Who slow roasts and slathers sauce the best? Here are a few favorite joints executives recommend along the corridor:
Dan’s BBQ Express
Lake Charles
Fans warn this spot is not for the faint of heart. Try the Bubbalicious [brisket, sausage and pulled pork on a po-boy] or what co-owner Ruth King refers to as its “cousin from Idaho”—the Taterlicious [the same three meats atop a potato]. And don’t miss the Oreo Cookie Cheesecake for dessert.
2 Paul’s Radically Urban Barbecue
Lafayette
2 Paul’s owners muse that if you mix a big-time city bull from Oklahoma with a little bit of country bull from Louisiana, you get a thing called Radically Urban Barbecue. That’s the concept behind this unique barbecue joint. In addition to the usual brisket/pulled pork/chicken choices, look for things like Pepper Jelly Ribs and Ancho Encrusted Cherry Glazed Pork Tenderloin and the Radical Dog—a quarter pound hot dog loaded with chili and aged cheddar. These aren’t your ordinary sides, either. Pick from Asian Cole Slaw, Pretty Rubi’s Rice Dressing or Mallie’s Baked Beans. If you’re really radical, try the Cajun Cuban: Four cheeses layered between baked beans, pulled pork, Asian Cole Slaw and an onion ring.
Pimanyoli’s Sidewalk Café & Catering
Baton Rouge
Without “pig,” “smokehouse” or “BBQ” anywhere to be found in its name, we weren’t exactly sure this even was a barbecue restaurant. Rest assured, it is. On the menu: Beer Butt Chicken Quarters, Smoked Buffalo Hot Wings, Brisket Meltdown, Porky Swiss, St. Louis Ribs, Rosemary Ribs and Old School Pork Sausage served with mustard and crackers.
TJ Ribs
Baton Rouge
T.J. Moran dishes out his ribs with a side of LSU memorabilia. Chow down on baby- back ribs marinated for 24 hours in a secret seasoning or feast on the brisket platter while admiring Billy Cannon’s 1959 Heisman trophy and Shaquille O’Neal’s size 23s. Dining with someone who—dare we say it?—doesn’t care to have the red sauce from ear to ear? There are dainty salads and plenty of other choices on the menu.
Old MacDonald’s Smokehouse
Hammond
This smokehouse specializes in the basics: brisket, ribs, chicken. Sausage is considered a mandatory side dish.
Hi Ho #1
Hammond
Prefer your barbecue served on a bun? It’s a specialty at the Hi Ho #1. Choose from beef or pork, dressed, undressed, with cheese or without. The secret is in the sauce.
Wayne’s Barbecue
Livingston
This isn’t the kind of place you just drop by on your way somewhere else. It’s in the country, near the parish seat in Livingston Parish. But the brisket alone is worth the drive. Wayne Henderson’s hickory-smoked fare and tasty side dishes are cooked up from a bunch of old family recipes. Leave your city pretentiousness behind—eat in or dine out, your food comes in a Styrofoam container.
VooDoo BBQ & Grill
New Orleans, Harahan, Mandeville, Hammond, Baton Rouge
The Voodoo magic is spreading all along the corridor. This joint puts a New Orleans spin on barbecue—smoking its brisket, pulled pork, Louisiana Cajun sausage, chicken and ribs over Louisiana pecan and oak woods for up to 18 hours, then blending them with Cajun, Creole and Carribean spices. When it comes to the sauce, you get to choose your own weapon at the table: the Southwest-style Mojo, the Virginia/Carolina-style Cane Vinegar or the sassy Creole-Carribean Crystal Mango.
