Back close to the end of my book, The Arkansas Barbecue Traveler, I added one restaurant that hadn’t opened at the time the book went to print. There was hype, there were press releases, and there was just enough information to place Back Home Barbecue right before the end, a hopeful spot that was going to push the state over the 400 homegrown barbecue restaurants line. I knew I’d go. And eventually, once the hype settled down and every publication in town had a chance to whoop and holler, I did.
Story goes - Adam Murray and Chase Rittelmeyer met overseas while living in China. Murray and his wife had three barbecue restaurants called Home Plate over there, and Rittelmeyer distributed beverages in the same region. Rittelmeyer, who’s from Little Rock, got the Houston native to bring home the idea to Arkansas. They sparked up the smoker in a renovated brick building along West Markham at State at the tail end of 2024.
From first glance, the place is thoroughly thought out, one dining room on the entrance, one on the out, a window halfway back along the sidewalk on State where you can look right over the plating line. There’s a place for a line when one forms, an ice-top cooler packed with bottles of soda and brew dividing the line from dining, and plenty of overhead space so it’ll never seem too packed to enter.
Packed, though, was what it definitively wasn’t this particular Friday night. I found a spot on State Street to park and walked down to the corner, entered, and found myself in an almost-empty restaurant. It was 6:35.
I got a little excited when I saw the menu board - not for the meat, which was plentiful, because I had expected that. It was the sides that caught my attention. Throughout my Arkansas barbecue journey, the constants have been coleslaw, French fries, potato salad, and baked beans. So the array here was fabulous - cucumber salad (I’d find later a listing for zucchini salad on the website, maybe this was a substitution), cream corn, cowboy beans, green beans, dirty rice, cheesy potatoes - and I was here for it.
Apparently, a lot of other people had been here for it too, because my first choice, that cucumber salad, was out, as were the cheesy potatoes and the cream corn. But there were cowboy beans, which the guy plating my food called chili. And there was slaw, which I tend to fall for. He also pitched a three meat plate. I’d come in to sample around, and I was excited, but - the turkey was out. And not being able to enjoy anything with pork, I found myself getting a brisket plate. That didn’t make me so sad. It just made me tick a note that I needed to return soon.
I didn’t see the soda machine or tea (both in the second dining room) before I paid, but I did see that big cooler full of ice and bottles and a childhood favorite, Big Red, so I grabbed that and slid it next to my tray to pay. I found a spot along the west wall good for people watching, sat, and took my photos. Then it was time to investigate.
I was first struck by the coleslaw - it was pink, I mean pink, all the way through. The purple and light green cabbage and shredded cabbage gave it a bit of a confetti appearance. The bit, though - tangy, bright, plenty of vinegar. There’s a pickled taste more prevalent than the sweet tang of the typical slaw served around here.
The cowboy beans, which had been plopped into a section of my plate, stood there. I mean, they conformed to the space and remained piled upon it, thick in consistency. Dude had said chili and I got that in the paprika notes, but missed the cumin I’d get in chili. It also was less sweet than the typical baked beans I’d get elsewhere, or the Settler’s Beans we make at home. Thing is, these beans were substantial, the sort that need cornbread, not really my first choice with a brisket. But that was okay. They were good.
I didn’t need to take a bite before noting this was quite strongly Texas influenced brisket. I could smell only smoke, salt, and pepper, notes of post oak in its essence. The top piece, from the lean end, was a little dry, but the fatty end pieces below it were just what I look for, soft enough to cut with a spoon, enough bite not to dissolve on the tongue but still quite tender.
The chunk of burnt end dude had offered to toss on the plate was equally tender, but much stronger in black pepper flavor. The smoke ring was gorgeously composed.
On the side, pickled cucumbers and onions, the calling card of 21st century barbecue joints, alongside a cup of sauce. Mustard and brown sugar notes hit first, then the cumin, some vinegar and a tomato note. Not a traditional Texas sauce, but not an Arkansas sauce, either, something refined more specific to the locale. Nice.
The bucket of wet wipes on the service counter is a nice touch.
After receiving a to-go box for the rest of my meal, I stepped down and out of the building - doubling back to see the sidecar smokehouse along the west side of the building. I was invited in briefly to take a few photos, and was struck by how little of that pit smell there was - but that’ll come with time. Gotta build up a patina before you really get that essence that clings to your clothes the moment you enter.
Back Home BBQ’s guests that night, who came in sporadically after I entered, mostly appeared to be tourists walking down from the River Market. I hope that’s not the normal case and I just hit it on a weird night. The restaurant deserves some attention. I’m looking forward to trying that turkey.
Parking’s a bit tough. It’s street parking. That’s downtown for you. Just plan accordingly.
The product is solid. The sauce is definitive. The coleslaw - well, I’m coming back for a TUB of that when I come back for turkey and cheesy potatoes. I think this place has a chance to become a permanent part of the Little Rock culinary culture.
You’ll find Back Home Barbecue at the corner of West Markham and State Streets in downtown Little Rock. The phone number is (501) 819-4227 and the website, with menus and all that jazz, is BHBBQ.com.
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