Chubby's Southern Style Barbecue, Emmitsburg, MD - Owner Tom Caulfield on the East Side of Route 15

[drsmoke]

Porcupine disagrees, but if you haven't tried Chubby's you won't believe how good it is.

Pulled Pork, Beef Briskit, Baby Backs, Chicken, world class Chili, best Cream of Crab soup I've ever had, incredible sides, etc.

It's a drive, 55min from Chevy Chase Circle, but WELL worth the hike. You will become a regular, or my name ain't Pick Temple.

[Joe H]

Porcupine disagrees, but if you haven't tried Chubby's you won't believe how good it is.

Pulled Pork, Beef Briskit, Baby Backs, Chicken, world class Chili, best Cream of Crab soup I've ever had, incredible sides, etc.

It's a drive, 55min from Chevy Chase Circle, but WELL worth the hike. You will become a regular, or my name ain't Pick Temple.

Pick Temple, eh? When Giant sponsored him.

[KOK]

Pick Temple, eh? When Giant sponsored him.

Damn Joe, you beat me to the punch. Izzy Cohen, we hardly knew ye.

Kevin

http://www.picktemple.com/

[drsmoke]

By the way did I mention that I own Chubby's? NO! Youv'e got to be kidding!

Come see me,we drink some beer, eat some food

[treznor]

By the way did I mention that I own Chubby's? NO! Youv'e got to be kidding!

Come see me,we drink some beer, eat some food

It is in your signature, we'd probably notice you owned the place :-) BTW, welcome to DR.com!

As a native North Carolinian, it's my duty to ask... What does "southern style barbecue" mean? Is your pulled pork whole hog or shoulder-only? Vinegar-based sauce? Tomato in the sauce or no tomato? Cooked over wood, charcoal, propane, or electric?

Details man, we need details! :-)

I'm a huge fan of BBQ and grew up going to pig roasts (an all-day affair of course). I'm still in NC so I try and get BBQ there a decent bit. Been looking for a place around DC that has decent BBQ (at least as good as some of the mediocre places in NC...), but haven't really had any. You're clear on the other side of DC from me, but I may try and make it up there sometime.

[DonRocks]

It is in your signature, we'd probably notice you owned the place :-) BTW, welcome to DR.com!of DC from me, but I may try and make it up there sometime.

[Note: When Tom disclosed his identity, I went ahead and updated his signature for him.]

[Lydia R]

Come see me,we drink some beer, eat some food

I've noted your place driving on Rt15 by Mount St Mary's College (near the turn for RoundTop Skiing). Looks like a big ole barn of a roadhouse.

What's weekend lunchtime like for a designated driver on the road towards Gettysburg trying to avoid chain fastfood?

[agm]

Are you near that Getty gas station? We pass by your place on trips to my wife's parents, and have talked about stopping in, but since we travel with a dog, that hasn't been practical.

[treznor]

Emmitsburg is on 15? Then I'm definitely in sometime or another! I have to go up 15 all the time to go to Pennsylvania so it'll be nice having somewhere to eat on the way.

[johnb]

Greetings to all of you back in DC.

Well, not to rain on anybody's parade, but I've eaten at Chubby's, twice, and I'm with Porcupine on this one---IMHO, the Q is nothing special.

Now that I'm a North Carolinian (tarheel?), I'll have to check things out down here and report back. Unfortunately, my part of NC (far West) isn't known for good Q, although FWIW the place that Alton Brown visited in his latest series (Carolina Smokehouse) isn't far away so I'll be trying it in the near future. We shall see.

[drsmoke]

Chubby's features hickory/white oak slow smoked in a "Southern Pride "smoker, Pork Butt, Baby Backs, Beef Briskit, Chicken, Meat Loaf and occasionally Jerkey.

The Pork is pulled and you sauce it with either Carolina Vinegar, Chubby's Classic Tomato base, tomato pepper vinegar, Hot, Private Reserve, Tangy, or a Mustard sauce upon request.

Chubby's was featured in a new book by Nancy Davidson, "Killer Ribs" as one of the top 50 bbq's in North America.

Maryland Municipal Magazine, chose Chubby's as #1 BBQ in the State, readers choice.

I have been very positively reviewed by the Wash. Poast, Frederick News Post, Frederick Magazine, and lots of other publications.

I am on 15 accross from Getty at the Emmitsburg exit.

Google Chubby'sBarbeque and see how many great reviews we have gotten.

I'm working on our fourth book of names addresses and comments, out of the thousands of comments, two have been negative!

