The huge red, white and blue HI-BBQ truck on the mauka side of Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku stands out mightily amid the verdant scenery, serving a variety of meats cooked low-and-slow in a smoker.
“Barbecue is my favorite food,” said Kate Neville, who owns and operates the truck with her fiance, Cove Pontin.
HI-BBQ
Where: 56-970 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku
Contact: 724-2341; hi-bbq.com
Info: Open 11 a.m. till sunset or sell-out, Wednesdays through Sundays
The couple’s smokers crank out brisket, ribs, pulled pork, pineapple sausage — enough to serve up to 200 plates a day. Added to those plates: two types of coleslaw and bacon-brown-sugar baked beans.
“All of our pork is from on- island,” Neville said. They source as much beef as they can from North Shore Livestock Co., supplementing that supply from meat markets.
HI-BBQ has been operating for about a year, starting first on weekends only, then expanding to five days a week. The customer base is about half local, half visitors, she said. Many opt to “dine in” at covered picnic tables on site.
They’ll load 250 to 300 pounds of meat into the smokers daily, but because it takes so long to cook, once the truck runs out for the day, it’s out, she said.
Some days the fall-off-the-bone ribs sell out first; other days it is the brisket, pulled pork, or sausage, so Neville recommends calling ahead to reserve a plate to help stave off disappointment.
Plates start at $13 for sausage or pulled pork, but most are $15, including the ribs, pulled pork, brisket and brisket “sliderito” (meat served atop Hawaiian rolls).
If appetites are hearty and indecision is an issue, the massive 18 & Over plate ($25) includes HI-BBQ’s appleood-smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork and sides. Customers can choose a combination of the two types of coleslaw, one mild, the other spicy. HI-BBQ also caters.
Just as in life, when you see red flags while cruising Kamehameha Highway, slow down. The flags mark the entrance.