Horn Dawgs does a brisk take out business, and I can understand why…read more
We ordered the Puppy Dawg Meal and got an amazing quantity of food. Jenna, who took my order, was friendly and professional, efficient, but willing to give her time and opinion to help me decide on the order. Now that's good service. This was my first time here, and it is great to have some quality BBQ so close by in Pickering.
Main event: The Ribs. These ribs are amazing. I had them sauced with the terrific house sauce (sauce so good that I bought a jarful - Jenna told me that they just made it this morning!). The ribs are tender, but have a nice tug and chew so that you know it's meat (as opposed to the fall-off-the-bone, melt in your mouth kind that make you feel like you are eating stewed meat - kind of like what happens when I make ribs for my family). The sauce complimented the meat well, enhancing the flavour while allowing the porky rib quality to shine through. I can't say enough about them.
The chicken was as close to perfect as I have had. On its own, some might call it under spiced, but you can add that yourself. Personally, I like it just as Horn Dawgs makes it: a simple, very crispy, savoury coating with moist chicken inside. The white meat was really juicy and tasty!
Pulled pork was great. Some nice, crispy, lightly charred bits to give some contrast to the moist pork meat. We have quite a bit left over, because everyone was all over the ribs and the chicken. My advice about the pork: ask for your sauces (of course I recommend the house sauce) on the side, so that, if you have left-overs, the sauce doesn't make them soggy. Just sauce each portion to your preference, just after preparing the portion.
Our sides also lived up to the expectations set by the mains; smooth, creamy mashed potato, sweet and savoury cornbread; really stand-out baked beans, with a sweet but smoky flavour; fries that actually tasted like potatoes!
To top it off, excellent service, easy parking and (for me) a convenient location. It is somewhat hidden behind a Thai food restaurant. It is just east of the Pickering Go station. Great Service and great food! If you are in the Pickering area and craving some BBQ, skip the big chain restaurants (abundant in Pickering) and head on over to Horn Dawgs! Support a local business and have some top notch food all at the same time! Righteous, and tasty!
All they need to do is adopt a pup, feature his story, and then, Romeo, I will be your Juliet!
P.S. A week or two later, I made some ribs myself and sauced them with the jar of sauce that i bought at Horn Dawgs. Perfect! I can see why this sauce has won awards.