One of the exciting things about Barbecue cuisine is that on average the ingredients are the same.   No matter what barbecue restaurant you decide to eat, you will most likely find beef brisket, pulled pork, chicken, and maybe even different styles of ribs. The one thing that varies from location to location is the manner and care in which they prepare those ingredients. At this locally owned establishment they are taking a new twist, and serving it Naked or without sauce. They apply a dry rub to the different meats and then smoke it slowly over low heat. Once the meat is cooked, you can order it in a few different combinations. The twist of having it without sauce is a nice treat. This way you can decide if you would prefer to put North Carolina style (vinegar based) sauce, South Carolina (mustard based) sauce, sweet sauce, spicy sauce, or no sauce at all.

There are two locations in the Valley, but some menu items may differ at the other location. There are a few different ways to order your meal. You can choose it as a sandwich, platter or as a salad. There are also a vast amount of side options that you can order as well. We decided to order two platters with the two meat options, in order to sample more items on this one visit. We also were thrilled to see that on the night we visited they had three Ice Tea options. Unsweetened Tea, Sweet Tea, and Watermelon Tea ($2). The sweet tea had just the right amount of sweetness without being syrupy. The watermelon tea was a tea that only sweetness was added from the watermelon. It had a nice watermelon undertone and was very refreshing.

The first platter ($14) we selected to have sliced smoked Turkey breast and Pulled Chicken for the meat options. Then for the two side items that are included with the platter we chose Baked Beans and one of the Vegetables of the day, a Baked Potato. They also had green beans as an option for the Vegetable of the Day, so please don’t write in to let me know that a potato isn’t a vegetable. The sliced turkey had a lighter smoked flavor to it, and was carved into nice thin slices. The pulled chicken had an amazing flavor with or without any sauce. But when you added the sweet sauce to it, it was a very tasty forkful. The baked beans had a nice undertone of sauce flavor, but there were a lot of them in the serving. So it was great that we were sharing both platters, as there was plenty to go around. Along with the two side items, you automatically get a mini corn muffin. If you do not like one of the side item options, or really like corn muffins, you can chose to have corn muffins as your side. In that case you will get three mini corn muffins instead of the one.

The second platter ($14) also came with two meats. If you only want a one meat choice platter, it is less ($11). Regardless of the amount of meat options you always get two side items and a mini corn muffin. On this platter we selected chopped brisket and pulled pork. The chopped brisket had a burnt ends feel to them, and it was delicious. If you are not a fan of burnt ends or do not know what I mean, I would select something else. But the flavor was very good, and when you added a little sauce into the meat, πit came alive with robust flavor and texture. The pulled pork had a great smoke flavor and was very good. It would hold up to any sauce addition or even none at all. The side items we selected were the coleslaw and also mac and cheese. The coleslaw comes in either creamy or vinegar style. We were torn but decided on the creamy for this visit. It had a very homemade flavor and preparation style. The Mac and Cheese was phenomenal for a side dish. It tasted like someone’s mom was in the back making batches of it. The sauce was not overwhelming but clung perfectly to the noodles. We could have had a large bowl of this with some pulled chicken or pork on top and it would have been blissful.

The location in Phoenix does observe summer hours, so I recommend visiting the website before heading down on a whim. The Scottsdale location has more standard operational hours, and even a few more menu items. The Phoenix set up is similar to cafeteria style and is very reminiscent of the great BBQ joints in the south and mid-West. All the employees were super friendly and were quick to answer questions and make some recommendations. The Phoenix location is also a bit hidden off the main drag of Bell Road, so if you find Lamar Donuts, it is hidden behind it. I say in all earnestness, it is worth searching out and finding. Just follow the crowd of happy patrons through the door to the beautiful smell of smoked goodness.

Location and Website – 2340 W. Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023; https://www.thenakedbbq.com