Eater gets Hometown to assemble a platter of all of their meats. Hate that I didn’t get a chance to check it out during my week in NYC last October but its first on my list next time I return.
We can’t get enough of the expertly smoked meats and delicious sides at Red Hook, Brooklyn’s Hometown Bar-B-Que, so we asked them to build us a plate of all their favorites. Watch for a taste of the menu, and get inspired for your next visit.
–Monk
– Yahoo Travel goes on the hunt for barbecue in South Carolina
– The Infatuation’s list of best barbecue in New York
– The latest reviews from Marie, Let’s Eat!: Barbecue Kitchen, Mickey Pigg’s BBQ, and Tomlin’s BBQ
– Stubb’s Bottled Barbecue Sauce is suing Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
– TMBBQ explores the many briskets of Texas
– Attention Rudy: Eater’s got a map of where to get the best pulled pork in Austin
Where to find the finest pulled pork in Austin https://t.co/aBQqZg6qT7
— Eater Austin (@EaterAustin) November 21, 2015
– Grayson Currin of The Independent says that Calvin Trillin’s recent New Yorker piece missed out on the best eastern NC “barbecue” in the form of soy recreated to mimic the dish; I can’t say that I disagree with Calvin Trillin not trying it out while in NC
In fact, to my mind, he missed some of the best barbecue in the state, even if it’s not barbecue at all: soy, smoked low and slow, pulled apart by hand and drenched with a vinegar-based sauce. It is a regional delicacy, reinvented for reasons beyond upscale dining.
Name: Brother Jimmy’s BBQ
Date: 10/4/15
Address: 1485 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10075
Order: All you can eat ribs and Coors Light (link)
Price: $23.95
Being that Speedy, Mrs. Monk, and I are Panthers season ticket holders, I suggested that we find the quote-unquote Panthers bar in New York while we were there and watch the game after coming across an article about NFL team bars in New York. It was only a coincidence that it turned out to be a barbecue restaurant in Brother Jimmy’s BBQ.
Now when I say that Brother Jimmy’s is a quote-unquote Panthers bar, I should now clarify after having been that its a sports bar that will put on the Panthers game if you ask (as well as just about any other NFL game). It doesn’t turn into a true Panthers bar unless there is a playoff game, according to the bartender we spoke with while we waited for the rest of our party to join. Still, he was nice enough to give us a shot when he learned we were with the groom-to-be Boomsauce so thats worth an extra hog when it comes to atmosphere.
Our focus was truly on the game and drinking the pitchers of all you can drink Coors Light so there won’t be much to this review. I certainly didn’t take any photos – the one above was from Mrs Monk and I might have some complaint about the geography. From what I recall, the ribs were decently smokey and average. I didn’t take too much advantage of the all you can eat ribs special and ended up only having one half rack (again, focusing on the beer). Normally I’d let Speedy jump in here with his thoughts but he is abstaining from this review since something he had that day didn’t agree with him and he became sick that night.
For a good value and a decent atmosphere (provided you get there early enough to get a table and request your game), Brother Jimmy’s BBQ isn’t a bad spot for North Carolinians in NYC.
–Monk
Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
RIbs – 2.5 hogs
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs
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
