Slow Cal BBQ

BEST BBQ EVER!!! & from a food truck! No need to say more!!!

one word: SLOP
If it is a special on the menu, order it! Imagine this… a heaping serving of fresh tater tots, top those with the tastiest slow cooked pulled pork you’ve ever imagined, top that with delicious BBQ sauce (not sure if it’s home made but it tastes like it) top that with cheese and a little ranch dressing… boom!
Typically I go to Slow Cal BBQ on Food Truck Tuesdays in Normal Heights, but yesterday on my bike ride home from work I saw they were parked next to Live Wire. Since I live so close I decided to go and see if slop was on the menu. Low and behold there it was in all its glory! I had the large order and split it. Also if you want to have a beer at Live Wire after ordering food you get $ 1 off. Word on the street is they are going to be rotating every other Monday to be located outside Live Wire. Check them out!

This truck showed up at the East Lake Food Truck Gathering this week. I am so glad that they did.
My family and I all had the smoked pork sandwiches, but we all had different sauces. The pork was tender, juicy and not loaded with fat. I had the spicy BBQ sauce and it was great, nice flavor and the heat sneaks up on you but is not overpowering, you can still taste the smoke. The other sauces we tried were slightly sweet and another was vinegar based. All had excellent flavor.
The sides were equally good, Cajun Potato salad, red beans and rice and blue cheese coleslaw.
I will definitely be going here again when they come back to East Lake. Gotta try the brisket next time.

Hands down, some of THE BEST BBQ I’ve ever had.
As some of you know by my Brazen BBQ review, I’m a BBQ snob due to growing up in the south with a father that smoked and slow cooked meat and won competitions. So, my giving a 5 Star to this place means they’re the real deal!
I stumbled up this food truck in Normal Heights at Tasty Food Truck Tuesday. The guys running the «show» are super funny and really nice. I had a blast just talking with them and asking more questions about their business. They have great pride in what they do and their food speaks for itself. Oh yeah, and so does their Kansas City BBQ Award.
The pulled pork was off the hook! It was amazingly tender, no fat chunks, very flavorful and not an overpowering amount of smokey flavor. I normally don’t trust any-​ones slaw outside of my own home, but theirs was fresh! The crunchiness of the slaw, mixed with the tenderness of the meat, integrated with the tangy-​ness of their BBQ sauce, in cased in a super soft bun made for an explosion in my mouth and brain!
I have gone to them twice now and loved the sandwich so much that I got it again. So, I haven’t ventured throughout their menu, but I plan on it. If you ever see the Slow Cal truck cruises by your neighborhood, don’t walk, RUN to them!

Anyone blasting rap music with explicit lyrics from a food truck I have no choice but to get food from them because anyone dancing while preparing food is bound to have the best food
I ordered the Chicken Wangs plate with a side order of collard greens and red beans & rice. If you’ve never twerked before… you’ll twerk for sure after eating your food from this food truck (well, crossing fingers they’re still playing music while your twerking… otherwise you’ll just look stupid twerkin with no music)
not gourmet status food, but def block party bbq type awesome

So good it’ll make you wanna slap yo mama!!!
Every single item I tried was BOMB! The brisket was on point, their sweet tea is hands down the best I’ve ever had, the bread was delicious and didn’t get soggy, the macaroni salad was easily the best I’ve ever had (and I’m not even usually a fan of macaroni salad) and each and every one of their barbecue sauces was delicious!
Hands down this place could easily rival the top San Diego BBQ joints and go toe to toe. If you have the pleasure of happening upon this place you’d definitely regret not trying it!

i am wary of BBQ west of Texas.
Or I was.
It’s so so damn sad that everytime I see a truck rally, if this truck is there, the others have no chance in getting my business.
i have also put their pulled pork street tacos on my short list of last meal requests.

Mmmmm. Do you hear that? Yeah. It’s the sound of pork sliding off ribs. Forget Phil’s. Slow Cal serves up sweet-​sauce BBQ so tender, so mouthwatering, that you’ll never look at another grill again.
Slow Cal specializes in sandwiches, but they’ve also started offering Church Plate lunches, which is one meat slopped onto a piece of white bread with two sides (your choice) for $ 9 — $ 11. Their collard greens and pesto mac salad are my favorite sides, and I just can’t get enough of their pulled pork or BBQ pork ribs. Seriously, I’m salivating just writing about it.
By the way, the amount of food they give you in the plate lunch is truly staggering.
I eat a lot — a LOT — and it easily makes two meals for me. Couple it with one of their sweet teas, and you’ll spend the rest of the day in a panting but very, very satisfied pre-​diabetic coma.
They also sell their sauces to home BBQers, if you ask nicely. Try their mustard-​based sauce; a squirt or two will add love to any sandwich.
I’ve also tried their non-​BBQ po’ boy specials (shrimp, chicken, etc.), but I recommend giving them a pass in favor of the MEAT. They do the carnivore-​on-​a-​grill thing very, very well

I only tried the «Slop,» which is basically, tater tots with cheese, deliciosly tangy BBQ sauce, diced chives, and pulled pork pieces.
It was damn good. Finger-​licking good, in fact. But it took forever to make and it was about 8 or 9 bucks.
So the dish was excellent but the slooooow cooking time and high price knocks ‘em down a star.
I simply am not going to overpay for food from a truck which takes forever to cook and be delivered to me. I don’t care how busy they are or how good it is and this «slop» was, indeed, very good. I’m not going to do it any more.
(Famous last words.)