We serve our Ribs dry, didn't at first.

Briskit is as good as it gets.

We have an extensive sides menu as well as Burgers, Chili, and much more.

If the gentleman from North Carolina is accurate,"Q nothing special", then the tens of thousands of other customers are evidently mistaken.

If you eat here and can look me in the eye and say, "nothing special", I wont charge you!

[treznor]

I wouldn't take it too personally, BBQ is very much a personal thing what with all the regional variation and all. I love NC-style BBQ and barely even consider the other kinds of BBQ you have as BBQ at all (ribs? brisket? please, that's grilling not BBQ :-) ), so everyone is going to be different.

For johnb, western NC does have BBQ, it's just a bit more difficult to find. You won't find too many BBQ places too far west of Lexington (which has some of the best BBQ) with the exception of maybe Sonny's in Charlotte, which is passable but nothing special. However, particularly in the rural areas in the western part of the state, you can find BBQ just about every fall weekend at the churches, Lion's Club, Ruritan club, Kiwanis, etc. My parents church (about an hour north of Charlotte) has their own smoker building that holds, I believe, around 10-15 whole hogs and maybe 20 pork shoulders, used once a year. On whatever weeekend they have their annual BBQ fundraiser they start cooking the pigs Friday afternoon/evening and then by Saturday mid-morning or so they open up and start selling. Lines out the door to get in to eat there, lines of cars for pickup, many people buying quarts at a time as well to eat later, etc. I've lived in another part of western NC though and that didn't seem to be the case, so it may just be something a bit more local to near where my parents live.

For the most part though, NC BBQ is very much a rural, home-grown tradition. Most of the best BBQ I've eaten wasn't at restaurants which have to focus on serving a set number of people whenever they show up, but rather at pig pickin's where you eat when the pig is done (which granted you can gauge pretty well, but it still could be variable by a bit) and that pig is watched over by a team of guys just sitting around, drinking beer, and making sure that pig is as good as it can be (though of course only opening the lid of the pig cooker once an hour).

I realize this has turned into much more of a discussion of BBQ versus the specific merits of Chubby's. I promise to try and stop in the next time I go up 15 though!

[Sthitch]

If the gentleman from North Carolina is accurate,"Q nothing special", then the tens of thousands of other customers are evidently mistaken.

If you eat here and can look me in the eye and say, "nothing special", I wont charge you!

Tens of thousands of people, food magazines, and television shows rave about Charlie Vergos' Rendevous in Memphis. This is one of the reasons why I don't trust crowds, as the ribs at Redevous are utterly horrible. I am willing to drive a great distance for great BBQ, but have yet to find it at a place that has a laundry list of menu items. If I find myself near Emmitsburg, I may stop by.

[drsmoke]

Tens of thousands of people, food magazines, and television shows rave about Charlie Vergos' Rendevous in Memphis. This is one of the reasons why I don't trust crowds, as the ribs at Redevous are utterly horrible. I am willing to drive a great distance for great BBQ, but have yet to find it at a place that has a laundry list of menu items. If I find myself near Emmitsburg, I may stop by.

Please do, and make sure you introduce yourself.

[Seeker]

For the most part though, NC BBQ is very much a rural, home-grown tradition. Most of the best BBQ I've eaten wasn't at restaurants which have to focus on serving a set number of people whenever they show up, but rather at pig pickin's where you eat when the pig is done (which granted you can gauge pretty well, but it still could be variable by a bit) and that pig is watched over by a team of guys just sitting around, drinking beer, and making sure that pig is as good as it can be (though of course only opening the lid of the pig cooker once an hour). . .

Yes, that's what I think of when I hear barbecue -- pork which has been roasted and basted with a vinegar-based sauce, served on a bun with 'slaw. The choice when I was a kid visiting in central NC was chopped or sliced. I preferred chopped.

Holly Moore has done extensive research on this style of barbecue:

http://www.hollyeats.com/NorthCarollina.htm

However, his Web page hasn't been updated since 2004 which may be why Chubby's is missing.

[rvanrens]

Been to Chubby's twice now, and it was prety good. I've eaten better 'Q' here and there, but never from a roadside stand, and NEVER in Maryland...

My only complaint is about the other customers - there should be two lines, one for civilians and one for people who have, at some point in thier lives eaten barbeque before. "What's Pulled PorK?"..."Isn't Brisket really salty, like Corned Beef?"..."Which sauce is the best?"..."How hot is hot?"... and the one that left me speechless "Where do you buy your smoke flavoring?"

