My dream pulled pork sandwich is constructed as follows: pulled pork, an ample heap of slaw (light on mayo), a few pickle slices and a toasted, hearty roll like a kaiser roll.  The tender and smoky pork is balanced by a spicy and vinegary BBQ sauce — the resulting mixture is wet, but not too wet. Accompanied by a side, extra sauce and napkins.

The pulled pork sandwich at Barnacle BBQ wasn’t a home run, but it was fairly decent, with a few hits and misses.

The hits:

• Superb sweet potato fries.  Golden and crispy.
• Refreshing and crunchy slaw: mayo-less, cut julienne, right amount of vinegar.
• Generous helping of pulled pork.
• Tangy BBQ sauce with a hint of heat.

The misses:

• Pedestrian hamburger bun, which I know is fairly standard and not unique to Barnacle — I just don’t think flimsy buns hold up well, becoming wet and soggy in a hurry.
• Moderately flavorful pork, but lacking character and somewhat dry.  The sauce had been spooned on top rather than mixed in.
• An absence of toppings to give the sandwich a soft/crunchy texture contrast.

Not bad overall, and to be clear, I enjoyed it just fine. It’s pulled pork, after all. Just wasn’t the dream sandwich.

What’s the word on Barnacle — how’s the rest of their barbecue? Are the ribs worthy of a return trip?

Barnacle BBQ
181 E. Boston Post Rd.
Mamaroneck, NY
914-777-6610