Brooklyn

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que – Brooklyn, NY

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Name: Dinosaur BBQ
Date: 10/9/15
Address: 604 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Order: Pork and brisket combo platter, Ribs and sausage combo platter (link to menu)
Price: ~$40 for Boomsauce, Free for the Barbecue Bros!

Speedy: When you have two Barbecue Bros in your wedding party, it’s required that the dinner the night before the wedding is at a barbecue joint. Seriously – it’s in the contract.

Dinosaur BBQ is a joint that I’ve heard about for several years now. Basically when anyone I meet who has lived in New York City at any point in their life hears that I enjoy barbecue, they say “dude – you’ve got to check out Dinosaur BBQ.” The fact that this was my first trip shows how seriously I took that advice, but now, here I am.

Monk: On a Friday night in Brooklyn, Dinosaur was packed. And you could tell they were interested in keeping folks moving in and out. As soon as our table finished up and checks were paid for, we started to get stares from the wait staff and bus boys as a means to get us to leave. Not the friendliest thing in the world but whatever, on to the barbecue. 

Speedy: The first thing I dug into, as usual, was the pork. And it was actually pretty good! It was tender, pulled well, and had just a bit of smoke flavor. In Lexington, this pork would be average, but average Lexington pork is very good. So for New York, this was quite good.

Monk: The brisket was thinly sliced, pre-sauced, and generally was not up to snuff.  

Speedy: Monk is being kind. The brisket was terrible. I should note that it’s very clear that we got the flat side of the brisket and it was super dry. Meat from the point may have been better, but I’ll never know, as I’d never order it again.

Monk: Speedy and I did later find out that the folks at the other table of our party who ordered family style got the point and it was apparently much better than we got. Lame. Would have been nice to be asked if we wanted fatty or moist, but as such we weren’t given the option.

Speedy: The ribs were my favorite part of the meal. They were St. Louis cut and lightly glazed. They were cooked well, allowing for a nice, clean bite. There was good flavor, with a nice rub, and the meat was the star, as it should be. I have no complaints about the ribs.

Monk: I don’t recall much about the sausage other than enjoying it, but my memory could be foggy from spending 9 days in New York eating and drinking my way through the city. As for the sides, as with many dishes I had that week, it was very heavy handed with the salt. Other than the salt, not much stood out.

Speedy: Overall, this meal was better than I expected. I think as long as you stay away from the brisket, you’ll be getting a solid, if not spectacular meal from Dinosaur BBQ.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 1 hog
Pork – 3.5 hogs
Brisket – 1.5 hogs
Ribs – 4 hogs
Sausage – 3 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hog
Overall – 3.5 hogs
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

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Arrogant Swine – Brooklyn, NY

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Name: Arrogant Swine
Date: 10/6/15
Address: 173 Morgan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Order: 1 lb East Carolina whole hog, 1 lb Western NC outside brown shoulder, 1 lb spare ribs, Tikka Masala Sausage, Greensboro Pitmaster Chicken Wings, red vinegar slaw, collards, mac and cheese (link)
Price: ~$120

Monk: Having followed for the past year Tyson Ho’s excellent blog series on Serious Eats on the opening of his barbecue restaurant in Brooklyn, Arrogant Swine was my number one priority while we were in New York for 9 days in early October. That plus the fact that he was doing eastern NC whole hog in the middle of Brooklyn and that his joint was also advertised as a beer hall made it an easy choice.

Speedy: And what a fantastic atmosphere it had! Contrary to every other place in NY, the restaurant was spacious and comfortable, and had a large outdoor seating area. We started our meal at the bar (Monk and crew had some beers and smoked wings while I dealt with a closed subway line) before ordering. A great beer (and whiskey) selection was a big help in allowing the group to wait for me. Anyhow, once I arrived, we put in our order.

Monk: As a nod to cracklins, or crispy hog skin chopped into whole hog, Arrogant Swine serves their chopped pork with a layer of pork rinds. Which is a little bit of a curious choice if you ask me and it took me a minute to realize the pork was underneath it. Once I waded through the pork rinds, I found the vinegary chopped pork to be a decent version of NC whole hog but not quite as good as I had hoped or expected.

Speedy: The western style outside brown was also a little different than you’d find in NC. It came chopped, though I’d consider it more cubed. The pork almost looked more like burnt ends. The flavor was pretty OK, but the cubes made it seem a bit less tender than typical. Overall, I think this really missed the mark. Sorry, Tyson.

Monk: The tikka misala sausage was made in house and was definitely one of the favorites of our group, though there isn’t much of a link to NC either in the sausage or the fact that its Indian spiced.

Speedy: The spare rib was big, meaty, and smoked well. They weren’t over cooked, so you could get a good bit, and the seasoning and sauce was a good compliment to, but did not overpower, the meat. Overall, I think this was better than the pork, which is odd for an NC ‘cue joint. If I were to return, I’d focus on the sausage and the ribs.

Monk: The Greensboro Pit Master wings are a nod to the Vietnamese pitmasters who do much of the smoking in the Piedmont joints that still smoke over wood – notably Stamey’s in Greensboro. While a nice tip of the hat, the sticky and sweet sauce on the wings isn’t really reminiscent of anything related to NC barbecue traditions. In any case, a nice idea and decently executed wing.

