Walt's Hitching Post - Fort Wright, KY

Walt's Hitching Post
3300 Madison Pike, Fort Wright, KY 41017
http://waltshitchingpost.com/

Walt's Hitching Post has been a staple in the greater Cincinnati area since 1942.  Started by Walt Ballanger then sold to, a neighbor bartender, Bill Melton in 1958, it advertises signature items like their smokehouse ribs.  Bill ran it until his passing in 2008 where long time customers, Bronson Trebbi and Donny Arnsberger purchased Walt's from the Melton Trust in 2012.  It's expanded several times but the restaurant has remained tied to it's roots.

One of their signature items are "Caesar's Ribs - Walt's Smokehouse Slabs".  While there are many options of "Ribs with..." chicken, shrimp, chicken livers, crab cakes and filet, the ribs almost get lost on the menu with so many steakhouse items like BT's Signature Strip, Au-Poivre, Steak Diane, Beef Wellington, Braised Pork Shank, Walt's Legendary Fried Chicken and the 8 oz Country Fried Steak.

The smokehouse out front had a nice fire going but seemed more for decoration as there was nothing taking advantage of the fire.  I was expecting to see racks of ribs hanging there soaking up the smoke and heat.

I also noticed this smokehouse out back. Certainly a more commercial variety which makes me more inquisitive about the original smokehouse and it's use...but back to the menu.

I was really torn...but in the end, I did get the Smokehouse Ribs and Shrimp.  The ribs were smoked and then a sauce was added to the last bit of cooking to seal a saucy glaze upon the ribs.  What I found were ribs that were pedestrian at best.  They were not dry but not moist either.  Honestly they tasted more cooked than smoked and all the glaze did was hide any smokey taste that may have existed.  

From the moment I walked in, it felt like a steakhouse, it looked like a steakhouse, the menu presented a steakhouse and the ribs tasted like they came from a steakhouse.

BBQ is a culture that needs no front man.  BBQ is not the bass player in a band.  It's the lead singer and that's not what is happening at Walt's.  Should I find myself at Walt's again, I'll go with what they do best and the braised pork shank that I tasted, might well be at the top of that list.

OMC Smokehouse - Duluth, MN

OMC Smokehouse
1909 W Superior St
Duluth, MN 55806
https://omcsmokehouse.com/

Oink...Moo...Cluck.  It's a simple as that for the fine folks at OMC Smokehouse.  A very pleasant friendly smokehouse on the edge of Lake Superior in the frozen north of Minnesota.  

I can't say enough about the menu options here at OMC.  The smokehouse starters are Duck Fat Fries, OMC Wings, Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps, Jalapeno Brisket Bombs, Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, Smoked Chicken Quesadillas, Super Nachos, Chicken Fried Ribs and Smoked Salmon Pimento Dip.

For salads and wraps they have Wood-Fired Salmon Salad, BBQ Ranch Salad, Bama Brisket Wrap, Smoked turkey Club Wrap and Smoked Salmon Wrap. 

For OMC Sandwiches the offerings are Classic Pulled Pork, Classic Brisket, Classic Pulled Chicken, Northern Pride (pulled pork, crispy haystack onions and coleslaw), Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (pulled pork, pepper jack cheese, Napa slaw and pickled jalapenos), Korean BBQ Pork Belly Sandwich, Haystack Brisket, Brisket & Cheddar, Nashville Hot Chicken, Henny Penny (pulled chicken, cheddar cheese and bacon), Catfish Sandwich and Georgia Gold Chicken.

For Burgers they have the OMC Burger, the Deluxe Burger, Vegetarian Sloppy Joe and The Beyond Burger (vegetarian).

From the smoker are Pulled Pork, St. Louis Ribs, Sliced Beef Brisket, Smoked Chicken, Smoked OMC Plate (some of all 3) and their famous Chicken Fried Rib Dinner.

Their Smokehouse Dishes are OMC Tacos, Pork N' Grits, Loaded Mac & Cheese, Louisiana Catfish N' Chips, Catfish Tacos, Kentucky Hot Brown and Korean BBQ Soba Noodle Bowl.  

For Sides they have Candied Sweet Potato Bake, Mac & Cheese, Roasted Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato Salad, Cheesy Jalapeno Grits, Creamy Classic Coleslaw, Peas and Pancetta, OMC Butter Beans and Corn, a House Salad and a Yogurt Parfait.

They started off by dropping off a plate of pork rinds sprinkled with their rub.  These were mighty tasty and allowed me to get a good sample of their BBQ sauces.

They have 4 sauces.  A Chipotle-Cilantro BBQ, Classic Honey BBQ, Bent Paddle 14° ESP BBQ and Alabama White BBQ. I must say that I was impressed by everything they had.  The Chipotle-Cilantro was a good balance of sweet and heat, the Classic Honey was zesty and sweet, the Bent Paddle was a Carolina-style mustard based and the tangy Alabama White was great.  All very authentic.

I had the Chicken Fried Rib Sandwich.  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this.  The ribs were smoked to perfection.  Then they were lightly battered and quick fried.  The skin is mostly a layer of flavor than trying to actually cook the rib. It added a southern layer to the whole experience and I loved it.

While I tried all of the sauces, the Alabama White worked the best, maybe because it presented a better chicken fried steak look.

The Cheesy Jalapeno Grits were very good.  A little stiffer that I would have expected but that didn't take away from the taste.

 So if you ever find yourself within shouting distance of Duluth, I highly recommend pulling into downtown and sampling the BBQ fare at OMC Smokehouse.

They will leave you oinking, mooing and clucking to your heart's delight.