Friggin' Morons...it should be like this "Pulled Pork, Vinegar Sauce, Slaw, Coke". Know what you wnat and how to order it, knuckleheads.

This ins't just Cuhbby's, mind you. I spent two weeks in Western PA in August, and there was a Carolina 'Q' stand set up nearby, really pretty good pork shoulder, nice tangy spicy sauce...good dry-rubed ribs, too. Anyway, I ate lunch there 'bout every day, and there was always a line. People asking for hot dogs, hamburgers, cheesesteak sandwiches, etc. I'm saying "This is a freakin' BBQ stand, you idiots! They've got pulled pork, pulled chicken, ribs, hot sausage and sweet sausage! Two kinds of sauce - vinegar and spicy tomato! They serve Coke and Diet Coke in glass bottles! Everything comes with cole slaw! It's JUST NOT THAT DIFFICULT!!! If'n you're vegetarian, or keeping kosher/halal, great, no offense, but GO ELSEWHERE!!! If you don't like BBQ, EAT SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! If you're too STOOPID to figure out the VERY SIMPLE menu, get OUT OF MY WAY!!! When I don't get my 'Q' fix, I get VERY CRANKY!!!

So, as you can see, BBQ Rage resulted in the death of several clueless denizens of ther Pittsburg region.

Rob

[jwhite]

I have been very positively reviewed by the Wash. Poast, Frederick News Post, Frederick Magazine, and lots of other publications.

Tom,

Saw your review in the post and took note of your hours. How do you manage your cooks? I see 8-10 hours a day and given that each butt will take 10-15 hours if done as you describe and imply, how hard is it to manage the supply?

[drsmoke]

Tom,

Saw your review in the post and took note of your hours. How do you manage your cooks? I see 8-10 hours a day and given that each butt will take 10-15 hours if done as you describe and imply, how hard is it to manage the supply?

We have a Southern Pride Smoker, put the Butts and Briskit on at around 8 at night, take them off and wrap them in foil around 10 the next day, as long as they have reached the right internal temp.

Keep them warm all day long, if some gets a little dry we use it for the beans and kraut. It doesn't get served if it's the least bit dry.

[KOK]

The menu looks good, and the kraut & pork and fried potatoes w/sausage & onions sides sound interesting.

And unlike Andy Nelson's and Mr Chelsea's, it's open Sundays!

Thanks,

Kevin

http://chubbysbbq.com/

[porcupine]

Although I'd felt suckered by drmoke (if you followed the beginning of this thread in the barbeque thread, you know what I mean), I wanted to give Cubby's another try - a fair try. After all, the first time I ate there was on a weekday afternoon, as the only customer, so maybe I had caught them on an off day.

Mr. P and I dropped in yesterday at lunch, and between us we tried the following dishes.

Bacon cheese fires: decent enough fries with too few small pieces of bacon and sauce that had the appearance, texture, and taste of something squirted from a bottle.

Pulled pork: a tad on the dry side but generally tasty, and good quality meat. I tasted each of the sauces with it: The Tangy and Classic were both just a little sweet but one-dimensional; the Pepper Vinegar had promise but I have vinegar issues; the Hot was quite tasty though only a little hot.

Ribs: delicious spice rub, but the same experience I had last time - on the dry side and rather tough and hard to cut, so I left a fair amount of meat on the bone because I don't like biting through unchewable stuff. I prefer my ribs done to almost falling off the bone tender but not mushy. The meat had good pork flavor, though.

Baked beans: again not much dimension, on the sweet side, but I rather enjoyed them. Especailly with the bits of pulled pork in them - nice touch.

Potato salad: had a small amount of mustard, therefore I can say little more, as I almost gagged. I have mustard issues, too, so my opinion here is meaningless. However, Mr. P, who loves mustard and loves potato salad, had only a few bites. Interpret as you will.

Macaroni and cheese: same sauce as on the fries. 'Nuff said.

Cornbread: soft, sweet, and insipid, with little corn flavor.

Sweet tea: It's good to be able to order sweet tea so close to the Mason-Dixon line.

Conclusion: It is not well worth the 55 minute drive from Chevy Chase circle. But on my next trip north on US 15 I'm likely to stop by for pulled pork, beans, and sweet tea.