Speedy: I thought they were well smoked, but I didn’t love the sauce – a little sweet on my end. In terms of sides, I think I only had the slaw, which I enjoyed, even though there were raisins in there for some reason, which I can’t figure out.

Monk: Oh yeah! Even after we got an explanation from Tyson that just chopped cabbage and carrots in vinegar wouldn’t cut it in NYC, raisins still didn’t make sense to me. Another curious choice. Shout out to the waffle mac and cheese served with a side of queso, though.

Speedy: While eating, we did chat with Tyson a good bit and he was very cool. We talked about some of the differences between his joint and what we typically see in NC, and he was very aware of that. As he put it, he wanted to take the unique pieces on NC ‘cue and amplify them, which I think he did. While doing that, I think it lost some of the things I love about NC ‘cue, but it’s still better than most of the “barbecue” I’ve eaten in the city.

Monk: As an experience, Arrogant Swine was definitely worth trekking it out to Bushwick and I only wish we had been able to go a little earlier to hang on the outdoor patio and drink more of their great selection of beers. As a barbecue restaurant, Arrogant Swine was a little more of a mixed bag with some items more successful than others. In any case, I would definitely go back to Arrogant Swine again and will continue to follow its development, since  a joint that cooks whole hog over wood (particularly in NYC) is a rarity these days.

Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Pork (eastern) – 3 hogs
Pork (western) – 2 hogs
RIbs – 3.5 hogs
Sausage – 3.5 hogs
Wings – 2.5 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
Arrogant Swine Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
Arrogant Swine

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Linkdown: 6/10/15

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– The latest barbecue list, this time from Southern Living and its barbecue editor Robert Moss

– Robert Moss provides some backstory to the feature

– Moss also talks to the Wilmington Star-News about both types of NC slaw (with recipes, too)

– Moss has been a busy guy, apparently; here’s his article An Illustrated History of Barbecue which is presumably a shortened, illustrated version of his book we just reviewed

– And coverage of the list: Carolinas do OK, Three Triad Joints Make the List, Southern Mag Snubs Houston,

– Munchies: Why is Brooklyn Barbecue Taking Over the World?

…Brooklyn pitmasters tend to be less traditional than their counterparts in the South. They don’t really follow any single barbecue philosophy and aren’t so focused on beef brisket, like most of Texas tends to be. They may include items like house-cured pastrami or pork ribs or burnt ends. Most use heritage animals—free-range and hormone free—from small family farms within the region.

But now it’s spreading, very quickly and without warning, to every fucking corner of the world. The barbecue being assimilated in places like Colombia, Spain, Panama, Sweden, England, and Japan (and even other parts of the US) is not the killer ‘cue from fabled Texas BBQ cities like Lockhart or Austin. Or even the pork-centric versions with sauce in the southeast. It’s an adapted form of Southern barbecue from Brooklyn. And it all looks like it came straight out of Williamsburg.

– Franklin Barbecue clarifies its policy that line waiters cannot save spots for groups of people

– I didn’t catch wind of this event so missed it from mid May, but making a note for next year: barbecue camp at NC State

– This NPR Food article on famed pitmasters resting, or “holding”, smoked meats for hours before serving also includes tips for the home smoker

– Queen City Q won the Taster’s Choice Award for dinner entrée at this past weekend’s Taste of Charlotte

Linkdown: 3/11/15

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– The history of naner pudding, the perfect dessert for barbecue

– The latest entry in Arrogant Swine’s fantastic How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn series why restaurants never open on time due to contractors, gas companies, and silly bureaucracy

– In anticipation of this week’s ACC Tournament which started last night (weird), here’s Syracuse.com’s guide to the best eats in the ACC that includes Greensboro (site of this and many many other ACC Tournaments):

Stamey’s (two locations, including 2206 High Point Road, Greensboro, 336-299-9888, @stameysbarbecue)

Especially recommended. Just an old-fashioned southern BBQ establishment, this Stamey’s location is right across the street from the coliseum. It’s packed during the ACC tournament — as well as around lunch on most days. The chopped pork barbecue sandwich (with the slaw on top, naturally) and hush puppies is a great choice, as is the barbecue chicken. Word to the wise: If you want to have dinner there Wednesday or Thursday, leave with four minutes left in the second game of the afternoon session. Otherwise, you’ll wait for a while.

– A profile on TMBBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn by Lucky Peach magazine; plus his 3 favorite “fusion-y” places in Texas

– Lucky Peach also spends a day with Aaron Franklin

– Re: Arrogant Swine: Is the Best Brunch in Bushwick Built on Carolina ‘Cue?

– Robert Moss has a short recap of the Cross Culture BBQ event at last weekend’s Charleston Wine + Food Festival

– SXSW Barbecue:

– An appreciation of Alabama barbecue, by Daniel Vaughn of TMBBQ

– Menswear blog Red Clay Soul has started their own Georgia barbecue bracket

Today we are kicking off the 1st Annual Georgia BBQ Bracket Challenge with our friends at Peach State Pride.  This should be a GREAT event, and will last until Masters Sunday.  That’s right…five weeks.  We have picked 64 BBQ spots in Georgia (a much tougher task than you’d think), and built a bracket.  There are four regions – named after BBQ sauce flavors: Hot, Mild, Sweet, and Vinegar.  16 spots per region.  We’ll spend one week per region, and the final four will fight it out during Masters week.

– Details on the next NC BBQ Association class