Code 1 BBQ Wilmington

Code 1 BBQ in Wilmington opened in the former La Rosa's space. Plenty of parking in the plaza. Opens at 11:30 and is open until 7 or until they run out.

It's a small place, and much to my surprise, they can have a smoker in the kitchen. THE TAKEOUT WAS FLYING OUT THE DOOR when I was here at noon on a Saturday. They must have also been busy yesterday since they had run out of pork belly. Their prices are on par with other BBQ places. 

The tables are a relatively new and welcome addition. They are not the most stable tables, but at least they have them. Order at the counter and your food will be brought to the table. They do something I have never encountered in another BBQ place; if you order brisket, they ask you what cut you want. I always had to ask for a cut from the fatty end since that tends to be the juiciest cut.

Since it was my first time here, ribs and brisket it was with Gold Carolina sauce. M&C and collared greens are my two sides. M&C, since they had run out of the mash yesterday. The mash doesn't have the skins left on. They are doing everything right here. The ribs had a smoke ring and peppery bark. The meat was not fall off the bones but had a little tug, as a proper BBQ should. The meat was tender and succulent. The brisket also had a smoke ring and a proper bark. It was tender and juicy. The M&C was cooked properly, but the cheese sauce was a bit thin, so you had to rotate the bottom part to the top. The collared greens were perfect and had bacon in them. I wouldn't have minded getting some of the cooking liquor with them. Two meats with two generous sides were $28.99, and a couple weeks later, $29.99.

I wanted to try the pork belly on my next visit, but it was a bit elusive. On one Saturday, it sold out Friday. Tried on a Friday, nope. After calling and verifying the availability, I finally got to try it. They have small bowls (8oz) for $9.99 and large (16oz) for $16.99. I went with the large, as you can see. Four slices of pork belly that had a nice crust and was delicious. Plenty of creamy M&C. The smaller would have been enough for lunch. As of 09/07/23, they are open for breakfast on Fridays and Saturdays. The breakfast items are posted on the door. Update: Breakfast is not available during the winter.

Breakfast Egg and Potato Bowl with Brisket ($10.50). "Egg, pepper and onion omelet with home-fried potatoes, cheese sauce and choice of meat". The home fries had the skins left on, so I went with Garlic Mashed Potatoes instead. The mashed was the real deal, so I was happy with it. Could have used more garlic. Cooking an omelet on a flattop gives you a very thin omelet. However, it wasn't dry and tasted good. If I get brisket that's tender and smokey, I'm happy. Some gold sauce on the side was perfect. This was actually good value for the money.

Address: 211 Main St, Wilmington, MA 01887 Phone: (978) 248-8185

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