[treznor]

To be fair, if you don't like vinegar or mustard, you will NOT like Carolina BBQ and more than likely won't like the potato salad that typically is served with it. Doesn't mean you shouldn't like the ribs and whatnot. All Carolina BBQ is vinegar based; the differences in the sauces are what other things are tossed in (ketchup/tomato paste, mustard, etc.). I don't know how that pork is cooked at Chubby's, but with Carolina BBQ the pork it typically doused in the same sauce while it cooks as you serve with the BBQ. In a crock pot (like I unfortunately have to use at home) that means the meat is cooked directly in the sauce. In a more traditional pig cooker that means the cooker is opened every hour and brushed liberally onto the pork. Either way you're going to pick up the taste of whatever sauce it's cooked with regardless of what sauce you serve it with, and the sauce that it's cooked with will more than likely be vinegar-based. If this basting isn't done, you'll end up with dry meat. Basting using water instead won't produce the same flavor. Anyway around it if you don't like vinegar you're either going to dislike Carolina BBQ or end up with inferior Carolina BBQ :-)

I haven't made it to Chubby's yet, but more than likely will the next time I go by on my way up to PA. I doubt that I'll end up with ribs anyway as I've never been a huge fan of ribs (maybe I've just had too many that were cooked tough and hard to eat?), but I've eaten my fair share of pulled pork BBQ :-)

[mdt]

Either way you're going to pick up the taste of whatever sauce it's cooked with regardless of what sauce you serve it with, and the sauce that it's cooked with will more than likely be vinegar-based. If this basting isn't done, you'll end up with dry meat.

If the traditional cooker that you are talking about is a smoker that is simply not true. I have never basted any meats that I have smoked (Chargriller w/side fire box) and all have come out wonderfully moist.

[laststandchili]

I've been to Chubby's twice now and am surprised by Porcupines experience. (I posted a review of a meal I had a couple weeks ago on roguefood.com if anyone's interested)

Not all BBQ is all things to all people, but Chubby's does a great job, in my opinion, of serving quality smoked meats and letting the customer decide whether they want a Carolina style sauce, or southern, etc. The brisket is exceptional. Other than a couple samples I've had at BBQ competitions and in Texas this is great beef.

Sounds to me like a lot of P's issues were more a matter of personal taste. Vinegar issues etc. Personally I have issues with overpriced bait, so I stay away from sushi joints.

Also, meat will only fall off the bone when it has been overcooked, and if it's overcooked it's going to be mushy.

Overall my experience with Chubby's is that it is a very good BBQ joint that features genuine home style cooking that is reasonably priced, in a very unlikely location. (5 minutes from the Mason Dixon Line)

I'd be interested to know where Porcupine usually goes for BBQ to have a better perspective.

Vayo con Queso

[porcupine]

To be fair, if you don't like vinegar or mustard, you will NOT like Carolina BBQ and more than likely won't like the potato salad that typically is served with it. <etc>

Reviewing the thread, in no place does the owner state that it is specifically Carolina style - only that you can choose to sauce it that way at table. He refers to it as Southern style.

But whatever. The pulled pork was served with either the Tangy or the Classic (not sure which), and had a very mild vinegar tang to it. As I said, I quite liked the pulled pork, especially with the Hot sauce. I'd happily eat it again.

[treznor]

Reviewing the thread, in no place does the owner state that it is specifically Carolina style - only that you can choose to sauce it that way at table. He refers to it as Southern style.

But whatever. The pulled pork was served with either the Tangy or the Classic (not sure which), and had a very mild vinegar tang to it. As I said, I quite liked the pulled pork, especially with the Hot sauce. I'd happily eat it again.

I know, though I tried to nail down earlier what "Southern style" means at Chubby's and didn't get a complete answer. Having not been to Chubby's at all I have to kind of make some generalizations based on the way I think the meat is more than likely cooked. There are so many styles of BBQ (even just in the Carolinas) that calling something Southern pulled pork could almost be useless as it could be any number of preparations.

[treznor]

If the traditional cooker that you are talking about is a smoker that is simply not true. I have never basted any meats that I have smoked (Chargriller w/side fire box) and all have come out wonderfully moist.

Honestly I don't have a lot of experience with smokers. Don't really have all that much experience with pig cookers and than when I was growing up. The pig cookers I'm talking about are basically very large grills (large enough to hold a half a pig and are typically towed behind a vehicle), can be propane or charcoal, and typically do have some sort of hickory or other wood in them to give a smoke flavor. Combining this with the fact that it's important to keep the cooker closed except for the once an hour or so you put sauce on it, I'm not sure if a pig cooker is just a different form of a traditional smoker or not. I've had the results of a pig cooked with not enough sauce, and it was quite a bit drier than other pigs I've had that were sauced enough. Not sure if there was something else going on or not that made it dry out.

