Last Week in BBQ, Part I: Clem's BBQ, Outside Port Matilda, PA

Clem's BBQ.

This addressless, open air shack on the side of PA-322 just outside of Port Matilda, PA (pop. 638) serves up real wood-fired 'cue.

Inside, we found one guy in full winter gear placing ribs on racks above a glowing woodfire. Another bundled-up worker was handling sales from a little booth-like area within the shack. A tiny, open-sided wood stove provided heat for customers standing in line. Frozen marshmallows and roasting sticks waited next to it. The menu boards announced all the barbecue standards you'd expect, but the one intriguing item, boneless ribs, had sold out by 4:30 pm.

We got a pound of chopped pork--tender chunks punctauted by smoky flavor as well as the occasional fleck of bone or cartilage. The house sauce--thick, tomato-based and tangy--was slathered over the cue as an afterthought. (That might be how things work everywhere but the Carolinas, but I still prefer my pig to be drenched with vinegar-based sauce as it smokes for hours). Clem's potato salad managed to be both velvety and chunky (delicious!). The baked beans were nothing to brag about.

As you may have guessed, the vending machines handle all the beverage sales.

Web link: clemsfire.com.