Piedmont joint finding its groove
Sharp's BBQ in Piedmont opened in 2018 and its pitmaster, Logan Sharp, has adjusted his recipe and set up to find his sweet spot with brisket, ribs, bologna and more. Photos by Zach Lucero
For more than a year, Logan Sharp tinkered with a rub recipe for his pork ribs, a concoction that includes sugar, paprika and chili powder. The result is a deep mahogany hue as if the ribs are finished with a light barbecue sauce glaze.
Near the end of the cook, Logan tops the ribs with a little brown sugar and honey before wrapping them in foil.
“It looks like I use sauce but that is all straight rub,” Logan said.
The finished product is tender-meated ribs with a cookie-sweet taste.
Logan’s care is also evident in his brisket, pulled pork and bologna, making his Piedmont joint one of the most underrated in the Oklahoma City area.
In each of my three visits, the brisket has improved, with my most recent order about as solid a slice as you can get. Opened in 2018, it’s a young joint that is already hitting its stride but will only get better.
That improvement comes with experience but it also came after Logan upgraded his smoker to a unit he has nearly mastered.
He switched last year to an Ole Hickory Pits smoker that can hold as many as 40 briskets, although right now his busiest day is more around eight to 10. The propane gas helps keep the pecan wood-burning at a more consistent level, Logan said.
“The quality goes up when you are able to maintain those temps,” Logan said.
I’ve always thought of Piedmont as a suburb masquerading as a small town. It promotes an image of windmills and barns, when in reality, it’s a land of subdivisions and daily commutes into Oklahoma City.
But Sharp’s BBQ gives Piedmont a great small town-style BBQ joint.
Orders are placed at a window facing a fenced-in lot that includes a few picnic tables and lawn games. Logan has plans to cover the yard to attract more dine-in customers during the colder months.
Logan’s father is a local barber who owns the building and is set up in the neighboring storefront.
It was his dad’s backyard barbequing that gave Logan his love for smoking meat and when his dad was trying to lease out the other half of the building a few years ago it just seemed like the right time.
Logan’s brisket is coated in a Texas-style salt and pepper and the pecan wood smoke gives it a more mellow taste. He’s been known to offer pork belly bites, sloppy joes and smoked pastrami specials.
I took advantage of a beef ribs special he offered late last year that was like a perfect melt-in-your-mouth brisket on the bone.
Each weekend’s menu also included smoked chicken wings that are tossed in his sweet rib rub.
For Logan, BBQ is a calling and I’m eager to keep witnessing his progress.
“I love it, this is what I love to do,” Logan said.
83 Monroe N.E. Suite B, Piedmont, OK, 73078
405-883-6081
Closed Monday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.