[porcupine]

I'd be interested to know where Porcupine usually goes for BBQ to have a better perspective.

Around here? I don't, because I haven't found any that was worth going back for. My favorite would be a place in Austin, Texas that's tucked in behind a gas station - sorry that I can't recall the name, was only there once about six years ago.

About meat falling off the bone = overcooked: not necessarily.

Now that I've given you a perspective on my palate, a few requests: let's keep this thread about Chubby's, not attack one another's preferences or knowledge of the subject, and take further discussion of barbeque in general to one of the other threads devoted to the topic. Thanks.

[alan7147]

Yup. Especially after doing searches on "drsmoke" and "laststandchili" over there on RogueFood. They seem to have quite a history.

I think laststandchili is a team who compete in regional chili festivals in the mid-atlantic. I don't know if there is a direct relation to Mr. Caulfield or not.

All I can see is be warned b/c it looks like the crack DR.com googling team is out in full force

[ol_ironstomach]

If the traditional cooker that you are talking about is a smoker that is simply not true. I have never basted any meats that I have smoked (Chargriller w/side fire box) and all have come out wonderfully moist.

I'm with mdt on this one. It's not mandatory with low-and-slow pig; the pork fat itself does all the basting you need. Mopping is a personal preference.

I was sitting on my typing fingers, but I too have done some Chubby's testing recently. First, to address treznor's issue, he serves his ribs unsauced, and the pulled pig appears to be sauced only when plated. There are four principal sauces - a regular (sweet), spicy, tangy, and vinegar+pepper. I rather enjoyed the tangy, and the spicy isn't bad either.

However, the true test of barbeque is not the sauce, it's the meat. Specifically, it's the pig, IMHO. And this is where Chubby's really confuses me. On the one hand, here is one of the very few pits within two hours' drive at which the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender (and not...parboiled). The ribs especially; not the dainty young things that Corner Stable uses, but those regular-sized bones that almost every pit undercooks. Not at Chubby's. They've done their time and it shows. Ditto on the pulled pork; it flakes nicely with a fork and a gentle tug. If anything, the butts could use a bit less time, as it was light on the juice side, and inside the decent smoke ring, the meat was a little more grey than I'd like.

On the other hand, I was baffled by the weakness of the pork flavor. MIA. Good mouthfeel, even a bit of nice stickyness from the exterior fat, but the flavor just wasn't there in any concentration. I could taste a decent level of smoke, but it tasted more like faint applewood than hickory.

That kind of killed it for me. To its credit, Chubby's doesn't try to hide its meat under a bath of strong-flavored sauce, but I'd rather have underdone-but-flavorful.

No doubt Tom will take issue with my opinion, but that's what registered with my taste buds, and I've eaten 'que from western NY to Tuscaloosa to under the East Palo Alto exit ramp...in fact, I'm going on a Kansas City / Texas / Memphis bender next month, if the Bourbon Trail doesn't kill me first on the out leg.

[laststandchili]

Around here? I don't, because I haven't found any that was worth going back for. My favorite would be a place in Austin, Texas that's tucked in behind a gas station - sorry that I can't recall the name, was only there once about six years ago.

About meat falling off the bone = overcooked: not necessarily.

Now that I've given you a perspective on my palate, a few requests: let's keep this thread about Chubby's, not attack one another's preferences or knowledge of the subject, and take further discussion of barbeque in general to one of the other threads devoted to the topic. Thanks.

I didn't mean to attack anything, just wanted some idea of previous BBQ preferences to have a better idea of what your expectations might have been. We're generally in pretty close agreement concerning the meat, although I had pretty solid ribs there, but I was surprised with your experience/opinion with the sides.

I agree with your assessment of very little BBQ in the area worth going back for. That's definitely part of Chubby's appeal for me. I was actually hoping you could turn me on to some other option locally.

When meat falls off the bone it's usually because the collagen has been cooked out of it thus rendering it "mushy". But hey, I don't know everything.

VCQ

I think laststandchili is a team who compete in regional chili festivals in the mid-atlantic. I don't know if there is a direct relation to Mr. Caulfield or not.

All I can see is be warned b/c it looks like the crack DR.com googling team is out in full force

I'm a chili cook that's eaten at Chubby's twice, posted variously of the meals I've had, and met the Dr. personally once. Crtainly haven't made any attempt to hide any of this, so by all means proceed with your investigation.

And

Vayo con Queso

[alan7147]

I'm a chili cook that's eaten at Chubby's twice, posted variously of the meals I've had, and met the Dr. personally once. Crtainly haven't made any attempt to hide any of this, so by all means proceed with your investigation.

