barbecue

Brick’s Smoked Meats – Sarasota, FL

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Name: Brick’s Smoked Meats
Date: 9/16/21
Address: 1528 State St, Sarasota, FL 34236
Order: Two Texas Trios (Double pork, double brisket, ribs, turkey), add two sausage links, double collards, Brussel sprouts, coleslaw), bacon burnt ends, 2 orders wings, fries (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Monk: Long-time readers know that when on our annual guys trip there’s always a good opportunity for two or even hopefully all three Bros to be in the same place. And when that happens, the chance for barbecue-eating is high: we’ve been to The Salt Lick, Boney’s Smokehouse BBQ in Denver, Bitterroot BBQ in Seattle, Martin’s in Nashville, Woodlands Barbeque in Blowing Rock, NC, and last year two spots in Ohio: Ray Ray’s Hog Pit and Rudy’s Smokehouse. As you can tell by the mixed bag of results, we tend to find barbecue places where we travel as opposed to travelling specifically for barbecue.  

Now, with our most recent trip being to Siesta Key, Florida for some deep sea fishing, I didn’t have high hopes for barbecue. But by chance while killing time with friend-of-the-blog Boomsauce at a nearby beer garden waiting for the rest of the crew to fly in, Brick’s Smoked Meats in downtown Sarasota came onto my radar. A little research yielded the fact that despite sitting on the ground level of a parking deck they use “a fire-engine red J&R Oyler Pit smoker that stands almost two stories tall” and that sealed the deal. Next thing you know it, post-airport pickup we’re standing at the door supposedly to a place “where Texas ‘cue meets Florida flair.” We’ll see about that.

Speedy: Brick’s Smoked Meats was on the ground level of the State Street parking garage and had a big dining room and large bar. Our party of seven easily fit at a long table just by the bar, and a server was quickly by to take our order (which was pretty much a little bit of everything). We ordered some beers (including a fave barbecue pairing in Shiner Bock), and we were off and rolling.

As appetizers, the wings and bacon burnt ends came out first. The wings were good, but didn’t get as much smoke on them as I like. We got them tossed in both spicy and sweet barbecue sauce, but I couldn’t tell the difference. So while I’ve had better smoked wings, this was still a pretty good start.

The bacon burnt ends were great. They were melt in your mouth pork belly slathered in a sweet barbecue sauce that perfectly complemented the savory, salty meat. Honestly, we should have saved these for dessert. This is a must order item if you visit Brick’s.

Rudy: Once the main course trays came, I made sure to scout out the different meats and grab a bite of the good stuff before it was taken by others. I always want to make sure to get a piece of the brisket because, for me, it’s the easiest way to determine if a barbecue place knows what they are doing or not. The brisket to me was average at best. It was clear to me that it had been made much earlier and was reheated upon ordering. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t anything memorable either. With all of the other meats to choose from, I would lean away from the brisket. 

I also made sure to try a rib, which was much better. The meat was very tender, had a good flavor, and didn’t need sauce to go with it (but they did offer 3 different sauces at the table in case you wanted to add to the flavor. As far as a side order, I really enjoyed the collard greens. They were cooked with bacon and had plenty of flavor and tasted like greens that I used to get at ‘meat and three’ restaurants in North Carolina. 

Monk: The house sausage on that day was a jalapeno cheddar link so obviously Speedy was out. I assume they were shipped in and not made in house but were a solid meat on that meal, just a notch above the middle of the road pork.Their slaw looked to be a pre-chopped combo of cabbage and carrots and while it was not offensive in taste, it seemed an afterthought. Quick shoutout to the mini cornbread muffins that came with the combo platters.

Speedy: Loyal readers of the blog know that Monk and I have recently changed our tune and favored ordering smoked turkey. I don’t think Rudy’s there yet, but maybe Brick’s turkey would change his tune. The flavor of the turkey slice was good, and I got the smoke taste, but I found it just a touch overcooked and wanted a little more pepper. Not sure it was good enough to convert Rudy, but I’d order it again.

From a sides standpoint, the standout to me was the roasted brussels. I don’t often see these on the menu at ‘cue joints, but they’re just baby cabbages, so they fit a good barbecue meal. The flavor on the brussels was exceptional, and they were roasted to perfection. Again, something I’d highly recommend ordering.

