{"id":56051,"date":"2021-04-01T20:01:14","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T02:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56051"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:32:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T18:32:46","slug":"mighty-mikes-meats-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56051","title":{"rendered":"Mighty Mike’s Meats – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mighty Mike’s Meats for Premium BBQ in Albuquerque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thank you, Mighty Mike! Thank you for restoring our faith in barbecue just one day after my Kim declared “I don’t want to have barbecue for a long time<\/em>.”\u00a0 Readers might find it hard to believe, but we uncovered a barbecue restaurant so bad our one visit risked turning us both off barbecue completely (and no, I won’t be reviewing it because if you can’t say anything nice…).\u00a0 If our lifelong love for barbecue was to be restored, it was really important that our next barbecue experience be absolutely amazing and that it happen quickly (like getting back on the proverbial horse that bucked us off).<\/p>\n

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From Mighty Mike’s Spot at the North Domingo Baca Park, You’ll find Wonderful Panoramic Views of the Sandias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The very next day, I decided to take my Kim to a food truck whose reputation for stellar smoked meats precedes it.\u00a0 Thank you, Mighty Mike for living up to the expectations and hype.\u00a0 Make that thank you for exceeding<\/em> the expectations and hype! I hate to think that because of one horrendous experience, we might have deprived ourselves of barbecue for a long time, that we might not have experienced what may well be the best barbecue we’ve ever had in Albuquerque.\u00a0 Thank you, Mighty Mike.<\/p>\n

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The Perpetually Smiling Face of Mighty Mike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Legendary raconteur and television personality Anthony Bourdain once claimed “only Texans and Jews understand brisket<\/em>.”\u00a0 He obviously didn’t know about New Mexico born-and-bred pit master Michael “Mighty Mike” Mondragon who smokes a brisket so good you’d swear it has its genesis in Austin’s finest smokers, a brisket so tender and moist it will make grown men (and probably not just this one) swoon. Before waxing poetic about that brisket, let me tell you a bit more about Mighty Mike.<\/p>\n

Like so many other barbecue chefs, Mike’s path to mastering the subtleties and nuances of smoke was one of trial, error and lots of hard work coupled with a dogged determination to do it right.\u00a0 During family gatherings and outings with friends, Mike invariably found himself manning the barbecue.\u00a0 Finding that he had a talent for it, he began kicking around the concept of “Mighty Mike’s” years before actually pursuing his dream–all the while toiling for someone else and continuing to build impressive skills in the art and science of low-and-slow.<\/p>\n

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Brisket Sloppy Mike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2018, while working out at the gym doing dead lifts and cardio, Mike had a heart attack. He shrugged it off, thinking it was just the “no pain no gain<\/em>” aspect of his cardio workout. The next day at work, he had another heart attack. When he shared his symptoms with his doctor at the Heart Hospital, Mike was told he was having a major heart attack.\u00a0 The first night at the hospital, his doctor also told him had he not been working out and staying healthy, he would not have survived that heart attack.\u00a0 He advised Mike to slow down.<\/p>\n

In Mike\u2019s head, he translated the doctor\u2019s cautionary \u201cyou need to slow down<\/em>\u201d advice to \u201cI don\u2019t want to die working for someone else<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Always one to march to the beat of his own drum, he told his wife Sarah he wanted to start his own business.\u00a0 That night while she slept, Mike started the Mighty Mike Instagram account (which as of April, 2025 has over 9,500 followers).\u00a0 Mike launched Mighty Mike’s Meats in October, 2018, initially plying his talents out of a tent he would tote to many locations and events which hosted food trucks.<\/p>\n

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Sloppy Mike Spicy Chicken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the day after the Superbowl not quite sixteen months after launching Mighty Mike’s Meats, Mike quit his job.\u00a0 He was tired of taking orders, particularly from an employer who had dissed and dismissed his barbecue as “your little hobby<\/em>.”\u00a0\u00a0 Two months later, he and his son drove 24 hours to pick up the food truck he purchased.\u00a0 No sooner had they returned home than Covid hit.\u00a0 For the next few months, Mike would prepare food and deliver it to the homes of loyal customers he had cultivated.<\/p>\n

In September, 2023, Mike had open heart surgery.\u00a0 We ran into him several months later at the North Domingo Baca Park where he’s been parking his food truck for several months.\u00a0 Mike told me the healing process has been a challenge, but one he’s eagerly risen to.\u00a0 He’s lost some 24 pounds since his surgery.\u00a0 His therapy includes lifting weights, something he “can’t not do<\/em>.”\u00a0 Integral to his healing has been the continued support of loyal patrons.\u00a0 Mike loves his customers.\u00a0 It’s reciprocal.<\/p>\n

