max min

After months of anticipation, the great Iron Pig God has finally descended upon the itinerant denizens of the Blade.  I speak of Maximus Minimus, wheeled merchant of righteous pulled pork.  No doubt inspired by the runaway success of Skillet’s upscale mobile cuisine, the fine folks at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese have gotten into the roach coach business.  A massive bus converted into a rolling porcine kitchen, Maximus Minimus can be found at the Southeast corner of 2nd and Pike most days from 11:00AM until they sell out (count on it).  It’s hard to miss.  Look for a long line and a gigantic silver pig bus.

Your choice of eats are entirely binary in nature, a simplicity that I find refreshing.  You can either order a pulled pork sandwich, or a veggie version.  You can order that spicy (maximus) or sweet (minimus).  You can get a side of chips or slaw.  A glass of ginger lemonade or “hibiscus nectar”.  Cheese, or not.  That’s it.

The Maximus version of the pulled pork sandwich has a bit of a kick to it – some heat, but nothing too outrageous.  You can order “extra hurt” if you like, an option I will probably avail myself of in the future.  The meat is vinegary and smoky and a little on the dry side, but still tender and flavorful.  The heavy bun holds up nicely, but is otherwise unremarkable (simple whole wheat bread).  The Minimus version is tremendously sweet and tastes like honey and barbeque sauce.  The sandwiches in general are dense and meaty, with a couple of sprigs of cilantro added for good measure.  I prefer the additional shredded Beecher’s cheese sprinkled on top; it gets nice and melty and provides a mellow, salty complement to the sweetness of the pork.

On an early visit, I found a side of potato and beet chips to be way overcooked, virtually burned, but they still managed to intrigue with a unique spice rub (is that seriously Herbes de Provence??  EDIT:  Nope!  Per hungrygrrl in Comments:  “the spice rub is Kurt Dammeier’s own creation, lots of fennel”).  A mélange of fried green beans, red peppers and jalapenos were also thrown into the mix.  The slaw was much better – bright and fresh and made of sliced cabbage and fennel and chunks of crisp apple and huge sprigs of parsley.  It had a light, sweet dressing.

The ginger lemonade packs a tangy wallop and is just about perfect for the mindblowing Spring weather we’ve been having lately.  The Seattle street food revolution has begun!  Much respect due Josh Henderson for leading the way.  Next up: Marination…

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