grown here. And when Sandi passed 

away in August of 2016, they most 

certainly grieved here. “She was the most 

enthusiastic of all of us when we started 

this journey,” Cheri says of her mother-

in-law. “And we’ll always miss her—but 

we’ll never lose the gift she gave us with 

her beautiful spirit.” Getting down to the 

heart—or the meat—of the matter, Hot 

Spot is the culmination of a process, the 

answer to a prayer. And for the Hlubeks, 

that’s the most powerful flame keeping their 

smokers going. 

March 2017   |   21  

in on the family affair, Jim’s sister Paula 

joined the team not long after they fired up 

the pits, making their foursome an even 

more fantastic five.  

Their time and their patience, along 

with their love for what they do and their 

unashamed and outspoken willingness to 

credit their success to God have been their 

secret sauce—and that’s a difference you 

can taste. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t 

in God’s plan, and sometimes, that’s really 

all we have to go on,” Cheri says. “But 

that’s been enough.” More than enough, 

perhaps, as they’ve been winning awards 

almost since day one, and their booming 

business is far from being a flash in the pan. 

As one can plainly see—and smell—

they’ve mastered the pit, and their big black 

smokers are hard at work earning their 

keep. Hour after hour they toil, turning 

raw cuts of pork and beef into heaven on 

a plate—meats that are fork-tender, juicy, 

and infused with the smoky notes of hickory 

and oak. At Hot Spot, they let the meat 

shine, using only a dry rub rather than 

mopping it with sauce during their time-

intensive process. Saucing comes after the 

meats are pulled or cut, an optional add-on 

to meat that could stand well enough on 

its own—not that their house made sauce 

could be considered an afterthought. Quite 

the contrary, in fact, as bottles of both 

their black pepper laced tomato-based 

concoction and their dry rub spice blend are 

in high enough demand that the restaurant 

actually sells them. Perfect, perhaps, for 

enjoying with whatever leftovers you 

might have to take home—if there are any 

leftovers, that is. 

Serving piles of tender hand-pulled pork, 

beef brisket, full cut pork spareribs, juicy 

sliced chicken breast, and a mild pork and 

beef sausage, Hot Spot is a carnivore’s 

dream come true, every morsel of meat 

cooked to perfection with just the right 

amount of smokiness. And whether you 

pick a plate or decide to double-fist a 

sandwich, each bite is full of the full-bodied 

flavor that comes through patience.

As any Southerner would know, no 

barbecue is complete without a side—or 

four—and Hot Spot has a menu full of side 

dishes so tasty it might be impossible to 

decide on a favorite. If cheese makes you 

melt, you’ll love their Smoked Ham Mac & 

Cheese, an ooey gooey mixture of creamy 

cheese, noodles, and chunks of smoked 

ham that’s worthy of licking the plate clean. 

Packed with pieces of brisket and pork their 

sweetly sauced brown sugar baked beans 

put plain ole’ pork and beans to shame, 

while the balanced fusion of mustard and 

mayo coating each forkful of their potato 

salad really creams the competition. For 

stew lovers, Hot Spot is an answer to 

prayer, full of sausage, brisket, and pork 

stewed together with veggies and spices in a 

tomato-based broth. And while meat holds 

their hearts, they also make a mean salad, 

perfect for pairing up with their smoky 

proteins or well-dressed enough to stand on 

its own two stems.  

All that smokiness just might be begging 

for some sweetness to balance it out, and 

the dessert menu certainly has some sugar 

to share. Easily topping the charts is their 

Lemon Cream Pie, a light and creamy 

lemon confection in a graham cracker 

crumb crust topped with fresh whipped 

cream. Much like everything else they 

serve, no attention to detail is spared here, 

no corners cut in the interest of expediency. 

Each pie on their menu is a homemade slice 

of bliss, lovingly made by 84-year-old Paul, 

Hot Spot’s resident pie man and baker of 

all things in decadent. And if you want a 

cookie for cleaning your plate (or even just 

because), one of their fresh baked cookies 

will really make you crumble, each made 

with lots of love, lots of care…and lots of 

butter.

It has been a feast of faith, though they 

have certainly met their challenges and 

faced loss. They have laughed here and 

Smoked Ham Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

1 lbs. elbow macaroni 

1 1/4 cup mild shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cup canned cheddar cheese sauce

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup whole milk

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1/3 lbs. smoked ham, diced

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. black pepper

*1 cup mild shredded cheddar cheese (for topping)              

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot on high heat, bring water to a boil 
and add macaroni, cooking according to package 
directions until al dente. Drain water from pot 
and add remaining ingredients, stirring together 
until fully mixed. Pour noodle mixture into a large 
casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes at 250-275 
degrees. Remove from oven, stir, and top with an 
additional 1/2- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 
before returning dish to the oven for an additional 
5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted well.

Hot Spot Barbecue is located at 901 East La Rua 

Street, Pensacola, Florida 32501. Open Monday- 

Thursday 11:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m., Friday-Saturdays 

10:30 a.m.- 9:00 p.m. For more information, 

call (850) 497-6060 or Follow them on Facebook 

at www.facebook.com/HotSpotPensacola/. For 

information on events or catering, call Cheri at 

(850) 712-7752.

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