Rudy: I’m going to have to take your word for it because with a menu full of that many good options, there’s no way I’m fitting turkey onto my plate.

We’ve had mixed results in the quality of barbecue on our trips so it’s hard to know what to expect. I was not anticipating getting any barbecue on this trip, so it was quite the pleasant surprise when Monk told us he found this place. Overall, I was impressed with the overall quality of the ‘cue and the depth of their menu. I would not have pegged Sarasota for having the quality that Brick’s had. Was it the best barbecue we’ve ever had? No. But I really liked it and would make sure to return if I was in the area again. And when you combine barbecue with the good company that we had with us, you can’t go wrong. 

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Brisket – 2.5 hogs
Ribs – 3.5 hogs
Turkey – 3 hogs
Bacon Burnt Ends – 4 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Wings – 3 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs

Friday Find: Weathersbeef BBQ Checks out Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ

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Monk: Charlotte-based vlogger Brian Weathersbee reviews Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ in Austin, Texas, where he enjoys their fusion of barbecue and Mexican food and even gets a chance to chat with pitmaster Miguel Vidal.

Description: This experience was 10/10. Valentina’s brisket, ribs, chopped beef and pork was amazing. Then infused with a Mexican flair was even better. Miguel and I got the opportunity to talk for 15/20 minutes, I was honored and will cherish this experience. This won’t be our last visit.

Barbecue Bros Book Club: “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” by Adrian Miller

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Not that we’re anywhere close to being qualified enough to evaluate books but more so as a public service announcement we will periodically discuss barbecue and barbecue-related books.

Monk: Of the barbecue books we’ve covered over the past few years, “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” by James Beard Award-winning author and self-proclaimed “Soul Food Scholar” Adrian Miller may just be the most important of them all. In Miller’s approachable writing style, he looks to correct the decades of whitewashing the Black (and even Native American) contribution to the revered American institution of barbecue in a very detailed and heavily researched fashion.

In the first half of his book, Miller corrects the historical narrative starting with Native Americans who laid the foundations of the process of smoking as well as the apparatus to perform it on. Whereas Native Americans were not widely enslaved, that is unfortunately where the Black contribution begins. Miller traces from the slave origins to the rise of the Black barbecue specialists who sometimes did the work without the credit of white barbecue men all the way to the modern black restaurant entrepreneurs like Henry Perry, the “Barbecue King” of Kansas City, Walter Jones of Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, AR, and Jack Patillo of Beaumont, TX.

While the first half deals with the past, the second half explores the current climate as it relates to where African Americans sit in regards to restaurants, sauces, competitions and also looks ahead to the future of black barbecue. Rodney Scott, former Top Chef contestant Kenny Gilbert, and Ed and Ryan Mitchell are profiled in depth while Miller takes a pulse of barbecue recognition today through the efforts of other historians and writers such as Michael Twitty and Howard Conyers. Ultimately, he ends in a hopeful place.

Speaking of in-depth profiles, a minor complaint is that they oftentimes come mid-chapter (some times even mid-sentence) without warning or color coding. Once I became accustomed to how they were used, I found that I usually just skipped past and then came back after I finished the chapter. They are important and oftentimes covered newly discovered Black barbecue figures (such as Marie Jean of Arkansas or John “Doc” Hamilton of Seattle) but I wish they were utilized a little differently.

Bravo to Adrian Miller on writing a comprehensive history of the Black contribution to American barbecue. “Black Smoke” is a must read for not only those interested in barbecue history but also American history.

Friday Find: “Scott’s Bar-B-Que” on Backroad Bites

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Monk: South Carolina’s PBS affiliate, SCETV, premiered their third season of “Backroad Bites” by featuring Scott’s Bar-B-Que in Hemingway, a true mecca of whole hog barbecue. They chatted with Sam Wilson, brother-in-law of Rosie Scott (Rodney’s father) and current co-owner of the business as of December 2020. See if you can spot the True ‘Cue plaque in the video.

Description: Scott’s Bar-B-Que is located just a stone’s throw from Myrtle Beach, SC. The restaurant was founded in 1972 by Ella and Roosevelt “Rosie” Scott in Hemingway, SC. Pitmaster’s use the downhome technique of slow cooking whole hogs over a wood-burning pit. Scott’s Bar-B-Que has been serving the community with their own brand of love for over 40 years.