And

Vayo con Queso

I thought so. No offense itended, I was just joking regarding Al_Dente's searching Roadfood for any connection.

[laststandchili]

I thought so. No offense itended, I was just joking regarding Al_Dente's searching Roadfood for any connection.

No problem. I first went to Chubby's after a similiar exchange on another site. Had to see for myself and personally I was impressed. I'd rather exchange honest assessments of the food then all the verbage back and forth that gets into casting aspersions on parentage and all that.

VCQ

[KOK]

I thought so. No offense itended, I was just joking regarding Al_Dente's searching Roadfood for any connection.

It's actually rogeufood.com, and it looks very similar to this board (I guess it's a standard package sold by Invision).

I'm hoping to make it to Chubby's this weekend, and maybe do a comparison to Mr Chelsea's in Reisterstown as Chubby's is open Sundays.

Thanks,

Kevin

http://www.roguefood.com/home.html

[JLK]

Get a designated driver. That's my advice if you're planning to get food from Chubby's to go, in order to get back on the road pronto. A pulled pork sandwich requires two hands. That may be obvious to all of you, but this numbskull tried to eat and drive, leading to a [hopefully temporary] splotch on my car's upholstery. Oh well.

I liked the pulled pork. Well, what I was able to eat before giving up to focus on the drive. The meat was tender and juicy with a judicious amount of the tangy sauce. I liked the baked beans although I wished they were a tiny bit sweet (these were pure savory). The bits of pork contained within were delectable.

Through a miscommunication, I was charged the price of a sandwich platter (sandwich plus two sides and chips) even though I only received the beans. No big deal, but I'll pay closer attention next visit.

[ol_ironstomach]

Additional recon of Chubby's has led me to a new theory - it's actually quite enjoyable as long as you don't dwell on it as a bbq joint. Because the other dishes make it pretty darn good road food.

On the swine front, the pulled pork continues to be metered out in enormous portions, with a great surface texture, but not much pig flavor. It's a vehicle for the sauces, which are pretty good (I'm not a fan of the "regular", which hits me with a bit too much tomato and sugar). I must be going blind, because I couldn't find the regular ribs on t he menu at all. The babybacks are flavorful and meaty, but not like any bbq I've ever seen. They've been parboiled and heavily herbed, with a preponderance of oregano, and really should be thought of as a tasty standalone pork dish made with ribs...but not really barbecue.

The crab soup is really delicious. Not delicate, but rich, meaty, and moderately creamy with an intoxicating crab aroma - fantastic cold-weather food. It's rather dear at nearly six bucks for a cup-sized serving, but I can see why the menu jokes that there's a limit of two per customer. The chili is of the stew style (versus ground beef) but also very stick-to-your-ribs. I find their mac and cheese to be rather thin and flavorless, but the "fried potatoes" were delicious, if nothing like what I had imagined...think more like kartoffelsalat, but with a meaty stock and without the strong vinegar character.

Surprise bonus - the soft-drink selection. Chubby's stocks most of the Boylan's flavors (easy), but also three or four variants of Reed's Ginger Beer, several flavors of Moxie, Cheerwine (!), and a few other regional sodas. Have one of these with your food, especially as the "sweet tea" isn't even remotely sugary enough to be proper Southern sweet tea.

[KOK]

.... several flavors of Moxie, ....

I thought they only made regular and diet Moxie. What other flavors were there?

Thanks,

Kevin

[ol_ironstomach]

I thought they only made regular and diet Moxie. What other flavors were there?

Those might have been the only ones...I only made a mental note that they had Moxie, and that there was more than one container design. Sorry, I was distracted by the Reed's variants.

[drsmoke]

Additional recon of Chubby's has led me to a new theory - it's actually quite enjoyable as long as you don't dwell on it as a bbq joint. Because the other dishes make it pretty darn good road food.

On the swine front, the pulled pork continues to be metered out in enormous portions, with a great surface texture, but not much pig flavor. It's a vehicle for the sauces, which are pretty good (I'm not a fan of the "regular", which hits me with a bit too much tomato and sugar). I must be going blind, because I couldn't find the regular ribs on t he menu at all. The babybacks are flavorful and meaty, but not like any bbq I've ever seen. They've been parboiled and heavily herbed, with a preponderance of oregano, and really should be thought of as a tasty standalone pork dish made with ribs...but not really barbecue.

