Molly’s Smokehouse / Molly’s Smokehouse is located just to the left of Jack in the Box on Kamehameha Highway in Wahiawa. You can’t miss it–the restaurant has a respectably sized black Barbecue smoker out in front. On the day of our visit, a group of customers from the nearby Schofield Barracks huddled in their civvies among the several brown and yellow checkered table tops. They were eating and licking their fingers in silence, always a sure sign that something good is going on in the kitchen.

In terms of atmosphere, this could be any Barbecue house in any city or town in a Southern state. There’s no table service available, so guests saunter up to the counter and peruse the red, white and blue menu. The choices found there can be intimidating to a first-timer, but a closer look reveals that things are easily broken down into two categories–meat (beef, pork, chicken, catfish or shrimp) and side dishes (lots). Most plates are simply a matter of mix-and-match (although sides of coleslaw, corn on the cob, mac salad, mashed potatoes, fried okra, baked beans, collard green and white rice can be ordered ala carte in single ($1.75), pint ($3.75) and quart-sized ($6.75) portions.

We started with the Southern fried chicken ($10.60). The classic dish came as a breast, thigh and a drumstick in an orange-colored batter, with mashed potatoes and gravy and a green salad. The chicken was tender, the batter was crisp and Cajunesque, but the dish offered little to write home about. But at Molly’s, as at any true Barbecue joint, the proof of the cooking is in the eating.

Photo Credit: Justin Leong

In order to fully appreciate the taste of the Southern style Barbecue, however, one also has to understand a few fundamentals. Southern Barbecue features a sour, slightly acidic marinade, often a tomato base sauce. This helps to tenderize the meat, a process that is deepened by smoking the cuts at a low medium to medium high temperature for many hours, similar to keeping a tender beef stew in a crock pot for several hours. Some cooks use corn syrup in their sauces or marinades because it doesn’t scorch black (as white sugar does) at high temperatures. These sugars also deliver a deep-down sweetness Asian Barbecues simply cannot match. In the final analysis, a good Southern Barbecue is judged on a few basic elements: The taste of the marinade has to seep down to the bones; the color on the Barbecue has to be just right (browned not scorched); the meat has to fall off the bone and the juices have to be locked in. Of course, it must also come with a balance of flavors.

Molly’s Barbecue plate met all the criteria. The Supreme BBQ Plate ($16.95) is an assortment of Barbecue chicken, baby back ribs and beef brisket. Ours was served with pickles, raw onions, baked beans, cole slaw and corn on the cob. A single order of collard greens was added to the fare. The platter was big and colorful with all the side dishes. The Barbecue chicken was sweet and tangy. The chicken meat literally slid off the bone with each bite. The baby back ribs also fell off the bone easily, whether with a bite or just pulled apart with fingers. The brisket came as “just cut” slices off the Barbecue brisket chunk. Each slice simmers in its own clear juices and bursting with the taste of the marinade.

The meats dipped in the Barbecue sauce at the table delivered new complexities of flavor.

Among the side dishes, fried okra stood out. The golden brown batter on the outside and the soft texture of gooey okra inside balanced the taste of the tangy Barbecue meats. Another innovative surprise was the collard greens, usually cooked with pork (hocks, bacon or ham) and vinegar. Molly’s adds red pepper flakes to enhance the natural bitterness of the vegetables.

Molly’s Southern Fried Catfish ($12.50), fried in traditional cornmeal batter, hit home on taste, consistency and that soul-searching crunch only homesick Southerners can fully appreciate. A bite-sized piece was torn off from a whole browned deep fried catfish filet, then dipped in the tartar sauce. Once in the mouth, time slows down and the lyrics come to mind, “Summertime, and the living is easy, fish are jumping…” The rich brown color, the crispy batter and the tiny crackling bits of browned cornmeal melting in the mouth along with the Southern catfish white flakes was mesmerizing. There’s simply no other fish quite like it. The cornbread muffin that came with the platter was also fantastic.

Molly’s Smokehouse is a rare find of Southern flavor in Wahiawa. It may be a drive from downtown Honolulu, but this place will feed your stomach and your soul.

Molly’s Smokehouse

Hours: Daily 10am–2pm, 4pm–9pm