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Dinosaur Barbecue - Syracuse

phaelon56

By phaelon56
in New York: Dining

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phaelon56

phaelon56

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I'm cutting and pasting a bit here from my foodblog. Iif you haven't yet visited my fabuolous blog you should hang your head in shame - it's chock full of colorful pictures and witty repartee. It's also fun for the entire family and you can bring the kids - Janet Jackson has failed to make her promised guest appearance, thus the only breast pictures I've included are of the chicken variety.

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phaelon56: the foodblog

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Monday dinner - finally a visit to the Dinosaur BBQ! Most folks who've been to Syracuse in recent years have made a stop here as it's on most "must do" lists for visitors. The restaurant had its genesis with a few guys who cooked barbecue for their biker friends on occasion and grew that endeavor into a full time business. It still has some biker bar aura in the trappings and any summer night is sure to see a fair number of bikes in front but it has a broad appeal. It would be unfair to categorize the crowd, as Syracuse is a bit too diverse for pigeonholes of that nature. Their appeal seems to cut across all lines and despite having now been around for some years and grown to the point where they do a substantial volume (in a remarkably small space), they still turn out very respectable barbecue.

Success has brought them national distribution for a full line of their own barbecue and hot sauces (I'm particularly fond of mixing the Wango Tango 50/50 with the standard issue Slathering Sauce). I'm no 'cue expert and not in a position to make authoritative judgements on the food but most everything I've had has been to my liking. The ribs and chicken are nicely smoky, the sides and specials are consistently good and the pulled pork is outstanding. It's the best pulled pork I've ever had and remains my favorite item. I tried the barbecue beef brisket on this visit and loved the smokiness but it didn't edge out the best briskets I've had in Texas. Then again... Texas is a few thousand miles away and I'm a picky SOB! In all fairness, I think long time Texas 'cue guys probably have direct connections to some cattle ranches as a source for brisket cuts that just aren't readily available here in the Northeast (a guess on my part).

I suppose I just had to make a very minor nit pick on something lest you think that I'm a shameless shill for the Dino (not that that would be such a bad thing).

Their recent selection to be the catering provider for the annual barbecue event at the Beard House in NYC this summer should speak volumes about the quality and consistency of their food. Good news for NYC eGulleteers - the upcoming Manhattan location is well on its way to completion in the target location at 131st and 12th Avenue. They should be open by late summer but will be showing up at variosu events in NYC throughout the summer to promote their food and give folks a chance to sample it.

Get the details here as they become available

Dinosaur Barbecue

Owner John Stage has a cookbook as well - here's a place to buy it with an eGullet Amazon link

Dinosaur Barbecue: An American Roadhouse

It is indeed a small world.... Dino office manager Abigail happens to know me from my time at Coffeegeek, where I helped her out with some info during her exploration into espresso gear. I gave her a heads up about my visit to the restaurant today and I got the VIP treatment - a visit to tableside from her and owner John Stage. I was awarded the dubious title of "That Coffee Guy" (I'll settle for that any day over "Coffee-Boy!). John became attuned to the pleasures of great espresso on an Italy trip not too far back - I think that with a bit of nudging he could cross over in the realm of the espresso-addicted where I happily reside :cool: They are both aware of and peruse eGullet from time to time. They even admit to being fans of Fat Guy (it appears that people in Syracuse simply have no shame :laugh: I'm working through the initial steps of getting John to do a Q & A spot here on the gullet and will keep all posted as we progress on that front.

We had a nice chat; John and I reminisced a bit about the old days of drinking at the N & H grill, which once occupied the exact same spot the Dino now sits in. It was home to the last 25 cent bar pool table in the city, 50 cent drafts and plenty of cheap shots (of the liquid variety - what little conversation took place was friendly enough but it was a drinking man's bar - not a social spot!).

The exterior:

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The bar area: (where the original N & H grill used to be)

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The front dining room: (where the N & H Luncheonette was - a greasy spoon diner that was connected to the original bar)

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The infamous Men's Room graffiti (I'm sure the Ladie's Room is equally well decorated). It's all part of the charm.

