Six weeks is far too long to go without a barbecue outing. I wanted a place where my son and I could eat outdoors and enjoy some of the last remaining fall weather that Arkansas had to offer before things get cold. So we headed across the river to North Little Rock to check out Mick's Bar-B-Q.
Mick's is quite the literal barbecue shack, with nothing more than a walk-up window, a drive-thru window, and four picnic tables under an awning. Luckily for us, that's all that we needed today. I ordered a combo of ribs and pulled pork, plus potato salad and bbq beans on the side. A three-meat combo would have been more ideal, but I take what I can get.
The beans were sweet and somewhat spicy, with a nice mix of flavors. They were also cooked well, not mushy at all. A dusting of paprika on top of the potato salad added to the visual appeal, but there wasn't enough of it to enhance the flavors any. The mayo base stood out here, and I liked the medium-dice on the potatoes.
I took my pulled pork without sauce, and honestly, it was a little dry. There was a pleasant smokiness and a good amount of seasoned bark at least. I ended up sampling their mild barbecue sauce out of necessity. It was thick and sort of ketchupy, so much so that the pork wasn't really any better with it than without.
The ribs came apart with the slightest nudge, and while some people naively prefer theirs to be "falling off the bone," it's suggestive of overcooked meat. There was a very mild smoke level here, and the crust was barely seasoned. On the other hand, the meat was very tender and super juicy throughout, so I suppose that's something to be thankful for.
I had high hopes for Mick's Bar-B-Q, which has great ratings across the Internet. Either somebody knows something that I don't, or standards for barbecue in North Little Rock are a bit low.
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Mick's Bar-B-Q
3609 Mac Arthur Dr
North Little Rock, AR 72118
(501) 791-2773
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