In 2012 we travelled across North Carolina and Texas in search of inspiration, tradition and delicious barbecue. Returning home we set in place a plan to give Portland a taste of what we learned.
Renovation of the old railroad post office building at 919 Congress Street began late 2012 and Salvage BBQ opened its doors in August 2013.
Like the joints we visited in North Carolina and Texas we are a “self service” or “quick service” restaurant. That means you order at the counter and we’ll bring your food to the table. If you decide to sit at the bar you can order from your bartender. The dining room is a nice wide open space with plenty of room for the kids to run around. We also have a couple of vintage arcade games . Seating is communal at the long picnic tables or you can choose one of our 50’s dinette tables.
Our smoker was custom built from an old propane tank by Chef Jay Villani and Ray Touringhy. It is fueled entirely by Maine red oak. You can see the “smoke shack” on your right when you drive into our parking lot.
The Salvage bar is open late and we always have the game on. We have 17 taps featuring mostly Maine micros, an extensive bourbon list and wine on tap.