“Succulent” is a word I don’t use often when describing food; I save it for truly outstanding fare.
The barbecued meats at Off the Hook in Gladstone are delightfully moist, tender and flavorful across the board, as succulent as I’ve had anywhere. There are more than a few barbecue joints in town where the meats are tasty but need occasional wash-downs with soda, iced tea or beer. As I finished my meal at Off the Hook, I glanced at my bottle of Modelo and was surprised to see that I had barely dented it.
The longtime food truck beloved by ’cue fans for more than a decade opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Gladstone in July. It is definitely worth a trip for non-locals. The name stems from the family owners: Wardell Hooks Jr.; his son, Martell Hooks; and Wardell’s mother, Judy Jones.
Wardell Hooks was willing to share his secret.
“I just put my rub on and throw it on the smoker and spritz it regularly with juice,” he says. “Just baby it, that’s all. Treat it like a guy who has a ’57 Chevy. “
The barbecue is old-school. The Hook family doesn’t mess around with fads or frills, inventive combinations or intense seasoning. The meats are subtly seasoned, deftly smoked and as moist and tender as you’ll find anywhere. The brisket is outstanding, the pork ribs slide off the bone, and the andouille sausage has just enough heat to proclaim its Cajun roots without masking the meat and smoke.
We dined on the sample platter: two ribs, sausage, sliced brisket, sliced turkey, two jumbo wings and two sides (no substitutions). The menu says “serves two,” but we ate not just dinner but a nice lunch of leftovers the next day.
At first, I wondered why they made smoked turkey the base for one of their featured sandwiches, the smoked turkey melt (with sauteed onions and cheese on Texas toast). To be honest, smoked turkey has never thrilled me as a barbecue option, but I’ll be going back for more at Off the Hook. Succulent, indeed.
The chicken wings are a richly flavored, juicy delight. Wardell Hooks describes the four-step process: The wings are smoked, then deep-fried, tossed with your choice of Buffalo or barbecue sauce, then put on a hot griddle “to char ‘em up.” (I ordered mine naked as a test, and it passed with flying colors.)
I also chose two sides: an ultra-creamy mac and cheese, with a notably nice, semi-firm bite to the macaroni, and perfectly sweetened beans.
The house sauce is mild and sweet. If I have one complaint, it’s that the hot version is pretty low-wattage. But with meats this moist and flavorful, sauce is superfluous anyway.
We topped our meal off with a sizable triple chocolate chip cookie that’s not to be missed.
The wide-ranging menu also includes items such as the Off the Hook hot dog—a quarter-pound dog topped with brisket, cheese and jalapenos—brisket mac and cheese, quesadillas and nachos with choice of meat.
Customers order at the counter, then take a seat in the brightly lit restaurant to wait for their meal to be brought to the table. There’s a helpful roll of paper towels on every table; for meat this moist and juicy, it’s a necessity.
GO: Off the Hook BBQ, 7506 N. Oak Trafficway, Gladstone. offthehookbbqllc.com.
