Hot Stacks
Our best sellers: meats smoked or braised in-house, cheese melted under the dome, bread toasted in butter until it crackles.
Hot off the flat-top
Every Hot Stack starts at 6 am, when the pork shoulders come out of the smoker and the brisket goes into its eight-hour braise. We slice to order, sear on the flat-top so the edges crisp, and melt the cheese under a steel dome so it drapes instead of sweats.
Bread comes from sourdough and brioche baked for us every morning by a family bakery in Northside. We butter it edge to edge and toast it hard, because a hot sandwich on soft bread is just a sad sandwich.
Half-pound portions
Our standard stack carries 7 to 8 ounces of protein. Most delis use 4.
In-house smoked
No shortcuts from a bag. You can smell the smoker from Vine Street.
Ready in 9 minutes
Average ticket time during the lunch rush across all four shops.
On the board
6 items. Calories are for the sandwich as listed, without sides.
The PorkopolisFan favorite
$13.75Smoked pulled pork, goetta crumble, sharp cheddar, bread-and-butter pickles, Queen City BBQ, brioche.
Big Stack PastramiFan favorite
$14.50Half a pound of peppered pastrami, Swiss, grain mustard, kraut on toasted rye.
Five-Way Melt
$12.25Cincinnati-style chili, shredded cheddar, diced onion, oyster-cracker crunch on griddled sourdough.
Hot Honey Chicken
$12.95Buttermilk fried thigh, chili honey, pickled jalapeno slaw, garlic mayo on a potato bun.
Brisket Dip
$14.25Braised brisket, caramelized onions, provolone, horseradish cream, hoagie, jus for dunking.
Triple Grilled Cheese
$10.50Cheddar, Muenster and pimento cheese on buttered sourdough with tomato soup for dipping.
How we build it
- 1
Smoke and braise
Pork shoulder smokes 12 hours over hickory. Brisket braises 8 hours in stock and onions.
- 2
Slice to order
Meat is sliced when you order, never pre-portioned into steam trays.
- 3
Sear and melt
Edges crisp on the 500-degree flat-top, cheese melts under the dome.
- 4
Toast and stack
Butter-toasted bread, sauce on both sides, pickles last so they stay crunchy.
Add-ons and combos
| Add-on | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Extra meat (4 oz) | Any protein on the Hot Stacks board | +$4.00 |
| Add goetta crumble | Crisped pork and pinhead oats, a Cincinnati classic | +$2.25 |
| Swap to gluten-free bread | Toasted in a separate pan | +$2.00 |
| Make it a combo | Chips or pickle fries and a fountain drink | +$4.25 |
Prices shown are for pickup and dine-in. Third-party delivery apps set their own prices.
Yes. Ask for it packed to reheat and we wrap the sauce and pickles separately so the bread stays crisp. Reheat at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
We cure the brisket with our own spice rub for 10 days, then smoke and steam it in-house. It takes almost two weeks from delivery to slicer.
Medium. The chili honey has a slow build and the slaw cools it down. Ask for honey on the side if you want to control it.