The Valley has a lot of barbeque joints, many of them good. Pork on a Fork in north Phoenix, simply kicks it up a notch. 

Boasting of being ‘Nebraska hog farmers in Phoenix,” Wes Hansen and Justin Erickson, the guys who have been operation the Pork on a Fork barbecue station at Valley farmers markets, opened a small café this year that is strictly for meat lovers. And meat lovers will love Pork on a Fork’s meat, which comes from the family farm in Central City, Nebraska.

Pork on a Fork is tucked into a small business park near Deer Valley Airport in what used to be a chicken outlet. You can almost miss it. But with its location, I wouldn’t call someone crazy for flying in from anywhere in the U.S. to enjoy the pulled pork and brisket or pick up a rack of ribs. Meat like this doesn’t come along every day.

A limited menu doesn’t mean a limited customer base if every favorite is on that menu. From the brisk business going on here at lunchtime, it’s obvious plenty of people (many of them customers from the farmers market) have found in Pork on a Fork everything they need. In a café with a handful of tables, one of the owners fills orders. Service is quick and friendly. And the shop is simple but adequately appointed.

This place scores points simply for its name. Of course, cuteness doesn’t pay the bills. And if the food didn’t measure up to its name, Pork on a Fork would close faster than you can say “soooo-ey.” But let’s get down to the real reasons for coming to Pork on a Fork – and coming back again and again.

Maybe your grandmother made beef brisket. I doubt she made it this good. It’s cut into slabs and stuffed into a fresh sesame bun like we’re heading to the next Ice Age and have to store protein. Take a minute to enjoy the beauty of the meat. Notice the telltale pink smoke ring that evidence a well-smoked brisket. It’s a little charred on the outside, tender inside and made to fall apart in your mouth. My fellow meat lover said it was the best brisket she ever had. Succulent is an overworked word. Here, no other work will do. The brisket tasted like the outdoors, like a Midwestern autumn and a little burning leaves. Choosing between the brisket and the pulled pork is to choose between your children – and they’re identical twins. At Pork on a Fork, nothing in the pulled pork will slow you down as you make your way through these fine-textured shreds of pork that has been smoked all day over pecan wood. All of the complex flavors are there: of the meat, the wood, the smoke and whatever the hog ate before it went to its reward.

For such amazing brisket and pork, adding barbeque sauce would seem like covering Brad Pitt’s face with a ski mask. Dare to eat the meat naked, but a few shots of barbecue sauce won’t hurt. And although these are perfect sandwiches, do take a fork to a little of the meat and taste its quality unvarnished by bun or sauce. It’s the kind of flavor that will wake you up at night wishing Pork on a Fork were open 24 hours and they wouldn’t mind if you rushed over in your pajamas.

 Pork on a Fork has a dinner service on Friday nights, with such items as smoked prime rib, baby back ribs and smoked pork loin. 

The Lowdown

The valley has a lot of barbecue joints. Many of them are good. Pork on a Fork simply kicks it up a notch. Grandma will come here for the brisket and retire her own recipe. Then she’ll stay for lunch. Those who loved pulled pork will find their day’s activities just happen to take them close to Pork on a Fork from anywhere in the Valley, whether they drive there or fly in.

Courtesy of  Barbara Yost; special for the AZ Republic

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Testimonials

When my husband and I first came across Pork on a Fork’s listing we giggled at the name and vowed to try it if only for the name. We found the perfect opportunity to try POAF when LivingSocial featured them as the local daily deal. After leaving Texas 2+ years ago I thought I would never find good bbq again. Thank you, Pork on a Fork for restoring my faith that you don’t have to go to a BBQ-infused state to get great BBQ!  We will return time and time again for their amazing sandwiches and the “f this diet” waffle fries. It is a bit out of the way for me to drive but I would be a liar if I said it wasn’t worth it. I would go so far as to say this has got to be the best BBQ joint in Phoenix.

Courtney H.

We tried the pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches.  The beef was as a tender as butter – no need to even use a knife.  The pulled pork was a great variety of smokines and slighly crispy ends–yum!  They have four selections of sauces and we mixed and matched to our content.  Very nice owners and definitely the best BBQ we’ve had in quite a while.  We wish they were open on weekends!

Stephen F.

I can’t believe I’m giving 5 stars to a BBQ place, but this place is damn good.  I normally don’t get excited about BBQ.

I had the pulled pork sandwich, macaroni salad and baked beans.  Everything was excellent, the meat, the sauce, the bun, the mac salad, and definitely the beans.  Seriously, this place was tasty.  It was even reasonably priced.  
One guy at my table got this crazy sausage-on-a-bun with pork and sweet potato fires on it.  Seriously, don’t eat this on a first date, but it looked like an adventure.  His waffle fries looked great, too.
To finish things off, I left my cellphone on the table and the girl behind the counter chased me down in the parking lot and gave it to me.
I’m excited to try something else, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my usual order is exactly what I had today.

Dave H.

The best BBQ I’ve tasted in Phoenix! I had the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and baked beans and for lunch. The pork was tender, moist, and had a perfectly underwhelming smoky flavor. The beans were equally as amazing as the pork with chunks of BBQ meat mixed it, awesome. Coleslaw is coleslaw, but most importantly it was fresh and crispy.

I’ll agree that sauces are not spicy, but there is a good range with different flavors for different tastes. I don’t understand the review that gave 1 star and described the pork as “dry” and the consistency of “baby food” at the same time, seems contradictory to me. I think the owners take their food very seriously so I would be surprised to find anything sub-par on their menu.

Bottom line, it’s going to be hard to take any of the other BBQ joints in the area seriously. Pork on a Fork is on another level completely, it’s amazing.

Justin C.

I work across the lot from this place and have been dying to try it out.  Unfortunately I work graveyard shifts and they close before my shift begins.  I learned last week that they were going to start staying open till 7 on Fridays.  Finally I would get my chance!  let me tell you I was not disappointed!  I ordered the pulled pork sammich, cornbread and potato salad.  The pulled pork was tender, juicy, smokey and porky!  I got half way through the sandwich when I realized I forgot BBQ sauce it was that good.   The staff were incredibly friendly and the food came out very fast.

Darren A.

I started buying my pork from you guys at the St. Philips Plaza in Tucson a
couple of weeks ago and I just wanted to say Thank You for supplying such a
delicious and healthful product. I am a huge fan of the pork chops and jalepeno
brats… BEST pork I’ve tasted =)

Sean K.  

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