Chesters in Groton is controversial as a BBQ place.
Some people swear by it, thinking its wonderful.
Other people seem to think its trash.
I’m going to go down the middle.
As a BBQ place, it’s meh.
As we’ll see, the sides range from not good to good.
The most famous meat is not bad at best.
But as a sausage house, with their hot links?
Damn.
Let’s review.
Burnt Ends
The ‘famous’ meat from Chesters.
The bark is decent but severely under salted.
The meat is tough and stringy.
The flavor is good but there is a hint of a slight chemical taste.
Maybe the sauces will help?
There are two, one a thick molasses syrupy sauce that comes on the burnt ends to begin.
A second sauce is much sweeter. More tomato and a slight tart our sour flavor.
Both are pretty solid, and the sweeter one on the burnt ends helps.
Overall, the burnt ends are good but not great.
The Rating: Burnt Ends
6.5/10
Mac and Cheese
Boxed Kraft, at best.
This just tastes like butter and nothing else.
The Rating: Mac and Cheese
5/10
Chili
But if you thought all their sides would be trash, you’d be wrong.
The chili has nice chunks and strips of brisket in it.
The beans are mushy but the brisket inside is cooked wonderfully.
There is a nice tomato flavor to it.
The spices are somewhat quiet.
Overall, it’s very nice.
The Rating: Chili
7.5/10
Hot Links
So by this point, if this is what you’ve eaten at Chesters, you’d think it was not bad at best.
Hit or Miss.
But then you’d have to get the true hit.
The Hot Links.
“Damn” is the first thing that comes out of your mouth.
These are good.
They are also quite spicy, with a heavy cayenne flavor.
The outside of the sausage snaps beautifully, while the inside is soft and perfect.
The heat on these lingers afterwards.
Overall, damn good.
The Rating: Hot Links
8.5/10
The Recommendation
Pretend this place isn’t a BBQ restaurant.
Pretend it’s a sausage hut.
Get the Hot Links, maybe a side of chili. Try a more complicated side.
Address: 943 Poquonnock Rd, Groton, CT 06340
Hours: Open Everyday 11AM–8PM