The crab soup is really delicious. Not delicate, but rich, meaty, and moderately creamy with an intoxicating crab aroma - fantastic cold-weather food. It's rather dear at nearly six bucks for a cup-sized serving, but I can see why the menu jokes that there's a limit of two per customer. The chili is of the stew style (versus ground beef) but also very stick-to-your-ribs. I find their mac and cheese to be rather thin and flavorless, but the "fried potatoes" were delicious, if nothing like what I had imagined...think more like kartoffelsalat, but with a meaty stock and without the strong vinegar character.

Surprise bonus - the soft-drink selection. Chubby's stocks most of the Boylan's flavors (easy), but also three or four variants of Reed's Ginger Beer, several flavors of Moxie, Cheerwine (!), and a few other regional sodas. Have one of these with your food, especially as the "sweet tea" isn't even remotely sugary enough to be proper Southern sweet tea.

Thanks for the good words, however I would stick my hand in boiling water before I parboiled my Ribs or anything else for that matter. They are seasoned with "Rileys All Purpose Seasoning" a mutiple award winning seasoning from Rileys, in Pittsfield Illinois. then they are smoked in a Southern Pride smoker for about 2 1/2 hrs using White Oak and Hickory logs.

Next time in introduce yourself, I'll give you a kitchen tour, if you'd like.

PS Moxie makes an Orange , Cherry, and Blue Cream Soda, they, unlike the Original, are delicious

[brr]

Chubby's made for a nice post-Gettsyburg lunch yesterday.

What we liked:

the tasty, meaty crab soup

the onion rings

the pulled pork

the brisket

Smithwicks in a bottle

What we didn't:

We thought the ribs were a little on the dry side

We'd definitely go back the next time we are in the area

[Heather]

Any more recent reports? We're headed to Cunningham Falls tomorrow and might be persuaded to make a side trip to Chubby's for lunch. The idea of Eating at the Cozy restaurant gives me chills.

[dinwiddie]

Any more recent reports? We're headed to Cunnagham Falls tomorrow and might be persuaded to make a side trip to Chubby's for lunch. The idea of Eating at the Cozy restaurant gives me chills.

We stopped at Chubby's on the way up to my sister-in-law's Bat Mitzvah (go figure) at the end of May. We happened to be driving past when we were hungry (lunchtime) and decided to stop in and see what all the buzz was about.

Between us we got the ribs and pulled pork and the BBQ Chicken. I must say that the ribs were a disappointment, dry and overcooked babybacks. The pulled pork on the other hand was fantastic. The chicken was very good too. I really liked the mac and cheese side, but the cole slaw was ground up cabbage with a very good flavor. Would have been good if it had been shredded instead of chopped so fine you could use it as morter. The cornbread was not bad, and they served a very good iced tea, southern style, sweetened or not. Service as extremely friendly and efficient and the server (who was also the cashier) seemed shocked at the 20% tip.

All in all, not bad. I love pulled pork and since their was very good, I'll give them a good grade.

[agm]

After driving past it many times on trips to and from Pennsylvania, NQD and I finally stopped at Chubby's this weekend. It was a quick grab-and-go, no sides, just one brisket sandwich and one pulled pork. Neither of us having been raised in a place where barbecue is treated as religion, we don't have any hang-ups about what "real" barbecue is. Personally, I don't give a crap how Chubby's compares to Memphis or NC or Texas barbecue. What matters is that the meat in both sandwiches was moist, tender and full of flavor, the sauce was good, and overall we were very happy with our meal. Next time we'll try the sides. Most importantly, there will be a next time, and we're looking forward to it.

[The Hersch]

I've driven by Chubby's many times, but yesterday was the first time when it was lunchtime, I was hungry, and I wasn't in a hurry. It turns out that even had I been in a hurry it would have been okay, as the service was remarkably fast...sit down, receive menu, place order, get beverage, get food, all in about five minutes, but with no feeling of being rushed. Anyway, I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries. My only complaint, if complaint it be, is that I'd like the option of a smaller portion. This was a honking serving of pork on a kaiser roll, and it was so delicious, smoky, tender, porky, and moist that I gladly ate the whole thing, but the last few bites were consumed guiltily. The fries were pretty good, clearly just out of the fryer and seasoned with salt and pepper. To drink, a Snake Dog IPA on tap, an extravagantly, insanely hoppy brew. I wouldn't make a special journey to eat at Chubby's, but I look forward to stopping there again when I'm passing by.

[jparrott]

I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries...a Snake Dog IPA on tap.

You ordered very well. Order this well, and you have found an excellent roadside stopover.

