This is an article taken from the Mail Bag (March 2006)
Try the Slooooooowly Smoked Southern (Yankee) Style BBQ!
Wow, Have you found the eXtreme Bar-B-Q restaurant in
Forked River yet? Finally, someone around here actually knows how to smoke all
their meat like they do down South and out West. It’s a small place, great for
take-out and they also have a few seats for "dining in".
The owner, Ben Fisher, born and raised in Toms River, traveled all over the
world while in the USAF and as a commercial corporate pilot, and always looked
for great BBQ Restaurants. The more rustic, the better he liked them. Probably
the 5 years he spent living in Georgia while in the Air Force helped make
Barbeque his passion and it has been his hobby for years.
Opening this small restaurant in Forked River was a big decision and hopefully
everyone will get to enjoy the sloooooowly smoked flavor of really great BBQ.
Over the years, the location had been a Stewart’S Root Beer, a Pizza place and
more recently a Chicken and Ice Cream place. It re-opened in December and after
almost a full year; they seem to have the smoking process totally figured out.
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the Southern Pride Smoker. It’s basically a
BIG convection oven, with a wood smoke chamber in the back. They can smoke meats
for more than 12 hours with just one small log.
As soon as you pull into the parking lot, you can smell the aroma of whatever is cooking, with a little touch of hickory, oak, cherry and even apple wood. When you walk in the door, you can really tell that slow smoked bbq has been cooked there. The BBQ trophy’s that Ben & his grandson Robbie received this summer are displayed along with pictures of the contests and catering events. Also, Ben’s certification as a Kansas City BBQ Society Judge hangs on the wall.
The staff is very friendly and if you ask, you can sample just about anything they have. A sample plate with pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends (of brisket), hot links and their latest rib meat special makes a great appetizer. The only problem you might have is figuring out which meat is the best. They will bring all "newbie’s" (without even asking) a couple of their special "Smoked Chicken Wings", the likes of which you’ve probably never tasted before. They coat them with "Secret Wing Dust", smoke them for at least 3 hours and then, to make them crispy, they deep fry them for about 3 minutes. What a treat! No goopy buffalo sauce or anything like that! But, if you do want them spicy hot, you can have them dusted again with Ben’s own recipe of "Hot Wing Dust". Hey, you can even buy the dust by the bottle. Everything on the menu looks so GOOD. As a first timer, or "newbie" as they’ll call you, you might choose the "Everything Sampler Combo" which includes brisket, pulled pork, hot links, rib meat, burnt ends, 2 bones of ribs and 3 wings. It also comes with two side orders and their homemade corn bread. You could choose for the sides; Corn Pudding, Collard Greens, Baked Beans made with beef brisket, Fresh Coleslaw, Black Eyed Peas & Super Cheesy Mac & Cheese or the side of the Day. They also have really great Hush Puppies, French Fries, Cheese Fries and Chili / Cheese Fries. Try the Stuffed Baked Potato, stuffed with any of their meats, chili, sour cream, etc. Topped off with a fountain drink of Stewart’s Root beer, it is way more than one person can eat. Oh yeah, don’t forget to try some of Ben’s Chili which he makes with brisket. You can get that in Mild or any degree of spicy, up to eXtremely HOT! How about Chili in a bread bowl or on one of their Stuffed Baked Potatoes (just recently added to the menu). Of course, if you just want a simple sandwich of pulled pork or brisket, you can have that too.
They also do lots of outside CATERING and have become known for their Smoked / Stuffed Suckling Pig. They stuff the pig with pork shoulder meat and smoke it for 12 – 14 hours. Actually, you can get just about anything for your private party since they have many other items available from pasta to potato salad!
So, if you’re looking for something totally different, try eXtreme Bar-B-Q. It’s on Route 9 about a mile south of Lacey Road. It’s a little hard to pick out sometimes, since it sits back a little bit from the highway, but it’s on the East Side of the road, right next to (and on the same property as) the Forked River Pharmacy & Hallmark Store and across the street from the all New Shark Fin Inn. They don’t do delivery yet, but you can call ahead for pickup at: (609) 489-6315