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One Pound of Brisket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today you can find Mighty Mike’s Meats at a number of locations.\u00a0 More than just about any purveyor of deliciousness from a motorized conveyance, Mike keeps his loyal and prospective customers apprised (through his very active Instagram<\/strong><\/a> and Facebook<\/strong><\/a> sites)\u00a0 of where he’ll be and what he’ll be serving.\u00a0 It’s one of the reasons–along with the best barbecue in Northern New Mexico–he’s cultivated such a devoted following.\u00a0 A very engaging and genial guy, Mike loves interacting with his customers, many of whom return time and again.\u00a0 In short order, many of those regulars have become friends.We were first in line on a queue that grew exponentially so we didn’t get as much time with Mike as we would have liked.\u00a0 In addition to asking about his barbecue, we couldn’t help but ask about a sticker on his food truck’s glass window which reads “Magni Strength: Inclusion, Empowerment, Growth.”\u00a0 Magni Strength, it turns out is the name of the gym Mike and Sarah own.\u00a0 Magni, he explained means “mighty” and is the name of Thor’s son.\u00a0 Just as Magni is the strongest of the Norse gods, Sarah is a professional strong woman who holds several power lifting records.\u00a0 Mike is very proud that Magni Strength<\/strong><\/a> is a female run and operated gym, a place all women can consider a safe space.<\/p>\n

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Beef Rib as big as Texas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mike wouldn’t share the secret for the deliciousness and moistness of his barbecue, but did confirm that he often sleeps on a chair and babysits the meats as they’re being smoked on local fruit woods.\u00a0 Smoked meats might be the primary draw to Mighty Mike’s, but the menu is replete with foods that complement those meats. He’s not a huge proponent of barbecue sauce, preferring dry rubs which he stresses “build superior flavors.”\u00a0 Recognizing that “fat is flavor,” he doesn’t trim all the fat off the brisket as amateurs are apt to do. \u00a0 He’s also rightfully proud of the potato salad and coleslaw he offers, emphasizing that there is no mayo on any product.\u00a0 His sandwiches are constructed on freshly baked brioche buns.<\/p>\n

Similar to many restaurants, his menu does have some seasonal items.\u00a0 It’s nachos during the summer and fall and Frito pies in winter.\u00a0 In winter, he’ll also introduce New Mexico style red chile brisket with beans and during our inaugural visit, introduced brisket tacos (kicking myself for not trying one or six of them).\u00a0 Mighty Mike’s best seller are the “mighty melts,” (meat, two slices of melted Cheddar, pickles and barbecue sauce in between butter grilled toast.\u00a0 Other sandwich offerings include the “Sangwich” (meat hit with a sexy squirt of sauce topped with mighty slaw and pickles, and “Sloppy Mikes” (meat drenched in nacho cheese then topped with diced jalape\u00f1os and barbecue sauce).\u00a0 Meats, of course, are brisket, pulled pork, pork belly and spicy chicken. Also on the menu are a Mighty Rib Plate and “other mighty stuff.”<\/p>\n

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Mike’s Meaty Tacos with Smoked Turkey, Red Chile Cheese Dip and Crema<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

12 October 2020<\/strong>: When I compared Mike’s brisket to some of the best brisket we’ve experienced in Austin, he recounted his own most recent visit to the city which wants to remain weird in all things but barbecue.\u00a0 He admitted to spending $700 on barbecue in just one day, including purchasing an entire brisket from the James Beard award-winning pantheon of barbecue Franklin Barbecue<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Franklin Barbecue is in rarefied air.\u00a0 So is Mighty Mike’s brisket, so moist, tender and delicious we bought a pound to take home.\u00a0 Most of it didn’t make it there.\u00a0 We would have finished it had I not wiped out an entire Sloppy Mike brisket sandwich<\/strong><\/em>, a barbecue behemoth on brioche.\u00a0 Even under molten nacho cheese, the seductive smokiness of the brisket stood out, its taste reminiscent of Texas but better because it’s in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

12 October 2020<\/strong>: Okay, so Mighty Mike captured me hook, line and sinker, but I’m an easier mark than my Kim who was so traumatized by the previous day’s “barbecue” that our barbecue future may have rested on the Sloppy Mike spicy chicken sandwich.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>I watched with trepidation as she bit into it then soon uttered a sigh of relief when she proclaimed it “absolutely wonderful<\/em>.”\u00a0 Chicken is probably my least favorite smoked meat, but Mike’s rendition is superb.\u00a0 The “spicy” element is more a slight prickle than it is a pronounced sting.\u00a0 The coleslaw is superb–crispy and fresh with nearly equal parts sweet and savory notes.\u00a0 The sauce is subtle and delicious, but not necessary for chicken smoked so masterfully.<\/p>\n