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Appetizer: Cajun style fried green tomatoes with a buttermilk ranch style sauce to pour on (if desired). These were outstanding - the best rendition I've ever had - peppery coating with just the right amount of crunch and the sweet/tart contrast was remarkable. It just doesn't get any better - at least not for me!

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Dinner: Rib sampler (four ribs) and a beef brisket sandwich (I removed the bun but make your own call on this), BBQ beans and Cajun corn as sides.

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I was making progress.... I really was....

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but a moment later the waitress arrived with a comp item from my new heroes John and Abigail (hey - it's my blog and I can puff up anyone I want to!).

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This was a generous sampler of the daily special - chicken that was... if I recall correctly.... brined, done with a jerk style rub, smoked/grilled and then topped with a light peppery, fruity jerk sauce. The larger pieces were deboned before serving and the skin had a gorgeous brown crispiness. It wasn't blistering hot like a Jamaican jerk but offered a great blend of contrasting flavors and textures. I ended up chowing down on this and took home most of my remaining brisket and ribs for the freezer.

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PoorLawyer

PoorLawyer

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Dinosaur is definitely one of my all time favorite places from back in my college days. Was up at Cuse a few weeks ago for a basketball game and ate at dinosaur twice and brought home a couple sandwiches as well! Definitely the best ribs and pulled pork I have had, though I am a northerner...

Everyone should try the sauce, especially the wango tango. We have it shipped down to DC off their website, but I understand you can get it at the new Wegman's out by Dulles!!! (Another favorite place of mine).

I have the cookbook, autographed by John Stage, and have made a number of the recipes and everything has turned out excellent. I also adapted some of the BBQ recipes for my oven since I am an apartment dweller....damn good results but the smoke smell does take a good week to clear out of the place.

Kudos for them moving over to NYC after the Rochseter move...should open in Buffalo too so I can go when I go home to visit the parents. Also DC would be a great spot because all the BBQ here sucks!

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phaelon56

phaelon56

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I recently became aware of a product that looks very promising for apartment dwellers - the Savu smoker bag. It's a Finnish product that looks much ike a regular plastic oven roasting bag but actually has two layers of plastic. Powdered alderwood and seasonings are in between the two layers - tiny perforations on the inside layer allow smoke to be generated and permeate the meat. I have read of very good result with this product but have not perosnally tried it. There's a carton of 24 on Ebay right now but it ships from Canada - may end up being costly due to freight and duties. I have also located one US based online store that sells them in smaller quantities. At $2.99 each they're not cheap but if the best barbecue you can get locally is in your own kitchen.... it's worth trying out

Smoker bags at Hotdiggitycajun store

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Daniel

Daniel

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I have an indoor smoker and i feel it works pretty good. You can buy all types of chips for it. Its not the same a 17 hours in a real smoker, but it adds decent flavor. I have never tried a smoker bag though.

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scrumdiddlyumptious

scrumdiddlyumptious

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I have an indoor smoker and i feel it works pretty good. You can buy all types of chips for it. Its not the same a 17 hours in a real smoker, but it adds decent flavor. I have never tried a smoker bag though.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but where does the smoke go? I'm stumped how there can be an indoor smoker!

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PoorLawyer

PoorLawyer

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I have an indoor smoker and i feel it works pretty good. You can buy all types of chips for it. Its not the same a 17 hours in a real smoker, but it adds decent flavor. I have never tried a smoker bag though.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but where does the smoke go? I'm stumped how there can be an indoor smoker!

half goes out the sliding glass door and the other half seeps into the carpet and walls and slowly releases a heavenly scent for 5-7 days.

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Daniel

Daniel

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I have an indoor smoker and i feel it works pretty good. You can buy all types of chips for it. Its not the same a 17 hours in a real smoker, but it adds decent flavor. I have never tried a smoker bag though.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but where does the smoke go? I'm stumped how there can be an indoor smoker!

The thing uses real wood chips. I have alder and other ones available. It definately does smoke because it burns wood. But what you do is probably put about 4 table spoons of fine sawdust,. The smoke is trapped and circulates in the device. Some does escape but it wouldnt be more smoke then say a cigar.

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