Blue Smoke

[Wilfrid]

Very interesting, but I have a question which may appear stupid, although I don't think it is. In my limited experience of barbecue, I have not found huge variations in quality. It's usually okay - very rarely great and very rarely disgusting. So my question: how does Blue Smoke compare with Virgil's? I don't mean in terms of service, luxury, novelty foie gras dishes - but rib against rib. I haven't yet heard anything about Blue Smoke which makes me think I'll get distinctly the best barbecue in the city there - although I presume I would probably have a pleasant meal.

[yvonne johnson]

I've not been to Virgils, and I'm not sure what kind of preparation they serve. But I think it's worth quoting Fat Bloke again:

"In terms of the style of the ribs, Blue Smoke is making something completely different from what you'd get at Dallas BBQ or the typical Harlem soul food place where the ribs are not barbecued at all (if it says BBQ on the menu it's a figure of speech and not a reference to actual wood smoking); at that species of restaurant they are typically oven baked in a sweet sauce. Many people, when experiencing the less moist, minimal-sauce, wood-smoked barbecue styles find them dry and unappealing by comparison to the sweet, sticky, falling-off-the-bone baked ribs they're used to. However, I think if one takes the time to acquire the taste and look for depth of flavor as opposed to the one-dimensional fat-sugar punch of baked ribs, the payoff is great."

As for me, I tend--at the moment, things may change--to prefer the wet ribs at The Hog Pit (New York) and Sticky Fingers (Charleston). Blue Smoke's ribs are completely different.

Another observation that consort made was that the ribs at BS were neatly trimmed. Not much fat at all, so there wasn't that gelatinous texture to the ribs.

So, I guess I'm saying you won't get the best barbecue in the city at BS if your preference is for wet ribs. But who knows, BS may be producing the best smoked ribs in the city.

[Wilfrid]

Okay, I think I'm learning. The drier type of ribs must be what I enjoyed in DC, and described here: "I was impressed, however, by the offerings of Texas Ted (who acccording to his van came from PA), who was BBQ-ing over hickory. His ribs had taken on a very distinctive flavor, color and texture from the hickory smoke - they were practically kippered, as a Brit might say." I now can't remember if Virgil's serves anything in that style - they certainly serve the wet style.

[Damian]

I did indeed make it to Blue Smoke and it thoroughly satisfied my barbecue cravings. Ribs were really good - and you just can't beat Anchor Liberty as an accompaniment! That frybread was good as promised, but skip the fries. Next time I might try onion rings or something. I'll be going back- best 'cue in the city or no, good enough to satisfy the urge.

[yvonne johnson]

but skip the fries.  

What didn't you like about the fries?

[Damian]

Nothing offensive or terrible about them, they were just kind of there. A bit limp, not crisp the way I like 'em. Flavor was nondescript. Just your typical less than average fries, I suppose. I'd rather waste the calories on something else.

[Felonius]

I am from the South, and like most true Southerners, consider myself a natural-born expert on BBQ. So, I will have to visit Blue Smoke to satisfy my curiosity, and will no doubt come away dissatisfied and complaining about it. I have yet to have truly satisfying and authentic BBQ (by that I mean either pork ribs or pulled pork - other animals need not apply) at a restaurant outside the South, with perhaps a few exceptions in the Midwest. I am a fan of dry ribs, so I am now doubly curious to try Blue Smoke. So, if you're sitting in Blue Smoke one night and see a man in his 30's hit by a lightning bolt - that was me struck down by grandaddy when St. Peter told him his grandson just spent $50 on BBQ! And I thought I'd seen it all when I bought a $14 Heineken at the Peninsula Hotel.......

