I seem to be on a bit of a food truck kick lately, partially because I've already investigated most of the brick-and-mortar barbecue joints near my office, but also because I have a general affinity for them. Roscoe's Smoked Bar-B-Que is a local food truck whose Internet presence is limited to a Facebook profile with about 450 likes, a Twitter feed with just over 100 followers, and an introductory page on the Nashville Food Truck Association website. In this day and age, that makes Roscoe's virtually unknown. So when I found out that they were going to be having a lunch run less than a mile from me, I did the only sensible thing and headed on over.
Technically Roscoe's is more of a food trailer than a food truck, but that's just semantics. These guys were supposed to be slinging out 'que at 11:00am, but I watched them prep until a quarter-after when they actually began service. Maybe the light rain was a factor, so I'll cut them some slack there. And if nothing else it gave me a few minutes to chat with Roscoe himself, who is an incredibly friendly guy and a Navy vet to boot.
Most barbecue food trucks don't offer traditional multi-meat combos (at least not in my experience), and Roscoe's was no exception. They do have a few options for one-meat/one-side plates, and I happily doubled up on those to create my own combo. I ordered a three-bone rib plate with potato salad, as well as a pulled pork sandwich with a side of their Cajun slaw. I'm not big on sauce, except as an optional add-on, so I took my sandwich with it on the side.
The sugary, mustard-heavy potato salad didn't taste exceptionally homemade, more like what I've seen coming out of large containers from Kroger. Regardless of its origins, I like mine more savory than sweet, with extra pickles for crunch. Roscoe's Cajun slaw had an interesting pink color reminiscent of pickled onions. The slaw was super spicy and loaded with vinegar, which definitely qualifies as Cajun in my book. That being said, it struck me as more of a sauerkraut than a coleslaw, but I digress. I enjoyed the flavors, even if it was more sour than my puckering lips cared for.
A cold Bunny Bread hamburger bun was sort of a sad vehicle for what otherwise appeared to be a great pulled pork sandwich. The pork itself was tender though lukewarm, which I doubt was because of the five-minute trip back to my desk to eat it. There was a mild smokiness to the meat. I found a little more smoke in the bark, but it didn't present much in the seasoning department. Essentially, the sandwich looked fantastic but only tasted about average.
In contrast, my big meaty spare ribs were cooked perfectly. None of that "falling off the bone" nonsense here. Each bite came away cleanly, as it should. The pink, juicy pork had just the right amount of smoke, and the spice blend on the crust was both noticeable and enjoyable. I also appreciated that the ribs weren't drowning in sauce, which is a rare commodity in Middle Tennessee.
Roscoe's Smoked Bar-B-Que started off sort of ho-hum, but came out swinging big time when it came to the ribs. There are definitely some areas where they could make improvements, and I would encourage them to add a little more flair and finesse to their choice of ingredients. I could be wrong about the store-bought nature of the potato salad, although I'd bet dollars to donuts that I'm correct. Bunny Bread is an understandably frugal choice for Roscoe's sandwiches, and even though I love their ridiculous spokes-rabbit and his perplexing catch phrase ("That's what I said!"), a homemade bun just elevates things so much more in terms of flavor and overall appeal. All that aside, Roscoe's provided me with a good lunch, and I'm happy that I gave them a shot.
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Roscoe's Smoked Bar-B-Que
Nashville, TN
(615) 335-6497
http://foodtrucksnash.org/truck/roscoes-smoked-bar-b-que
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