Bird Dog BBQ

Meat was cold, sauces all tasted the same. I’d rather hit Rudy’s…that’s really all I had to say but Unilocal says my review is too short. If I had to continue, I wasn’t impressed. My friends built up the wasabi sauce and it was subpar. Not enough wasabi. Is this enough Unilocal

The purpose of this review is to give my professional and personal opinion on the overall experience of dining at Bird Dog BBQ, located at 4153 Centennial Blvd in Colorado Springs, CO on March 5^th, 2016.
To preface, I think it is relevant to give a little background on myself before going into my review of the dining experience. I grew up in Memphis, TN — where barbecue is not only a method of preparing meats, but a lifestyle — daresay a religion. Expanding on this, I was also employed as a line /​prep cook at one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed (including multiple first place victories in the World Barbecue Festival) barbecue restaurants in Memphis, Central BBQ.
That being said, I would like to state that I am not a snob when it comes to barbecue. Although I have never found a style of barbecue that compared to that of which I grew up on, I still keep an open mind when it comes to different regional twists on such a beloved method of food preparation.
It should be noted that my decision to dine at Bird Dog BBQ was directly influenced by both the fact that they received the ‘Best of Colorado Springs’ award for barbecue from The Gazette every year since 2007, and that they offered what they have dubbed ‘Oklahoma Style Barbecue’ — a regional style of barbecue I had never encountered.
Now, on to the review! I have broken the following review into different sections, all pertaining to different factors that will either make or break a dining experience.
Dining Area /​Restaurant Accommodations:
This particular location of Bird Dog BBQ is located in a strip mall near Centennial and Vindicator. Both the inside and outside of the restaurant is unassuming — just what I like from a barbecue joint.
Staff /​Service:
Although the level of service given from wait staff is generally not a critical factor in an excellent dining experience at such a casual restaurant, I feel that it should be noted that the staff of Bird Dog BBQ was very helpful and hospitable
The Food:
What We Ordered:
Two Saturday lunch specials that consisted of a pulled pork sandwich (with coleslaw added), one side, and one drink. My wife had the potato salad, and I chose the fried okra. The total price of both of our meals was roughly $ 22.00 USD after tip.
The Meat:
Meat is by far the most important element of barbecue. In fact, despite the common association of the term BBQ with a type of sauce, barbecue itself is a method of preparing meats by slowly cooking them in a smoker, fueled by various types of woods in order to achieve distinct flavors.
The tenderness, flavor, and fat content of barbecued meat is what separates the good from the bad. Good barbecue does not require a sauce to be delectable. The barbecue sauce is more of the ‘icing on the cake’ if you will.
For these reasons, I must give Bird Dog BBQ a one star review. The pulled pork, generally one of the most tender, juicy, savory, and all-​around hard to screw up meats, tasted like canned meat.
I am not exaggerating. After taking a bite of the pulled pork with no sauce or condiments, I was left with the oddly confusing sensation of taking a bite of tuna that was procured from a freshly drained tin can. It was dry. It was the opposite of savory, requiring me to drink a few gulps of water to swallow it. I was left confounded, as it it seems like it would actually be harder to produce a meat that left me feeling like I had walked 40 days and 40 nights in the Sahara than it would be to produce a mediocre version of a slow-​smoked pork tenderloin.
I have written and subsequently deleted several paragraphs that have attempted to fully describe the dissatisfaction I felt when sampling the pulled pork. It is mind-​boggling to me — so much so that I cannot fully express it in coherent thoughts.
The Sauce:
I loved the sauces offered from Bird Dog BBQ. The ‘regular’ BBQ sauce was a very nice balance between sugary, smokey, and spicy. The wasabi infused BBQ sauce was also pleasing, although a little too spicy for my tastes (or rather my stomach lining).
The Sides:
I will not go into too much detail regarding the side options from Bird Dog BBQ, because after all, you don’t go to a barbecue joint for the sides — you go for the meat.
The fried okra was probably frozen and then deep fried. It was the proper consistency (slightly crunchy without being soggy).
The potato salad tasted like your standard grocery-​store-​deli-​bought mustard-​style potato salad — which is sad because although the meat at a barbecue restaurant is generally the focal point, favorable points can definitely be earned by have fresh sides that do not taste like commercially-​produced processed foods. To put it in other words, side dishes may not be a huge factor if the meat is good, but might be the deciding factor between two barbecue restaurants that offer quality meat.
Conclusion:
I would consider trying this restaurant again. However, I would not recommend it to anyone.

Came in here on Vday for some BBQ after reading some good reviews on Unilocal.Was totally disappointed!!! Ordered brisket, pork spare ribs n hot link. None of my meat tasted any seasoning. I normally don’t use BBQ sauce but i was glad i asked for the wasabi BBQ sauce this time. I needed to dig with BBQ sauce to swallow my dinner. The brisket was not sliced. It was like pulled pork. The ribs was tendered n fall off the bones but that was it. The cashier was not knowledgeable on pricing as i needed to remind her that bday lone wolf entrée was 25% off. Will mostly not going back for bland BBQ.