I work in a business park and this truck comes around every so often. It is quite amusing to hear middle aged engineers order, «one dirty mom please».
I had the Man Club which was a delightful detour into gluttony. It was tasty if slightly ridiculous. The meat had a good smoky flavour and the sauces are good.

Slow Cal BBQ was at the Tribute Fest at Liberty Station. We sampled the water melon salad and the brisket sandwich. Both were tasty and brisket was some of the best I’ve had from a food truck. Just wish the bun to meat ratio was a bit better and the the bun was more fresh. The salad was refreshing and it was nice to enjoy something a bit different from the standard food truck offerings.

I am really glad I got a chance to try this truck. They were setup outside of the 6^th Annual Lost Abbey Anniversary.
The staff was super friendly and from the size of the line, we made the right choice. I got the Slow Cal Oinker which consisted of pulled pork, bbq sauce, dill and slaw all on a really great soft bun. The pulled pork was juicy, flavorful with just the right amount of sauce and slaw to make it a great sandwich.
My sister and beer partner in crime got the Dirty M.O.M. (Mass of Mooer). Awesome brisket covered in bbq sauce, horseradish cream and the bun is dipped in bbq au jus. Also an amazing sandwich.
We had to get a side of garlic fries which have now become my favorite ever. Large amounts of garlic on tasty french fries dripping with garlic goodness. Not a first date kind of side.
For a great food truck experience, including service, food and sides, this four wheeled kitchen is a must :)

Went here during Tasty Truck Tuesdays in Normal Heights. I had two minis (minis are baby sandwiches), one beef and one pork, and a side of baked beans. Everything was delicious. They had several sides that weren’t advertised on their board, and I wish I lived here so I could try all of them.
The owners were also super friendly. I genuinely felt they appreciated my business and relished the chance to impress.
If this was an option for me, especially for lunch, I’d be here a couple times a week.

Seriously, one of the best pulled pork sandwiches that I’ve ever had (and I lived in KC Mo for a good year). The bread was great and toasted on the inside giving just the right amount of crunch, the pork was high quality with the perfect balance of fat to meat (mostly meat but still a nice bit of fat to give you that awesome pig-​fat mouth feel), the sauce used was spicy but not overly so and with just the right amount so that it didn’t overwhelm the taste of the smoked pork. I had the collard greens as a side (love me some greens) and that didn’t disappoint either.
Service was also surprisingly fast, either for a food truck or any restaurant, with a few folks in front of me but with my sandwich done in less than 5 minutes.
I’ll definitely be back to try one of their other creations. Right now, these guys are tied in my mind as best truck in San Diego (with Groggy’s).

These guys know their MEAT!
I was taking a friend to a class, and found their truck parked nearby. Stopped in, ordered the Big Bro. Was given a monstrosity of sausage, pork, fries, and slaw. However, because I didn’t ask for to-​go, I had to wait till I got home to eat it. Had a few fries on the way though, and I appreciate that they seasoned their fries in what was like a potato-​chip barbeque seasoning.
The sandwich itself was great. A sausage had a great snap to it and meaty bite, the pork was excellent, extremely smoky. Their sauce is not as sweet as some other BBQ I’ve had before — a bit more smoke flavor and sour, but it’s still a thick, tomato-​based sauce. Fries were still great, and their coleslaw is loaded with celery seed (I think it’s celery seed?), with a very distinctive bite.
Check them out, they have quite a few options. They even have BBQ Spaghetti, and I don’t even know what that is!

Just tried them tonight at the Food Truck meet-​up in the Hillcrest area and HAD to post something to support them and they’re amazing food!
I was debating between this truck and Groggy’s and eventually I gave in to the OINKER ($ 8) aka their pulled pork masterpiece. The guys who run the truck are friendly and take pride in their truck… and rightfully so.
The service was fast and when they handed me my sandwich it smelled delicious and felt heavy. The pulled pork was tender and charred to perfection. The slaw mixture of cabbage, corn, carrots and other stuff (don’t really care what I was eating because it tasted so good) also added great texture. The bread was buttered and toasted, making the whole sandwich really come together. And lastly, served on the side was a small salad with a simple and tasty dressing.
Overall, I really enjoyed their truck, their service and most importantly their food… They also sell their sauces which is great because their BBQ sauce is veryy tasty! I’ll be back!

