Not long ago, I was driving through Gearhart on my way out of town toward Portland. I have made the trip loads of times, and I’ll admit that sometimes when driving, especially through familiar places, I tend to be on auto-pilot, and all the scenery sort of blends together.

What jolted me out of this state was a smell – a heavenly smell – the smell of smoke, of hickory, of barbecue. It’s a singular smell, and though I didn’t have time to stop that day, I took note of the relatively new restaurant, Junior’s Barbecue, and made a mental note to visit soon.

Junior’s Barbecue doesn’t subscribe to any one style of regional barbecue (the four most common styles come from Kansas City, Missouri; Tennessee; Texas; and the Carolinas); it rather sort of pays homage to all of them. What I respect most about Junior’s BBQ is its commitment to locally sourced, wholesome ingredients: organic meats and dairy products, for example, and no high fructose corn syrup.

On my first visit to Junior’s, I was impressed, overall. The people working there were extremely friendly and accommodating. The giant smoker outside, with the aforementioned barbecue smell, is also great sensory marketing. The menu is somewhat small, but I am not usually bothered by that, especially when a restaurant is brand new. Better to prepare a few items well than to overextend and prepare lots of mediocre items. I was a tad bit disappointed that on the particular day I visited, there were no baby-back ribs available – they’re only prepared on Mondays. It seems to me that ribs are a barbecue staple, and should be offered every day, but perhaps as the restaurant settles and grows, it will consider adding the ribs full time.

A tri-tip sandwich was quite perfect. Tri-tip is a sometimes-overlooked cut of meat from the bottom of the sirloin, and though fairly lean, it holds a smoky flavor well and can be extremely tender when prepared properly. The tri-tip at Junior’s was expertly done: tender, smoky and salty, and a side of curly “Q” fries was also very good. This was a huge, hearty meal.

I found the pulled pork to be a bit on the tough side. Pulled pork is often prepared from the pork shoulder, and it can sometimes be vexing to prepare… the internal temperature is directly related to how tender and juicy the result will be, and in my experience, the pork can hover in the mid-range temperature for a long time, prompting a lot of chefs to crank the heat up, resulting in tough pork. I cannot speculate as to whether or not this was the case, but I thought the meat a bit chewy and hard. I should note that the barbecue sauce being used at Junior’s is quite delicious, though: sweet and spicy.

Let’s talk about side dishes for a moment. I have visited so many barbecue places that prepare the various meats well but overlook the side dishes, so I was happy that this was mostly not the case at Junior’s. The mashed potatoes are hearty and rugged, with an added kick from cracked peppercorns. The baked beans (to me, the most important side dish) also had a savory, sweet, slow-roasted flavor, which I appreciated. I was a bit disappointed in the cole slaw, which didn’t have enough of the traditional, mayonnaise-based dressing to stick together as a cohesive salad. Perhaps the restaurant might try a modern twist on the cole slaw, if a lighter cole slaw is what they’re after. Try the addition of apple or fennel.

I returned on a separate occasion to sample the ribs, and they were a bit of a mixed bag for me. While the ribs themselves were tasty, with a savory, spicy rub, they were practically cold when they reached my table, which was disappointing. Although I mentioned it to the staff, comprised of a different crowd than the last time I visited, the issue was never addressed. The service was also slow, despite the fact that the restaurant didn’t seem busy. I found myself missing that warm, cheerful atmosphere from my first visit.

Junior’s BBQ has only been open for a few months, and usually I try to give a restaurant a month or two to get on its feet and “work out the kinks” before I visit. While the restaurant seemed to be operating smoothly on my first visit, it wasn’t the case on my second visit. I hope in the future that the restaurant will find its groove. One of the biggest keys to success in the restaurant business, in my opinion, is consistency. When we return to a restaurant, we like to be able to count on the experience meeting the expectations set by previous visits.

I think Junior’s Barbecue is a great addition to the Gearhart area, and there are a lot of things being done well. I look forward to seeing the restaurant continue to grow in the coming months.