Carnivore's Heaven - Bird Dog BBQ
By Tom Karpel, The Gazette

Although it is a matter of some dispute, etymologists generally trace the origin of the word barbecue back to "barbacoa," which is a West Indian term that refers to the slow roasting of meats over hot coals.

American barbecue got its start in the South and dealt solely with pork until the vast cattle grazing lands of the West were established.

Sadly, barbecue today typically involves bottled sauce and a quick spin on the gas grill. The art of slow roasting is lost in the bustle of our lives.

It is well worth it, however, to pay someone who already has done the roasting. Someone like, say, Bird Dog BBQ, where you'll find a drool-inducing collection of oak-smoked, slow-cooked meats and capable side dishes.

To get your protein fix going here, you order at the counter cafeteria style, choosing either an entree (which includes sides) or a sandwich (for which sides must be ordered extra). Meat choices include brisket, pork ribs, turkey and chicken breast, chicken halves, spicy hot links, Polish sausage, and prime rib.

Did I mention vegetarians probably should sit this one out?

Anyway, to start winnowing down the list to your favorites, order the Three-Meat Plate for $10.75.

There's not a bad meat here, so order away, but turkey does take to smoking better than other meats, so be sure to try it.

The prime rib is different from how you find it at other restaurants because it's cooked all the way through and is not as fatty. Think of it as high quality roast.

It makes spectacular leftover sandwiches.

The brisket is another winner: it's lean but not dry, and it falls apart from gravity alone - no cutting required.

The brisket also is used in the Smokehouse sandwich ($4.75), where it shares a bun with some spicy hot links. That bun is my only substantive complaint about the whole place: it's a flaccid, tasteless restaurant supply sponge that doesn't belong anywhere near meat this good.

That said, the Smokehouse sandwich performs well because it combines things you wouldn't normally throw together.

Something else unexpected is that the barbecue sauce is on the table - not drenching the meats you order. This is the proper way to do it because you know the smoker is not trying to hide poor-quality meats with a sweet or vinegary (both dominant flavors on your tongue) sauce.

Speaking of the sauce, it -like almost everything else at Bird Dog - is made in-house. Its chief components are a strong woodiness and pepper, and it adds depth and zing to everything on the menu. Well, maybe not the apple cobbler, but you never know.

Let's talk about the sides because we cannot live by meat alone.

We could easily start a brawl over the relative merits of potato salad, baked beans or coleslaw - whether they should be tangy or sweet, limp or crisp, how much bacon or mustard belongs in there - you get the picture, so I will say simply that none of the sides here are offensive.

They all take a deserved second billing to the main attraction without behaving badly.

I would guess a person could become addicted to the fried okra, especially if it's doused with the barbecue sauce, but that's just a guess.

One side that's conspicuously absent is a crumbling, buttery, iron skillet-baked corn breadWe'll just have to convince Bird Dog that it's in its best interest to start whipping some up for us.

One more thought: You can order meats by the pound here, so if you have a gaggle of Southern relatives marooned in the Springs during the holiday season, you can give them a taste of home without digging an unsightly pit in your frozen back yard.

Just an idea.

Details

BIRD DOG BBQ

Tom's Appraisal: A place both you and your dog will love, as long as Fido is not a vegetarian. Slow-cooked meat, sauce on the side, generous portions is all I need to say.

Address: 5984 Stetson Hills Blvd. (On the extreme northern end of the King Soopers shopping plaza)
Phone: 596-4900
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays
11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays

Plastic: Yes
Local checks: No
Liquor service: Bottled beer only
Smoking: No.
Kiddie fare: Puppy Plates include one meat, one side and a drink for $4.50.
Vegetarian options: Umm . . .
Handicapped access: Reserved spots in the lot, all one level, bathrooms are accessible.
Parking: Plentiful out front.

