Evan's Smokehouse
4859 Main Street
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
My hometown of Yorba Linda is finally growing up. When I was a youngster cohabitating with my parents in the Land of Gracious Living in the '70s and '80s, we always had to leave the city limits to go to the movies, the mall, or a chain restaurant. Back in those days, Yorba Linda seemed so isolated. We had a McDonald's, Wing's Chinese restaurant, KFC, and an H. Salt Fish and Chips, which was about it. In the mid to late 80s, the city grew out a bit and got a Chili's. It was a slow growth.
Flash forward to the present day, and the founding city leaders might not even recognize the city referred to as Nixon Country. Yorba Linda has taken cues from nearby towns and wants some consumer dollars to stay in the city. They have redone their downtown area by creating the Yorba Linda Town Center. This shopping and entertainment complex is situated at the corner of Imperial and Yorba Linda Boulevard. It is anchored by Bristol Farms, Regal Movie Theater, and a smattering of restaurants, most notably, a Habit Burger, Blaze Pizza, Cafe Rio, South OC favorite, the Blind Pig, and a Greek place called Apola Gyro Grill. A far cry from when I was growing up here.
It's another place right behind the sparkling new Town Center and right next to the four-story parking structure that has brought me back to the city of my youth. On the corner of Arroyo and School Streets, a dirt lot hosts Evan's Smokehouse three days a week, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, starting at 4pm until they run out. It's a modest little space with a small stand where they write up your order, and then you bring your ticket to their trailer, and the food is prepared for you.
There are a dozen picnic tables, some covered by EZ-Up. The menu? The meats are sold by the half-pound and include pulled pork, brisket, half chicken, and pork ribs. I have also been told they have limited beef ribs, but they were not offered the night we were here. There are two sandwiches to choose from, house-cured pastrami and pulled pork, which you will see in a moment. The menu is rounded out with five sides and a banana pudding, which we hear is fantastic.
The man behind this cavalcade of meat is Chef Evan Carl. After graduating from Laguna Culinary Arts six years ago, he held plenty of jobs in OC kitchens, Tabu Grill, Del Frisco Grille, Bandera, Pueblo, and Sidecar Doughnuts among them, then went across the Southern US to learn from the great pitmasters of barbecue. He's also worked in some high-end LA restaurants, notably Melisse Restaurant, Georgie Restaurant, and The Bazaar by Jose Andres. As if that was not enough, he also found time to become a licensed pilot. Let's see if this barbecue will make us feel like we are in the mile-high club or if it will make us feel like we missed our connecting flight.
Katie is as predictable as a political argument breaking out on Facebook when she's eating at a barbecue restaurant. She almost always orders a Pulled Pork Sandwich ($12), as was the case on this Friday evening. This Carolina-inspired sandwich came with a big pile of pulled pork and coleslaw on a nicely toasted roll. The pork was in more enormous hunks than most of us have had, but I liked that. The pork was nice and moist, and the smoke flavor was not too overpowering and hung out in the background of each bite. Katie felt the weak part of the sandwich was the bun, which fell apart by the end of her meal. Katie went with Grandma's Potato Salad ($4) for a side. My grandmother never made a potato salad like this one. Whoa, was this awesome. The combination of egg, dijon, mayo, red onion, and celery to accompany the well-done potatoes made this side a winner. Great texture and flavor. I feared the dijon would overpower here, but that was not the case. Do yourself a favor and get the pint-size for an extra $3. You won't be sorry. Is it too late for the grandma who made this to adopt me?
I created my own since combo plates are not featured on Evan's Smokehouse menu. I went with the half-pound of Brisket ($15), Three Pork Ribs ($9), and Cornbread ($4). Yes, it was a little pricey for the $28 I paid, but after a few bites, I forgot about the small dent in my wallet. The meats were divine. The brisket had a lovely ribbon of fat running alongside the top of each slice, the bark framing each piece was nice and flavorful, and the meat was nicely tender and juicy. A very well-done brisket, but the pork ribs are not to be ignored. A very meaty rib, they were tender, came off the bone nicely with a light tug, and the lightly sauced outer portion provided the only flavoring that I needed with the meat. Even though extra barbecue sauce was offered, it was unnecessary. The hallmark of excellent barbecue meat. The cornbread grew on me, but it was love at first bite for Katie. I like sweeter cornbread, but as I ate this, I liked the flavor of the pop of roasted chilis and cheddar cheese. Katie traded me half of her potato salad for the cornbread, so we both ended up very happy. Negotiation is the sign of a great marriage.
As I write this, I regret not trying the Banana Pudding, but I will definitely be back at Evan's Smokehouse. That's one of the only regrets I experienced on this visit. This is one of the best barbecue spots I have experienced in Oe. The menu is limited. I'd love for them to add some sausage or tri-tip and some mac and cheese, but it may not be possible due to the limited space in their trailer. I'm also nervous that this is only a temporary spot for Evan's Smokehouse because I'm sure there will eventually be a plan for this corner lot. For now, the residents of Yorba Linda should consider themselves lucky to have the opportunity to eat great barbecue at least three days a week. It's way better than the options I had while growing up here.
Out of five avocados (because the official tree for the city of Yorba Linda is the Fuerte Avocado), five being best to zero being worst, Evan's Smokehouse gets 4 avocados.
For more information about Evan's Smokehouse, head to their website here: https://www.evanssmokehouse.com/
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