Overall Rating and is it worth a visit: 7.5/10 and Yes. Overall, I would only come back here for the ribs and the mac & cheese, maybe the collard greens. While the owner was extremely passionate during my talks with him, there are better overall barbecue spots in Colorado. That said, I would put their ribs in the top 5 here in the state, being slightly behind Smok, Post Oak, & Rollin’ Bones.

Date Visited: 2/11/2021

Address: 4361 Lowell Blvd, Denver, CO 80211

Day of the Week: Thursday

Time of Day: 11:05 AM. Opens at 11:00 AM

Owner: Colleen & Stacey Van Tuyl

Website: https://raginhogbbq.com/

Number of Years in Business: Opened in 2013 (8 years)

Number of People in Line: 0

Regional Style of BBQ: Memphis & Arkansas

Total Cost: $37 with tip. Included burnt ends, brisket, ribs, chicken, collard greens, & mac and cheese

Type of Wood: Mainly hickory and apple, but uses others as well

Type of Smoker: N/A

Type of Seasoning: Salt, pepper, cumin, paprika

Best Dish: Ribs

Best Sauce: Carolina

Best Side: Mac & cheese

Interior Description: Very minimal, with room for maybe 10 people inside, with outdoor seating for 4 in front. More of a takeaway BBQ joint, it’s at the end of a strip mall in the Highlands.

Pro Tip: Go for the ribs, mac & cheese, & collard greens

Brisket

0/10 Ranking: 8 to 8.5/10

Seasoning: Paprika, salt, pepper

Description: Tasty brisket overall and easily one of the smokiest flavored ones in Colorado. Uses a hickory smoke with paprika, salt, and pepper for the blend. Not much flavor coming through from the seasoning; it’s pretty light, but the brisket is very tender and juicy, with the lean slice having good fatty strands running through it. They do separate the point after smoking them together to make burnt ends. While the brisket was juicy and smoky, it needed more flavor to come through overall, and so I give it an 8 to 8.5 due to the unique smoke flavor, which even beats out several BBQ joints in Texas by comparison

Burnt Ends

0/10 Ranking: 7.5 to 8/10

Seasoning: Paprika, salt, pepper

Description: Good blend of fat and meat in each bite, but overall the brisket is bland and needs way more seasoning and/or sauce for it to be great. Seasoning looks to be minimal on the outer crust, but it does have a unique flavor to it that is enjoyable when you get some. They need sauce to maximize their flavor and were a little tough, so not necessarily worth a stop, but could be good on the right day

Pork Spare Ribs

0/10 Ranking: 9/10

Description: Best item on the menu for them. The 3 ribs were tender, but slightly tough, not falling off the bone. That said, they had good flavor running through the entire rib. They finish off the ribs Memphis style with a little bit of BBQ sauce at the end as well, which adds a nice sweetness to them. From talking with Stacy, I learned they like fatter hogs for the ribs, so they partner with local farmers to get specific fatty ribs for maximum volume. Top 5 ribs in Colorado, easily and would come back for them

Pulled Pork

0/10 Ranking: 6.5 to 7/10

Description: While juicy and tender, a very bland pork that demands sauce, as there’s next to no seasoning and just a little bit of smoke flavor running through it. Would not order again

Chicken

0/10 Ranking: 6.5/10

Description: Chicken was dry and mostly flavorless, with a little bit of smoke flavor running through it. Way too dry and will need to be drenched in sauce to eat. Would not order again

Sauces – Sweet

0/10 Ranking: 7.5/10

Description: The sweet barbecue sauce tasted like a traditional American sauce that you can find in any store. Okay, but nothing special. The burnt ends were salvaged somewhat by the sweet sauce, as the others didn’t add much to them when applied

Sauces – Carolina

0/10 Ranking: 8.5/10

Description: The Carolina had some nice spice blends to it, with the vinegar and tomato base coming through. While not really a mustard style sauce and it had some good heat blended in it for a well-rounded taste

Sauces – Memphis

0/10 Ranking: 8/10

Description: Their version of a tomato-based sauce, it has a good flavor to it and is tasty overall, but nothing too special either

Sides – Mac & Cheese

0/10 Ranking: 9/10

Description: The mac & cheese was cooked al dente and had a nice creamy texture and some really good cheese flavor running through it. It also seemed to have a little bit of smokiness and a sweet/spicy blend of seasoning sprinkled inside. Would absolutely order again

Sides – Collard Greens

0/10 Ranking: 7 to 8/10

Description: The owner recommended these, and in all fairness, this is the first time I’ve ever had them. Looks like there are some onions that are mixed in, and the cup had a lot of oil/juice throughout, which, due to my inexperience, I have no idea if it is normal or not. That said, they had a soft but structured feel to the bite, and with a good flavor coming through that reminds me of my grandma’s sweet sauerkraut. Texture was almost that of an artichoke heart and is definitely on the sweeter side of things, with a rich flavor. Could not eat more than a few bites of it due to the level of richness. I would need to try other collard greens and compare them to make a fair assessment of them

Interior & Menu Photos