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Cheesy Papitas with Brisket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

15 October 2020<\/strong>:\u00a0 Remember how I touted Mike’s use of social media to keep his loyal customers apprised?\u00a0 That’s how I found out Mike would be featuring for a limited time, a limited quantity of “biggo beef dino ribs<\/em>” at four locations.\u00a0 Now, beef ribs<\/strong><\/em> are about as rare in New Mexico (despite the fact that cows outnumber people<\/strong><\/a>) as red beryl<\/strong><\/a> and they cost nearly as much.\u00a0 In butcher’s lingo, they’re actually known as “beef short ribs,” but these bones are about as short as the rib bone that tipped over Fred Flintstone’s car. The meat on these long “Dino Ribs” was at least one-inch thick and with the bone, tipped the scales at somewhere from one to one and a half pounds on a bone that was about ten-inches long.\u00a0 With Mike babysitting these beauties, the ribs were tender, juicy, and infused with the flavor of wood smoke.\u00a0 My friend Bruce “Sr Plata” Silver who loves beef ribs nearly as much as he loves being retired likened the rich, unctuous beef to prime rib.<\/p>\n

1 April 2021<\/strong>: For as much as New Mexicans like to denigrate the cuisine of the Lone Star State (especially that aberration they call “chili”), we’ve got to give Texans their props for contriving the perfectly peerless pairing of barbecue and tacos. \u00a0Forget Reese’s peanut butter cups, barbecue and tacos are the superior “great tastes that taste great together.” \u00a0 No one in Texas would call this magical marriage “fusion” which implies a combination of elements from different culinary traditions. \u00a0Texans believe–and rightfully so–that barbecue and Tex-Mex traditions (including tacos) evolved together over the course of the state’s sacrosanct history.<\/p>\n

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Mike’s BBQ Burrito with Pork Belly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New Mexicans (we’re a proud bunch) who’ve enjoyed Mighty Mike’s meaty tacos<\/strong><\/em> will argue his tacos have one-upped their Texas counterparts thanks to the addition of specific New Mexican elements. \u00a0You choose the meat–pulled pork, jalape\u00f1o sausage, brisket, sweet spicy pork belly or smoked turkey–and Mike’s crew will overfill three pliable corn taco shells with that meat. \u00a0Nothing else! \u00a0No shredded cheese, lettuce, chopped tomatoes. \u00a0Nada. \u00a0Instead, the tacos are served with a side of red chile cheese dip and a smaller side of crema. \u00a0Pour the red chile cheese dip over the tacos and the melding of sumptuously smoked meats with a fiery New Mexican heat may trigger an snappy salute. \u00a0This is tacos self-actualized, tacos all they can be, tacos which don’t need sauce. \u00a0Forget the Alamo, you’ll remember these tacos. \u00a0Our introduction was in the form of smoked turkey, a delicate, lightly smoked meat that really goes well with the red chile cheese dip.<\/p>\n

1 April 2021<\/strong>: \u00a0That red chile cheese sauce is just one of the elements which makes Mike’s Cheesy BBQ Papa Bowls<\/strong><\/em> (a boatful of papas, red chile cheese sauce, jalape\u00f1os, crema and barbecue sauce) so good. \u00a0Well, that and the fact that you can have a bowl constructed with the protein of your choice. \u00a0Brisket was my choice and you know just how much I think of Mike’s brisket. \u00a0My esteem is pretty high for the papitas, too,–cubes of sweet fried potatoes with a crispy exterior giving way to a delicious, fluffy interior. \u00a0These papitas are the equal of Sadie’s<\/strong><\/a>. \u00a0You might think that a trio of sauces–red chile cheese sauce, crema and barbecue sauce–might be too much, but they’re in perfectly balanced proportion that you can taste each individually as well as marvel at how well they all work together. \u00a0The papitas bowls are truly an amalgam of great flavors that work well together.<\/p>\n

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Esquites With Pulled Pork<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1 April 2021<\/strong>: It stands to reason that if corn tortillas would make a great vehicle for smoked meats, so would a flour tortilla. \u00a0Ergo, Mike’s BBQ Burritos<\/strong><\/em> (a hand-held burrito stuffed “thicc” with your choice of meat, papitas, green chile, brisket cheese sauce and a little drizzle of BBQ sauce. \u00a0Construction isn’t finished. \u00a0You also get your choice of meat and can even have your burrito “sloppy” (smothered). \u00a0While my choice would have been to the detriment of whatever I was wearing, my dainty bride chose the neater of two options. \u00a0Her meat of choice was the sweet spicy pork belly which was more meaty than some pork belly tends to be. \u00a0As with any meat Mike smokes, it was kissed by just the right amount of smoke and wasn’t overpowered by the other ingredients and sauces.<\/p>\n

