Quest For BBQ Redemption: Squealer's Review

For whatever reason, maybe it's the season, BBQ (not grilling mind you) has been on my mind a lot lately.  This has been especially the case since my definitely less than stellar pulled pork sandwich at the Ale Emporium.  I decided to set out one Saturday afternoon on an epic quest for smoky redemption.  Vowing to honor my pledge to only get bbq from purpose built bbq joints I decided to head for one of the first places discovered when I googled "Indianapolis bbq" before I moved here, Squealers.

Squealers has two bbq restaurants, one in Indy proper on the NW side and one in Mooresville, and if you've been in the area for very long you've probably heard of it.  Some of the reviews I heard prior to going there had been mixed, but I decided to forgo some other restaurants and move Squealers to the top of my bbq hitlist because neither my friend, whom I was dining with, nor myself had ever been there and I wanted to see what the food was like for myself. When we arrived at the restaurant and exited our vehicle I knew I made a good choice.

When we arrived at the restaurant on 86th I have to admit I was visually underwhelmed.  But flashy isn't what bbq is all about.  When I smelled the sweet smoke that hangs in the air around the restaurant I realized why I was there.  On my quest for pork nirvana the smell wafts over your nose begging you to go inside and experience paradise.  Okay so maybe I'm overselling a bbq place a little bit, but damn my food here was good.  I decided to go with my mainstay dish of the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top (personal preference) with a side of bbq beans.  Out of the 3 sauce choices (sweet, mixed, spicy) I decided to go with the mixed sauce served on my sandwich instead of purely on the side.  We also decided to get an order of their fried biscuits with apple butter prior to our meals.

Off the bat I loved the fried biscuits with the apple butter.  It was a very interesting texture with the soft biscuit dough on the inside and a little crunch on the outside.  They were not inherently sweet, but paired  perfect with the apple butter to almost make them a better fit as a dessert course if you so wished.  It was something unique I can't wait to try again
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My main course pulled pork sandwich was out and out phenomenal, and I'm not just saying that by judging it against other recent bbq disappointments.  You could see the smoke ring spread throughout the massive portion of pulled pork which illustrated the loving care put into the food before it even hit my taste buds.  The smokiness was present in the flavor profile as well and blended perfectly with the tangy slaw and bbq sauce.  The sauce itself was fantastic as well.  The perfect combination of sweet and heat, and even though I requested on my sandwich instead of on the side it was only drizzled on to add a complementary flavor.  Other restaurants take note.  Shreading the pork to death and cooking it in the sauce is not bbq.  The side of bbq beans was also very good.  Normally I would love the fact that the beans contained huge pieces of pulled pork, but being that it was also my main course it seemed a little overkill.  I'll just remember to switch it up next time.  The chips were straight out a bag, forgettable and completely unnecessary considering how big the sandwich was.  Squealers just do yourself a favor and leave them off the plate.  That being said if Squealers was just a bit closer to where I'd live I'd definitely be a frequent customer.


Taste 9.5/10  I know I'm probably going to get nailed by some of you for giving such a high score here because bbq is something that tends to be personal and a passion for a lot of people, but undeniably my meal was great.  Not perfect, but great.  Granted I may have yet to go to bbq place X or Y, but this blog isn't always about comparisons.  Feel free to express any opinions of your own in the comments.
Value 10/10  My entire meal, including my drink and the appetizer of the fried biscuits only came to 12 bucks.  With how good I thought the food was and with how big the portions were I honestly felt like I was stealing.  I've heard of other bbq places where just a sandwich and a side alone could run north of that number.