area is weak on North Carolina Style barbecue. I was pleasantly surprised by Porkey’s. The meat wasn’t wood-only, alas, and certainly not cooked over wood — no one does that around here — but Porkey’s does get the chop and the texture right. And that’s an honest vinegar and pepper sauce.

I’m a big believer in wood-cooked barbecue, and especially pork cooked over direct heat, as in a pit. At the same time, slow-cooked pork tends to be delicious, the moreso when the pork’s richness is balanced by sourness. I go into the science of that here. There are gas and electric-assisted places that offer good-tasting pork, like Parker’s and Morris. If they cooked over wood, like the Skylight Inn, for example, it would be great tasting.

All in all, I was pleased with Porkey’s, and I’ll stop there again. The Brunswick stew was excellent, and the fried chicken was a huge hit. And I think they’re not far off when they claim to serve “the best North Carolina pulled pork in all of Southern Maryland.” Oh! I just noticed — they offer a pork chop sandwich. I need to see if they can match the Two Soul Sisters version, and I need to try some sides. Definitely stop by Porkey’s, not only for the Brunswick stew, but for a lot of other good-looking food.

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