[Pigging by Wilfrid: October 28, 2014]
Anyone who reads Serious Eats could see this place coming. Pitmaster/co-owner Tyson Ho authored a blow-by-blow account of its creation: How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn.
And chef Ho is no less garrulous an enthusiast in person, eagerly presiding over a serious, almost obsessively focused menu of meat and drink.
This is, after all, three thousand square feet of former warehouse, and congratulations to builder Ho for making what could be chilly vastness so welcoming. There's a tall, cheerful flame flickering in the main entrance, lights are blessedly bright, and what could seem a void of a room is pleasantly centered around a large, dark wood bar.
A disciple of Ed Mitchell, Ho's thing is North Carolina 'cue, and forgive me if I have nothing to say about that: I've eaten barbecue across Tennessee, in Kansas, and in Texas, but not that I can recall in N.C. Someone else can say how authentic it is. I found it good.
One thing to know is that--apart from a "Giant Turkey Leg"--this is pork through and through. Whole pigs (half pigs, Ho is thinking, for midweek), producing the signature dish-- "Whole Hog BBQ," and cooked separatelY, ribs, belly, and the must-order outside brown shoulder; unlike the Holy Roman Empire exactly what it says it is. (Note: clarified by a source close to restaurant.)
It comes by the half pound ($13), in fat, bronzed chunks. Honestly, the occasional piece is chewy; it's worth it for all those pieces which melt smokily on the tongue in a mess of tender flesh and good, hot fat. First rate.
The whole hog--pulled pork, in other words--is good too, if not quite as surprising. It is moist (do they spritz it with something--some juices--before serving it?), it's appropriately seasoned, it doesn't need sauce. $15 per half pound (and the plating, like everything else about this place, seemed generous).
The rib were certainly generous. If a half pound at Hill Country buys two spare ribs, without much eating on them, here it amounts to three juicy monsters. A South Carolina honey glaze gave a sweet buzz, but didn't overwhelm the flavor of the meat. These are some of the best commercial ribs I've eaten in the city.
The sausage was nothing like I imagined. Accustomed to Kreuz-style links, loosely packed with coarse meat and flowing with juices, I was wrong-footed by what appeared to be a ring of saveloy. This is a sausage with a smoothly ground, densely packed filling. Ho explained to me that early prototypes lost flavor during the smoking process, so he'd gradually upped the spicing. The sausage now has a slow, pleasing, warming burn to it. Really good.
I mentioned waffle irons, and the kitchen must have a bunch of them. Cornbread is pressed into a small waffle shape. The Arrogant Swine mac'n'cheese is presented as a dinner plate-sized waffle (it was served to the couple next to me, and they couldn't figure out what it was). And there's a sweet potato waffle, which maybe you can eat for dessert. If you have room.
The bar selection is worth mentioning. It's a painstakingly curated selection of craft beers and craft liquors. The kind of bar where you don't recognize half the bottles. Fans of Evil Twin, Mikkeller, and Stillwater will be delighted with the beer. Certainly, strong and hoppy ales pair well with smoked meats, and it's hardly surprising that a restaurant called Arrogant Swine would offer Stone's Arrogant Bastard. If you prefer something easy drinking and refreshing, it might be harder to find. I did like a Big Daddy Speakeasy IPA, which had some gentle sweetness to balance the hops.
I did best with a Baltimore rye called Gunpowder. Appropriately, because it blows your head off with fierce spices, before settling down to cut and complement the richness of the meat.
Get your boots, and venture down that long, dark street (if you need a rest-stop, the bar King's County has relocated nearby).
Disclosures? I was comped a beer and some pork, but really there was a lot of comping going on--nothing to do with reviewing. I also discovered after my first visit that I know one of the investors.
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