Best Damn Sandwich: The Fort and Bear’s Barbecue

Date: 9/25/2019

WEST SPRINGFIELD – For this installment of best Damn Sandwich, the Reminder Publishing editorial staff scoured the Big E for sandwiches of note – not the easiest of tasks.

The reason? The Big E is know for its amazing array of food and drink choices and a sandwich seems a little too commonplace to compete with barbeque turkey legs, a bevy of deep fate fried items as well as a slew of items served on sticks.

Again we stuck to our definition of a sandwich – filling between two slices of bread – which ruled out grinders, lobster rolls and hot dogs, among others.

I know that my selection stretches the boundaries of that definition, but hey it’s the Big E.

For another year, the folks at the Student Prince have offered the “Messy Magnus,” a pulled pork sandwich that is made not with bread, but with a slice of warm apple fritter sourced from the bakery at Atkins Farms.

The result is a combination of flavors that go quite well together. The pulled pork was not overly spiced and had just enough BBQ sauce. The fritter was top-notch.

The apple and brown sugar in the fritter provided a nice contrast to the savory pork. The “sandwich” is not to be eaten by holding it in your hands – a fork would be recommended.

I have to say that as I was eating it, I thought, “I could do this at home.” That’s the sign the sandwich was a success when you wish to have it again.

G. Michael Dobbs

Bear’s Barbecue is a Connecticut favorite, and located between the Connecticut building and the Vermont building, it should be your go-to spot at The Big E, as well.

The Bear Necessit-E is a sandwich in name only. There is no possible way to eat it successfully with your hands. Bring a fork and your appetite.

Basically, the sandwich is a barbecue meal of burnt ends, macaroni and cheese and cole slaw piled high on a roll – it’s essentially their Mac Attack menu item on bread – and it’s delicious.

Famous for its barbecue, the burnt ends were unsurprisingly flavorful and tender. The macaroni oozed creamy molten cheese that soaked into the bottom bun, which made it impossible to pick up, but made for a nice side for those who like to dip anyway. The cole slaw was crisp and added some nice sweetness as well as a changeup in texture. Without it, the mix of meat, pasta, liquid cheese and bread sopping in said liquid cheese probably would have been less pleasurable from a mouthfeel perspective and taken away from the overall great taste.

Bottom line – this isn’t a sandwich you can take and eat while wandering through the Farm-O-Rama building. You have to sit down and make a commitment, but it’s certainly not one you’ll regret. Order this bad boy, sit down and enjoy it with a drink from the beer garden behind the Connecticut building. By the way, the Connecticut building also has one of the best beer selections at the fair.

Chris Maza