CatHead's BBQ

photo - catheadsbbq.com

CatHead's BBQ, SOMA, Lunch
April 3, 2016

P:
Slow Smoked Pork Shoulder with BBQ Baked Beans and Mustard Slaw
Cathead Biscuit with Honey Butter and Pepper Jelly (to share)
Sweet tea ("Good," says Patrick.)

J:
Coca-Cola Smoked Brisket with Pimento Mac & Cheese and Dandelion Green Potato Salad
Unsweetened Tea ("Bad," says Patrick.)


Notes:
CatHead's is another one of those places on that BBQ list I was telling you about.  The main attraction here, if not the barbecue, is the cathead biscuit, so named because it is as large as a cat's head.

This is one of the first barbecue places I've ever been to which didn't allow for a "plate" with more than one meat choice.  Not to suggest that I couldn't have done this, but I allowed the menu to be my guide, and decided to stick with the "BBQ Plate with two sides".  The plates come with a mini-cathead biscuit, but since I believed the biscuit to be the reason we were there, I insisted we get a "regular" cathead biscuit and forego the minis.  The guy at the counter kindly substituted extra pickles in place of the biscuits.

We ordered, collected our drinks and utensils and sat at the bar overlooking the smokers.  As we waited, I tasted the different sauces at the counter: the usual BBQ, a mustard sauce, and a habanero sauce.  The BBQ sauce was average, the mustard sauce good (though not as delicious as Black Bark's mustard sauce) and the habanero sauce - delicious - smooth and thick with a wonderfully sweet heat.  Very nice.  Several minutes later, we were served.  The sides, in all cases, were generous.  My brisket portion was average if not a little less than, and Patrick's pulled pork was an insane mound of shredded goodness, which we had to assume was a heavy-handed error - no way was that the usual serving size. 

Everything was good, but I think the biscuit and sides stood out more than the barbecue, which is probably not the best thing to say about a BBQ joint.  I liked the pork more than Patrick, he didn't care for the way in which it was doused in sauce.  He preferred my brisket, but I thought it was on the dry side and didn't have much flavor.  The BBQ Baked Beans were well balanced and super-tender; a thumbs up, and Patrick isn't easy.  The slaw he thought good, but not great, and I'd say the same.  The loose and mashy Dandelion Green Potato Salad wasn't pretty but it was damn tasty, though the strong vinegar flavor of this creamy concoction got to be a little much towards the end.  Finally, the mac and cheese was good but nothing extraordinary, though it did hit the spot.

The cathead biscuit was probably our favorite part of it all.  It was crispy and buttery on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside.  The butter was generously sweetened with honey and the pepper jelly was so, so good, but there wasn't enough of it for that giant biscuit.

Barbecue can have off days, so we're not ready to dismiss this place, but we're not ready to call it a favorite, either.