Ozark’s Famous BBQ
19696 Fraser Highway
Langley, BC
On a Friday during the Olympics, Sherman gives me a call and asks “Do you want to go to Ozark’s tomorrow?”. Now, due to the background noise, I thought he said “Do you want to go to the (Richmond) O Zone tomorrow?”. Of course, my reaction was “WTH? You want me to go to line up in Richmond out of all places???”. When he repeated himself that is when I understood he wanted to go for food! And, in my case, I needed an escape from the Olympic madness. So, the following day, to Ozark’s BBQ in Langley it was!
I had a small internal debate (think Angels and Demons type situation) whether I should mention some of the things that happened on our route there but, given that it has a greater impact on Sherman’s side, I will let him decide whether he will mention them or not. Let’s just say, in some cases, they were epic! 
Anyway, the reason Sherman wanted to go all the way down to Langley was because of his friends Nikita and Bluebeard. For some reason, I have started to meet Sherman’s dining companions, considering I have met already some of them when we had lunch in Azia. And, of course, some of the topics of conversation deviated a little bit into that as well. That makes me wonder: Sherman, does anybody who knows you do NOT know you food blog??? Putting that aside, to the food!
What I have not mention until now was that this was a family affair, as it was Sherman, Viv and children. And, given Sherman’s previous comments about his son’s, ahem, “pickiness”, I wasn’t surprised he automatically ordered for him grilled cheese sandwich. I will stop at that, OK? 
As for the rest of us adults, we were shuffling what to order to try to encompass as much as possible. Since their specialties seems to be ribs, Nikita and Bluebeard ordered two of them: St. Louis side ribs and baby back ribs. While these are different type of ribs, unfortunately, in the end, they ended up being the same… OK, let me rephrase that: both were dry and tasteless. It could have been salvaged by the BBQ sauce but really? >_< And here is an odd comment by Sherman which I will have to agree: had they boiled it and then grilled it, probably I might have liked it a bit more… Yes, heresy but, in the end, it is what you can call edible food.
Viv ordered from their lunch menu, specifically, their pulled pork sandwich. Since it was for only $5, Sherman and I ordered one as well for us to share. I have always been under the impression that “killing” pulled pork was close to impossible but, alas, they managed to do it here. They were dry and, once again, the BBQ sauce helped a little bit. Regardless, I was completely disappointed at this, but I must given them some credit for the fact it is only $5…
Sherman’s order, their Lone Star Texas Beef Ribs. Out of the three ribs available, this one was the best of the three, though somewhat more expensive. However, that extra $$$ was worth it. Six big ribs with tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bones pieces of meat in between which was a contrast to the dry St. Louis and baby back ribs. The best? It wasn’t charred dry which means it is meat you can actually eat rather than burnt morsels you have to discard.
And here is my order: Texas beef brisket plate. The reason behind this order is because, well, aside from chicken, this meant we go to try every type of BBQs. There is a sharp contrast between these and the non-beef ribs: It was actually soft and juicy. It lacked a little bit of the smokey taste but, regardless, it was tender meat you can eat and be happy about it.
I have skipped commenting about the sides because (beans, coleslaw and the choice of baked or mashed potatoes or fries), for the most part, they were average. Out of the three potatoes, the mashed emerged as the winner because, well, its texture was different from the other ones! (Sorry, it is a bit difficult to explain carbs and vegetables when you are in for the meat!).
Now, here is a big curve ball: it is usually women who would go for desserts. Not this time! It was guys who went for dessert instead… Sky is falling? Anyway, behold, their deep fried cheesecake. Move over deep fried Mars bars and deep fried Oreos! In this case, it was a piece of cheesecake wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep friend. Served with some ice cream, interestingly, the cheesecake wasn’t that sweet and, fortunately, though had some soft consistency, it did not melt. You could tell it is cheesecake rather than some form of custard due its creaminess. And, while it did not have that flaky consistency, the tortilla wrap did not get in the way.
When it comes to BBQ, it usually ends up being a holy war of sorts. In the case of Ozark’s, some dishes were meh but there is a least one dish that will certainly make me come back. On that note, if you are a big eater, they currently have an all ribs you can eat (though not sharing) for ~$27, depending on which rib. In my case, if I was darn hungry for BBQ, I will seriously come back just for their beef ribs… Nikita, Bluebeard, thanks for letting me tag along. It was nice to meet you two and hopefully will see you some other time for another of these dining outs… Like when you let us know 5 Guys is open?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Yah, I gotta admit, I would do the AYCE beef ribs. But nothing else. Yah, 5 Guys… Langley again!
I know a certain 5 year old that only eats grilled cheese, ham sandwiches, turkey and cranberries. I feel your pain!
Maybe I should take mom to this place next week.
I don’t know if I ever recall a time where a grilled cheese sandwich looked more enticing than a pulled pork sandwich.
Raidar, I don’t think I recall such instance either but, if those are false memories, this will serve me as a reminder!
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