Tag Archives: beef brisket

Who needs cauliflower when you can have beef brisket, bro????

So, we’re hanging out at Fat Pasha, this funky Middle Eastern joint on Dupont. This place is known for its spicy cauliflower…but do you really think we’re gonna eat cauliflower on Triple B, bro????

Instead, we’re starting off with some halloumi sticks, a funky take on a pizza joint classic. Dude, I am always down for some deep-fried cheese, so you KNOW there ain’t nothing wrong with these!!!!

But now it’s time for the main event — Linda’s beef brisket. I dunno who Linda is, but I’d eat her brisket any day of the week, bro! Meat is nice n tender, with a thick BBQ sauce and a whole pile of fried onions… dude, this is body by fried onions!!!!!

But even after all that brisket back there, we’ve still got room for dessert. We’re talking tahini fudge brownie, with a bit of acid cutting through the chocolate mix. Dunno why they cut it into six, cuz this is just a light snack for one in Flavourtown, son!!!!

In Austin, you can even get real-deal BBQ at the airport…

Now, my flight outta Austin was in the afternoon, which means I got to the airport right around lunchtime. Turns out they have a Salt Lick BBQ joint right in the airport itself — so you KNOW I gotta check it out, bro! And we’re going all in with a three meat plate — brisket, sausage and turkey!!!

Brisket is a little lean for my tastes, but it’s still pretty tender. Better than 90% of the BBQ we get in Canada, put it that way! Plus, they give you like 5 slices, so I can’t complain about that…

Sausage was big n meaty, with a nice snap and good flavour. I would make a flip-flop outta this sausage, bro!!!!

But the turkey is the real star of the show. Some of the most moist ‘n juicy bird I’ve ever tasted — if I lived in Texas, I’d eat it for Thanksgiving!!!!

For the side game, they’ve got coleslaw and potato salad on the same side of the container, so you get a bit of cabbage and potato in almost every bite. But the baked beans are what makes it, bro! These kidneys are coming in hot and would go great with chili — cept they don’t put beans in chili here in Texas…

Washed it all down with a Shiner Light Blonde. Cuz I figure I gotta drink at least one of these before leaving town…

SOUTH BY SOUTH AUSTIN: Texas BBQ meets Japanese izakaya @ Loro

Now, we’re no strangers to Franklin Barbecue on Triple B, having lined up there for six hours last time I was in town. So when I heard that Aaron Franklin had opened this new funky joint with Tyson Cole of Uchi, the most popular Japanese restaurant in town, you KNOW I had to check it out, bro!

Of course, it’s still all about the brisket, which is so tender they don’t even give you a knife, and is served daily AFTER 4 pm. This beef comes topped with chili gastrique and Thai herbs for a little extra kick!

But they aren’t just doing BBQ here, bro! They’ve also got Asian food, like these tender and juicy chicken karaage, which are great on their own or with the chili aioli. I’d put that on a flip-flop!!!!

Washed it all down with a couple pints of Swifty IPA, which happens to be just 5 bucks during Happy Hour, from 2 to 5 on weekdays — now that’s what I call perfect timing, bro!!!!

SOUTH BY SOUTH AUSTIN: The biggest, baddest brisket breakfast tacos in Texas!!!!

Dude, Austin is one of my all-time favourite food cities, bro! We’ve been here a couple times already, but there are so many funky joints in this town that you just can’t visit ’em all in one trip. And hey, I’ve already lined up at Franklin’s and thrown down on Sixth Street, so this time, we’re only going to places that are south of the river. Cuz you don’t need to go downtown to get some of the best food in this town, son!!

Now, I’ve had a few breakfast tacos in Austin before, but I heard that Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ, this funky little joint waaaaay down south in South Austin is serving up some of the best in town, so you KNOW we gotta check it out! This place is dishing out BBQ and Mexican food throughout the day, but if you wanna get your hands on one of these bad boys, you gotta get there before 11…

As you can see, the brisket is the star of this show. It costs $3 to add brisket to one of their breakfast tacos, but let’s just say it’s money well spent. Dude, this is some of the most melt-in-mouthy brisket I’ve ever had, bro! I’d almost go back and order 3 more pounds of brisket…except the lineup is kinda long.