I love that the food truck phenomenon is growing in San Diego, and bringing amazing food like Slow Cal BBQ has to offer. I’ve been twice, on Thursdays, because they set up close to my office on the corner of Ruffin Rd and Sky Park Ct. First trip, gotta try the original; pulled pork sandwich with their bitchin collard greens (tangy and spicy with some okra thrown in for a change in texture) with a flavor I can’t find anywhere else. Visit two, time for some new stuff. One pulled pork and one brisket slider, along with three pulled pork street tacos. This mind blowing ($ 10) combination taught me two things: pork needs to be covered in Slow Cal’s mustard sauce, and beef needs to be covered in Slow Cal bbq and horseradish sauces.
New specials on the board every week, just as innovative and incredible as their daily menu make it even more difficult for you to make your pick. My advice is to come hungry so you can order multiple things. Maybe share with a friend, or don’t, because you earned it!

Wow. The Oinker is a great sandwich. Too often, food trucks overcharge for a small bite. This is a regular sized meal, with fresh and homemade potato chips seasoned well. The pulled pork was tasty and moist, the sauce was smoky and sweet. The pickles and coleslaw were more on the sweet side rather than overly tart, and they were a great addition for crunch and flavor. It will be tough to order something else, as I am such a sucker for pork, but with weekly visits to my work area, it should give me a chance to make repeat visits.

The only reason I decided to try Slow Cal was because I just finished watching 8 hour marathon of BBQ Pitmasters and I myself an am aspiring competition BBQ’r. Oh glorious Pulled Pork. Usually the Boston Butt, Pork Shoulder or Picnic Roast, Pulled Pork is a staple in the BBQ repertoire. Most people think ribs are the quintessential bbq meat, but imo pulled pork is. The time, the temperature, the fat, the smoke ring, etc. they all flavor the pulled pork more than ribs imo.
I expected a much larger smoke ring, barely any was evident, which makes me thing it wasn’t real BBQ. And it kind isn’t. Low and Slow, hardwoods and charcoal. I got an additional side of the slaw, which was nice and light, fresh, crisp, and ultra thin, minimal vinegar bite, even the red onions were mild. The homemade chips were great, but slightly inconsistent in the width and crunch. Most were good, a few were excellent and a few were soggy. Overly seasoned. The sauce was minimal and I guess it did bring out the flavor of the meat, but I wanted more and more heat,. I really liked the pickle chips, bright, crunchy and little surprises while you eat.
I was confused by the lingo, slang. Sides were Homies and yada yada yada, but the 1 thing that did catch my eye was the homemade sauces in plastic flasks. Wouldn’t it be funny to have one in your shirt pocket and take a swig of this thick substance instead of thin liquor? Kidna like in Super Troopers when they were drinking syrup. As food as the food was, it’s not BBQ, or at least not what I consider to be. I know these food trucks are game changers and often combining different types of cuisine’s, but I spent a lot of time and energy to get my bbq to the traditional standards before I could experiment and to me I just don’t see the effort in the fusion and thus I’m less impressed. Brisket needs to be sliced, but the bread was nicely buttered. I have a few other items to try on the menu, but I’m elss apt to since the food is served in trays without an enclosure, not many people eat it in the area so were it to be jostled I’d have lost the whole meal. I don’t know if you can request a to go container, but I’d think it would be preferred.
Outdoor seating in the sense that they service outside and most people eat near, around the truck so whatever you want to take on that.

Is it normal that I now salivate like a freaking Pavlovian dog at the thought of a new food truck parking in front of the building where I work?
Have I lost my mind?
I think I have, and I blame Twitter.
This is all Twitter’s fault because that’s what informed me that Slow Cal BBQ truck was having its grand opening right in front of my building today.
I knew I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
First of all — this truck smells amazing. Something about the combination of BBQ sauce and engine exhaust… mmm.
As for the food — it’s superb.
I had their beef brisket sandwich (whose name escapes me at the moment) with a side of cole slaw. The beef was cooked wonderfully — so tender that it melted in my mouth. It was doused in BBQ sauce that was quite tasty (less sweet than Phil’s), but I was especially fond of the horseradish sauce, which provided a nice kick. The cole slaw was light and tangy, with cider vinegar but no mayonnaise to speak of. (My only gripe was the relative small size of the portions given the $ 12 cost of the meal.)
Even though the name says «Slow Cal», the service here is super quick. There was no line when I arrived (around 11:30am), and I waited less than 5 minutes to receive my order. The line was beginning to accumulate by the time I left, and I have the feeling this will be the norm as the truck becomes more popular.
You’re welcome to come visit my workplace anytime, Slow Cal :-)