LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Count Porkula at the Crossroads is a favorite in midtown Little Rock known for serving up delicious BBQ, brisket, pork, and plenty of unique sides.
According to co-owner and founder Walt Todd, he and his partner came up with the idea somewhere between 2006 and 2008.
“We did it for fun during tailgates at Razorback games," Todd explained. "We bought a smoker one day at a pawn shop that we still have.”
Todd believes that Little Rock is an underrated city for BBQ because of its location.
“It’s because we’re influenced by 5 points around us. Our brisket is more of a Texas brisket, we put a white sauce on our chicken like they do in Alabama," he explained. "We put a sweet and vinegary Kansas City and Memphis style. Every region kind of has their shtick and their way of doing things and we were influenced by all of them.”
Just as Count Porkula opened up shop in midtown, the restaurant was almost hit directly by the March 31, 2023 tornado. Todd recalled how the storm took out most of the neighborhood.
“Now people are trickling back in that I haven’t seen since March of last year. People come in and say how much they appreciate us but we’re kind of on the other side. We appreciate them,” he added.
As for his favorite item on the menu, Todd said it was an easy choice.
“I love the brisket, I eat a little bit of it every day. The ribs, and we sell more pork than anything. But, my favorite is probably the brisket,” he said.
He also gets plenty of compliments about the side dishes.
"The beans [have] got like 13 ingredients in it and we don’t want the regular boring old beans. However, our signature side is probably our dill pickle pasta salad. I’ll never forget the first time I tried it. I took a bite and was like holy! It was so good and we had to have it on the menu. It’s been a big seller,” Todd said.