Dickey’s brings the ‘cue to Lake Elsinore

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Lake Elsinore is so much more than a place to get great barbecue. Set just off Central Avenue in Lake Elsinore by the Lowe’s and a plethora of other businesses, Dickey’s Barbecue is a hidden gem serving barbecue lovers throughout Lake Elsinore and the surrounding communities.

From their ginormous Bakers – a baked potato loaded with butter, pulled pork and sour cream, topped off with onion straws – to their world-famous ribs – smoked fresh daily – this Dickey’s does everything right and in a big way. Guests at this restaurant can enjoy a variety of smoked meats and special sides made with fresh daily to soft serve, all by Dickey’s friendly wait staff who are more than happy to serve any delectable dish to those who stop by for a bite to eat.

Frank and Susan Morones opened their restaurant just over a year ago, to rave reviews from the community and haven’t slowed down since. Frank, an aircraft mechanic who owns his own business and renovates and flips houses, leaves much of the restaurant management to his wife Susan who can often be found working in every area of the restaurant from smoking to serving customers and that love shows through in the delightful dishes that guests can enjoy any day of the week.

“We went in to a Dickie’s Barbecue Pit one day and we liked the food and Frank always wanted to do something different,” Susan Morones explained of their decision to go into the restaurant business. “It’s definitely been an experience. It’s been a roller coaster but having my crew with us and being able to learn together, laugh at our mistakes and grow as a team, I think that is the one thing I really like. We are all in it together.”

Manager Tanya Korman has been with the family-owned restaurant since they open their doors in February 2016.

“We just had our one year celebration,” Korman said. “Even though Dickie’s is a corporate name, it is family owned and we try to keep that family feel here.”

That family friendly atmosphere spills over into the restaurant as everyone at this establishment is happy to come to work each day – something that lends itself to a one-of a kind dining experience.

“We try to keep that hometown feel. We have our regulars who know our names,” Korman said, adding that most people who work at the restaurant know others who have worked there. “We treat people as our guests, not our customers and that helps us to stand out from the chain restaurants that are out there.”

The friendly service isn’t the only thing that makes this restaurant stand out, at Dickie’s meat is smoked daily – for 14 hours over hickory chips – giving this Lake Elsinore eatery’s offerings a wonderful, mouthwatering flavor.

“We smoke our brisket and our pulled pork for 14 hours overnight, all our meats are made fresh daily, and smoked to perfection,” Korman said. “When I get here in the morning and start prepping for the day the smell is amazing.”

Korman said her favorite food is the pulled pork, but the pork ribs are one of the restaurants most ordered dishes.

“They are St. Louis Style pork ribs,” she explained. “Tuesdays are $10.99 rib day, we have regulars that come in on that day just to get ribs.”

Korman said the creamed spinach and the fried okra are two of the most popular Homestyle sides.

Dickie’s also offers catering for those who just want to enjoy some ‘cue for their special event or meeting.

“We do offer on-site catering for 100 people or more. We have done a few events at Cornerstone Church and have done a few weddings,” she said. “We slice the meat right in front of them and serve them.”

For catering under 100 people Dickie’s Barbecue Pit will do drop off or guests can pick the items up at the store. For quotes on catering, potential guests should contact the store.

“We actually just started home delivery, too,” Korman said. “For any order, $25 and a small delivery charge, we will actually deliver the food right to our guests’ doorstep.”

Dickie’s also offers a “Deal of the Day,” which can be found on their Facebook page by visiting www.facebook.com/Dickeys-Barbecue-Pit-Lake-Elsinore.

For my visit, I tried the Baker and the pulled pork plate.

The baker – an oversized baked potato topped with everything but the kitchen sink – was, simply put, delicious. Fully loaded with butter, your choice of meat, cheese, chives, sour cream, onion tanglers and Dickie’s original barbecue sauce, this dish literally melts in your mouth. The drizzle of barbecue sauce on the top tied this highly shareable dish together, making it one I recommend everyone should try at least once. A meal in itself, I was happy I shared the Baker with my dining partner or I wouldn’t have had room for the pulled pork plate, which definitely would have been a shame.

The pulled pork was a true winner, literally falling apart on my fork and melting in my mouth with every bite, the meat was infused with a hickory smoke flavor, after spending 14 hours in the smoker. The Homestyle sides – macaroni and cheese, and one of my all-time favorite foods, fried okra – were spot-on. All the sides are made fresh daily using Dickey’s own recipe, Korman said.

My dining partner tried The Westerner – a hoagie filled to the brim with two meats of the guest’s choosing and topped with cheddar cheese, pickles and onions. For his selections, he chose jalapeno cheddar kielbasa and pulled pork. For this review, I had a taste of his sandwich, which also happened to be the Wednesday special, and I must say it was delicious.

The food portions were just right, though in all fairness, I do have to say I did need to get a doggy bag to bring home the rest of my pulled pork. Had I left enough room we would have tried either the peach or the apple cobbler topped with the soft serve that everybody gets for free when visiting Dickey’s.

If you haven’t gone out and tried it, I recommend you head on over to Dickey’s Barbecue Pit at 29273 Central Ave. Ste. B and while there make sure you try the fall off the bone pork ribs and of course the fried Okra – and tell the Kim sent you.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Lake Elsinore is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For catering quotes or to place an order for delivery within a five-mile radius of the restaurant, call (951) 249-7977.

My Valley News