Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on August 27, 2020.
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Walter's Southern Kitchen is a Texas style barbecue joint located in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood that opened in 2018.
While this one has an array of sides, starters, and even brunch, when I visited this one I had one thing on my mind: the meat.
It did not disappoint.
An Assortment of Appetizers at Walter's Southern Kitchen
While I did not set out to order any appetizers at Walter's Southern Kitchen during my visit, as I was attending with a media group Walter's generously brought out a number of options for us to try all the same.
Some of these included chips and queso (with a Texas chili mix-in), a full bowl of chili, and cornbread with honey butter.
These were in generous portions and were the kind of comfort food you'd expect to find as a side to barbecue without too many standouts all the same. Great if you want a compliment to the meat split amongst a group, but not necessary as an order on their own right (cornbread excluded, of course).
The standout, however, was the candied bacon.
Now, I am particularly harsh when it comes to all things bacon because there are any number of ways to screw it up, and with candied bacon this is doubly so. But at Walter's I have to say the candied bacon is among the best I've ever had.
The reason for this is in the seasoning. The bacon first starts out with a very nice, but not too strong sweetness and within moments after swallowing the spice takes over for a kick that will wake up your taste buds.
It was a beautiful one-two punch that I will order, quite literally, every time I visit.
Go for the Meats at Walter's BBQ
Where Walter's excels is, naturally, the meats (which can be ordered a la carte in as little as 1/4 lb sizes at about $4.50 to $6.50 each). Naturally, I got three- and wish I could've had room for more.
The brisket was the winning meat here, which is offered either lean or fatty cut. As my biggest complaint about brisket is that it is often dried out and chewy, I naturally chose the fatty cut and was not disappointed.
It was melt-in-your-mouth good and, while likely being a bit heavy on the fat for some, is the kind of brisket I dream of when ordering from a barbecue joint.
The ribs followed similar suit as the brisket (albeit was not fatty) and offered a very nice smoke ring and a punch from a strong pepper rub that was also present on the brisket as well. The meat wasn't 100% fall-off-the-bone tender, but was close enough to it in my mind.
The only minor negative from the meat was for the pork belly.
This particular cut of meat was first smoked and then appeared to be sliced and grilled, giving it a firmer texture than what you'd expect from an otherwise fattier cut of pork- with one piece being a bit more chewy than the rest (which admittedly had a fairly nice texture overall- this is just a personal preference).
When it comes down to it, if you fancy yourself a barbecue fan you have a number of options at Walter's- from straight meats like I got, to a number of starters (like Frito pie, catfish sliders, or smoked wings), tacos, sandwiches, an assortment of mac and cheeses, and even brunch (with options like chicken and waffles and biscuits and gravy).
Yes, this one certainly has a rather robust food menu going beyond your traditional barbecue, and for that I cannot wait to go back.
Walter's Southern Kitchen / BBQ is located at 4501 Butler Street in Lawrenceville. Walter's provided some of the appetizers mentioned in this review complimentary as part of a media event. As always all opinions are our own.
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