Woodshed Barbeque Company
El Dorado, Arkansas
June 13, 2005
We found ourselves in El Dorado, Arkansas around dinnertime. Stopping at a station for gas, we asked the attendant if El Dorado had a barbeque joint. His face lit up and he gave us directions to what he called El Dorado Barbeque. His directions were accurate, but the name was not. I don’t know what the locals call it, but the name on the sign was Woodshed Barbeque Company.
Woodshed Barbeque Company is housed in a converted gas station, but the owners did a nice job with the conversion and the interior was pleasant and clean. It was a seat-yourself place. Our waitress seemed more harried than the handful of customers would seem to warrant, but she was pleasant and efficient. There were not more than a dozen dine-in customers the entire hour or so we were there. There was about half that many customers who walked up to take out meals. The stream of vehicles at the drive-up window, however, was seemingly constant.
Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at about 7:00 pm, they were out of pork and sausage. Dawn ordered the ribs and I ordered the brisket.
I was disappointed with the brisket. It was dry, though it did have a slightly smoky taste. The brisket had been sliced with an electric knife rather than hand cut or chopped which, I believe, affects the texture, if not the taste.
The ribs were quite good. They were meaty and tender with a good smoky taste. The half-rack were more than enough for one person.
Portions were normal sized, reasonable for a diner, but not the gluttonous portions that are often served in barbeque joints. Most single meat dishes were about $8.99.
The baked beans were good. They were thick, sweet and meaty and, if I hadn’t already had the beans at the Pig Out Inn and Big Bob Gibson’s, I might have pronounced them very good.
The highlight of the meal for Dawn was the bourbon pecan pie which, we were told, had Kahlua in it. (That shows how knowledgeable I am about alcohol – I didn’t realize Kahlua was bourbon.) The pie was very good and quite sticky. I’m not normally a big pecan pie fan, but I enjoyed my few bites of this one.
Overall, Woodshed Barbeque Company is a nice local barbeque joint. I would like to have tasted their pork. Their ribs were good, though their brisket was dry. If I found myself in El Dorado again, I would certainly go back, but I wouldn’t drive far out of my way to do it.
Pros: Good, meaty ribs; great bourbon pecan pie; clean, airy, pleasant interior.
Cons: Dry brisket; ran out of pork and sausage relatively early in the evening; may be a little pricey for the portion size.
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