Q-BBQ serves up infamous American barbeque styles from Texas to South Carolina. One of their signature menu items, the pulled pork sandwich, is their take on the classic BBQ staple.
Q-BBQ is a small independent Chicagoland barbecue restaurant with three locations: La Grange, Naperville and Oak Park. Their Oak Park location, at 124 N. Marion St., has been in business since 2016.
On the menu, American barbeque styles like Memphis ribs, Texas brisket, and Carolina pulled pork are offered in all of their marinated and smoked styles.
Ian Thompson, regional operations manager, said Q-BBQ “mirrors the styles” of traditional barbecue.
“I would say when it comes to us, we do our best to stay ‘true and blue’ by the regions that we pull from,” Thompson said.
Thompson said since they are a Midwest-based restaurant, they try to give patrons options in the sauces and styles and educate them on what their menu entails. However, the root of their menu lies in popular traditional Southern barbeque.
The “Q-style” pulled pork sandwich, emulating the South Carolina style, has a combination of coleslaw, pulled pork and smoked gouda cheese. It’s one of the restaurant’s personal and fan-favorites on the menu, Thompson said.
The pork is rubbed down with their Memphis rub and then marinades for five to eight hours. The pork, still on the shoulder bone, is then placed in their smoker, where it smokes overnight for usually 16 hours.
Once removed from the smoker, the morning after, the pork is “pulled”; sifted through for bones, and the lean and fattier pieces are mixed together by hand into a shredded, melt-in-your-mouth mix.
A toasted brioche bun, a slice of smoked gouda cheese, and a helping of coleslaw tops off the simple yet classic sandwich.
“You’re gonna get creamy from the gouda and the slaw. You get a little more sweet from the slaw, and a little acidity. So it just adds more depth. If you’re going to add a barbecue sauce on it; for our patrons, Memphis is very popular,” said Thompson, “but for me, I’m all about the vinegar.”