My wife, Rita, and I arrived at the Shaka Smoke Lodge in the River Market in Little Rock a little after noon on Friday.
Papa (Mike Maynard) immediately handed me his digital camera. So, I do have pics to post (Smokin, you're going to have to guide me on that one. You can e-mail me on how to post the pics at greatbuys@sewmotion.com )
Rita and I were all set to order when Mike told me that he and Leigh, his daughter, had decided to make us a sampler plate.
Plate!!!! My God, it was a feast, and I can't wait to post the pictures to prove it.
This and the brew Mike provided at no charge.
Unbelievable! Thanks again, Mike, for the great food and the great time.
Anyhow, now to the acid test. How did the food taste? How was the taste, texture, moistness, and appearance?
Let me give you a list of what all Mike served us: (you won't believe this) twice-smoked ham, beef shoulder, pork butt, turkey, his standard spare ribs, peppered spare ribs, beans, cole slaw, potato salad, jalapeno corn bread, his own outstanding sauce on the side, and a little Sam Adams.
It was enough to feed an army. (We finished it off last night when we arrived home. Just as good as the day Mike served it to us.)
Rita, who normally has the appetite of a sparrow, tipped me off that the food was exceptional on every count when she began to dig in.
Ribs: superb taste, not overpowered by the smoke; excellent texture-tender, but not at all mushy; very moist, yet the fat was well-rendered out of the spares; appearance was very nice, the peppered ribs had almost a bark of black pepper, really memorable.
As a matter of fact, if I listed all the meats separately, I would give each the same high scores.
The twice-smoked ham, made from Petit Jean ham, was completely different than any other twice-smoked ham I've had, truly outstanding.
Mike also handed me a pack of his rubs to try, which he tells me will soon be available for sale, as well as his own sauce, which is first-rate.
As I try each rub, I'll post the results and pictures.
Oh, yes, one other thing, Mike and Leigh also sell a variety of their own smoked products: salmon, catfish, bacon, and their own Buckboard Bacon. All cooked on CS commercial cookers. I even have pictures of those; one with a big beef shoulder inside, just about ready to serve.
We bought some of each of the bacons. I tried the Buckboard Bacon today. It was great.
In fact I've already ordered the kit to make Buckboard Bacon from Hi Mountain. Mike told me about this and I was eager to try it and, now, even more eager to make it.
With a Cookshack it's easy to make your own Buckboard Bacon at home.
Rita wanted me to mention that you can tell his food is way above the run of the pack by the crowds that stand in line at his store. And that day, according to Mike, was a slow day.
I'm glad to report this may have been the best barbecue meal(s) that I've had.
Hope to see Mike and Leigh next time I drive through Little Rock. In fact I'm sure we will, because Rita's already planning on what to order next time.
I promised to post the photos and here they are:
This photo is of Mike Maynard and his daughter, Leigh Maynard, who own and operate Shaka Smoke Lodge.
.The second photo is of the two large commercial CS units Mike uses at his store. I believe they're model 205's.
The third image shows a nice beef shoulder coming out of the big Cookshack.
Mike proudly shows off some of his smoked catfish.
and his smoked salmon.
Finally, the monster feast that he served.
What a great treat. Thanks, again, Mike and Leigh