Ok this is how it began: Me: [driving, trying to find the building for my meeting,] A BBQ place! That sounds good today...! Me: wait a minute... BBQ in Maine? Probably proportionately worse than BBQ in Mass. Me: place looks authentic, though, just maybe... -- all during my meeting, I contemplated whether to give it a shot, and by the time I got out, I was starved. I drove past the joint one more time... Me: It sure does look authentic... Someone put some effort into this place. Me: you've been fooled by decor before... Never judge a smokehouse by its license plates. I decided to brave it. As soon as I opened the door of my truck, the hickory tickled my nose. Me: ...Sure smells authentic, too. Inside, predictably but comfortably country... I barely glanced at the predictably-chalkboard menu, and went straight for the meal I order at every Pit I've ever been to. Me: brisket & ribs combo, please. Him: we don't have just a brisket & ribs combo. (Huh?? Strike one.) I scrambled and cursed at the chalkboard. Me: uh, what do you mean, um, ok fine. I'll take the meat coma. That has brisket and ribs. I saw pulled pork on there too, and not much else. I cringed at the $27.00 price, but paid without protest. I proceeded to the predictable indoor picnic tables. I don't hate pulled pork, but I feel it's a waste of a dish. Poorly seasoned pig, usually over-slathered in a conciliatory sweet sauce-- not my thing. I'm a rub and smoke guy, and wished that I had asked to substitute something. I noted the 30-odd taps of craft beer (Apparently a prerequisite in Portland... and that's perfect!) I ordered a local stout, looked at what appeared to be about 4 different types of homemade BBQ sauce on my table, and even plates! These guys encourage sharing?? Nice. Then out came my food. HOLY COW!! I got an entire tray loaded with a beautiful bounty. Brisket, ribs, beautifully seasoned DRY but not dry pulled pork-- and what's this? Chili? Nice. Add the collards and wedges, and the pickles... I dove in. I've (tried to) attach a pic here. I started with the pulled pork, tied with pulled chicken for my least favorite BBQ dish, but it was AWESOME. The seasoning is beautifully done, both during the smoking (rub) and afterward, too. You can clearly taste the smoke, and no sauce was on it save for a light dressed, barely vinegar touch-- which means sauce is left to the beholder. Probably the best commercial pulled pork I've ever had. Brisket-- I noticed a healthy smoke ring, and also noted both flat and point cut on my plate, which I appreciate. While thumbing through the to go menu, I noticed they offered either 'lean or less lean' which is almost exactly how I describe the flat and point cuts to my own guests after firing my own brisket for hours...and also how I offer my boiled (gray, please) corned beef dinner at St. Pats. These guys clearly get it. The chili sang. You can taste the sausage, beans and tomatoes separately inside the dish, and a healthy amount of cayenne-- and likely other peppers-- made this the most beautifully spicy thing on my plate. Nice touch adding a chili to this meal. The ribs are awesome too. Nice crust, smoke was perfect and nothing-- absolutely nothing was smoked too dry. Collards were equally tasty--tender but not over cooked. This place is the REAL DEAL. I grabbed a pickle-- Look back at my other reviews... You'll see that I can be pretty critical of BBQ joints... Mushy, obviously jarred, nasty bread & butter pickles. I was shocked, especially considering that for all the sweat and love inherent in rubs, brisket, sauces, chili, and collards, homemade pickles are pretty easy to brine yourself. I gave a tip that went something like this: "This may be the best compliment I can pay to a BBQ restaurant: your pickles suck. Fix the pickles because everything else has me speechless." I left full, happy, and in no way was I ripped off for $27. I called my wife and raved that she was in big trouble because we may be making the 2+ hour pilgrimage to Portland fairly often. Her: That's nice, dear. Today, I had a meeting in Bangor. I made sure to take I-295 home to hit Salvage again. I parked in the back, and I saw the barrel smoker pits that feed this place-- Yup. Barrel smokers. None of these vertical things with knobs you sometimes see in restaurants. I said to the pitmaster, "I knew there was nothing commercial about this place!" He wished me a good meal, and thanked me for coming. This time, I found the list to the BBQ sauces; without realizing it, I started off with the hottest one. Don't fear it. At least for this batch, my chili was hotter than the sauce. If I can, I'll attach the sauce list. Ordered the meat coma again, awesome again. Not dry, again --and they fixed the pickles! Today it was a crisp slightly under-brined pickle slaw, and it was delicious. This place has among the best BBQ in the Northeastern U.S. Keep up the good work! read more