Milford Meat Impressions: Pickles & Bones Barbeque

Every self-respecting Cincinnati barbecue enthusiast knows which area restaurant has reigned supreme over the last six or seven years, and yet that still hasn't deterred a host of competent chefs in town from trying to topple the king from his smoky, tender, juicy throne.

One of the newest contenders on the scene is Pickles & Bones Barbecue, located just on the outskirts of Milford in Day Heights, near Milford High School. While the fledgling BBQ takeaway is still in its infancy, the team behind it are far from inexperienced. Josh and Nicole House are both former executive chefs at well-established restaurants, including The Golden Lamb in Lebanon, and The Oakroom in Louisville.

The couple employ a combination of hickory and maple wood smoke to their recipes that they say gives their meat's flavor a slightly sweet edge. Armed with brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey breast, St. Louis-style ribs, hot links and rib tips along with eight sides and several desserts, Pickles & Bones aspires to be the BBQ joint Cincinnatians will drive out of their way for.

We mapped out a plan to reach Pickles & Bones' seemingly remote spot in an old strip mall along a two-lane highway. The inside is a cubbyhole of a place, large enough only for the ordering counter and a few chairs along the window for patrons to seat themselves as they await their to-go orders. You can't dine in here, though there are a few outdoor tables along one wall of the building.

While there are sandwich variants available, my girlfriend and I instead chose BBQ plates, which range in price from $11 - $13 and include two sides and a few slices of their house-made pickles (hence their name). She chose the brisket along with a side of mac 'n cheese and spicy baked beans. I chose the pulled pork, with a side of hoe cakes and collard greens. We also opted for one of their dessert specials: a slice of a lemon-infused buttermilk pie.

Brisket, mac 'n cheese and spicy baked beans

Pulled pork, collard greens and hoe cakes

I was most excited about the unassuming hoe cakes because I'm aware of no other area BBQ joint that offers them. On their own, these tiny, pancake-like cornmeal discs are generally rather mild, but once they are caramelized on a griddle and slathered with the accompanying side of sorghum butter, they are transformed into something truly magical.

We stocked up on diminutive containers of homemade barbecue sauces available near the counter before heading outside to a nearby picnic table. I admired my girlfriend's heaping slices of gorgeous-looking brisket, with its assertively dark spice-rubbed outer crust and electric-pink smoke ring. She confirmed its pleasingly tender texture and enjoyed its smoky, salty flavor. She was particularly pleased with her aggressively spicy, lip-tingling baked beans and the competently-prepared, creamy mac and cheese.

My Styrofoam container revealed three golden-brown hoe cakes and perfectly al-dente collard greens --these weren't the mushy kind you often find sitting in a hot vat all day. The mildly molasses-like flavor of the sorghum butter perfectly complemented the hoecakes' browned crusty outer layer. The pulled pork featured a mild smokiness and, although slightly on the dry side, exhibited good flavor on its own.

Buttermilk pie

The house-made pickles were slightly sweet, mildly vinegary and quite tasty; I could imagine snacking out of a large jar of these.

The slice of buttermilk pie offered a mildly sweet finale to a hearty meal, with a welcomed lemon-tinged finish.

Pickles & Bones BBQ is well on its way to making a name for itself in Cincinnati. It has a fair shot at unseating an established king as the never-ending game of meat thrones continues.