 

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Find heaven in a brisket at Bird Dog BBQ
Spectacular Dining Column
Petacular News | Winter 2005

Barbecue lovers seeking the real thing will feel right at home at Bird Dog BBQ.

The restaurant is located at 5984 Stetson Hills Boulevard at the intersection of Stetson Hills and Powers Boulevards just north of King Soopers.

For those of you who haven’t yet wandered into Bird Dog for a meal, your tummy is in for some loving. The casual eatery just celebrated it’s one year anniversary. It sports a black, white and red interior and you’ll find photos of customers’ dogs placed under the glass on the tables. The smell alone in this restaurant will make you drool.

Bird Dog owners Brad Cleveland and Neal Ellis and staff prepare good ol’ barbecue, the kind you get your hands messy with, the kind you relish licking off your fingers.

Cleveland came with a decade of barbecue experience from Oklahoma, one of the hot places to find great barbecue. He named the restaurant after his grandfather, B.D. McDonald, whose nickname (and citizen’s band radio call name) is Bird Dog.

Cleveland’s fare is a Texas style barbecue, using beef rather than pork (except for the ribs, of course). The meat is smoked with oak instead of mesquite or hickory, which lends a subtle flavor.

Make no mistake, the main attraction at Bird Dog is the brisket. If you think all brisket has the texture of thick cardboard, you’re in for a treat. Bird Dog’s brisket is smoked overnight and mouth-wateringly tender. Try it chopped and doused with mild barbecue sauce, or order it sliced in a sandwich or as a dinner entree, sans bun.

The second most popular meat entree at Bird Dog is the pork spareribs. Imagine ribs Fred Flintstone would savor and you’ll get the picture. Okay, maybe they’re not as big as Brontosaurus ribs, but they’re hearty instead of lean (that’s why spareribs are used instead of babyback). The meat falls off the bone so don’t pass these by.

Shaved, smoked prime rib is another meat selection not to go unnoticed. And the 99-percent fat free, smoked turkey breast is amazing. Chicken halves are also on the menu as are mild polish sausage and well-seasoned hot links.

This brings me up to the two versions of barbecue sauce. Bird Dog’s is unique. The mild sauce is tangy and thick and has just the right balance of sweetness and spices to please most palates. You’d better believe that the hot barbecue sauce is just that -- it’s the kind of knock-your-socks-off stuff that hot sauce lovers who slather everything in sight with Tabasco would appreciate. Both sauces are sold to go for $3 a pint or $20 a gallon.

Speaking of prices, sandwiches are only $4.25 -- an incredible bargain for the amount of meat heaped on the bun. Add a side order for $1.50. Entree plates include two side orders and run $9.25 for one meat selection, $10.25 for two and $11.25 for three meat choices. The prime rib plate is a heck of a deal at $11.

What’s a plate of barbecued meat without sides? Illegal, that’s what. Especially once you’ve tried Bird Dog’s baked beans. The beans are slow-cooked and seasoned with the eatery’s own barbecue sauce and chopped brisket. Their potato salad tastes just like Grandma’s and this is one of the few places to get fried okra.

Kids’ meals are called puppy Plates and include a small portion of meat, one side order and a drink.

Homemade peach and apple cobblers are an irresistible end to the Bird Dog barbecue meal. Their cobbler crusts are more like a crumb cake topping than biscuit dough. Big brownies are also available, with or without nuts.

Customers love the food so much they use Bird Dog for catering office parties and more. Picking up some ribs and brisket with all the sides sure beats trying to do barbecue yourself at home -- a difficult task without a meat smoker that holds 400 pounds of brisket.

Catering prices run lean for what you get. A sandwich and side runs $4.85 per person, while a dinner plate, including meat and two sides, costs $8 (you’ll pay $9.25 for an individual serving at the restaurant). The best part is that at Bird Dog, they only need a couple of days of lead-time to fill a catering request, unless it’s for 100 people.

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5984 Stetson Hills Boulevard, Suite 300
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80922
719-596-4900