Official Bar-B-Q

Official was promoted by some quite respected folks in town but I fear it is not better than average for ICT. Brisket is unevenly prepared, hot links have no discernible spice or smoke, pulled pork is good but not exceptional. Sides were from packages, not house-​made. The piece of chicken I had was quite good, but that’s the only thing I’d return for. Add in the fact that it’s likely to take forever to get served anytime you’re not the only one there and you have a below-​average experience. I went twice and that was enough to tell me that the hype machine just likes it because it’s downtown. I like downtown stuff myself… but Official is a bridge too far.

While there is certainly some appeal in a barbecue food truck in this part of town, my visit to Official was a victim of the unfortunately chilly days that for some reason continue to plague us in April, resulting in a brisket that showed promise in seasoning, bark, and smoke ring, but a lukewarm temperature that didn’t render the fat as much as we both would have hoped. Similar problems existed with the turkey, beginning with the fact that I actually ordered pulled pork. I don’t fault the mistake, but I do fault the product — seasoned well again, but a little dry as can happen with white meat, and equally troubled in maintaining temperature. The truck is just a temporary solution until the kitchen of the building next to which the truck is located can be brought up to code (the dining room’s ready to go, for those who want to eat in), so my criticisms might not be so heavy once it gets a little warmer.