Kerry ClawsonAkron Beacon Journal
Local Flavor on Wheels: This summer, we’re trying area food trucks for our Local Flavor series instead of sit-down establishments. We hope you’ll come along for the ride!
The Pig Shots I got from the Uncle Bacon's BBQ food truck earlier this month had nothing to do with heavy-duty liquor.
Uncle Bacon's BBQ was one of five food trucks and other food vendors who participated in the Food Truck Round Up at Giant Eagle Market District at Portage Crossing in Cuyahoga Falls June 9 to raise funds for Harvest for Hunger.
My husband Steve and I could smell the enticingly smoky aroma of the barbecue truck the second we got out of the car at the Giant Eagle parking lot − a great sign we were in for a real treat.
Uncle Bacon's, owned by David Wells of North Canton, focuses on pork. So it's appropriate that Steve and I pigged out just a little for dinner that evening.
That brings me back to the Pig Shots: This creamy, meaty concoction ($12) is made with kielbasa wrapped in bacon and stuffed with a cream cheese-dry rub blend. And to make it extra special, a brown sugar topping gives it that little sweet kick at the end.
Can I just say yum?
"It's a unique menu item. Nobody else sells them," said Wells, who has trademarked the Pig Shots, which are one of his top sellers.
After eating just one of these pig shots, my fingers were pretty sticky.
"Finger-licking good," Steve commented.
I ordered these bacon-kielbasa treats to share with Steve, along with a BBQ Parfait ($12) for dinner that night. I'd never heard of a BBQ Parfait, but it sounded so intriguing, I had to try it.
This savory parfait turned out to be serious three-in-one fun for me. Invented by Wells' wife, Rene, it's made with layers of smoked mac and cheese, pulled pork and BBQ sauce.
Our friendly saleswoman at the the Uncle Bacon's window asked if I'd like a layer of coleslaw on top, and of course, I said yes. That added a nice, crunchy top layer to the parfait that contrasted perfectly with the soft, creamy and smoky mac and cheese and tasty pork, which I ordered with regular barbecue sauce.
Smoky mac was a novel concept for me, and I enjoyed the taste of this mac and cheese smoked with the barbecued meats. Steve was impressed that the pork layers were more plentiful than the mac layers.
Wells, who grew up in Copley and graduated from Revere High School, said he makes the coleslaw and everything else for Uncle Bacon's BBQ from scratch.
He said his wife was a little nervous when she first launched the BBQ Parfait, created as an easily portable meal at a festival that won't fall apart like a sandwich can.
"You're getting a little bit of everything," Wells said of the parfait, which is another one of his top sellers. "When you get down to the bottom, it's really a lot of food.
"It's really a work of art," Wells said.
For our outdoor dinner earlier this month, Steve and I ate standing at a cafe table at the Falls event. Steve ordered the Pulled Pork Sammy ($10) with spicy barbecue and coleslaw, which was a whopper of a sandwich. He enjoyed the slow-cooked pork, the heat of the spicy barbecue and the the creamy crunch of the coleslaw.
The Mac Daddy, which Wells said also sells well, combines the barbecue pork with his popular mac, featuring a pulled pork sandwich with a scoop of smoked mac and cheese for $14.
Smoke mac and cheese is also sold separately, with two scoops topped with bacon for $9.
When Wells goes to events, he cooks all meats and sides on site in his big smoker. He gets most of his meats from Duma Meats in Mogadore and his kielbasa from State Meats in Parma. His food truck's dry rub comes from coffee roaster M&H Beans in North Canton.
The beginnings of Uncle Bacon's BBQ
Wells' wife got him a smoker in 2012 and he was hooked. As he was perfecting his barbecuing craft, he made a lot of sides that included bacon. His niece Kaylyn started calling him "Uncle Bacon," which led to the name for his future business.
In 2018, when he was tailgating with friends at the Municipal Lot for the Cleveland Browns, a stranger asked him what he was cooking, and Wells showed him his Pig Shots. The stranger wanted to try them so badly, he offered Wells $20 to eat them.
Wells and his wife formed their company in 2019, starting out with a festival and serving barbecue for the summer at Dietz's Landing. The next year, they were based at Dusty's Yacht Club.
Their business has grown to 17 employees today, including a catering crew.
Last year, Wells left his IT career to work full time on his barbecue business. At the Pro Football Hall of Fame Ribs Burnoff Memorial Day weekend in Canton, Uncle Bacon's BBQ won best ribs and best sauce, for his regular (sweet) barbecue sauce.
The Uncle Bacon's BBQ truck also sells its bottled, award-winning regular barbecue sauce.
Where to find Uncle Bacon's BBQ food truck
Here's a list of summer dates and locations for Uncle Bacon's BBQ:
● 5 to 11 p.m. June 27 and 28, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 29: Olde Canal Days Festival, 117 Canal St. N., Canal Fulton
● 6 to 10 p.m. July 25: Taste of Akron, Hardesty Park, 1615 W. Market St., Akron
● 6:30 to 11:30 July 26-27: Pro Football Hall of Fame Balloon Festival, Kent State University at Stark, 6000 Frank Ave. NW, North Canton
● 5 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 2: Canton First Friday, Centennial Plaza, 330 Court Ave NW, Canton
● 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 10: BAR B*Q at North Canton Main St. Festival, 141 N. Main St., North Canton
● 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 11: Akron Pickle Fest, Cascade Plaza, 1 W. Mill St., Akron
● 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 24: Akron Pride Festival, Lock 3 Park, 200 S. Main St., Akron
● 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 30 and noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 31: Akron Food Truck Festival, Hardesty Park, 1615 W. Market St., Akron
● 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 2: Labor Day Flea Market, Hartville MarketPlace & Flea Market, 1289 Edison ST. NW, Hartville
Fall events for Uncle Bacon's BBQ will include the Cuyahoga Falls Oktoberfest Sept. 20-22 at Falls River Square, Food Truck Wednesdays at Bounce Innovation Hub in Akron Sept. 25 and the Barberton Mum Festival Sept. 27-28. See unclebaconsbbq.com/calendar or streetfoodfinder.com/UncleBacons.
Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
Details
Food truck:Uncle Bacon's BBQ
Owner:David Wells
Specialties: Barbecue pork, chicken, ribs
Information: unclebaconsbbq.com or 330-310-1693
