BBQ Exchange
102 Martinsburg Avenue . Gordonsville, VA . (540) 832-0227
http://bbqex.com
Why BBQ Exchange?
Even if BBQ Exchange served nothing but barbeque, it would still warrant recognition by The Charlottesville 29. The pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket are among the area’s best. What removes any doubt about BBQ Exchange’s merit is everything beyond the barbeque. To every item on the menu, Chef Craig Hartman brings the attention to detail you might expect from a chef who has cooked for presidents and dignitaries, and spent decades overseeing kitchens of fine dining restaurants. Hartman, who launched the restaurant at Clifton Inn and then Fossett’s at Keswick Hall, is on the Mt. Rushmore of Charlottesville chefs. At BBQ Exchange, his stamp is evident not just on the barbequed meats, but also the ten different kinds of house-made pickles, trio of cabbage slaws, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin muffins, and pickle spears fried so well they alone might justify the drive to Gordonsville.
What to Order
BBQ Exchange’s pulled pork is excellent. One of our favorite ways to enjoy it is what you might call “Country Confit.” We take home a container of pork, chop it up very finely, pack it back into the take-out container, and then refrigerate it over night, taking care to include all of the pork grease. (If we are feeling fancy, we might press it into a ramekin.) The next day, we eat it cold, spread onto hunks of a baguette from Albemarle Baking Company. As garnishes, we like BBQ Exchange’s pickles, some cornichons and grainy mustard from Feast, and Jalapeno Jelly from Planet Earth Diversified. We wash it down with a crisp beer from Beer Run or a big glass of a hearty red wine from In Vino Veritas. Below are more of our picks, along with Chef Hartman’s picks, and BBQ Exchange’s appearances in Five Finds on Friday, where chefs and personalities have named a BBQ Exchange dish one of the best in town.
Our Picks:
- Barbeque: Pulled Pork, Ribs, Pulled Chicken
- Sandwich: “Heaven”, BLT with “chewy” bacon
- Pickles: Green Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers
- Sides: Home-style Cole slaw, Macaroni and Cheese
- Fried: Pickles, Green Tomatoes
- Bread: Pumpkin Muffins
Chef’s Picks
Like us, Chef Hartman has an unusual way he likes to eat his pulled pork. He takes a big leaf of Romaine lettuce and wraps it around pulled pork, spicy cole slaw, and pickled hot peppers. It is one of his favorite snacks. Hartman, who samples BBQ Exchange’s meats every day, also likes:
- Red Eye Bacon
- Pork Belly
- Pumpkin Muffins
Five Finds on Friday Picks
- Pork Belly — Todd Grieger (formerly, Red Pump), Tim Burgess (Bizou, Bang!, and The Space), Dave Kostelink (formerly, Feast!) Jaclyn Conlogue (BBQ Exchange)
- Pulled Pork — Tomas Rahal (formerly, MAS Tapas), Matthew Hart (The Local), Curtis Shaver (Hamiltons’), Allie Redshaw formerly, Pippin Hill), Spencer Crawford (formerly, Palladio), Hannah Moster (Hamiltons’), Mitch Willey (formerly, Clifton Inn), William Darsie (MarieBette)
- Pulled Pork Sandwich with Garlic Pickles, Hog Fire and Napalm Sauce — John Shanesy (formerly, Parallel 38)
- Brisket — Ian Judd (The Ivy Inn), Eric Bein (Jack’s Shop Kitchen), Sara Goldsmith (Feast!)
- Hell Sandwich — Bill Scatena (formerly, Pippin Hill), Dylan Allwood (formerly, Rocksalt), Harrison Keevil (formerly, Brookville)
- Heaven Sandwich — Matt Boisvert (C&O), Harrison Keevil (formerly, Brookville)
- BBLT — Lee Hendrickson (formerly, Red Pump); Justin Vesser (The Tennessean Steakhouse)
- Family Dinner — Melissa Close-Hart (Junction, formerly Palladio)
- Three Meat Platter — Gerry Newman (Albemarle Baking Co.)
- Pickles — Dave Fafara (Shenandoah Joe)
- Fried Chicken at Porkapolooza — Jaclyn Conlogue (BBQ Exchange); Phyllis Hunter (formerly, The Spice Diva)
