The Farm Bar and Grille,
233 Western Ave., Essex
The Farm Bar hand-cuts its own tortillas and fries them into golden chips. Then they are loaded up with Vermont cheddar cheese and pulled pork that was coated in a family-recipe dry rub and smoked for 12 hours. On top of that are generous helpings of pico de gallo and guacamole (both homemade); sour cream; and a secret barbecue sauce. The cost is $7 for the personal size and $10 for large. Visit www.farmbargrille.com for information.
Sawmill Pizzeria & Smokehouse,
1480 Broadway Road, Dracut
A dry rub is applied to the ribs before they are smoked over hickory for several hours in Sawmill’s custom barbecue pit. When the fall-off-the-bone ribs are pulled out, they are doused in a signature barbecue sauce. $13.40 for a half rack and $18.90 for a full rack, including a choice of two sides, like French fries and cole slaw. www.sawmillpizzeria.com
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Chili Head Barbeque Co.,
320 West Center St., West Bridgewater
The jumbo wings are marinated in a dry rub, smoked for three hours, flash-fried, tossed in a blend of 17 herbs from the Caribbean, and served with carrots, celery, and creamy bleu cheese. $14 for one dozen wings. www.chiliheadbbq.com
T-Bones Road House, 22 Main St., Plymouth
The ribs and the pork are seasoned before being put in the smoker for four and 12 hours, respectively. The Two-Way Combo Platter has both meats slathered in barbecue sauce and served with Texas toast, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw, and costs $16. www.tbonesroadhouse.com
Blue Ribbon BBQ,
908 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington
Ribs are rubbed with a house blend barbecue rub and smoked for five to six hours before being slathered with Blue Ribbon’s secret rib splash. A full slab costs $25, while platters of one-third or one-half slabs with two sides and cornbread cost $15 and $17, respectively. www.blueribbonbbq.com
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Firefly’s, 350 East Main St., Marlborough
The ribs are glazed with a summer-special peach and Kentucky bourbon barbecue sauce. A half rack, served with a new corn pudding (fresh corn, sweet green and red bell peppers, eggs, milk, Vermont cheddar cheese, and scallions) and cucumber salad, is $17. www.fireflys-bbq.com
Bison County Bar and Grill,
275 Moody St., Waltham
Wings are coated with a dry rub, smoked for more than three hours, finished on an open grill heated to 700 degrees, and slathered with a mustard-based South Carolina barbecue sauce. $10 for a six-wing plate. www.bisoncounty.com
Nicholas Kapteyn can be reached at nicholas.kapteyn@globe.com.