(12/02/06)

Buck's Naked BBQ is located on Route 1 in Freeport ME, across the street from a huge wooden Indian. Note that if you're taking Route 295, it's South of exit 20, contrary to directions supplied by Mapquest. Buck's Naked is a small red shack with a semi-open kitchen. There are a few booths and some large indoor picnic tables. The small bar has a fairly inexpensive mix of the usual beer suspects as well as some interesting microbrews.

I started with a cup of smoky chili to kick off the Saturday lunch. It had three kinds of meat (brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken) and two kinds of beans, along with thin strips of onions and peppers. The broth was a little tomatoey and very mild, so I added some Tabasco. Not bad.

Buck's Naked offers only one kind of rib: babybacks. When I see that on a menu, an alarm goes off in my head: prepare for chain-style, boiled-and-broiled faux 'cue. With that in mind I ordered a combo with ribs and pulled pork, choosing cole slaw and baked beans as sides.

I was very pleasantly surprised when the platter arrived. The ribs were a half slab of some of the meatiest babybacks I've come across (only Uncle Pete's in Revere MA and Willie B's in Bay Shore NY have similarly plump babybacks). There was a nice, thick crust from slow smoking that had a good amount of embedded rub as well as a sprinkling of fresh rub, Memphis style. As I cut through the bark, juices burst through the exterior. When I flipped the cut rib around, I was greeted by a pink and meaty morsel. It had a little snap to it, with just the right tenderness, though lovers of super tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs may find these a little tough. I really liked the flavor: there was a good dose of that rub and two good doses of smoke, but the meat was still allowed to be the star of the show. That alarm in my head was silent now. When I reached the last of my ribs, I was a little sad, but I know I'll be having more someday.

The pile of pulled pork had large, brown chunks of meat. It was tender and smoky, just not as smoky as the riibs. The pork wasn't dry but not as moist as it could have been. I'd say it was pretty good though.

As their name implies, Buck's Naked serves the meats unsauced, but two barbecue sauces graced the table. A red house sauce was tomato-based and fairly tasty. Another sauce was similar but more purple, with blueberries the key ingredient. Different and nice, and not as sweet as you'd think.

Sides were mixed. The cole slaw tasted homemade, with lots of herbs and a very thick, very creamy consistency that suggested sour cream. Baked beans were the typical New England variety, done well. The cornbread was coarse and corny and a little stiff.

Service was very friendly. My server enthusiastically explained a few of the menu items to me.

The bottom line: I'm not a babybacks guy, but these were the best babybacks I ever had. With good sides and just okay pork, I need to try the brisket and revisit the other meats before getting a true handle on this place, but so far there's a lot to like.