Morgan’s Brooklyn BBQ Reopening Soon with Revamped Menu 1.5 Years After Fire
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue will reopen in the next two weeks after a fire shut down the space for a year and a half. (Photo by Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue)
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In January 2021, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue — a longtime staple of the NYC barbecue scene — had to close following a devastating three-alarm fire. The restaurant will finally reopen Tuesday, October 25, with a revamped space and a new menu full of delicious-looking items.
“Everybody is excited to be open again,” Executive Chef and Pitmaster Cenobio Canalizo told NYC BBQ Weekly. “Every time I’m in front of the restaurant, customers are asking me, ‘We are you reopening?’ And that makes me even more excited that we finally have a day.”
The smoked brisket cheesesteak from Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue is a thing of beauty. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
While the Brooklyn location was closed, owner Mathew Glazier of GlazierWorks kept the business going by opening a new Morgan’s location in King of Prussia, PA, and Tiny’s Cantina in Brooklyn. This allowed the team to keep on many staff members and keep their creative juices flowing.
For example, one of the most popular items at the King of Prussia location is its brisket cheesesteak. It is served on a 10-inch hero roll with fresh sliced smoked brisket, caramelized onions, and smoked queso that is made with Velveeta and mozzarella cheeses and peppers. That new item will be on the menu now at the Brooklyn location.
Morgan’s Executive Chef and Pitmaster Cenobio Canalizo shows off his amazing bacon-cured ribs at the recent Pig Island NYC event. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
The newly revamped menu at the Brooklyn location will also include a 24 oz Smoked Cowboy Steak (ideal for serving for two), Beef Back Ribs, Candied Burnt Ends, and a Smoked Caramel Sundae. One new additional item worth mentioning is the outstanding Bacon-Cured Ribs, which won accolades at the recent Rib King NYC event.
The interior at Morgan’s has been revamped with a new wood bartop, better lighting, and more. (Photo by Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue)
The revamped Morgan’s will also feature a new bar and beverage program, with house-smoked bourbon and rye cocktails taking center stage. Cocktails will include a Barrel-Aged Vieux Carré, Vermouth-finished Boulevardier, Butcher’s Cut Old Fashioned, and a “Circa 1862 Improved Whiskey Cocktail.”
This new bar and the menu pair well with the interior modifications that will modernize Morgan’s and make it more accessible. It will feature a 45-seat interior with a central bar, open kitchen, new accents, and chalkboard menus.
“We’ve upgraded the floors, upgraded the bar, and installed a lot of new lights,” Canalizo said.
Staples from the old menu will still be available, including the popular brisket sandwich. (Photo by Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue)
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue will begin its reopening with dinner service Monday through Friday and brunch and dinner service on the weekends. The brunch menu will include items such as Brisket Hash, Chicken and Waffles, Buttermilk Pancakes, Candied Bacon Micheladas, and Bloody Marys.
Looking ahead, Canalizo said he is also looking forward to outdoor patio dining to return in spring 2023 in Morgan’s large outdoor space. He said as soon as the weather gets warm again, the operation will also start serving frozen drinks as well.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT (NEWS)
The Sauce King NYC Awards were announced this week, with many local operations winning accolades.
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
The winners of the annual Sauce King NYC Awards were announced this week and first revealed in The Smoke Sheet newsletter. Sauce King NYC, now in its third year, assembles judges from the culinary world to rate and honor top barbecue, hot, and more sauces from around NYC and the country. Some of the top awards included:
Top Barbecue Sauce — BBQ Buddha’s Kansas City Sauce
Best Traditional Barbecue Sauce — OL'Chefskis BBQ’s Road House BBQ Sauce;
Best Flavor Enhancer — B.T. Leigh's The Magical Mop
Best Fruit BBQ Sauce — Linda's Pineapple Jerk Sauce
Best Dipping Sauce — Low Country Sauce’s Bigyia Sauce
Best International Sauce Family – FireFly Barbecue, UK
Best Hot Sauce — 718 Heat Factory’s Sweet Heat
Most Versatile Hot Sauce — Rocket Fuel Foods’ Fresca Salsa Verde
Best Ketchup — Rocket Fuel Foods’ Granny Smith Apple Ketchup
Metro NYC Startup Award — International Wings Factory for multiple top-notch wing and dipping sauces, Manhattan, NYC
Metro NYC Honerable Mentions — Sands Jerk Hut from Brooklyn, NY; Dirty Jerz BBQ from Milburn, NJ; and Craft House Staten Island, Staten Island, NY
Lifelong New Yorker, food writer, and avid theater-goer Allison Tibaldi writes in Insider about the 12 best restaurants near Broadway to eat before or after you see a show. In it, she gives high marks to classic New York BBQ joint Virgil’s Real BBQ. READ MORE.
If you’re starting to think about holiday gifts, Food & Wine has rounded up the 22 best barbecue and grilling gifts of 2022. READ MORE.
New York-based barbecue chain Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque will open its first Florida location in Tampa this month. READ MORE.
Massachusetts barbecue joint Kinfolks Award Winning BBQ said it has permanently closed 1 out of 2 of its locations due to labor shortages. READ MORE.
IRL BBQ AND FOOD EVENTS
Thursday's Bowl of 'Zole event will feature lots of pozole samples and the ability to try 50+ agave spirits like this awesome Siete Misterios Mezcal. (Photo via @beerwithflavor / Instagram.)
Here are the top BBQ and related food events coming soon to the New York metro area:
Thursday, October 20, 2022: After a successful trip to Boston, Bowl of ‘Zole is coming home to Brooklyn. Join them at a new venue for the third anniversary of this NYC Pozole Festival. Join the event in Bushwick on Thursday, October 20 to sample ten takes on pozole and over fifty expressions of agave spirits (mezcal, sotol, tequila, raicilla), plus lots of wine, beer, and hard seltzer. BUY TICKETS HERE.
Please get in touch if you would like your food event listed here!
SAY HELLO
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