So we’re starting off with the Ultimate Bean and Cheese, which adds a fried egg on top of beans and cheese — and then of course they put the brisket on top. Brisket is the main flavour here, but the other elements add to it quite nicely.

But now we’re kicking it up a notch with The Real Deal Holyfield. You’ve got a fried egg, bacon and home fries, plus brisket, topped with salsa. Forget breakfast — this is one of the best tacos I’ve had any time of day, bro!!!

And yeah, these were some of the biggest tacos I’ve ever had, too. Normally, there’s no way I’d be full after eating two tacos… But I honestly don’t think I have room for a third (at least not for breakfast, anyways.)

Eating all the meats at Benny’s Barbecue

July 22, 2022
greedocatucci
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BBQ, BBQ turkey, beef brisket, beef ribs, Benny's Barbecue, ribs, sausage

Now, one thing I was missing during all the lockdowns was some real-deal BBQ. I mean, I did order some BBQ takeout a couple times, but it’s just not the same when it’s sitting in a container for half an hour before you get to eat it. So when I heard about Benny’s Barbecue, this funky new BBQ joint that just opened in a little shack down an alley just north of Yonge & Eglinton, then you KNOW I had to check it out, bro!!!

And when it comes to BBQ, I usually can’t just eat one meat, or two or three… so I went with a Sampler platter, which has a little bit of everything — pulled pork, beef brisket, back ribs, side ribs, turkey and sausage. And since it was Saturday, and they only serve beef ribs on Saturdays, I had to get one of those, too.

Pulled pork was nice and tender, tastes good with a pickle and a bit of BBQ sauce on top.

Brisket was more on the fatty side, which is just the way I like it. (Friends don’t let friends eat lean brisket, bro!) This meat didn’t need no sauce — nice and tender and you can cut it with a fork.

Sausage was hot n juicy with a nice snap. Nothing wrong with that at all!

Now, it’s been a little while since I’ve had BBQ turkey, and this wasn’t as tender as the last place I remember — that place is closed now though, bro! And it feels like I got five slices of turkey, compared to just two slices of brisket. Kinda wish it was the other way around…

And now, ribs. These side ribs weren’t bad, but I’d take the bigger, meatier back ribs any day:

Of course, since we’re talking bout ribs, now it’s time for the main event…

These beef ribs were just as good, as not better as that place where the owner didn’t have a permit. While I did have a few inedible fatty/gristly bits, the meat on here just melted in my mouth, bro!!!!

And while this would probably be enough food for three people, it’s just another light snack in Flavourtown. I will say that I did NOT have room for dessert, though…

CHITOWN CHOWDOWN: This funky BBQ joint is honky tonk redonkadonk!!!!!

Man, I loves me some BBQ, so when I found out that Guy Fieri had visited Honky Tonk BBQ, this funky little joint in the Pilsen neighbourhood, you KNOW I had to check it out, bro! That episode was back in 2009, but I gotta say, this place stands the test of time…

I ordered the Delux Personal Platter, and my food was ready in about 5 minutes. You have a choice of pork or brisket, but I went with the brisket — and it was some of the most tender brisket I’ve ever tasted! There’s just a hint of dry rub here, but other than that, this meat really doesn’t need any sauces or seasonings…

On the side, this dish comes with cornbread, a hot link and your choice of side — I went with the mac and cheese, which was nice n creamy. Cornbread was soft and easy to eat, once you got it out of the corn wrapper, and the sausage was smoky, crispy and more than a little spicy. Nothing wrong with that at all…

Of course, when I saw they had Bacon Candy on the menu, I had to get me some, son! Thick, chewy bacon covered in brown sugar makes this equal parts sweet and meat — it’s a winning combination in Flavourtown!!!

Takin’ bacon & eggs to the next level…with beef brisket!!!!!

