2143 North Tustin St.
Orange, CA 92865
Trying to get to all the barbecue restaurants popping up in OC these days is like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole. Almost every time one closes, we have another one that springs up. In the last few months, we have lost Meat Up BBQ, Leadbelly's, Fire Breather BBQ, and Jav's BBQ, all of which were among my top ten barbecue restaurants in OC. Unfortunately, this seems to be the way with barbecue joints. They seem to have a limited shelf life.
Luckily, these days there seems to be no shortage of barbecue spots willing to throw their hat into the ring to showcase what they think are some pretty good barbecued meats and sides. One such place that piqued my interest when I started following them on Instagram was Hickory and Spice BBQ in Orange.
Hickory and Spice took over the old Colleary's location in May. They are situated in the back of the Target anchored shopping center near Meats and Tustin in Orange. It's a little hard to find, but just head toward the back of this center, and you won't miss it. Please be advised that they are currently only open Thursday through Sunday from 11:30 to 7:30 or when they sell out.
The man behind this restaurant is Pitmaster Rick Mysse. He was on the national bbq competition circuit, where he won over 200 trophies in just four years. The travel became tiresome, so he looked for something where he could be closer to home. You can now see his trophies proudly displayed throughout his very comfortable restaurant.
Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to your table. The menu at Hickory and Spice is pretty standard. They typically offer four types of meat, which are available in sandwich form, as plates, or by the pound. Six sides, one salad, and chicken wings round out the menu. With the great smell wafting through the air and all the awards proudly displayed around the restaurant, I was excited to get my first taste of what they were serving here. So let's take a look.
Both Katie and my mom got the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($14), which is a win for all of us, as it limits you from having to read even more of my awful writing. This sandwich contained plenty of pulled pork, slaw, and house sauce. Katie enjoyed this sandwich, especially the pulled pork. It featured different textures, was not too mushy, and had a nice subtle smokiness. Both my mom and Katie would get this sandwich again.
I was pretty bummed that they don't offer combo plates, which is my favorite thing to order at a barbecue restaurant on my initial visit. It gives a better overall picture of what they are all about. This fact led me to try this Beef Rib Special ($32) they were offering on this particular Sunday afternoon. I had mixed feeling about this rib. It was really fatty, which I usually don't mind, but when you pay over thirty dollars for one rib, you want a little more meat. The pieces of meat I got from this were terrific. There just weren't enough bites like that. The bark was seasoned well, but as I ate it, the saltiness of it really overwhelmed me. It was not the best beef rib I have had.
As my dad has gotten older, his tastes have really changed. So it did not surprise me that he tried the Turkey Sandwich ($15) at Hickory and Spice. Again, they did not skimp on the amount of meat they included in their sandwiches. This one had three thick pieces of turkey included here. Completing this sandwich was some bacon, cabbage, and a maple-cranberry sauce. According to my dad, the turkey was moist, but other than that, it was kind of bland. He did not get anything in the way of smokiness, and the maple-cranberry sauce was applied too sparingly to make much of an impact.
Sandwiches and my meal did not come with sides, so we picked four to try. They were all delicious. My favorite was the Sweet Potato Casserole ($6). The mashed-up sweet potato was topped with a delightful pecan crumble that sweetened things up and made this a great compliment to the savoriness of the meats. A must-try. Also, a must-try was the Adult Mac and Cheese ($7). They use a blend of gouda, jack, and cheddar to coat their noodles and add some diced sundried tomatoes, adding a bit of sweetness. Very nicely done. The Ranch Beans ($6) utilized a trio of black, white, and pinto beans to this mix and rounded it out with some bell pepper and onion. Not too bad. We completed our grand slam of sides with their World Famous Onion Rings ($10). These sweet onions are panko battered and sprinkled with something they call fairy dust. These are very solid onion rings. The outer crust did not pull away from the onion underneath, which is a plus in my book. Very crunchy breading and is well crafted.
As I was writing this review, I felt that I needed to revisit Hickory and Spice to fully understand whether this place was good or not. Based on the turkey, pulled pork, and beef rib, I'd say it is very average, but these are not items that I usually judge a barbecue restaurant on. I need to come back and try their brisket and ribs to get a clearer picture. Their sides were all nicely done, but you don't come to a barbecue restaurant for sides. The service was pleasant and cordial. I'll make it back here soon, as there are always other barbecue restaurants sprouting up all the time.
Out of five beer steins (because the tallest hickory tree in the world is located in Germany, a county that just hosted Oktoberfest where a lot of beer steins were used), five being best to zero being worst, Hickory and Spice BBQ gets 2.5 beer steins.
For more information about Hickory and Spice, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.hickoryandspice.com/
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