Hometown’s New Brisket Smash Burger Is a Must-Try
The new onion smash burger from Hometown Bar-B-Que is stellar.
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At barbecue restaurants in the NYC area, a rare item to find on the menu is a straightforward burger. A handful of joints are serving good burgers (including Pig Beach and Blue Smoke) but if you look at most restaurants, it’s not being served because burgers are simply not a Southern barbecue staple.
As a barbecue and burger lover, I’m always on the lookout for both. So when Hometown Bar-B-Que owner Billy Durney announced last month that a smash burger would be added to the regular menu at Hometown’s Industry City location, my mouth was instantly watering. Not only would a smash burger be coming, but hand-cut cottage-style fries were too.
The decision to add a burger to the menu was not made lightly and the staff at Hometown declined to do it for years, despite many people asking for one. If you wanted a burger from the Hometown team, you’d have to eat it at sister restaurant Red Hook Tavern. The Tavern's dry-aged burger is a masterpiece, but it’s $26 and requires a reservation.
The new smash burger also can be paired with new cottage-style fries.
However, this year, that attitude changed as the pandemic continued and the supply chain issues continued to reshape the business. A Hometown employee told me that because of supply chain issues, the briskets the restaurant receives are coming in larger and more trimmings are produced. Instead of throwing away the trimmings, the team decided they could instead finally use them to make an “onion smash burger.” (Meat Church BBQ has a good video about how to make this style of brisket burger too.)
This new burger, I’m happy to report, is a wonderful addition to the Hometown menu and it makes visiting the Industry City location even better. The burger is made from a mix of 80% lean and 20% fatty brisket trimmings, creating flavorful and juicy patties despite their thinness. The patties are topped with American cheese, onions, and “comeback sauce” on a potato roll, with pickles on the side.
Once you bite into the new smash burger, you will also find some tasty griled onions as well.
I ordered a $12 double smash burger instead of an $8 single and it was well worth the upgrade. On top of this, I tried the new cottage-style fries with cheese as well. The queso cheese on top of the fries is actually the same queso found in the mac and cheese, and it gives a nice kick as well.
The move to add smash burgers to the menu also coincides with this item becoming a hot trend in New York City restaurants. Eater NY reports that since April, “more than a half-dozen burger spots have opened their doors in Manhattan alone, including several from established chefs not previously associated with counter-service restaurants.” I would also credit pop-up operations like Gotham Burger Social Club for making smash burgers such a popular item throughout the city.
Hometown’s smash burger is following a trend that was forged by pop-ups like the one from Gotham Burger Social Club.
With a hotshot like Hometown adding an excellent smash burger to the menu, I would not be surprised if we see more burgers on barbecue menus in the near future. And I’ll happily try them all.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Mutiny BBQ is an exciting new option in Asbury Park, NJ. (Photo via Mutiny BBQ / Facebook)
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
New Jersey is about to have an exciting new barbecue restaurant with Asbury Park-based Mutiny BBQ. The restaurant was “incubated” at the Asbury Park Food Collective, and has a hardcore BBQ enthusiast at the helm. Owner and pitmaster Tom Dunphy writes that the restaurant will incorporate “methods of Texas, the Carolinas, Memphis, Kansas City, and Louisiana to create a craft BBQ experience unlike any other. We remain committed and borderline obsessed with observing and revering the traditions of old-school, live-fire smoking.” I look forward to visiting sometime. SEE UPDATES HERE.
Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque in Hoboken, NJ will likely open in the next week or two, with the owners saying that they expect to open soon. The restaurant is part of a small chain that also has locations in Virginia and Florida. Pitmaster Myron Mixon is also planning to host dinners occasionally at the restaurant, so this will be a fun place to watch. READ HERE.
The team behind popular New York barbecue joint (and occasional BBQ wedding venue) Pig Beach NYC was profiled on CBS Saturday Morning. Co-owners Matt Abdoo, Shane McBride, and Rob Schwager told the story of how Pig Beach was founded and shared what the future will hold for the franchise. WATCH HERE.
In this week’s issue of The Smoke Sheet newsletter, co-founder Ryan Cooper wrote about 7 essential BBQ and grilling products to buy for barbecue lovers during the holiday season. READ HERE.
IRL BBQ EVENTS
Not many public-facing events are scheduled this winter so it’s time to put a few 2022 events on your calendar, including Brisket King NYC.
Here are the top BBQ and related food events coming soon to the New York metro area:
March 8 - June 8, 2022: The Long Island Wing Hunt, a self-guided wing tour of the best chicken wings, is back this spring. You can buy a ticket and then go to many of the best LI wing spots and get free wings with your “wing pass” all season! BUY TICKETS HERE.
April 20, 2022: The 11th edition of Brisket King NYC will be held at Pig Beach in Gowanus, Brooklyn on Wednesday, April 20. This all-inclusive event will feature 15+ chefs and pitmasters cooking up the juiciest brisket you can find plus craft beer, hard cider, and spirits. BUY TICKETS HERE.
If you would like your food event listed here, please get in touch.
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