Hog Shack Cook House, Steveston Village

The first time that I visited Hog Shack Cook House in Steveston, I was there for lunch and I was there to witness Stephen attempt the Flatliner Challenge. Since it was the middle of the day, I wasn’t particularly hungry, so I didn’t really get to try out the real menu at this southern-style barbecue house. I knew I had to go back.

So earlier this week, I made my way back to Hog Shack for dinner and I fully intended on giving their signature BBQ the attention it deserved. Since I couldn’t quite decide on what I wanted to eat, we opted for Johnny’s Jurassic Platter for Two. It rings in at $50, but you get a lot of food for that price and, depending on the size of your appetite, you could quite easily feed more than two people.

To whet my appetite, I perused through the extensive selection of beer at Hog Shack. I’ve been choosing mostly ales lately, so I decided to change it up with an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Brewed in California, this stout rates a 10 (out of 10) on the color scale and four pigs (out of five) on the hoppiness scale. So, yes it was dark and bitter as expected. I don’t drink stouts too often, but I thought it worked well with the BBQ.

And here is the meat portion of the Jurassic Platter. We get baby back ribs, St. Louis side ribs, dinosaur bones (beef ribs), and two chicken quarters. That’s a lot of meat and it was all done quite wonderfully. I particularly enjoyed the St. Louis side ribs; fall-off-the-bone tender, juicy and flavorful. The thigh portion of the chicken quarters was a little on the dry side, but a little extra barbecue sauce fixed that quite easily.

Along with the pile of ribs and chicken, the Jurassic Platter also gives you the choice of four sides. We opted for the coleslaw, yam fries, Spanish rice pilaf, and corn bread. The coleslaw was crisp with just the right amount of dressing (I hate soggy coleslaw) and the corn bread is definitely bigger than what you get at Memphis Blues. I thought the yam fries could have been crispier, though.

All in all, we were thoroughly satisfied with our dinner at Hog Shack. The pricing is reasonable, especially given the size of the portions, and the barbecue ribs are fantastic. If you happen to be out in Steveston Village, you’re much better off heading to Hog Shack than indulging in lackluster kangaroo burgers down the block.

You’ll probably want to walk off some of that dinner afterward, so take a stroll down along the water in Steveston too. Given the time of year, you can then head to the opposite corner of Richmond to check out the night market… assuming your stomach still has room.