Mojo's- Portsmouth NH

My second stop on the Great New England BBQ Tour (Name still pending) was Mojo's BBQ Grill and Tavern. It's surprising that I had never been here before because I live so close to Portsmouth. I ended up there with my mother on a whim, after having to cancel our annual trip down to Foxboro MA for the Finish at the 50 race. They're located in a small plaza, down a side street in the area of the Hannaford. Inside, it gives off a strong country vibe, not particularly my style, but it fits with the bbq theme I suppose. They have checkered tablecloths and very patriotic decorations hanging throughout the dining room, as country music plays in the background. We both started with the Cadillac 'Rita', which was delicious. A classic margarita, with a twist of grand marnier and fresh citrus. Goes down very easily!


My mom ordered the 1/2 chicken meal with 'ma's' potato salad and veggie of the day(broccoli). All meals came with cornbread, which should just be law in barbecue world...everyone's wants cornbread right?

1/2 Chicken- I only tried a couple bites of it, but what I had was great! It was very juicy, not overcooked. Coated in their 'Arkansawce', which is their bbq sauce, tomato based with vinegar and some type of sweetness, maybe brown sugar. Came with a breast/wing and thigh/leg. The size we both agreed was small. Size-wise, it reminded us of a rotisserie chicken you would buy at a supermarket, nothing grander. That being said, the flavor was there and my mom very much enjoyed it. The potato salad was a very traditional potato salad, red potatos, onion, mayo, seasonings. It was nicely done. Broccoli was also good, not just steamed, but had some seasoning action as well.






I ordered a combo meal of 1/4 rack of ribs with brisket. For my sides, cole slaw and mac and cheese.










Ribs- St. Louis style. Average sized. They fell off the bone so easily. It had a thin, burnt crust, which I enjoyed. Made the meat very crispy with an interesting mouth-feel. Tender meat, not extremely juicy. Had a lot of sauce on them. I liked the sauce for the most part, but there was too much of it and it was too thick. I prefer when a place sauces something minimally and then provides extra sauce to add yourself. Otherwise, it's hard to get the true meaty flavor. Not very fatty, which made them feel more sustaining to eat.






Brisket- 1/4lb of meat with the combo. Cut into slabs, but then broken apart into piece further. I was a little disappointed with it as a whole. Not very tender, a little dried out. Tasted like stew meat, tough and plain. It had the sauce on it, and I think that's the only part I enjoyed about it. Nothing special. No real crust on it either which was surprising.





Mac and Cheese-SO good! Corkscrew pasta, lot's of cheese. There was a good size portion of it too. Very melty! I only thing I think would improve it would be a bread crumb topping.

Cole Slaw- Very traditional slaw. Mayo based with vinegar. It was alright. The more I ate it, it had a very strong celery flavor, something I didn't like at all! I couldn't get it out of my palate once I realized what it was.

Cornbread- It was good cornbread. It didn't look or taste homemade, but it was tasty. Very moist with a cakey sweetness to it. I'll remark again how much I appreciate it being included in the meal.

Overall, Mojo's was a good experience. The service was great, even though we were charged for a tequila upgrade we hadn't ordered(later taken off the bill). Fun atmosphere for the downsouth country fanatic in all of us. I wouldn't rush back, but they have a huge menu with a ton of delicious sounding options.