April 4, 2022
greedocatucci
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bacon & eggs, BBQ, beef brisket, breakfast, brewpub, brunch, Liberty Commons

Now, we ain’t gonna change the name of this blog to Burgers, Bacon & Brunch or anything… but for the second Sunday in a row, we’re setting our alarms and heading out for some funky brunch, Marky Mark! This time we’re hitting up Liberty Commons, this brewpub in Liberty Village, which seems like the only place you can get Big Rock beer in Toronto now — you KNOW I gotta have my AGD, bro!!!!

We’ve been to Liberty Commons a couple times before, and I wasn’t that impressed with their BBQ back in 2017, but when I saw they were serving up brisket & eggs for brunch, I still had to order it — dude, this is body by brisket & eggs, bro! And I gotta say, they’ve gotten much, much better at cooking brisket over the past five years…

Now, here’s where I should mention that we made a little menu hack. Since I didn’t wanna be shittin’ my britches after a night out drinkin’, I swapped out the baked beans for a side of bacon. The First Rule of Flavourtown is always add bacon, bro! And having that bite of pork on top of the super-tender brisket and sunny-side up eggs just takes it up another notch, son!!!!!

And since the name of this blog IS still Burgers, Bacon & Beer, let’s just say this Breakfast Coffee Stout had my name on it. At 6%, it’s definitely stronger than a Guinness (which I had for brunch last week), and it’s got a stronger coffee flavour, too. Now, I don’t normally drink coffee, but if you turn it into a beer, I would have at least four cups a day, bro!!!!!

A feast from the Middle East that’s closer to the heart…

Here on Triple B, we’re no strangers to shawarma, and you KNOW this is body by brisket, bro… so when I heard about Fet Zun, this funky little joint on Dupont just a few steps from the subway, we totally had to check it out. This place is serving up a signature Fet Zun Feast with Tahini, Labneh, Whipped Feta, Charred Eggplant, Chirchi, Chopped Salad, Pickles, Olives, Hummus, Chicken Shawarma, Brisket Shawarma, Charred Broccoli, French Fries AND Saffron Rice — shut the front, back and side doors, son!!!!!

Now, it’s hard to pick a favourite among so many great dips, but the real star of the show here has gotta be the bread. It’s baked fresh and hot to order, and just pulls apart like putty. Man, I could eat this bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner…but I gotta save room for the good stuff, bro!

On this side, we’ve got a whole pile of brisket, with onions and pickles, some nice saffron rice and charred broccoli. I didn’t have any broccoli, though… Why eat broccoli when you can eat brisket????

At the same time, they’ve also serving up chicken shawarma, with a nice variety of sauces and pickles, alongside a big bunch of crispy, salty fries. I think I ate about half of these fries by myself, bro…

This is pretty much the perfect plate right here. You’ve got two kinds of meat, some fries, rice and pretty much no vegetables (unless a pickle counts). I managed to polish off two plates like this — and still had room for dessert!!!

Dessert isn’t officially part of the Fet Zun Feast, but they do give you two desserts to choose from…so we ordered both. On the right, you’ve got knafeh, a Middle Eastern dessert made with phyllo pastry, stuffed with ricotta and topped with orange blossoms and pistachios. And on the left hand side, they’re funking it up a notch with a halvah cheesecake, a creamy take on a sesame cake with a pistachio crust and all kinds of shaved coconut on top. I liked this one a lot more than the knafeh.

We’re pairing this food from across the pond with a true Canadian classic — Henderson’s Rush Canadian Golden Ale. I hadn’t had the chance to try this beer before, so when I saw they were serving it up here (for a couple bucks more than the other beers), I had to check it out. To be honest, I think this beer has even less flavour than Molson Canadian — it’s kinda like drinking Kokanee, or even Coors Light. As far as Rush albums go, this one is less 2112, more Signals, bro…

5 course tasting menu…at a BBQ joint!!!???

