the 941

(Check out the rest of our Summer of Pig coverage.)

Unless you use it as a forced, extended period of relaxation, spending the better part of day in  front of the smoker isn’t an easy thing to schedule into the typical week. And, although the fruits of your labor are often reward enough for the time spent tending the fire, you don’t have to spend the effort when you can drive down the street for a pile of meat that may be better than what you can accomplish on your own.

Below are Sarasota’s roadside chefs, who head to their asphalt restaurants every weekend, trailing their kitchens behind their rides. Most have been around for years, with a history and cadre of loyal regulars, while some are relatively new to the biz. Drop us a line if you know of any we missed.

Alday’s
Corner of Bahia Vista and Beneva Road, Saturday’s, 809-2589
Although it may be the most ubiquitous name in Sarasota barbecue — with at least two locations operating these days — Alday’s is by no means the best of the bunch. Although the pork is cooked right, and juicy enough, the rub seems straight out of a massive tub of garlic salt, tainting the meat with astringent, chemical flavors. Besides that, the meat here — be it pulled pork, ribs or chicken — is barely touched by smoke, tasting more barbecued than tended for hours over smoldering hardwood chunks. The beans aren’t bad, though, and they are one of the only stands to take credit cards.

D&R
Corner of 17th St. and Tuttle Ave., Saturdays, 951-0632
If you want to get mugged in the alley by a hulking mass of hardwood smoke flavor, head to D&R. The chicken and ribs must spend days bathing in smoke, the flavor permeating straight to the bones and beyond. Drop a bag of this in your car, and you’ll be smelling it for days. It’s fabulous.
Admittedly, you pay a little in terms of texture — the meat is often cooked so long it can be dry — but that’s a price you may be comfortable with. Salve that pain with D&R excellent mustard-based sauce, sweet and spicy with a bit of tang.
Pulled pork here is more troublesome, since it is chopped fine and mixed with sauce before earlier in the day, which mutes the smoke and makes the texture a bit spongy. Stick with the ribs and chicken.

Perry’s
Old Salty Dog parking lot, Siesta Village, 724-1702 or perryssauce.com
Perry is the all-around king of barbecue in Sarasota. I might prefer a little of this at one place, a little of that at another, but if I want a one-stop shop, I head to Perry. He manages to infuse his meat with a hefty dose of smoke without losing the luscious texture that reminds you of rich pork fat. All of the meat is simply seasoned, which leaves room for a dip and dunk in Perry’s trademarked and bottled tomato-based barbecue sauce, which is worth a purchase by itself.
Although most of these roadside stands tend to dish up mass-produced slaw and potato salad, Perry’s does make a mean mac and cheese that’s crusty on top and elegantly gooey on the inside.

Nancy’s
Occasional Sundays at the corner of University and 301, weekday delivery, 955-3400 or nancysbarbq.tumblr.com
We’ve loved Nancy Krohngold’s take on pulled pork for a while now — slathered in an aromatic rub of sweet spices, exceptionally tender and rich meat — but getting our hands on it has been a problem. Last year, Nancy’s regular gig selling sandwiches and sides out of a parking lot north of downtown was shut down by the state thanks to the lack of sinks. That’s a lesson in why roadside barbecue stands are usually only open on the weekends, when inspectors are off-duty.
Along with your pulled pork, you should also try Nancy’s gooey and sweet pineapple upside-down cake. I’m always tempted to mash it into my pork sandwich, but maybe that’s a bit too much of a good thing.

Kersey’s Cracker Style
Fruitville Road and Myakka Road, Friday through Sunday, 915-7191
Unless you live east of I-75, this relatively young barbecue joint is a bit of a drive. Still, it’s worth it if you need a big smoke fix out in the sticks. Here, the ‘cue is reminiscent of Perry’s — smoky, simple and all-around tasty. Try the beans, but only if you’re a fan of pork (and you wouldn’t be reading this otherwise, would you?), since he packs almost as much meat into each scoop of the sticky and spicy concoction as he does into the sandwiches.

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