Outlaw BBQ is located in my neighborhood, having opened in 2021.
https://www.outlawbarbecuerevolution.com/
I have driven past it on West 38TH street many times and repeatedly said to myself ‘I need to try them some time’. Well, that sometime was this last week. After finishing some on-site work at a client location I found myself driving right past Outlaw on the way home at lunch time so it seemed the perfect opportunity. I took a copy of their menu and scanned it for your reference:
When I walked into the place there was a slight smell of wood smoke, which I took to be a good sign (at any BBQ establishment). The sandwich including side seemed like a good value. They also didn’t appear to offer a meat plus side(s) platter type option and I didn’t want to slip into a post-lunch food coma this particular day anyway. I asked the lady behind the counter what she recommended for a sandwich and she said the pulled pork. I ordered that with a side of mac and cheese and headed home with it (they are take-out only).
Pulled pork sandwich – No smoke flavor to speak of. None. Nothing from the color of the meat indicates it was smoked for any period of time, either. It might as well have come from a slow cooker. There was a good amount of pork on the sandwich but it was bland. Very disappointing. The sweet sauce they offered with it (which I got on the side) was little more than ketchup with some sugar added and the sharp taste of cayenne for no good reason. Even the cheapest Kraft bottled sauce would have been better.
Mac and cheese – Very heavy on dry mustard. Mild cheese flavor. Portion size was okay but this side was underwhelming to say the least.
As someone who has been smoking their own ribs, pork shoulder, beef brisket and chicken for over 10 years I can tell you with certainty that this is not real BBQ! I do not see myself returning to Outlaw for any reason in the future.
When we started this food blog a few years ago it wasn’t to tear places down; just to share our experiences and insights with our friends and readers. It is rare for us to post negative or even middling reviews of any establishment, and we still try to include positives. In this case there are none.
Not Fat Guy Approved!