[jbraynolds]

I hope that this doesn't sound like a spammy sales pitch...No association, personal or professional with any of the parties involved but I read about a Super Bowl event (February 1st) at Blue Smoke that's sponsored heavily by Gourmet magazine and it sounds like a great deal if you like their bbq and, especially, like to drink. $75 gets you in and there are supposed to be the usual demos and talks that come with this type of event (Food Networkers, etc.) which is a big yawn, to me. There is a beer/wine/spirits tasting that ought to be good if, like many of those things, a bit slow. Still probably worthwhile. The good part is that ticket price gets you all you can eat and drink for the duration of the event. They say they're having big-screen tv all over the place so I guess that means the food and drink will flow from 4:30 until the game ends. I don't watch pro footbal or even the Super Bowl so don't know for sure but I think that this game/event/media circus runs for over 4 hours? I know that I won't have much trouble knocking back over $75 worth of bbq, beer, wine and cocktails in that time. Hell, I spent almost that much on a couple of bbq selections, a pair of sides, a beer and a glass of wine the one time I went there! Given Danny Meyer's connections I'm sure that the quality level of the beverages will be high. As for the quality of the bbq, at least Kenny Callaghan will be present and trying to show off so this would be a good chance to see Blue Smoke at the top of whatever game they might have.

[R Washburn]

Is it on again for this year? I went last year and it was great. If you can claim some sort of press affiliation, you get in FREE, which is an even better deal than the $75.

[Felonius]

I finally got to try an order of "Memphis" ribs at Blue Smoke last night. They were OK, but certainly nothing to write home about. A bit overcooked and not particularly flavorful. They did appear to have been smoked in the proper manner, which I haven't found elsewhere in NYC. Daisy May's ribs are apparently prepared in a proper pit, but their results lead me to believe their trying to smoke them too quickly.

The beans at Blue Smoke were OK, and the pork used in this dish actually had a bit more flavor than the ribs. (Maybe I should have tried the pulled pork sandwich?)

The prices seem fair by NYC standards - I paid $14.00 for a half-slab.

Overall, I'd say it's a great effort by NYC standards, but a maybe a "C+" in the larger world of BBQ ribs.

[mjc]

(Maybe I should have tried the pulled pork sandwich?)

you should try the pulled pork, its really good-very smoky and moist. I think its the best that i've had.

[Suzanne F]

I don't know about that; the only time I had the pulled pork it was very, very mushy, as though it had been fed through a grinder. And that really diluted the flavor. But that was months ago, so maybe it's better now.

[Allura]

Not sure if there's a newer Blue Smoke thread, but...friends of ours just went there Friday night for the first time, and the one thing she was raving about was their mac & cheese. She said she's actually thinking of writing to Bon Appetit's "Can you get the recipe for me?" department. I told her I'd ask here if anyone had any ideas what made it so good. She said she thought they might have actually smoked it.

[piperdown]

Not sure if there's a newer Blue Smoke thread, but...friends of ours just went there Friday night for the first time, and the one thing she was raving about was their mac & cheese. She said she's actually thinking of writing to Bon Appetit's "Can you get the recipe for me?" department. I told her I'd ask here if anyone had any ideas what made it so good. She said she thought they might have actually smoked it.

←

It's possible that they use a smoked cheese.

[nypork]

Not sure if there's a newer Blue Smoke thread, but...friends of ours just went there Friday night for the first time, and the one thing she was raving about was their mac & cheese. She said she's actually thinking of writing to Bon Appetit's "Can you get the recipe for me?" department. I told her I'd ask here if anyone had any ideas what made it so good. She said she thought they might have actually smoked it.

←

It's possible that they use a smoked cheese.

←

I worked there for a bit right after they opened, back then we just made a cheese sauce and tossed the pasta to order and finished off in a broiler to give it a nice browning-no smoking involved. But who knows these days.

[Fat Guy]

A few weeks ago I was invited to a dinner event at Blue Smoke: a "Beer-B-Que." It was a six-course meal, and each course was paired with a different beer from Brooklyn Brewery. Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery and one of the leading beer authorities in the world, was on hand to speak about the beers, the pairings and just about anything else.

I lucked into the seat directly opposite Oliver, and the two other people in our quadrangle were beer neophytes, so I got to listen in on some great beer pedagogy. One thing I keep chuckling about now whenever I see a Champagne bottle is that, according to Oliver, what we think of as a Champagne bottle was actually a beer bottle first and was repurposed for sparkling wine later on. He pointed this out when one of the evening's beers was served in that type of bottle and a guy said, "That's a Champagne bottle!" And you should have seen the look on Oliver's face when a guy said his favorite beer was Stella Artois. I also found out that Oliver and I went to the same high school, though he's a few years older than I am.

