RESTAURANT REVIEW:

The authenticity of Smokin’ Mo’s BBQ is dripping with legitimacy even before you get the tasty sauce all over your fingers.

The pictures on the establishment’s walls give it away. There are blown-up photos of different barbecue joints and soul food restaurants all over the South, taken by one of the owners, Les Draper. He and partner Larry “Mo” Kowalski took a road trip to the South to get ideas and inspiration for a restaurant they wanted to open in San Luis Obispo.

They learned a lot, and the first of four barbecue joints was opened in 1994. Ten years later, the Huntington Beach location made its debut and has kept locals happy ever since.

Any primary part of good barbecue is in the smoking of the meat, and Draper has three different smokers. Hickory wood flavors all the meat that also gets a rub of spices and a grilling.

The chicken really benefits. Chicken is an afterthought at most barbecue places, but Draper and his crew keep it moist, though it is still cooked enough to fall off the bone.

The ribs come in three different styles. The house specialty are the pork ribs, which are seasoned and slathered with the company’s original or spicy barbecue sauce.

The Sweet Carolina’s ribs come with a sweeter barbecue sauce that would be good for someone who wants a mellower sauce. A traditionalist is probably going to go for the other two sauces. I actually mixed the sweet and the spicy and came up with a really nice combination.

Up in San Luis Obispo a local disc jockey for a rock radio station used to come in frequently to the restaurant. He was originally from Georgia and would bring in a mixture he created to put on the ribs. The owners liked it so much they asked him to make some for them. It was a huge hit and the disc jockey got tired of making it, so he gave them the recipe.

It is a vinegar-based sauce with mustard and brown sugar and predictably provides a yellow coating on the ribs. It is tangy from the mustard and vinegar, but the brown sugar takes away any bitterness. It is really a perfect sauce for the pork ribs, which they call Philthy Phil’s.

The sides that are available are good as well. The corn bread doesn’t fall apart in your hands and comes with a honey butter. The coleslaw and potato salad is made in portions throughout the day so it doesn’t sit around for hours at a time.

As with the meats, Draper constantly tastes everything to make sure the quality is where he wants it.

The nicest surprise is they serve sweet iced tea. If you have spent any time in the South, sweet tea can become addictive, but I haven’t found too many places in Southern California that serve it.

A new item on the menu worth trying is the tri-tip salad. It is seasoned tri tip with mixed greens and diced cucumbers, peppers, sweet corn and black beans, topped with a chipotle dressing.

Draper makes sure the restaurant is like a neighborhood joint and if you’ve never had the pleasure of being in the South to dine at a real barbecue place, this will easily quench that thirst until you make the trip.

SMOKIN’ MO’S BBQ

Address: 301 Main Street, No. 107, Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 374-3033

Cuisine: Barbecue

Specialty dish: Mo’s Memphis pork ribs

Alcohol served: beer and wine

Dress: casual

Family friendly: yes, three-item children’s menu

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Rating: *** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.