[DanielK]

I've been driving up to Emmitsburg weekly for the last 10 months to visit a client, and stop in at Chubby's about once a month.

I can't say that it's the best BBQ I've ever had, but it's pretty good, and certainly good enough to bring me back each month.

Yesterday, however, was a disappointment all around. Pulled pork was moist, but had no pork or smoke flavor - could easily have been mistaken for chicken. The brisket was also moist, but I think from steam - again, no smoke or real beef flavor coming through. The rub on the pork ribs was very good, but the ribs were quite dry. BBQ sauces were pretty decent, and somewhat saved the meat by adding flavor. The fried potatoes with sausage were pretty good, but the mac & cheese was tasteless. $20 for a 3-meat-and-2-sides platter is enough food for 3 people for lunch.

Hopefully, just a bad day, but I'm wary for my next trip.

[zoramargolis]

J and I stopped in for lunch on our way up to the Catskills earlier this summer. I was very disappointed--for the same reasons Daniel was. The meat seemed steamed and had almost no smoke flavor. I also thought it was expensive, considering the low-rent surroundings and the lackluster service. I asked if I could have coleslaw, instead of the fries that came with my sandwich. "No problem," sez the waitress. So wasn't I surprised when the bill came and I was billed for the coleslaw as a side dish. (It had been served on the plate, and there weren't any fries.) "Oh. Didn't I tell you that there's no substitutions? I musta forgot."

And I guess I forgot to tell her that her tip got cut in half and we'd never be back.

[The Hersch]

I've had lunch at Chubby's several times since my last report, and I have to say it's been good every time. The last couple of times they've had a special of pork belly, cooked in the smoker, available as a platter or sandwich. I had the sandwich a couple of months ago, and I'm afraid my cardiologist wouldn't have approved, but I enjoyed it. This past Saturday I had the brisket sandwich for the first time, and it wasn't just not bad, it was wonderful. The meat was moist, with melty fat and smoky, beefy flavor. I don't know if it's policy or happenstance, but the portion of meat seemed smaller than what I've had from the pig, so I didn't feel that I'd overeaten when I was finished, as I usually do here. Service continues to be virtually instantaneous, and involves being called "hon".

[DonRocks]

[FYI, I met Tom Caulfield for the first time this week. I just now deleted nine posts in this thread going back and forth questioning whether or not he was a shill (he was, in fact, but only for about three hours before he knew the protocol around here, and that was several years ago.) I am 100% convinced he's on the up-and-up, and that this was a greenhorn mistake. Incidentally, the 1st of the 9 posts I deleted was his questioning porcupine - I think her review was tough, but fair game. If anyone wants a copy of their post, let me know and I'll send it; otherwise, given that it's all several years old, given that Tom has since learned board protocol and been a model citizen, and given that I'm probably the only person to remember any of this (other than Tom, who seemed genuinely hurt by it all), I'd prefer to let it die if that's okay. He's a good egg, Tom is, and he aims to please.]

[RWBooneJr]

[FYI, I met Tom Caulfield for the first time this week. I just now deleted nine posts in this thread going back and forth questioning whether or not he was a shill (he was, in fact, but only for about three hours before he knew the protocol around here, and that was several years ago.) I am 100% convinced he's on the up-and-up, and that this was a greenhorn mistake. Incidentally, the 1st of the 9 posts I deleted was his questioning porcupine - I think her review was tough, but fair game. If anyone wants a copy of their post, let me know and I'll send it; otherwise, given that it's all several years old, given that Tom has since learned board protocol and been a model citizen, and given that I'm probably the only person to remember any of this (other than Tom, who seemed genuinely hurt by it all), I'd prefer to let it die if that's okay. He's a good egg, Tom is, and he aims to please.]

I went to Chubby's a couple of weekends ago with a friend on our way to NY via the "back way." We both had a pork sandwich that was exactly what I like about a pork sandwich: giant ropes of tender pork with good flavor and smoke. And they were ridiculous as sandwiches: at least a pound of meat each and enough to almost make you sick. If you're hungry and on 15, you need to stop here. And I might go out of my way for pork as good as what I had. In fact, my friend, who hates everything, is talking about stopping here on our way to NY this weekend (I can't get him to drive the sensible route, but it is a free ride).

Bottom line: best I've had anywhere near DC (though not that near) and the closest you'll get to a guy in your back yard with a whole pig.

[Escoffier]

I've been going to Gettysburg a fair amount the last month or two and every time I go by Chubby's I have one of those mental moments where I say to myself, "I really need to stop here one day". Maybe this weekend will be the day.