COPPER HILL BBQ
28295 Newhall Ranch Rd, Valencia, CA 91355

Smoke Wars rolled into its third contender.

Copper Hill BBQ.

It’s a casual, order-at-the-counter setup.

Place the order.

Take a number.

Find a table.

Wait for the smoke to arrive.

The restaurant was fairly busy, with a steady flow of people coming and going while we were there.

Always a promising start.

Our food arrived fairly quickly, neatly arranged across the trays and ready for judging.

We ate some at the restaurant and brought the rest home so other family members could try it too.

There was also a burrito spot next door.

Handy.

But this was Smoke Wars.

And there was plenty of BBQ to get through.

Three meats.

Brisket.

Tri-tip.

Pulled pork.

Then came the sides.

Baked beans.

Corn salad.

Mashed potatoes.

There was also Copper Hill’s specialty Texas toast, made with garlic and cheese.

The total was $52 before tax and tip.

This was the clear star of the show.

Juicy.

Full of flavour.

And the first meat to disappear.

It was the one we both immediately agreed on.

No table debate required.

The pulled pork delivered.

The brisket came a close second.

Beautifully cooked.

Tender.

And falling apart as we ate it.

No fight required.

Exactly what you want from brisket.

Then came the disagreement.

I really enjoyed the tri-tip and preferred it to another contender already on our list.

My wife had a different view.

She thought it was slightly overcooked and preferred the tri-tip at that other spot.

Same tray.

Same meat.

Two completely different verdicts.

That’s Smoke Wars.

The baked beans were one of the highlights.

Smoky and full of flavour, they earned their place alongside the meat.

The mashed potatoes were another favourite.

Creamy.

Comforting.

And exactly the sort of side you want on a BBQ tray.

The corn salad didn’t work as well for us.

We wanted to try it because my wife loves corn, but it was served cold and neither of us particularly enjoyed it that way.

That was more about personal preference than anything being wrong with the dish.

But next time, we’d order something else.

Copper Hill’s garlic-and-cheese Texas toast may have been a side, but it refused to behave like one.

I couldn’t leave it alone.

Garlic.

Cheese.

Texas toast.

Sometimes the simple things cause the biggest problems.

Mostly because I wanted more.

The BBQ sauce also earned approval.

My wife particularly enjoyed it and thought it complemented the meats really well.

With three different meats on the tray, a sauce that works across all of them has an important job.

This one did it.

Copper Hill BBQ gave us plenty to enjoy.

The pulled pork was the clear winner.

The brisket followed closely behind.

The beans and mashed potatoes backed them up nicely, while the garlic-and-cheese Texas toast became one of the biggest highlights on the tray.

The cold corn salad wasn’t for us.

And the tri-tip divided the table.

But disagreement is part of the competition.

The pulled pork disappeared first, the Texas toast left me wanting more, and the tri-tip sparked a little table debate.

Copper Hill gave us plenty to talk about in the Smoke Wars.

Copper Hill BBQ on Main Scoreboard: