Wonderboy’s Smokestack is a food cart specializing in Midwestern BBQ. Located in the Alberta Carts at 1027 NE Alberta. Meat options include Brisket Burnt Ends, Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Smoked Chicken Thighs & Sausage Links. Sides include Potato Salad, Mac n Cheese, Coleslaw, Cornbread Muffin, Chips and Queso & Smoked Beans. The quality is high, the portions are large, and everything is delicious! He also always joins the Portland Mercury “weeks” like Burger Week, Taco Week, Wing Week, etc. and he often steals the show there. The prices are great, big sandwiches run $13 and the sides are $5. Killer value and food.

Let’s start with the featured photo at the top. This is the 2 meat platter that comes with 2 sides. I got the Brisket Burnt Ends, Pulled Pork, Mac n Cheese, Potato Salad. Comes with a cornbread muffin, pickled peppers and cucumbers, which are a nice foil to the BBQ. I will take a cornbread muffin over plain white bread any day. I never really understood the lame piece of white bread that accompanies a traditional Texas style BBQ. This was a killer tray of BBQ! I ordered this Super Bowl Sunday of last year. I’m stoked he was open for business. He has a different take on BBQ than everyone else, I really dig it. And those sides shine!

The “Sloppy Papí” is his special for Burger Week which just ended. Fresh ground brisket patty stuffed with sweet pepper cream cheese, live fire grilled, with crispy fried onions and slathered with pineapple-pepper jam and cowboy crack on a garlic tallow toasted bun. Woah! So delicious. Big burger, perfectly executed and only $10. I got a side of honey mustard coleslaw and it was the perfect lunch. I tried three different Burger Week specials last week and this was the clear winner. In fact, Wonderboy’s always steals the show during these weeks, and that is a true testament to his creativity and cooking skills.

The “Ruby NoPo” which was the Portland Mercury Sandwich week special from March of this year. Hickory smoked porkstrami, stout braised kraut, pickles, peppers, mustard vinegar sauce, Muenster cheese, fennel parm crusted rye bread. This was over the top and delicious in all the best ways! But also the attention to each component of the dish is exceptional and notable. The meat was incredible. Perfectly smoked and seasoned. Stout braised kraut really delicious and creative. Pickled peppers a perfect acidic foil. And not just a plain cheese skirt, fennel parm skirt! Each component was delicious but the whole sandwich was really elevated with the cohesion of the ingredients. This guy is a food wizard. I’m still thinking of this sandwich five months later. Also got a side of potato salad which is killer.

Brisket Mac. Besides the traditional BBQ trays and sandwiches, Wonderboy’s offers up three special items: BBQ Tacos, Loaded BBQ Nachos and this Mac n Meat with your choice of meat. Brisket seems like the natural order here, though any of the four meats would be excellent. Wonderboy’s is one of the rare BBQ joints that doesn’t upcharge for brisket compared to the other meats. This huge dish is $18 no matter which meat you get. This is legit two meals, so much food here! Brisket, cavatappi noodles, drenched in real cheddar queso, and topped with homemade pickled peppers and green onions. It might seem like IG bait or stoner-food, but this was genuinely a well crafted and delicious plate of food. You could split this with someone and both get full of it. Again, months later, I’m thinking of this.

I’ll leave off with the “Pulled Porkland”, the Pulled Pork sandwich that is one of the four regular sandwiches on the menu along with a Brisket Burger, Smoked Chicken, and Brisket Cheese Steak. Slow smoked pork on a bed of honey mustard slaw, topped with homemade pickled peppers on a cheese toasted bun. He calls it the best pulled pork sandwich in town and I think he is right. The pork is delicious, his pickled peppers are killer and really help elevate the dish, and that honey mustard slaw is perfect. I got it with a side of potato salad which you can see here. One of the best potato salads in town, it includes his homemade pickles and pickled peppers. I feel like a lot of BBQ places don’t put enough energy and effort into their pulled pork. It’s usually the cheapest thing on the menu and it shows. Not so here at Wonderboy’s, this is a legit delicious pulled pork! No cut corners here.

Do yourself a favor and visit Wonderboy’s if you are a meat lover, a BBQ lover, really just a food lover. The quality, price and quantity are unmatched here in a city of excellent BBQ. This won’t break the bank, as a lot of other BBQ spots can get pretty pricey. But you won’t sacrifice any quality or creativity. Happy eating!