We grew up in Arkansas, close to Hot Springs, and of all the hundreds of times I must have driven by �McClard�s BBQ� in Hot Springs, we ate there for the first time during a trip down last week. What a disappointment.

McClard�s has been there for over 70 years; presidents back to Truman and probably Roosevelt have eaten there. The restaurant has been on the front pages of national magazines and papers, but we were not impressed.

To start with, the beans tasted more like tamales than baked beans. The slaw was ok but nothing special, but it was the �chopped� pork that amazed us. Not just chopped in chunks, but run through a sausage grinder so that the texture was that of finely ground ground beef. Where it not for their pretty good sauce it would have been inedible.

I have never in my life seen �chopped� pork ground that fine�.sure makes my CS �pulled� version taste and look good!

I haven't been to McClard's yet...I always figured if I'm going to drive that far from up here in the Northeast corner then I might as well make it a trip to Papa Shaka's in Little Rock.
However, I think that McClard's has always been known for their sauce anyway's , and like you said ...you couldn't have eaten the food, without it.

Grew up on McClard's. Unfortunately the quality has declined over the years until now it survives on reputation and not great BBQ.

That's too bad...reputation will only take you so far and last just so long. But in fairness, none in our group had ribs....maybe they were world class.

I went last summer and could not eat the food. I grew up in Pine Bluff and was expecting a quality like the Shack was in Little Rock. I wonder how they do so well with all of the other places in Hot Springs.

According to the local TV stations here in Arkansas, McClard's is Bill Clinton's favorite BBQ joint. Maybe people like to eat where the former pres occasionally pops in. Who knows?

Hmmm...now I have another reason to question 'Bill's' tastes.

You can put lipstick on a pig and call it Monica but it's still a pig

ArkansasQer,
Family and I went to McClards this past Saturday for the 1st time. She had a sandwich and I had the ribs...sandwich ok, ribs, terrible! And the beans..whew. Anyway, we own a Cookshack and to this day it's never been beat by anyone tastewise. So don't bother on the ribs either,
JTL

I grew up on the Shack in Little Rock ---- I ate at McClards about 1 year ago. Have no desire to go back. RaiderBill --- very well put.

Just for the heck of it, I went onto �McClard�s� web site and sent them an E-mail regarding my experience in their restaurant and that of some others on this thread. I invited them to Cookshack.com�s forum to see first hand what some were saying about the quality of product they are putting out. I can�t imagine someone in that business not caring about repeat business, but perhaps with Hot Springs tourism they have enough newbie�s everyday drawn by their reputation.