26 April 2024<\/strong>: As if Mighty Mike didn’t already have many meaty reasons for me to like him, his menu actually labels “esquites” correctly (yes, I’m a language snob in Spanish, too…despite my many malapropisms on this blog).\u00a0 What far too many restaurants and food trucks call “elotes<\/em>” are actually “esquites<\/em>.” \u00a0 Elotes are corn-on-the-cob slathered in all things magical \u2013 mayo or crema, cheese, chile or tajin, and lime.\u00a0 Esquites? Think elote but off the cob.\u00a0 Esquites<\/strong><\/em> are served in a cup making them easier to eat while you\u2019re on the move.\u00a0 Mighty Mike goes one further by serving esquites with your choice of protein.<\/p>\n

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Quesadillas with Brisket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My Kim, who dislikes most vegetables as much as most people dislike slithering creatures, has always had an affinity for corn (save for creamed corn).\u00a0 She was thrilled to see esquites on Mighty Mike’s menu.\u00a0 Mike serves them with crema, queso and tajin (dried and ground red chilies (usually a combination of chiles de arbol, guajillo and pasillo), sea salt and dehydrated lime juice).\u00a0 Tajin combines the tastes of salt, sweet, sour and heat for a knockout punch-like effect that really enlivens vegetables or fruit.\u00a0 It works wonders on esquites.\u00a0 Mighty Mike’s esquites are not only grammatically correct, they’re terrific.<\/p>\n

26 April 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 The literal translation of quesadilla, a Spanish word,\u00a0 is \u201ccheesy little thing<\/em>.\u201d That makes complete sense in that quesadillas are made with cheese, right?\u00a0 In most of Mexico, quesadillas\u00a0 cheese, is an integral ingredient, however, in\u00a0 Mexico City,\u00a0 you ask for cheese.\u00a0 What?\u00a0 How can a quesadilla possibly be made without cheese?\u00a0 Thank you, Mike for a mighty fine quesadilla<\/strong><\/em> made the right way.\u00a0 The traditional way.\u00a0 Aside from cheese, you can have your choice of protein.\u00a0 Make it brisket and you’ll thank Mike.\u00a0 You’ll especially thank him if he’s also got green chile for that quesadilla.<\/p>\n

Thank you Mighty Mike’s Meats for restoring our faith in barbecue and serving Austin quality barbecue we don’t have to drive 800 miles to enjoy.<\/p>\n

Mighty Mike’s Meats<\/strong>
\nLocation Varies
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 492-3310
\nFacebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 1 April 2021
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 26 April 2024
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 4
\nRATING<\/strong>: Very Good<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Good to very good food; generally solid; delivers consistent quality, strong technique, and a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Sloppy Mike Brisket Sandwich, Sloppy Mike Spicy Chicken Sandwich, One-Pound Brisket, Topo Chico Lime, Beef Ribs, Mike’s BBQ Burrito with Pork Belly, Mike’s Meaty Tacos with Smoked Turkey, Cheesy Papitas with Brisket, Esquites With Pulled Pork, Brisket Quesadilla
\nREVIEW #1185<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thank you, Mighty Mike! Thank you for restoring our faith in barbecue just one day after my Kim declared “I don’t want to have barbecue for a long time.”\u00a0 Readers might find it hard to believe, but we uncovered a barbecue restaurant so bad our one visit risked turning us both off barbecue completely (and no, I won’t be reviewing it because if you can’t say anything nice…).\u00a0 If our lifelong love for barbecue was to be restored, it was really important that our next barbecue experience be absolutely amazing and that it happen quickly (like getting back on the proverbial horse that bucked us off). The very next day, I decided to take my Kim to a food truck…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,8,731,141,5631],"tags":[895,819,892,822,896,758,897,2046,893,894,3932,3933,857],"class_list":["post-56051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-barbecue","category-food-truck","category-new-mexico","category-very-good","tag-austin-quality-barbecue","tag-barbecue","tag-beef-ribs","tag-brisket","tag-burritos","tag-esquites","tag-papa-bowls","tag-quesadilla","tag-red-chile-cheese-sauce","tag-ribs","tag-sloppy-mike","tag-spicy-chicken-sandwich","tag-tacos"],"yoast_head":"\nMighty Mike's Meats - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56051\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mighty Mike's Meats - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thank you, Mighty Mike! 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