Back Home BBQ — Restaurant in Little Rock

The Battle for Second Place.

So begins the battle for the second best BBQ in Little Rock. It’s a showdown between Back Home and Whole Hog.

Without question, Wrights remains ‘The Best’ in Little Rock. Let’s summarize why that’s the case.

Food:

I was divided on how to grade the food here at Back Home. While it’s certainly true that the major appeal of a BBQ restaurant is the meat, the sides should act as a compliment. They should offer a variance of textures and flavors that position themselves to heighten the taste of the smoked meats.

My group dined here for a Sunday lunch and had nearly all the meats on offer: Brisket, ribs, sausage, and pork belly (burnt ends).

All were of generally good quality and flavor. As another reviewer noted, the ribs were just a bit on the dryer side, but nothing too egregious.

The issue was the included sides with our meals. The beans were….off putting to say the least. The appearance was more akin to chili than a baked/smoked bean dish. It was a deep red color, but hardly any actual beans to be found. Instead, it seemed to be mostly meat of some kind. (I truly regret not taking more photos!)

The other sides were better, but I don’t believe it was by nearly enough to offset my score. The potato salad, coleslaw, and cheesy potatoes were all various degrees of being ‘okay’, to ‘not something I’d order again’.

We did return on the following Wednesday to try the Back Home brisket smash-burger based on a recommendation. This burger, from my understanding, is only sold on a particular day, so you should act quickly to secure one.

While the burger meat was great, the bun was very soft (a positive), but a bit on the sweeter side. This added contrasting flavor to the savoriness of the brisket, but maybe a tad too much. Also, smash-burger’s typically come with pickles, but none were present. A small, but missed opportunity to add a hint of ‘tang’ to a generally good burger.

Also, it’d be a good idea to add chips or fries as a side for the burgers. I don’t typically desire potato salad or coleslaw as a companion to a burger.

Service:

While the food had some hiccups, I can happily say that the service was great. One of the managers of this establishment stopped by the tables of the various diners asking them what they thought of their meals. This showed me that he clearly wanted honest opinions on how the restaurant was being perceived, and potentially, how things can improve. Our group offered what I hope were mild critiques that I can only imagine will be helpful.

Atmosphere:

Back Home is in a decent location, though I worry about future parking if this location continues to gain customers that will return. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated for a BBQ joint, and even has a bar opening at some point in the future. While I was unable to view this portion, I may return to Back Home to see what that’s about.

In conclusion, as I stated at the outset, Back Home must battle for the second spot in Little Rock’s BBQ scene. With just a few improvements, who knows what could happen???

I’ll definitely try them again in the future to see what becomes of...

Arkansas is a complex little state with several cultures mashed together, and without a strong sense of its own cultural identity and history. The lack of that strong sense and the overwhelming "presence" of the state's rich and huge neighbor looming over on the west, Texas, means that many Arkansans look outside their state, especially to Texas, for some cultural identity and grounding.

The popularity of Back Home BBQ is a case in point. Many Little Rockers are going wild for the Texas-style barbecue, the smoked brisket, at Back Home — though for a very long time, barbecue in the state was, in line with its historical and cultural roots in the Southeast, pork.

I have no real beef with Texas-style barbecue, though I grew up eating pork barbecue and being told by family members that pork barbecue, especially smoked by a Black pitmaster, is the best barbecue that there is — and those cultural traditions still mean a lot to me as an Arkansan who's not contemplating becoming a Texan. When I was growing up in Little Rock, my family would eat only barbecue made by Black restaurants — except for barbecue at the old Shack near the state capitol, where my mother and her sisters who worked downtown liked to have lunch.

So to the main matter — what Back Home offers. The brisket is, as lots of folks report, tender and tasty. It's also overpriced. I very much liked the cowboy beans that I chose as a side for my brisket sandwich. My lunch companion did not. I liked them because they were piquant and not sweet, and finding unsweetened beans to go with barbecue in this area is, for the most part, a losing proposition.

The potato salad was also not sweetened, another point in favor of Back Home, though it wasn't especially tasty or well-seasoned. The slaw, made with red cabbage, was sweetened, but not grotesquely so, as with cole slaw served in a lot of other local restaurants.

My lunch companion found the barbecue sauce to sweet. While I did find it sweet and I don't prefer a cloyingly sweet barbecue sauce, I overlooked the sweetness (and honestly didn't find it overbearingly sweet) in favor of the mustardy tang and bite of the sauce, which I liked.

So in summation: if you believe that Texas-style barbecue is bona fide barbecue and if brisket is what you want, Back Home has something to offer you. But did I say overpriced? Especially for an order-at-the-counter style eatery with no table service, with plastic utensils and paper plates?

Maybe the Little Rock market can command the prices Back Home is charging, and if so, more power to its owners. Meanwhile, when I have a hankering for barbecue — for pork ribs and chopped pork — I'm pretty sure I'll be making way to some other places around this area instead of to Back Home,...

So I saw this place on Instagram a few months back and have been plotting my visit ever since. Luckily I had to be in Little Rock on business and I called the buddy of mine and asked if he wanted to go to lunch. Barbecue sounded great so we decided to give it a try.

I tried to order as much as possible on a budget! I’m pretty sure I blew that budget, but I had meals for three days which worked out even better.

Pork belly bites, they had great flavor and were tender. How can you go wrong with big chunks of bacon! Even reheated in the air fryer they were good.

Brisket very tender not as fatty as I had hoped. But it just depends on where they are at on the brisket when cutting. Great smokiness, good flavor, and a good bark. Did not reheat as well due to the limited amount of fat.

Texas Twinkies. Probably my favorite item on the plate. Who doesn’t like bacon, cheese, jalapeños, and pulled pork. Tasted great there, and reheated well in the air fryer.

Jalapeño cheddar sausage, this item was probably my least favorite unfortunately. Don’t give me wrong. It was good, but I’ve had way better. Would I get it again yes probably.

Coleslaw was great, had a lot of carrot in it and I couldn’t tell if that was Apple or not but they used it. It was a different flavor, which was great. It’s always good to try. New twist on coleslaw.

Smoked sausage and cabbage. The best side I have. I was shockingly surprised at the tenderness of the cabbage and the depth of flavor provided. I will definitely get this again.

Overall, this place was a great experience and I look forward to...