Down to the Last Pound at Hometown BBQ

Hometown BBQ was heating up one Saturday night in the middle of winter thaw this past spring.  We wedged ourselves into the line that snaked along the side of the warehouse garage like space that Hometown occupied in Red Hook waterfront.  Even though it wasn’t that late by New York standard, the goods were flying off of the smoking racks.  So many times while waiting in line, it seemed like our night of delicious BBQ looked like it might… well, go up in smoke.

Luckily, we made it to the counter with minutes to spare and managed to cobble together an amazing meal with what was left on the menu.  We laid the ground work of dinner with juicy links of spicy jalapeno sausage and tender pieces of beef brisket smoked to perfection with that tell tale sign of pink smoke ring.

No BBQ was complete without a plethora of sides.  Creamy Texas-style queso mac and cheese…

Refreshingly simple hometown slaw…

Smoky and unctuous pit beans with burnt ends…

and collard greens cooked with smoked pork shoulders and two giant pieces of soft corn bread.

All of these paved way for the true star of the night, a rack of delicious finger-licking jerk baby backs.  The meat was smoky, tender yet still with a nice chew.

As soon as the food arrived, we dug in with forks, knives, hands and all.  After all, there are no rules when it comes to BBQ.  A bite of the brisket here and another bite of creamy beans there, we were in BBQ heaven, so happy that we managed to get some of the last BBQ of the night as sold out signs appeared all over the menu on the wall.

Even though we were stuffed with meats and sides, we made room the miniature desserts, a lighter than air banana cream pudding and Robicelli’s chocolate pudding pie.  No regrets at our table.

Hometown BBQ | 454 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231 | http://www.hometownbarbque.com/