The Devil Went Down to Boston: BBQ at Soul Fire

I have this suspicion that everybody secretly adores finger-lickin' home-cooking from the American South. Back in May, I traveled to Ireland and was astounded by the number of KFCs around. Since when did fried chicken become a trans-Atlantic phenomenon? And when I last visited New York, a hole-in-the-wall touted exotic delicacies like cole slaw.


Everyone here in Boston knows about Redbones, out by Davis, but it's an awful long journey for us below the Charles. So imagine my excitement to find barbecue half a block off the Green Line: Soul Fire at 182 Harvard Ave in Allston. The walls are red, the music is often country, and the sweet iced tea flows. Oh, I haven't left Virginia.

Unlike the finest Southern BBQ establishments, there's no front porch and the floorboards don't creak. But when I dined last week, I accepted the city ambience. It all comes down to the meat. So how did Soul Fire get right down to my Virginia roots?

Generosity. For $10.95, I ordered the pulled pork platter, served with cornbread and two sides. Mine were rice 'n' beans and (bravely) collard greens, never my favorite but delicious with ham and hot sauce. And the platters arrived piled high: BBQ served on toast, overflowing; ample sides; and a fat hunk of cornbread. My friend Katie said her spicy honey "double" wings (6 for $9.75) were the largest she's seen up here.

Hospitality. Our waitress, with tattoos and nose piercings, was a Southern belle masquerading as a hipster. She gave us time to linger, grabbed refills with haste, and charmed Katie into an extra side of cornbread. (No "sugar"s or "darling"s in her speech, but give it time.)

Vinegar. Though tomato-based Virginia BBQ is delectable, those with BBQ in their blood profess allegiance to North Carolina's vinegar style. Soul Fire knows what's what. Their pork came doused in vinegar and hot peppers, with extra fixin's on the table: four sauces ranging from sweet to spicy. And the collard greens? Also vinegared, also delicious.

Soul Fire is blessedly unapologetic for the urban environment. Under Vegetarian Entrees, the menu just lists a catfish platter -- and even that's fried! But when I'm hankering for baby backs, chopped brisket, or a wistful country evening, Soul Fire might just be my home away from home.

Public transit: Take the 66 bus or the Green B Line to the Harvard Ave. stop. Soul Fire's right up from the McDonald's.