Anyway, it was a terrific meal. I think everybody there had a lot of fun. It was downstairs at the Jazz Standard and there was a guitar-piano duo playing the entire time. The guitar guy was amazing.

Here's what we had at the "Blue Smoke Beer-B-Que!" on Monday 12 November 2007.

Maryland oyster fritter with chipotle remoulade. This was the one dish of the evening that I thought was kind of a failure. For one thing, the nature of the beast -- serving this plated to a room full of people -- meant that it wasn't hot. For another thing, the breading ratio was too high so you could barely taste the oyster. And for still another thing, there was only one of them! (Old Woody Allen joke; references available upon request.)

The oyster was paired with Brooklyn Pilsner. Not that there's anything wrong with Brooklyn Pilsner, but in terms of body, complexity and interest it suffered by comparison to the rest of the evening's selections. Brooklyn Pilsner is a great everyday beer but the beers to come were much more special. We had also been drinking the Brooklyn Pilsner -- with Blue Smoke's house-made barbecue potato chips and blue cheese dip -- for awhile before the dinner actually got started, so I was ready to move on to something else.

Frisee with cabernet vinaigrette, cured duck and Maytag blue cheese. This dish was a triumph, as was everything else from here on in. As I recall there were three preparations of duck in the mix: smoked breast, confit and cracklings. It all came together beautifully with the cabernet vinaigrette and the chunks of Maytag blue.

The dish was paired with Brooklyn Bright Golding, which was my favorite beer of the evening. It's an English style ale made with an old variety of hops (Kent Goldings, I believe). Very floral. I need to get some.

Next, shrimp and grits, made from the inimitable Louisiana White Boot Brigade shrimp with organic corn grits. I've had a lot of shrimp-and-grits dishes around the South and I can't say I've ever had better than what Ken Callaghan prepared that night at Blue Smoke. There were a lot of Southern expats in the house and they all seemed pretty impressed. Paired with the excellent Brooklyn Local 1.

Next, braised pork belly with crispy potatoes and natural jus. Speaks for itself. Here are both top and side views of the dish. Paired with Brooklyn Oktoberfest.

The last savory course was a barbecue sampler: Memphis baby back ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken and hot links. This is the fare I typically order at Blue Smoke, and was up to standard. Blue Smoke has come a long way over the years. Paired with Brooklyn Brown Ale, which was overwhelming to me after having so much beer already. But it was good.

Dessert was sticky toffee pudding, a Blue Smoke signature from pastry chef Jennifer Giblin, paired with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. This was the most intriguing pairing of the evening. One of the points Oliver makes repeatedly is that beer is better with food than wine. He has actually conducted a series of "beer v. wine" tastings where he and a sommelier pick beers and wines respectively to pair with a meal. Then the people eating the meal vote for beer or wine. I believe Oliver is undefeated.

All the beers were served in wine glasses. Oliver believes wine glasses are best for tasting high-quality beer.

I was a guest of the restaurant, along with several other writers and assorted others, however if you'd paid the price of the dinner was $99 per person all in (including tax and gratuity).

Here are a couple of unflattering photos of Ken Callaghan (chef of Blue Smoke, first) and Garrett Oliver (brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, second).

[LPShanet]

Any plans to do this again? It looks great.

Edited December 13, 2007 by LPShanet (log)

[LPShanet]

Any plans to do this again? It looks great.

(Sorry for the double post.)

Edited December 13, 2007 by LPShanet (log)

[Fat Guy]

I know Garrett Oliver does beer dinners all over the place on a fairly regular basis, and I know Ken Callaghan does a few Blue Smoke theme dinners each year, but I don't know if or when their paths are scheduled to cross again. I'll ask.

[Fat Guy]

Just a quick follow-up: there's no repeat scheduled as yet, but that doesn't mean much one way or the other. I wouldn't be surprised to see another one next year.

Also, the music was courtesy of Jason Domnarski (piano) and Chris Hartway (guitar). Both musicians are Blue Smoke employees (server and bartender, respectively).