Where to Eat: Lou Dawg’s Southern Barbecue in Toronto

I’m always up for a good ‘ol Southern BBQ feast. It’s hard to resist the sweet and smoky aroma trail left behind by a sizzling BBQ – heaven for my olfactory system!

Known for the slow smoked meats, Lou Dawg’s Southern Barbecue has been open since 2009 and is well loved by the Blue Jays and Maple Leafs (to only name a few). We were invited to celebrate the launch of their re-vamped menu. The new “Big Dawg Menu” pays homage to old favourites and features brand new selections, such as pulled pork tacos and fish tacos that are sure to stir up your appetite.

Here is a sampling of some of the dishes featured in the tasting:

Triple Pork Sammy

Pulled pork, beans, bacon and homemade BBQ Mayo nestled in a soft bun. The pork was well dressed with a generous and tasty coating of sweet BBQ sauce; however the bacon gets lost in the other ingredients of the sandwich.

St. Louis Style Ribs

Meaty ribs dry rubbed and slow smoked in homemade BBQ sauce. Out of all the dishes I tried, this was my personal favourite. I prefer ribs to be extra saucy, sticky, sweet and tangy. These ribs hit all those points; I couldn’t stop myself from taking pleasure in a few helpings.

Slow Smoked Wings with Lou Dawg’s Special Dry Rub

If you don’t like bold flavours or getting your fingers messy and gooey; these wings are for you. The flesh on these wings was so tender that the meat peeled right off the bone. As I prefer stronger flavours, I found the dry rub to be a bit too mild for my taste.

Big Dawg Poutine

Now this is one fully loaded poutine! I couldn’t believe my eyes when the dish was set down in front of me. We’re talking fries with homemade chicken smoked gravy, stacked with cheese curds, beans, smoked pulled pork and finished off with a helping of coleslaw. Although I felt overwhelmed by the volume of fixings, the flavours were there and the curds melted perfectly, leaving behind stretchy strings of cheese with every pull of a fry.

I can’t finish without mentioning the cocktails. If you had to try one cocktail here, I highly recommend their Smoked Lemon Southern Tea made with lemons smoked in house (who knew you could smoke lemons?!) and Jack Daniels Honey Whiskey. This one is dangerously good. If you have room for another (these drinks aren’t lean on the wallet), the Gentleman Jack Old Fashioned is a definite winner.

Lou Dawg’s also hosts weekly live music events and a Live Gospel Southern Brunch every Sunday. They are open until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays, pop by one of their locations for a casual night out and a BBQ fix.

Lou Dawg’s Southern Barbecue is located at 589 King Street West (original location) and 76 Gerard Street East in Toronto.

The writer was a guest of Lou Dawg’s. The restaurant did not review or approve this article.