Giving thanks with smoked turkey
You know you’re in for a different kind of treat once you enter The Smokeyard. Here, the aroma of smoked meat permeates the air. Dark wood and metal dominate the interiors, with chairs made of acacia set against a framework of metal pipes. Plastered on the walls are lists of the house’s specialties, ranging from smoked meat platters to sandwiches, from sausages to munchies. You sort of think: Barbecue! And you’ll be correct.
This isn’t your average barbecue, however. It’s not so much Pinoy as it is American, with barbecue sauces that balance the flavors of molasses, ketchup, onions, herbs, and spices. Think of Kansas, or Texas, or Memphis, the barbecue capitals of the USA.
It’s all the brainchild of chef/owner Troy Conine. When he was contemplating his next career path, it was a choice between being a dog trainer and a barbecue pitmaster. The dog lost, the barbecue won.
Since then, Conine has devoted his time to perfecting the art of barbecuing. He has taken the barbecue class of Mike Mills, a BBQ Hall of Famer in the US, and has attended the Big Apple BBQ Festival in New York, which he says is like the Super Bowl of barbecue events. He has also met several famous pitmasters like Rodney Scott, Ed Mitchell, Johnny Trigg, John Stage, Joe Carroll and Roy Dunn. The camaraderie among them is such that they’re happy to share each other’s tips and secrets on smoking and barbecuing.
Conine himself has the art of barbecuing down to a science. At Smokeyard, he and his staff know exactly how much charcoal to put on the Webber smoker and how long each batch of meat should be cooked. “We don’t need to keep opening the smoker to check,” he says. “As they say, if you’re looking, you’re not cooking.”
Aside from developing his own dry rubs, Conine also has a trio of sauces for marinating and basting. There’s the Original, which is thick and smoky and has the bold flavors of American barbecue. The Gold sauce is classic Eastern Carolina, and tastes like a honey-mustard sauce while the Fire is for those who prefer their sauces on the slightly spicy side.
Bottles of these sauces are set on each table, for customers to slather on their barbecues as they please. For those wanting to take the barbecue experience home, Conine sells the rubs and the sauces in medium and large bottles as well as vacuum-packed sausages and bacon.
One of their best sellers is the spareribs. “We do Kansas-style spareribs,” says Conine. “It’s a favorite among customers.”
Indeed, the spareribs, when brushed generously with any of the sauces, is the very definition of lip-smacking goodness. Every bite is so delectable it leads to more and more subsequent bites. To make the experience more enjoyable, Conine recommends handling the ribs with your fingers, as if you were on a picnic or a backyard barbecue. The restaurant’s informal setting gives you that feeling anyway, and there’s a huge roll of paper towels on each table for wiping the sauces off your hands.
Other customer favorites are the pulled pork, the Texas-style beef brisket, and the chicken ribs. For non-meat eaters, Conine serves smoked salmon, made more delightful with a shower of capers and pickled red onions.
Just as enticing are the fixings. The sweet potato chips are crackling crisp and make excellent munchies. There are also smoked beans, mac and cheese, corn on the cob, french fries, “dirty” rice, pork cracklings, coleslaw, and cornbread. Beverages include a classic lemonade, ice-cold and refreshing, made from a recipe Conine himself developed. And for dessert, he’s proud of their chocolate chip cookies, freshly baked on the premises.
This Thanksgiving, The Smokeyard is offering a whole turkey, smoked to a golden brown finish. For P6,000, the turkey comes ready to serve, with gravy and cranberry sauce; for P7,500, mashed potatoes, stuffing and coleslaw are included.
Their Christmas coolers also make excellent gifts. Choices include the Pork Belly Roll (P1,175 for pork belly, pork rub, fire sauce and bold barbecue sauce); the large cooler (P2,500 for beef brisket, smoked bacon, Hungarian sausage, pork spare ribs, cheddar cheese and barbecue sauces); and the small cooler (P1,500 for beef brisket, smoked bacon, Hungarian sausage, pork empanada, pork rub and barbecue sauces).
Although he has chosen to be a barbecue pitmaster over being a dog trainer, Conine says he still loves dogs (he has a Labrador). But when he sees his customers enjoying the smoked meats and barbecues in his restaurant, he knows he made the right choice.
