BBQ at Q in Port Chester — Almost Perfect

As a former resident of South Carolina and a man who has cooked and served more than 30 whole hogs, barbecue is very special to me. 

The difference between the "grilling" we did in New York and the slow smoking, indirect heat, and artistry I learned down south has become a subject of great passion. Good barbecue cannot be faked, mass produced, commercialized, incorporated, or cheapened. Neither can the myriad sauce recipes be duplicated.

Enter Q Restaurant and Bar on Main Street in Port Chester, a place where almost everything is done right. 

The décor is sleek and modern with a southern twist — pictures of beat up pickup trucks and kids in cowboy hats adorn the walls. The menu is simple and to the point. The iced tea comes in a Ball canning jar ice cold with a lemon wedge and a mint leaf.

Q is a great attempt at true barbecue. The meats are slow smoked the night before in two huge smoker cabinets and are kept ready to be served, hot and moist with a purposefully blackened coating of sticky-sweet barbecue sauce. The sides are the same I had experienced in the south — collards, cheesy corn, hickory beans, mac and cheese — all done well, with the collards being some of the best I have tasted, if overly sweet.

The ribs were surprisingly bland, lacking the smoky flavor I had expected, and overpowered by too-sweet barbecue sauce. St. Louis ribs usually get a dry rub, much like Memphis ribs.

The chicken was fantastic. My brother mentioned he might go back for just a whole bird. The brisket was my favorite, available sliced or pulled. It was warm, loose and moist, but not swimming in the sauce, for which I was appreciative. We both ordered combo platters for a fair sampling of everything, but the pulled pork sat untouched after the first trial bite, bland and sweet. It left me disappointed.

My only true problem is with the sauce, believing that any barbecue sauce with ketchup, brown sugar, corn syrup or molasses in the first three ingredients doesn't belong in the same room as southern barbecue, but if sweet sauce is to your taste, Q is right on the money.

The service at Q is perfect, friendly and fast, our meals arrived within a minute after we sat down. The cook was happy to show me the Boston butts that were being prepped to be slow cooked overnight.

A dinner for two, a soda and an iced tea (free refills) cost $46. Parking is on the street, or a nearby metered lot.

Q Restaurant and Bar, 112 Main St. Port Chester. 914-933-RIBS.

Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Sunday, 12 p.m.-9 p.m.