By DCist contributor Celeste Dawn Mitchell

Any time’s a good time for barbecue — it’s one of the few foods I have a perpetual hankerin’ for. And the saving grace in working in the outer reaches of Northeast is my proximity to Hogs on the Hill, home of “DC’s Best Hickory Smoked Pit B-B-Q.”

The venerable “Hogs” is nowhere near the Hill, and the number “3” on the storefront is a holdover from its franchise days. (The Clinton and Hyattsville Hogs aren’t related.) Its barbecue style definitely channels Memphis. The thin, zippy tomato-based sauce comes in mild, (not that) hot, and for the faint of stomach but brave of heart, mixed. It’s well worth the 25-cents splurge for an extra cup.

Before I approached the plexiglass, I pondered life’s big questions: Wings or ribs? Hot or mild? Greens or fries? The Wild Combo proved the most economical way to sample all the flesh on the menu, and as it turned out, most of them wouldn’t have been satisfying on their own. The lean pork ribs were easy to chew, but not bursting with smoky flavor as I thought they should be. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they were actually baked, not smoked, and ceremoniously waved over the pit a few times prior to being served. The twin scoops of chopped beef and chicken were mushy, stringy and bland. Even the sauce they were swimming in couldn’t help them. I can’t see how they would be any better served between bread. And yet, there are sandwich versions of each on the menu.