Much of the food media’s gaze tends to focus on what’s new or hot. But NBC 5's Food Guy Steve Dolinsky wants to show some appreciation for the classics.
So all month long, he’s going to be visiting some local legends, who’ve been quietly keeping the city’s culinary flame alive; in some cases, paving the way for other entrepreneurs.
They’re the kinds of places you take out-of-towners, to show them why Chicago is a great food city. They’re not trendy, and they probably don’t care as much about social media as the cool kids. They’re all at least 15 years old, so they have a track record, and we’re starting off with a spry, almost 18-year-old barbecue joint, where they smoke ‘em like no one else in town.
Attention to detail is crucial for pitmasters. The ratio in the rub; the length of time in the smoker. For the guys behind Smoque Barbecue in Old Irving Park, they’ve been obsessing over details for nearly two decades, partly because they produce several regional styles.
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“We weren’t interested in being loyal to any particular style. We wanted to bring our favorite things from around the country together in one place,” said co-owner Barry Sorkin. “Texas influences and Memphis and Kansas City and the Carolinas. But we wanted to very much make those things all our own.”
It begins with the wood, which burns, but not too hot, kicking off plumes of smoke that penetrate ribs, pork shoulder and brisket for hours. It’s a hobby that took over their lives.
“So we had to take what we had perfected in my backyard and figure out how to make an operation out of that, that can produce that product, exactly the same, every single day, every single time of the day,” he said.
The Food Guy
The Texas hot links are juicy and smoky, just like their brisket, with its pronounced black bark and faint smoke ring, sliced or chopped.
“It’s funny we almost didn’t put it on our menu, because at the time, there wasn’t really much brisket in Chicago; people didn’t think of brisket as part of the barbecue spectrum. Almost immediately, that’s everyone gravitated to,” said Sorkin.
All sides are made in-house. The smoky baked beans, embedded with brisket; the breadcrumb-capped mac and cheese; the tart, crisp, vinegary slaw. Sorkin says they’ve always taken a traditional approach to their barbecue, slightly stunned by the “fall off the bone” mentality.
“If you want your meat to fall off a bone, order something that doesn’t come on a bone. I like a rib to have texture; feel biting it, slight chew to it, but of course it should never be tough. It shouldn’t be meat jello,” he said.
As for that pink smoke ring – the calling card of any self-respecting pitmaster – he says it applies equally to beef, chicken and pork.
“It is an indication that that product has been properly smoked; it is fully cooked,” said Sorkin.
Here's where you can go:
3800 N. Pulaski Rd.
773-545-RIBS (7427)
