The smoked meats at this Hillsboro barbecue cart come throughly saturated with big oak smoke and heavy seasoning, whether that’s pork belly burnt ends smoked over Oregon white oak for seven or eight hours, or slices of tender, juicy brisket smoked for nearly twice that time. Now that this formerly roaming cart has settled within Weil Arcade Food Park, it’s easier to track down its fun, offbeat specials, like the jam and brisket-topped biscuit.

In December 2015, pitmaster Matt Vicedomini made his mark on Portland’s barbecue scene, smoking Texas-style, pink-ringed brisket, marbled with fat and fall-apart tender. He now operates out of the Prost Marketplace on Mississippi, additionally venturing into Thai food and BBQ taco territory. All the Texas-style meats are up for grabs in half- or full-pound portions, including brisket, turkey, and pork belly burnt ends; some hold out for the Flintstone-vibed beef ribs, only available on the weekends. Alongside these meats are Matt’s sauces, like the tangy peach mustard and spicy-sweet cherry chipotle.

This Northeast Alberta street barbecue cart its smoked meats in a traditional meat-plus-sides format, or incorporated into loaded BBQ nachos, tacos, or a wild “mac and meat” featuring queso, pickled peppers, and green onions with choice of smoked meat. House-made sauces are similarly nontraditional, including tangy raspberry and mango pineapple sauces.

Rodney Muirhead, the man behind Podnah’s, expanded the awareness of Portland’s barbecue scene when he opened his shop in 2006. Since then, Podnah's has appeared on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and was named the best barbecue in the state by the Food Network. The Pitboss is still the crown jewel here, a monster plate of Texas-style brisket, Carolina-style pulled pork, ribs, a sausage link, a pair of sides, and cornbread. Weekend brunches of brisket hash and migas tacos are another draw.

Pitmaster Kevin Koch taught himself how to make the Kansas City-style barbecue of his childhood, first opening Lawless BBQ as a kind of ghost kitchen before moving into the Little Beast Beer Garden in October 2021. There, diners can find his Kansas City-style barbecue sauces atop tender ribs, pork belly burnt ends, or as optional dips for brisket that’s smoked for 13 hours. Fans of saucier, sweeter barbecue without especially assertive smoke flavor will be happily licking their fingers here. Those interested can now find Lawless at My-O-My on Sandy, as well.

Though Grasslands is based in Hood River, it regularly travels even as far north as Seattle, with regular pop ups in Portland and other parts of the Columbia River Gorge. This is masterfully cooked barbecue, with Oregon white oak smoke permeating every brisket, beef rib, and black pepper chicken thigh with a taste of the Pacific Northwest. The pork belly burnt ends get a little twist in the form of a ginger soy vinaigrette, while the cheddar sausage benefits from the bright zip of Los Roast hatch chiles, rounding out platters with great complexity and obvious attention to detail.