Roundup Rodeo BBQ

FOOD

The house-smoked platter is the main offering of Roundup Rodeo: Evil Dr. Smoked Pork Ribs, Buttercup’s Beef Brisket, There’s a Sausage in my Boot and BBQ Chicken with Style. They arrive together for sharing, putting four meats into the same meal. The cartoon names are having a grand time, but the plate itself has a straightforward appeal: ribs, brisket, pork sausage and chicken, with the accompaniments served alongside.

Buttercup’s Beef Brisket is a useful place to give the platter some attention. In-house brisket smoking was part of the restaurant’s original barbecue concept, and brisket remains one of its defining meats. Evil Dr. Smoked Pork Ribs offer the bone-in counterpart, equally at home beside the grilled corn or a helping of slaw.

There’s a Sausage in my Boot is smoked pork sausage, despite the menu name’s decidedly unusual storage suggestion. Together with BBQ Chicken with Style, it gives the platter alternatives to the beef and ribs without requiring a separate entrée order. Chicken, mac and cheese, and corn make one combination; sausage, Potato Barrels and tomato salad make another. The pleasure is in the different plates this compact selection can produce.

Trixie’s Plant-based Trio deserves its own consideration. Rip Roarin’ Rib Chop uses barbecue-seasoned and glazed Impossible beef, joined by Scrumptious Bratwurst and Combat Carloflower. The cauliflower comes with harissa drizzle and walnut gremolata, bringing a distinct preparation to the trio alongside the two plant-based meat alternatives. Add the plant-based Potato Barrels or The Claw! Veggie Slaw, and the main course has substantial company. Trixie has a proper platter to her name, with cauliflower doing considerably more than filling a spare corner.

The Prospector’s Homemade Cheddar Biscuits come with sweet pepper jelly. It’s an opening pairing with a little personality before the barbecue appears: cheddar in the biscuit, sweet pepper on the side. Add brisket and beans later, and the bread has a place on the main-course plate as well.

Rootin’ Tootin Tomato Salad brings cucumber, pickled red onion and white balsamic vinaigrette to the opening spread. The salad is marked plant-based, making it another companion for Trixie’s main course. Wheezy’s Fruit Salad completes the starters, giving fruit a place at the table before dessert.

The sides keep the picnic idea going. Cowpoke Corn on the Cob is grilled street corn, a fitting partner for the ribs. Slinky Doooooooooog’s Mac & Cheese supplies the pasta, while Potato Barrels offer another accompaniment for chicken or sausage. The Claw! Veggie Slaw and Buckin’ Baked Beans complete the selection. Slinky’s name may take longer to say than the rest of the side order.

Dessert is one selection per guest. Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie and Goat’s Banana Cream Pie offer two different pie finishes, while Gruff’s Strawberry Shortcake provides the plant-based choice. For little riders, Cupcake à la Forky combines gooey chocolate cake, graham cracker, buttercream and a sugar cookie. Forky’s contribution is appropriately playful: a character-themed sweet at the end of a meal already full of toy-world names.