OUTSIDER BBQ & BEER GARDEN — Restaurant in Seattle

I haven't been very impressed by a lot of the barbecue places around Seattle, but this was absolutely an exception There have been other places, that I've heard great things about, but have been disappointed by their brisket. So, I was excited, but a bit apprehensive to try this out.

I'll preface this by saying that I'm not some barbecue connoisseur - I'm not from Texas, nor have I had barbecue in that state; nor do I know the intricacies of the process that goes into smoking meats. However, I don't think you need to be an expert to judge how the flavor compare on one piece of brisket versus the next. Both the average joe and the highest of craft pitmasters will be able to tell the difference between good and bad BBQ - because the beauty of the meat is in its simplicity. There are no fancy add-ons, or dressings, to cover up the taste. If you screw it up, it's plain for anyone to see.

That being said - this place? It serves some pretty damn good barbecue I got a quarter-pound each of the brisket and pulled pork. Was looking forward to one of their specials like beef cheek or short rib along with the brisket, but since they didn't have that - went with the pork instead. They actually gave me 0.35 lb brisket instead (did charge me for the extra 0.1 pounds though)

This was the best brisket I've ever had. Granted, this isn't a huge sample size - I've had brisket a total of maybe 10-15 times in my life - but I was completely blown away by this. The moisture, the flavor of the bark, the smoke rings - basically everything was perfect on this brisket. The fatty piece was threatening to fall apart in half in the fold test - it was that tender. The meat clung to itself just barely before ceding upon a slight pull; offering up just a hint of resistance before yielding. Obviously, the fatty piece was extraordinarily good. It was seasoned perfectly, and the melt-in-your-mouth experience was a truly meat-magical moment. It was unbelievable how much flavor it had.

What's the most impressive - though - was how good the lean piece was. At the last 'hyped' BBQ place in Seattle, I found the lean piece to be way too dry and lacking moisture. Here, though, it was astoundingly tender. I literally just needed a fork to cut parts of it off - and it came apart at the slightest touch. The fact that it was this good, without having the cushion of fat to fall back on, was truly mind-blowing.

The other thing I had was the pulled pork. Unfortunately, I have to say this was slightly disappointing. It just felt dry - like it was lacking so much of the moisture that the brisket had. There was practically no juice - and I didn't get really any of that fatty pork flavor. While it didn't taste bad, I think that maybe it had been sitting for a while, and dried out.

I didn't get any sides, but the plate-level sides were decent. The white bread was nice, as were the pickles and jalapenos. The pickled onions had a bit of a weird taste to them, though, like they weren't pickled enough. They tasted more like normal onions

For the price of around $22, what I paid was very reasonable for getting to try this brisket and pork. I find it very cool that they let you pick how much ever meat you want, and then cut into it (in the case of the brisket) in front of you.

Overall, the brisket was good enough to rank this as one of my all-time favorite places, but the pulled pork drags it down to the point where it's not quite at that level, but I'll be thinking about the brisket for...

Generally, an outside space, very well named. Plenty of picnic tables, and 4 tops inside. There is a bar height rail with higher chairs, and plenty of.spaces for families. The Turkish Owner Onur seems ever present, talkative and engaging. Plus, he knows his craft, inside and out. If memoey serves, they smoke ~200 briskets per week. They set aside one day for cleaning the grills, and plan some significant growth in capacity. We went on a nice cool summer day, and had Barbacoa sandwiches, and a couple of sides. Barbacoa is basically slow cooked meat (in this case beef cheek) which is also available by weight. A friend said, "This place is all about the sides." I heartily disagree. The Barbacoa flippin' ROCKS!! On the sides front: the mac and cheese is quite light, silky smooth when warm, clumping together a bit as it cools (you get more on the fork), non-cloying, and delightful with a healthy sprinkling of breadcrumbs (for texture). The kale caesar is likely made by the vat, not overdressed (swimming a puddle) and quite well done. Decent portion sizes, thought the Barbacoa, cooked long and slow enough beef that ends up with a high fat content, zero 'bark' quotient, and insanely rich flavor. This is the quentessence of messy. "That's the point." sez Owner Onur. While I often give a 'D' for the sandwich portion of a grade, the bread stands up well, you may want a small sheaf of napkins, though.

Can't wait to go back and try more, or to have room for the advertised soecial peach cobbler, or a Texas classic: banana pudding.

They are right on Leary Way, opposite the Seattle Biscuit Co., and next to Hamdi. Ergo parking can get tight at times. Just consider parking uphill a block or three, and walking.

Second visit, went for the special $12 Chicken thigh, and a brisket burger at ~$18, Caesar salad and cole slaw. Had I realized the burger came with cheese (¿american?), I'd have asked to skip it. To me, it adds nothing. Pickles on the try are tart and a tad salty. Pickles onnthe burger are sweet and thick. Bun similarly sweet, likely brioche... but it is covered with a lot of other 'sauce' and the flavor of the brisket gets a bit lost. As advertised, the slaw is crunchy. Cut just a bit rough for the plastic flatware provided. Nicely dressed, plenty of good flavor. The Caesar today was over dressed, and a tad much added parmesan shreds. Maybe getting usage in before tye tarrifs kickni in. Killer croutons, but this does not, a...

I was really looking forward to trying Outsiders BBQ after hearing so many great reviews. Coming from a Texas-style barbecue background, I couldn’t help but slip into my competition judge mindset to see how it stacked up.

The meat was good—but didn’t quite hit the mark. The brisket, both lean (flat) and fatty (point), was sliced too thin, and then oddly cut in half, which threw me off. The bark lacked that bold, peppery bite I expect, and there was barely any smoke flavor. The fat wasn’t fully rendered, leaving the brisket a bit dry and not as juicy as it should be.

The pork ribs were decent, but again, the seasoning didn’t quite land, and there was little to no smokiness. They were also slightly overdone—falling off the bone to the point of dryness.

Now, the jalapeño cheddar sausage? Absolutely incredible. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked—I kept going back for more and seriously considered not sharing. Easily the highlight of the meal.

The BBQ sauces were both solid—one was a tangy mustard-based option, and the other a classic style, both complementing the meats nicely.

As for the sides, they held their own. The potato salad was light and crisp with a nice dill kick and chopped pickles—super refreshing on a hot day. The elote-style corn had mixed reviews at the table—tasty, but we’ve had better. The mac and cheese was creamy and filling, though a bit on the basic side. All the meats came with sliced bread, pickles, pickled onions, and jalapeños, which is always appreciated.

The surprise hit? The banana pudding. It was unlike any I’ve had before—everything blended together into a rich, creamy scoop of comfort. I loved it and couldn’t get enough.

That said, I did find the atmosphere a bit overwhelming. The music—both inside and out—was very loud, to the point where it was hard to have a conversation. And while the portions were decent, I found the prices on the higher side for what you get. The service was amazing though, everyone was very helpful, attentive, and friendly.

All in all, you’ll have a hearty, satisfying meal at Outsiders BBQ. While the barbecue doesn’t quite reach Texas competition level, it may be the closest you’ll get in Washington—outside of what’s coming off my...