Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company- Arlington, VA

"No Gas, No Electricity." That's part of the philosophy at this joint in the heart of Arlington, VA. How can I verify this? The large stack of hickory and red oak logs sitting in the front of the kitchen was a pretty good indicator.

So why the heck has it taken me so long to find this joint right in my own backyard? Better yet, why has it taken me so long to stop in this joint since I see it just about everyday on my way home? My expectations were not high for Rocklands. How could BBQ in the middle of a cityscape be any good? Well they showed me.

I ordered the Belly Buster: two ribs (I got four), sausage, quarter chicken, brisket. I really wanted to order the Texas Corn Pudding, but I feared I'd have little room in the belly for a side dish. Sweet tea...check. Intriguing sauce with onions and garlic....check. Plate...no check. The platter came out on wax paper and aluminum foil. That is a signature move for a Texas BBQ market. Very easy clean-up. Blah, blah, blah...let's get to the real deal.

The brisket had a nice crust and was pretty lean. I prefer my brisket to be on the non-lean side, but it did not bother me at all. The sausage was really good as was the chicken and the ribs. It all had a beautiful deep-smoke taste...a taste that stays with you for hours.

I'm afraid this will not be my last time to Rocklands. I have a "hankerin'" for that corn pudding and some more hickory-smoked meats.

Sonny's BBQ- Concord, NC

Well, well, well.....I finally found a BBQ joint in North Carolina that I can prove does some real smoking. Where's the proof? It's all in the pinkish ring on the edge of the meat cuts. That tells you immediately that the BBQ was wood-smoked.

For my pre-race meal (I enrolled in the Jeff Gordon Racing School at Lowe's Motor Speedway), I ventured over to Sonny's in Concord, NC. As you would expect, the walls were covered with old-time NASCAR pics. Pretty much mandatory when you're based in the real home of stock car racing.

I ordered a combo plate with pork, BEEF, chicken, and ribs. I also threw in some mac 'n cheese, slaw, and cornbread. Before I go on, I have to give big props to Sonny for his cornbread. It had pieces of corn in it and was very tasty.

On to the meat. First, no sauce....good work. The beef brisket was very lean and looked almost like the pork. The chopped pork was pretty tasty. The chicken was moist but didn't have a very strong smoked flavor. The St. Louis cut ribs were nicely smoked and fairly tender. All the meats had a very nice pink ring and there was no remnants of a vinegar-based sauce or marinade.

Despite my normal habits, I did try Sonny's sweet and sizzle sauce on the meats. I'm glad I did. It is one of the best BBQ sauces I've had in a long while. It really complimented the meats. And sorry NC BBQ lovers, it was not vinegar based.

Sonny's is definitely "the different family" in the North Carolina BBQ neighborhood. It felt a tad like a chain restaurant....very similar to a Famous Dave's. But all in all, a nice way to fill my belly before I hit the track for some redneck racin'.

Little Richard's Lexington BBQ- Winston-Salem, NC

Yep, I'm back in North Carolina. My entries are based on places I visit during work trips. And lately, I've spent a lot of time in the Tar Heel State. And we all know that means two things: pork and vinegar.

After seeing the menu at Little Richard's and comparing it to its North Carolina cousins, I'm convinced cows are more sacred here than in India. You just won't see beef on a BBQ menu. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if the hamburger I did see on today's menu was made from pork butt.

On to the review....two things drew my attention when I rolled up. First, the chimney and smoke billowing out. Either a new BBQ Pope had been elected or there was some real smokin' goin' on inside. Second, there were signs all over saying that mini-Rich doesn't take credit cards or debit. Hey, I'm cool with a restaurant staying old school....as long as you tell me that before I hit the register.

The BBQ (aka. pork shoulder) comes in three varieties: chopped, sliced, and coarse. The chopped I saw looked more like "blended". So I went the coarse route with a side of hush puppies (the french fries of NC BBQ) and coleslaw. Thankfully, they kept the sauce to the side and on the table. No sauce gives me a chance to taste the true smoking talent of the guys and gals behind the hot plate. I can say our friends are doing a pretty darn good job. The BBQ was very tender and not overcome by a vinegar-based sauce. I eventually added some sauce to the pig. It was nice. I took a gander at the ingredients in the sauce. Want to take a guess at the main ingredient? Number two was ketchup. Huh? Come to find out that North Carolina BBQ is actually regional. I was told by a resident that eastern NC BBQ is much heavier on the vinegar while western NC BBQ has some tomato parts. But don't kid yourself....vinegar is still the head honcho north, south, east, or west in North Carolina.

Good job, Little Richard, I'll let Miss Molly know she can get some good Demon Deacon barbecue at your joint.

Al And Irene's Bar-B-Q House- Cedar Rapids, IA

No, Cedar Rapids is not considered a hot bed of BBQ. But I would say it is the cereal/oatmeal capital of the world. Quaker Oats operates the largest cereal mill in the world here in Cedar Rapids. So Al and Irene have a tough task filling the air with yummy smoke aroma over the dominating odor of maple/cinnamon oatmeal wafting over from the mill.

The first impression of the joint was the kick-ass El Camino in the parking lot. They should buy that off the customer and just park it permanently outside the door. Without question, it would be the dominating decoration. There wasn't much atmosphere inside. The only thing on the pale cream walls were menus. But who cares, I'm not there for the art decor.

I think our Midwest couple take their cues from the Missouri neighbors to the south. The ribs were fall off the bone tender covered in a very sweet and light sauce. In fact, it was closer to sweet 'n sour sauce than a thick, hardy BBQ sauce. I ordered the Pork Back ribs with a side of potato salad and sweet tea. I don't put a lot of stock in sides, but the sweet tea was good. And the most curious piece on the plate was two slices of white bread stuck together by butter. I guess you'd call it a butter sandwich. I called it the perfect mop to soak up the pond of BBQ sauce left on my plate.

There was nothing spectacular about the ribs. The meat did come off the bone extremely easy. In fact, most the meat was off the rib before it came to the table. The meat had a nice taste but I would have like to try it without the sauce. For $6.30, it was a good portion of ribs.

All in all, Al and Irene are doing okay in CR. I'm not saying after your visit to the Field of Dreams you should make a special detour here. But it was nice to visit another BBQ joint and see a pretty cool ride in the parking lot.