This Fantastic NJ BBQ Joint Supports Veterans Year Round
Veteran Dan Misuraca is the owner and pitmaster of Red White & Que Smokehouse in Kearny, New Jersey.
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This past Monday, the country celebrated Veterans Day. It's a day we honor and celebrate those who have served in our armed forces. One particularly good New Jersey barbecue joint — Red, White, and Que Smokehouse in Kearny — honors and serves veterans year-round.
Red, White, and Que Smokehouse owner Dan Misuraca served in the U.S. Marines from 1992 to 1996. During his service, he fought in the Gulf War and he worked many jobs after his service ended.
Red White and Que's Buy A Vet A Meal program supports veterans year round.
Misuraca opened the joint with his wife Katie in 2016 and has since received praise from multiple national publications including Thrillist and Food & Wine for his Central Texas-inspired barbecue.
Part of what makes the joint special, besides the food, is that Misuraca has incorporated veterans into nearly every aspect of what he does. Of note, the restaurant has a Buy A Vet A Meal program, where customers can buy meals for veterans year round. The restaurant then uses those donations to provide free meals to vets on Veterans Day and serve free meals at other events. They also give all veterans 20% off every meal they buy.
"Our customers are giving back," Misuraca said. "They are donating and we are a middle man, building bridges between veterans and customers. ... We had more than $1,000 in donations this week alone."
Red White & Que has fed many veterans over the years.
This past Sunday, Red White and Que honored veterans for Veterans Day by serving every vet who came in a free meal of half a pound of meat and a side of their choice. Misuraca estimates they served 50 veterans free meals on Sunday.
"It's a great feeling," Misuraca said. "Some veterans knew we were doing it and some didn't — they were just coming in to get lunch. We showed our appreciation and they loved it. You feel good giving back."
Misuraca has served food at many events for New Jersey veterans.
During the year, Misuraca and his wife also take part in veterans-focused events and meals. This year, they are planning to serve veterans on both Thanksgiving and Christmas at the Veterans Transitional House in Garfield, New Jersey. "We go there to enjoy a few hours with the guys and gals, who really appreciate it," Misuraca said.
They also take food to their local VA hospital and host groups of veterans at the restaurant, all who are fed through Buy A Vet A Meal.
On top of the joint's generosity, the food is great, especially the beef rib.
Misuraca said he believes veterans issues and causes need to be more seriously addressed across the board, but one thing that is especially important is building strong local communities to support new veterans.
"We need to do what we can to help veterans, especially those young guys coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan," Misuraca said. "They're coming back and they've been through a lot. They need community, need the VFW, and need the American Legion. We need our communities to get behind them and reach out."
Misuraca said he feels privileged to have a role in a helping veterans as a restaurant. "Katie and I feel so lucky that we have our own little soapbox," Misuraca said. "We have a voice while hundreds of thousands of restaurants don't have a voice. We do what we can to help out."
Thank you to Dan and Katie for your dedication to veterans.
While the dedication to veterans and veteran causes is of note, the food at Red White and Que is fantastic as well. I would strongly recommend trying the brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, and jalapeno cheddar sausage.
I'm looking forward to the next time I can make it out to Kearny to get some more barbecue from Dan and Katie, as well as buying a vet a meal.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Eater NY has high praise for Hometown Bar-B-Que’s new pastrami sandwich. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Eater NY editor Ryan Sutton writes in his column "Buy, Sell, Hold" that the smoked pastrami sandwich at Hometown Bar-B-Que in Industry City is a Buy. He says it “might be the city’s next great pastrami sandwich.” You can also read my take on the new Hometown location and the sandwich here.
The Minneapolis-based Star Tribune recently visited New York to check out some Minnesota-style eats, trying Juicy Lucy BBQ in Staten Island, Burnside in Brooklyn, and Turk’s Inn in Brooklyn. Writer Sharyn Jackson was disappointed by the burger at Juicy Lucy BBQ but loved the brisket. Her best experience was at Burnside, which has both a stunningly good cheese-filled burger and fried cheese curds. (I need to try the burger at Juicy Lucy BBQ soon to compare notes.)
A new BBQ joint called Big Barlow's BBQ recently opened in Barnegat, New Jersey. It was previously operating as a food truck, so it’s not totally new and has some experience. Patch reports that some of the most popular items on the Barlow's menu are the brisket sandwiches and wings.
Speaking of new joints, Uncle B's Real Deal Southern Style in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (an hour outside of Philadelphia) has re-opened in a new location. The restaurant is a popular choice in the area, and it will now have more space and new menu items.
If you’ve been curious about the dining options at Wegmans, the much-hyped new grocery store in Brooklyn, Eater NY has reviewed the food there. The sushi was rated positively but the burger, fried chicken sandwich, and pizza are not worth the price. (I can confirm that the burger at Wegmans is mediocre and would avoid it.)
Finally, if you are in or around Boston this weekend, you may want to check out the Boston Beer and BBQ Fest, happening both Friday and Saturday at Cyclorama.
IRL BBQ
This weekend’s star-studded memorial party for Carl Ruiz at Pig Beach is one of the top events happening this month. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Here are the top BBQ (and related) food events coming soon to the New York metro and the Tri-State area:
Saturday, November 16: This weekend, Brooklyn’s Pig Beach will host a Memorial Party for Carl Ruiz, who passed away recently. The #ruizingforacause event will feature several top pitmasters from around the city and country, all making fantastic barbecue. It will serve as the launch of the #ruizingforacause Foundation that will be focused on two causes close to Carl’s heart: the culinary world & those getting their start in it and funding research for finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. The event is from 12 to 5 p.m., but VIP tickets will get you in the door one hour early. Buy tickets here.
Monday, November 25: Holy Ground BBQ in Tribeca will be hosting two BBQ & Martinis 101 sessions on November 21. The joint will welcome Robby Nelson, East Coast Sales Director for AMASS (an innovative spirits startup based out of L.A) to teach everything there is to know about the martini. The experience will be paired with BBQ mainstays from Holy Ground. Buy tickets here.
Thursday, November 28: Few barbecue joints are actually open on Thanksgiving itself, but you’ll be able to eat smoked turkey and more at Hill Country Barbecue Market, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue, Holy Ground, and Virgil’s Real Barbecue. The restaurants will be open and doing a traditional Thanksgiving feast with all sorts of meats and sides.
Saturday, December 7: If you love cheese, you won’t want to miss The Great Northeast Cheese Fest 2019, which will be held soon at Flushing Town Hall in Queens. The event will feature the region’s best artisanal creameries and dishes made with cheese from New York City’s top chefs, including Chef Hugue Dufour, Chef Stephen Yen, Chef Alfonso Zhicay, and Chef Michael Mignano. Plus, there will also be Portuguese charcuterie from Rodrigo Duarte. Buy tickets here.
Saturday, January 18: The 10th Annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival is leaving Manhattan after a decade of fun and heading to Brooklyn. A ticket buys you access to tasting great local barbecue, hot sauces, and tons of spirits. The “Beast Cage” will be back with exotic smoked meats, including alligator, lamb, bison, longhorn rounds, and much more. There will also be whole hog as well and you won’t want to miss it. Buy tickets here.
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