Porkhouse sandwich is tender the sauces are similar and different. Enjoy mixing the sauces together. Coleslaw is crisp and fried okra is not soggy.

It was hard to decide between one or two stars… The place was clean, the sides were ok tasting, and the meat portion were good… But the taste was bla. Bland! We pulled up and were really excited because we could smell the smoke, but nuthin. No smoke ring, no bark, nuthin! The sauces were, egh. Finally, I felt like it was a little pricey; sides for $ 2.70 a scoop (because they did come out of a steam table), no plate options, and for the quality … Just not worth it.

Not a fan. I took a co worker to lunch here not long ago to give it a try. I doubt I will ever go back as it is wildly over priced and we didn’t have the best experience.
As a first timer I asked the person preparing the food behind the counter what he would recommend. After he explained an open faced style sandwich, we accepted the recommendation and both ordered it. As he began to construct the sandwiches he asked if we wanted sides. As I assumed they came with the sandwich being that it was priced $ 11.99, my co worker and I both ordered fries and coleslaw. After the sandwiches were prepared an ice cream style scoop was used for a small rounded portion of coleslaw and was placed in the allotted space on the styrofoam plate. A similar size portion of fries was placed in the other allotted space on the plate. The plate was full but by no means massive. As I approached the register and requested two sodas, the cashier tells me my total. It was approximately $ 37!!! I had to stop and have her break down the cost for me. After the $ 11.99 sandwiches, each small portioned side was an additional $ 2.50!!! That’s $ 10 extra dollars for just small side orders, I couldn’t believe it! Add a couple of drinks to that and two lunches cost approximately $ 37!
That being said, the sandwich was decent and the sauces provided at the table were good. The sides were forgettable for more reasons than one.
If I do return I will pay more attention, I got too wrapped up with the process of everything and moved down the assembly line as my sandwich was created. I would recommend you do the same, unless you are comfortable dropping $ 40 on mediocre BBQ.

It’s good tried something different when we were there they weren’t really busy but they were friendly. Food was good. We will come here again.

I was so glad that they opened one on the West side of town. I love their brisket and their hot links. I wish they had more consistent tasting sides, but the meat, it’s to die for.

This is a wonderful barbecue place. The meat had great flavor and was very moist. I also enjoyed the baked beans and the staff was very helpful and friendly. We will definitely be back!

This is a good BBQ restaurant. They have special each day of the week, affordable prices and best yet fried okra! Small dining room but the options for BBQ are few and far between. I would recommend but there are other good BBQ places as well. If you are up north and want BBQ don’t hesitate to stop in.

Soooo glad to finally have an outstanding BBQ place on the northwest side of town! Thank you Bird Dog for opening another location.

I ordered the three meat platter with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork and it came with two sides. The cashier rec’d the baked beans and I got fried okra as my other. I received my meats and the beans with a couple of almost texas sized pieces of toast first (the okra is cooked to order). For $ 15+ I don’t think it was overly plentiful but not too bad. Two spare ribs (not St Louis style), a small pile of beef and pork. I took a taste of the beans and wasn’t impressed. Not a lot going on but sugar with the same tiny beans you can find in commercial pork and beans (Like Van de Kamp’s) I used some of the vinegar from the jalapeño slices they had out to add a little vinegar to cut through the sweetness. The okra came out fresh a short time later. The ribs were pretty okay, cooked well and not overcooked with sauce already applied and a little smoke. The beef and pork were both way overcooked and almost to the point of mushy with little flavor, no bark, or smoke. They mercifully had a rub shaker on the table. There were 4 sauces available. Three sauces were on the table. the first one was definitely tomato based, the other tomato too with molasses, and the third green capped bottle was an interesting wasabi. They have an extra hot behind the counter which was my fav but it definitely wasn’t extra hot. I used the not-​quite-​toasted bread to sample the sauces but it was only partially toasted and limp from I think water from the overcooked meats. The clear best part of this meal was the fried okra. Freshly fried and fresh tasting with a light breading and paired well with the not-​hot-​X-​tra-​hot sauce. Nice folks, nice room with a view but… not even close to good Q (at least on this visit. I’ll have to try them again sometime.).

Just got back from bird dog. on Friday they have a special which is a brisket sandwich, a side, and a drink for $ 6.50. The brisket was quite good. It was a really good. A nice place to get barbeque for a good value price.

I tried the pulled chicken sandwich lunch special, and was surprised at how tender the chicken was. Very friendly staff, and a good value for lunch.

Great BBQ and friendly staff! I have not had anything here that I have not enjoyed. Last night I had the hot links and brisket, and both were very good. Note that the brisket is served shredded, not sliced as many are accustomed.

My first visit, I was actually looking for my favorite Asian restaurant but it had closed! Was hungry so I got BBQ. I paid $ 18 for a pound of BBQ brisket and 2 medium size baked potatoes to go. The meat was quite dry and overcooked, even with sauce. FOr $ 18, I barely had a real dinner for 3 people, so I don’t think it was a good value.