Country Boy’s BBQ: Finger Lickin' Dee-lish

Lots of guys are passionate about good barbeque, but I simply appreciate a good, flavorful meal prepared with care. And if it happens to be barbeque, I’m happy to earn bragging rights for a great find like Country Boy’s BBQ.

Even though I’m mostly a meatless eater, I do indulge in occasional carnivore pleasures. So when I can’t get a hummus-veggie sandwich because Wenatchee’s Great Harvest Bakery is just closing, I take the owner’s recommendation and head up to Cashmere for Country Boy’s BBQ tasty fare.

Country Boy’s is easy to find, right across the Wenatchee River off Highway 2 between Leavenworth and Wenatchee. I look left after crossing the bridge into Cashmere, and there’s Harley the pig out front with the picnic tables.



Inside Country Boy’s is clean, cozy, and decorated with humor. Some prize Wyoming jackalope heads hang on the back wall, a gift to owner Tom and Anitra Dew from a friend.



I can’t quite decide what to order, but finally choose the chicken dinner with a little encouragement from Anitra behind the counter. “The pulled pork sandwich is the most popular, but I really like the chicken,” she says. Chicken it is for me.

When my meal arrives, I plunge in since there’s no tidy way to eat wonderfully slathered, slightly drippy barbeque. My order is huge! (I end up getting three meals out of this.)



Now this is good tastin’ chicken. It’s meltingly tender but oh-so flavorful. The sauce is spicy, tangy, smoky, and slightly sweet at the same time. I’m also pleased to say that the side of cole slaw is crisp and fresh, not like the soggy slaw I’ve had at other BBQ joints in the past.



After I’ve been chowing down for a few minutes, Anitra brings me a cup of pulled pork to taste, which I think is very sweet!



“This chicken is amazing!” I tell her. “We smoke it first,” she confides. I don’t dare ask for the BBQ sauce ingredients.



Tom and Anitra opened Country Boy’s BBQ in 2004, but it was the culmination of a long-held dream for Tom. “Tom wanted to open a BBQ place for years. He and his friend Jim played with BBQ for over 20 years – experimenting with sauces, rubs, how long to smoke, using different woods out on the deck," explains Anitra. “We tested recipes on friends a lot.”

When I say I’m from Seattle, she tells me they have regular guests from the Seattle area who stop on their way to Chelan. “One customer drives over from Everett just for the day,” says Anitra. “We almost think some customers are local because they come so often, but they don’t even live here!”

Tempting.

When You Go
County Boy’s is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. I tried the pulled pork, but my favorite was the chicken. Enjoy!