10 Bacon, Sausage Ham or BBQ Restaurants to Ride Your Hog To
Nothing goes better with a motorcycle ride than BBQ pulled pork, except maybe a fat burger with bacon on top, or eggs with a juicy ham steak. Here's a double-fisted assortment of places to stop when you get hungry while out riding your hog.
1. Corey's Catsup & Mustard (Manchester, CT)
This place bills itself as a burger bar, but they have other things as well, and you'd think a pig exploded in here, as there is just bacon on everything. If you are stopping by early in the day, try the breakfast burger with bacon and eggs, on a burger, on Belgian waffles instead of buns. If you are on a low carb diet, they have a a bacon cheeseburger salad that is plenty filling. On the side, order some bacon cheddar ranch bleu cheese waffle fries. Here's what people on Yelp have to say about it.
2. George and the Dragon (Minneapolis, MN)
A British style pub, with an Asian flair, this place does breakfast lunch and brunch, and makes a killer bacon, onion, cheese dip that can be enjoyed any time. The mid-west does not mess around with health, gluten-free, low fat foods, and it shows at George and the Dragon, though they do have great salads if that is your thing. All of their pork products come from Compart, which claims to be the black Angus of pork, and they have a great rotating selection of beers on tap. Here's what people say about them on Yelp.
3. Union Woodshop (Clarkston, MI)
When a place has the work "pork" right on the marquee outside, and a smoker in the back, you know it is going to be good. The Union Woodshop outside of Detroit smokes their own meat and stuffs their own sausage, and you can sample pretty much everything by ordering the porker burger; ground pork patties with bacon and sausage on top. But that does not include their excellent BBQ, so order a sidecar of pulled pork. On the lighter side, they have a pulled pork salad, which at the very least includes some raw greenery. They have a full bar, and excellent beers as well. Here's what the folks on Yelp have to say.
4. Ingrid's Kitchen (Oklahoma City, OK)
This one is a little different from your typical burger and BBQ joint, coming from a German tradition, and serving plenty of bratwurst, schnitzel, and more. Stop by on Sunday morning for the brunch, or Saturday for lunch with a side of Oohmpah music. You can fill up in the morning with hearty farmer sized breakfasts, or great deli sandwiches for lunch, plus freshly baked deserts. Here's what Yelp has to say about their two locations.
5. Jimmy's Diner (Brooklyn, NY)
There are plenty of places to eat in and around New York City, but this little place makes the kind of awesome but simple food that goes great with a ride to the Jersey Shore, up the Hudson, or out on the island. They've got breakfast all day, they have pulled pork, they have burgers, and they have great sides like deep fried deviled eggs. Where else in the area can you get grits, fried pickles, latkes, disco fries, and a Bloody Mary? Here's what Yelp has to say about the place.
6. Paradise Valley Burger Co (Phoenix, AZ)
Much like the fictional Bob's Burgers on TV, Paradise Valley comes up with new and unique variations on the burger every few days. Perennial favorites are the Brulee Burger, with bacon, eggs, Havarti cheese and caramelized sugar, and their country fried burgers, which feature a deep fired, battered patty. No beer here, but there is a drive in liquor store next store. Here is what Yelp has to say about this strip mall burger joint.
7. Slater's 50/50 (Various Locations, CA)
With 6 locations from San Diego, up to Pasadena, if you are going to be in Southern California you should be near a Slater's 50/50. Their claim to fame is grinding their own meat, and their signature grind is 50% lean sirloin, 50% bacon. They also have unique gourmet burger offerings, and a huge selection of craft beers. They also have flat screen TVs all over which makes it a great place to ride out to if you are trying to catch a game on TV. Here's what Yelp has to say about the Pasadena location (pictured).
8. Hops & Pie (Denver, CO)
This favorite of Denver locals serves a huge variety of beers, as well as awesome sandwiches and pizza. Pictured is the appetizer sized IPA mac and cheese, with ham and beer, Cuban sandwich with pulled pork and smoked ham, and the BLEAT, which adds an egg and avocado to the typical BLT. They also offer gourmet pizza topping, with special daily and monthly offerings, as well as your typical expected pizza fixins. Here's what the good people on Yelp have to say.
9. Edelweiss Sausage & Deli (Portland, OR)
There are practically a million places in Portland to grab a burger and a beer, artisanal or otherwise, but this little shop makes their own sausage and servers up fat deli sandwiches that can fill any size hole in your stomach. On a cold and damp Pacific North West day, a hot plate of wurst and brats, with potatoes and sauerkraut, and a good German beer will warm you right up. If you prefer, they also have cold sandwiches full of only the best deli meats. Here's how the reviewers on Yelp rate it.
10. Chop House Burgers (Arlington, TX)
Our last stop is a Texas burger place that can satisfy a Texas sized appetite. If you can't decide between a burger, or BBQ, they have a pulled pork burger, which combines the two. Of course they also have grate slabs of bacon that can be added to top off any burger. Or, for a real pork overload on your burger, get the Hot Sicilian, with ham, pepperoni and bacon on top of an already excellent burger. Of course, they have beer, but they also have homemade pie for desert if you have room. Here's there Yelp page.
To keep you hog happy, use the helpful hints in the HDForums How-To section.
