VooDoo BBQ Conjuring up a tasty blend of flavors

I love good barbeque, so I visited the new VooDoo BBQ and Grill in Houma. This is a recent addition to the Houma food scene, which seems to grow even during these hard financial times.

VooDoo BBQ is a chain that started in New Orleans and has continued to grow to 11 locations in Louisiana.

Upon entering, I heard jazz music that matched the New Orleans style décor. There is even a faux balcony overlooking the rear dining area. The décor is tasteful and comfortable. And a small, separate bar area is cozy and inviting.

The menu is located on large flat screen monitors above the counter where you order your meal. Good thing we looked over the menu at their Web site (www.voodoobbqandgrill.com) and had some idea of what we wanted.

After ordering, we were given drink cups to fill at the self-service area and picked a table. A server brought the meal to the table after a short wait. All of this is very casual but functional and cuts down on wait time.

There is a good variety on the menu with some interesting selections for a BBQ joint. They offer fried shrimp po-boys or platters and even a blackened tuna steak platter. I suppose when they designed the menu, the owners wanted it to be as culturally diverse as New Orleans.

Well, I came for the barbeque so ordered a Carolina Sandwich ($5.29) and a half rack of the St. Louis Pork Ribs ($12.99), which is offered with any two sides.

I lived in North Carolina for a few years. There, I learned the tradition of adding cole slow to the top of a pulled pork sandwich. This is exactly how they do it at VooDoo BBQ.

My sandwich had a generous amount of slow-cooked pork with enough slaw to be delicious. The meats at VooDoo are served dry – without sauce – so guests can add their own to their individual taste.

On the table are three signature sauces: Mojo, Cane Vinegar, and Mango Crystal.

Mojo is VooDoo BBQ’s take on a traditional sauce; Cane Vinegar is a nice, tangy and sweet vinegar-based sauce; and Mango is their spicy offering. I tried all three sauces individually on my sandwich and all were tasty while maintaining their own distinctiveness.

The St. Louis Pork Ribs were cooked seasoned with a dry rub and were tender with the pink color that is a characteristic of smoked meat. Sometimes confused with baby back ribs, which come from the upper rib and are split from the loin along the backboard down, St. Louis-style spare ribs are extracted from the lower rib cage and include the sternum bone, cartilage and rib tips.

We also ordered a couple of the grilled items. The Big Jack ($6.99) and the VooDoo Burger ($7.99) were dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles and came with crispy fries. The Big Jack is topped with Monterey Jack cheese.

The VooDoo Burger is listed as a signature item. Smoked bacon, Jack cheese, sautéed mushrooms and onions can be added.

On the menu, a circled “V” designates signature selections. Both burgers were large, appeared homemade and were enjoyed by all.

We also ordered the Graveyard Platter ($9.99), which includes a choice of any two meats and two sides. We chose the Caribbean Jerk Chicken and Sausage.

A barbeque method common in Jamaica, the meat is rubbed with a very spicy mix of mainly allspice and scotch bonnet peppers. Some of the hottest in the world, these peppers are akin to habeneros.

Other ingredients in jerk seasoning are cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, scallions, garlic and salt. At VooDoo though, the jerk chicken was tasty without being overly spicy and the chicken remained quite moist.

The sides were the highlight of the meal for me. I chose the Corn Pudding and Gris Gris Greens – both are signature dishes.

The pudding is so delicious that I found myself trying to discover the method so I could cook some at home. It is a light pudding studded with corn kernels more like a soufflé. Meanwhile, the greens were excellent with a little sweetness and a hint of vinegar that was well balanced.

I also tried the Rattlesnake Beans, which seemed to be canned pork and beans with Mojo sauce and other ingredients added. The side was unique and blended well with the barbeque dishes.

A point of interest is the tipping procedure at the beginning rather than the end of the meal. Now that my world has transformed into a debit card, I rarely have any cash on hand. At VooDoo, you pay at the beginning of the meal. Be sure to have a few dollars in your pocket so you can tip your server appropriately before you check out the new Houma location of VooDoo BBQ & Grill.

VooDoo BBQ & Grill 1779 Martin Luther King Blvd., Suite 204, Houma (985) 655-5227 Restaurant Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.