Lately, I’ve been craving BBQ. There’s something about smoked meats and flavorful sauces that is just
pure comfort food for me. American BBQ is a complex subject, with many people having strong opinions
about which region’s BBQ reigns supreme. Maybe you like the whole hog approach of eastern North
Carolina, served chopped with vinegar sauce. Or maybe you prefer the mustard sauce of South Carolina.
Then there’s the oak-smoked briskets, sausages, and pork and beef ribs of Texas BBQ. Or the hickory-
smoked burnt ends with thick sauce that Kansas City BBQ is known for. If pork is your weakness, your
time would be well spent gorging on pulled pork and ribs in Memphis. Or, if you’re a bit of an outsider,
you probably lean toward the mayonnaise-based white sauce that is common in Alabama. And, in the
spectrum between each of these BBQ varieties, there are countless other twists and tweaks to explore.

Gun to my head, I probably choose Texas style BBQ and regularly find myself longing for Aaron Franklin’s
perfectly smoked and unbelievably tender brisket at his eponymous BBQ temple in Austin. But when I
can’t have that, my urges can be sated with options that are closer to home. There’s something almost
intoxicating about a platter of ribs, pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and maybe some smoked turkey, and
Utah has several good establishments to choose from.

Most recently, I got my fix from Salt City BBQ. Immediately upon strolling up to the truck and talking
with the owner Rusty, it was apparent that he knows what he’s doing. Coming from a hunting
background in Lehi and a family that would sell jerky and smoked chicken to bars, Rusty is no stranger to
meats. After notching a few years working restaurants, he decided to strike out and try his hand at the
BBQ competition circuit. Recently, his team took fifth place at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship
Invitational for chicken, which is a huge deal. They’ve also Grand Championed and Reserve Grand
Championed at a number of competitions in the last couple years. Rusty’s Salt City BBQ truck has been
running regularly since October, so it is relatively new to the Utah food truck scene. When I asked what
was best, Rusty immediately said that everyone loves the brisket nachos. I wasn’t planning on getting
those, but if he claimed they were the best, I could loosen my belt a little and prepare to put away a lot
of food. In addition to the nachos, I got ribs and pulled pork. I figured this would give me a sense of what
the truck has to offer.

The food looked fantastic! The nachos came topped with white queso, coleslaw, baked beans, and a
healthy helping of jalapenos. The nachos were delicious, though I would’ve loved a sidecar of queso.

The ribs looked beautiful, with an amazing bark. Rusty gave me a slight peek behind the curtain of his
process, and I was surprised to learn that he smokes them in butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar,
along with both his rib and brisket spice blends to impart a taste that is at once smoky, sweet, and
peppery. The day I went, the meats were smoked over white oak. Other times, he smokes over pecan
wood.
The flavor of the ribs was absolutely phenomenal, and the house made BBQ sauce complemented the
seasonings of the bark in a way that didn’t overshadow it. I was sold. I do think they could have been a
little more tender – I had to wrestle with the bones a bit to get all the meat, but otherwise they were
top notch.

The juices from the ribs are poured over the pulled pork, which ensures it is incredibly moist and far
from bland. Rusty also makes his own BBQ sauce. Everything they serve is made from scratch except the
queso and the chips. The pulled pork was perfectly salty, juicy, and addictive. I highly recommend giving
Salt City BBQ a try.

Know Before You Go: The brisket nachos, pulled pork, and ribs came out to $25. Salt City BBQ caters
events and even has a podcast which can be found at thepitmasterspodcast.com. When I visited them,
they were at a new food truck park called Grove Station at 273 South 2000 West in Pleasant Grove. This
is a fun food truck venue with clean indoor and outdoor seating options. There’s also a soda counter
with an astounding number of options if Utah’s soda-in-lieu-of-cocktails scene is your thing.