Richard’s Hawgwild BBQ

(this joint is in Aurora, MO) 

“Baked fries take ten minutes”, the menu shouts.

Okay, simmer down, I’ve got ten minutes, bake them fries and everybody just relax.  The joint never did relax.  On Thanksgiving Eve, Hawgwild was busting at the seams with folk seeking a baked turkey alternative.  Unfortunately, our waitress was none-too-familiar with a full house and she was quite impatient with people slow to order or who simply wanted a soda refill.  Other than that, our visit to The Hawg was wonderful.

Our patient party of three shared plates of brisket, burnt ends, and pulled pork.  The burnt ends showed up as a generous helping.  The brisket and pulled pork were well off on the stingy end of expectations for a dinner entrée plate.  At $9.99 a plate, Wild Richard may think he’s giving a good value.  The more I look at those pictures on the right, I don't think Richard is doing anyone but himself a favor.

Excellent burnt ends!  Double smoked, heavy black bark, well seasoned with a good rub, and a deep red smoke ring heavily bathing each morsel.  The good sized chunks were tender as could be although the fat was not trimmed as much as the best servings I’ve had.  These were definitely competition-quality burnt ends.

Delightful brisket.  The thin-sliced beefy ribbons were tender and boasted a beautiful smoke ring, if not very much bark.  Nice beefy taste.  I prefer thicker slices.

Admirable pulled pork.  Not pulled to shreds, the chunks had a perfectly porky taste, with flashes of smoke ring and bark showing up in the right proportion.

My professional assessment (based on my scoring standards):

Brisket... Taste: 9 Tenderness: 8 Appearance: 8 = Overall: 8.4

Burnt Ends... Taste: 9 Tenderness: 9 Appearance: 9 = Overall: 9

Pulled Pork… Taste: 8 Tenderness: 9 Appearance: 8 = Overall: 8.4

The baked fries… oh yes, ten minutes and nothing less (I suppose it matters to someone).  These are simply Ore-Ida fries baked in a hot oven instead of fried.  They were nicely browned and crispy.  So relax already.  Wifey loved her bbq beans.  Green beans were lame.  I had “corn on the cob” which was a tiny little boiled cobbette with no seasoning or butter.  My son got the applesauce - a factory belched micro-cup of homogeneous gloop like you'd find in a 12-pack in a dollar store.  All the restaurant did was pull the foil lid off.  The sauces were utterly forgettable.  I ate my meat without any.

Hawgwild makes its home in Aurora, MO – home of the “Houn Dogs” [sic].  (They sure like their alternate spellings in the Ozark backwater.)  I’m giving Richard and his kin FOUR piggies, primarily because the burnt ends were so good.   I think the lousy sides speak poorly of what the regulars are willing to put up with on a routine basis.  I suggest the wait staff take a chill pill and enjoy those ten minutes or longer that it takes the fries to bake.   A restaurant filled to the brim is a good thing and a waitress working for tips should smile and be happy about it.

site: http://www.richardshawgwildbbq.com/