Ranchwood BBQ and Catering (La Mesa)

You are here: mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk has been working a bit more than usual and Ed (from Yuma) has been enjoying life.  Cathy is writing this short post. 

It's still unusually humid and hot; neither The Mister nor I want to cook.  The other day we stayed close to home, driving on side streets until we got into La Mesa just looking for a small, quick bite. We didn't even use 'air conditioned comfort' as a criterion.

The old brick and mortar location of Pubcakes closed at the end of last year and Ranchwood BBQ took its place.  Ranchwood had only been a catering business  for years and this location is now the storefront as well as catering.   We parked on El Cajon Boulevard and walked in. 

(FYI, Pubcakes exists in a way; they sell craft beer cake mix, (you can make cupcakes at home using beer as the liquid). The mix is sold at specialty markets around town, including Seisels and Iowa Meat Farms {Pubcakes website}.The small storefront holds two picnic benches inside and some small tables out front.  There are several bar stools strewn around.  A lot of the orders are 'to go'. 

That is the entire menu above the counter in that second photo.   The meat is smoked here, behind the building.  We were here one day just after opening (11 a.m.; closed on Monday) and all of the menu was available. Deciding we were going to share and being unable to agree on what, we chose the Cowboy Plate ($13.99).  Two meats and two sides...and two slices of white bread.The sides we always choose seem to be cole slaw and baked beans.  The slaw was good: fresh, crispy, cool and just creamy enough...no real spices added.

The beans...ah the root beer baked beans. Tasty and different.  Two types of beans, onion, celery and maybe some bell pepper... and a creamy slightly tangy sauce which had a faint undertone of the sassafras, vanilla and other flavors of a good root beer.  These were different and tasty beans.  As you can see, these sides were quite large. 

There are other sides we could've chosen: fries, rings, mashed potato, veggies, regular and a chipotle potato salad and house made chips. 

Our two meats? Brisket (we would rather have fatty Brisket than lean Tri-Tip) and Pulled Pork.  Yes, that portion is large; it weighed more than a pound. 

Both meats were cooked low and slow, so the meat was very tender.  The beef was lightly covered with a mustard based sauce and the whole portion (pork and beef) with the BBQ sauce.  

I was happy trying pieces of meat without any sauce, and got only a light smoke flavor from the pork.  The sauce was complimentary to the meats, yet not needed.

We will be returning to this locally owned business to try out other meats and menu items.

Ranchwood BBQ and Catering 7229 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 Website Closed Monday open Sun, Tues-Thurs 11-8:30, Fri-Sat 11-9

Comments

[caninecologne]

Although I miss Pubcakes, I can't wait to try this place out. That brisket is calling my name...

[Soo H]

MMm... Bbq... Must visit soon...

[Cathy]

I never even posted on Pubcakes, cc....it was another of so many cupcake places; I'm glad they are still in business using a different strategy. The meats and sides at Ranchwood are of high quality and the service and eating area are unpretentious...the way I like it.

If you're in the area, Soo, do stop in here. I think you'll like it.

[nhbilly]

If that's BBQ where the heck are the smoke ring?

[Cathy]

We ordered some pretty shredded/able softer cuts of meats, Bill. The smoked flavors were definitely there, but not as heavy in the pork compared to the beef brisket. Next time it'll be the sliced tri-tip, so you can see the ring.

[Dennis]

That looks great Cathy. And I like your beef/pork combo strategy... :)

[Cathy]

Just now saw your comment, Dennis...Ranchwood is a great little place and I'm so glad we noticed it. The price (and size) of the combo was just perfect for us.