Now, The Carbon Bar has gotta be the swankiest BBQ joint I’ve ever set foot in. Forget picnic tables, butcher paper and lining up to the counter, this place looks more like some fancy nightclub. But that don’t mean the food ain’t legit — I ordered some real-deal ribs from them during second (or was it third?) lockdown, and even made a couple of their meal kits at home when I had to isolate while awaiting COVID test results after coming back to Canada. (Fuck, I’m glad that shit’s almost over!) So when I heard they were serving up a five-course tasting menu for the reasonable price of 75 dollars, I was all over that like beef on brisket. Dude, that’s like 200 less than I paid at Don Alfonso, bro…

Now, this may only count as one course, but we’ve actually got three appys here: mozzarella sticks, shishito peppers and KFC — that’s Korean Fried Cauliflower, son! The KFC was nice ‘n crispy, and they added some chili flakes to the shishitos to give ’em a nice little kick. Believe it or not, but the non-vegan mozza sticks were my least favourite thing here…

Course number two is also a two-for-one, as they put down some shrimp ceviche and pulled pork tacos at the same time. I’m pretty sure this is the exact same pulled pork taco kit I made at home a couple months back…except that they fried the tortillas, while I put them in the microwave. Carbon Bar 1, Greedo Catucci 0.

Next up was a fish course, which you definitely don’t see at yer average BBQ joint. We only got one piece of salmon per person, but that’s OK with me, since I was saving room for the Pitmaster Platter anyways:

Now, The Carbon Bar definitely deserves credit for giving their Pitmaster Platter an Extreme Makeover: Flavourtown Edition since I first set foot in here back in 2016. Y’see, six years ago they only gave you three meats — brisket, ribs and fried chicken — and there was hardly enough food to go around. But since then, they’ve upped the ante with smoked sausage and smoked turkey (which is exclusive to the tasting menu; the regular platter comes with pulled pork). Sure, they’ve raised the price to $38 a person for the platter alone, but I actually think that’s a steal, son. Just compare this sad little plate of food from 2016 to the following meaty monstrosity:

And that’s not even all of it — there was enough food left over for me to go back for seconds! But you KNOW I still had room for dessert, bro…

OK, so these weren’t all just for me — everybody got a lil’ taste. We’ve got mini chocolate brownies, caramel fudge… but what makes it are the bourbon truffle skulls, bro!!!!!

Dude, this might be the most badass dessert I’ve ever seen. You want my skull? You can’t have it, bro!!!!!

Now, this might already be the longest review in Triple B history, but you’re gonna wanna stick around for a few beers, cuz they’ve partnered with Blood Brothers Brewing to really kick their beer game up a notch…

We’re starting off with an Autopop Cherry Sour, the only one of these three beers I’ve had before (it was in a smaller can, though). This one’s a nice way to ease you in, cuz it’s only 4% and tastes more like cherry soda.

Now, I was trying to hold off on the heavy stout until the meat platter arrived, but the problem is, I drink beer too fast. So I polished off this Amaretto coffee stout, Under a House in Northern Italy, with the tacos and ceviche. Maybe not the best pairing… but dude, I could drink this with a flip-flop, and it would still taste good!!!!!!!

But we’re saving the most funkalicious (funkaliciousist?) for last with this Ajji Majji nitro sour. This beer smells like vanilla and tastes like peaches — I dunno how they do it, but they sure do it good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Braap braap brisket lettuce wraps!!!

So, here’s another Chefdrop meal kit from The Carbon Bar. Beef brisket burnt end ssam lettuce wraps, son! And this one was ridiculously easy to prepare — stick the meat in the oven for 10 min, slice some green onions and halve a lime, and you’re good to go, bro!!!!

Now, I took the meat out after 8 min cuz I had finished preparing everything else. It maybe coulda used a couple more minutes, but once I pulled it apart, it was good to go:

OK, so here’s the game plan. Take a lettuce wrap, and put some kimchi on it. Add a couple pieces of brisket, drizzle some kewpie mayo, and throw down a chicharron. Add some green onions and a bit of lime, and you’re cooking with gas, son!!!

The cold crunch of the kimchi creates quite a contrast with the burnt ends, while the chicharron adds some extra crunch. I don’t always eat this much lettuce, but if you put brisket on top, I could crush this any day of the week!!!

Now, I ran outta chicharones with a handful of wraps to go, and I didn’t even have any kimchi for the last three. But one thing I have no shortage of is that Japanese kewpie mayo. I’m gonna hafta order up some chicken karaage or something to use the rest of it up…

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