Chaps Pit Beef   

5801 Pulaski Hwy
Baltimore, MD 21205
410-483-2379

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The sign on the wall says "No Sniveling," as if you needed a sign to tell you this is a no-nonsense kind of place. In the parking lot of a strip club on Pulaski Highway, this cinderblock shack is easy to spot from the road by the smoke rising from its metal chimney. An outdoor seating area with a small patch of grass, umbrella-topped tables and an iron fence separating you from the traffic whizzing by is the most pleasant spot to sample the fare -- if you don't mind exhaust fumes with your pit beef. Inside, it's all business, one window for ordering and one for pick up, plus a few tables. At lunchtime on weekdays a line stretches the length of the place. The paper-thin slices of hardwood-smoked beef piled high on a bun draw people here despite the location. Cooked all day long and well into the night, the tender beef comes to your specifications. Other pit meats such as ham and turkey can be mixed with the beef on the combo sandwiches, and Mexican-style meats come with jalapenos and cheese. Besides sandwiches, there are home-style sides, including green beans, French fries with gravy and macaroni salad, as well as platters of open-faced sandwiches topped with gravy. -- Laureen Miles Brunelli