Smokehouse 52 BBQ

The first dish I saw being served at Smokehouse 52 was a heaping bowl of meat. Really. It looked to be at least a pound of big cubes of brisket, sauced but not swimming in a white restaurant-supply ceramic soup bowl. Having assessed a half-dozen barbecue joints in recent years, I surmised this was the Chelsea mainstay’s expansive take on “burnt ends,” but felt compelled to confirm my guess–first with a server (affirmative, and one of their most popular offerings), and then by ordering. And wow. These are the moistest and least charred burnt ends I’ve ever had–fewer than half the tender chunks had even a noticeably darkened edge, and those were softened by time spent in a mix of the house sauces. Their just-right balance of sweet, vinegary, and peppery notes combined with smoked meatiness for a high flavor yield.

A nearly $13 appetizer, this bowl is best for sharing. Honestly though, I can see how the jolly patron at the bar (we later learned he used to run a restaurant of his own) could justify polishing one off himself for a Friday night treat of a dinner. Meat is what draws most people to a barbecue restaurant, after all, even a sprawling family-friendly one.

The Observer last reviewed Smokehouse 52 in 2013. Visiting soon after it opened, my colleague, Lee Lawrence, called out the ribs for chewiness, the baked beans as boring, and the waitress as clueless. With the Community Observer reporting that the proprietors plan to open a second site in Saline, a reassessment seemed warranted.

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Four years on, they’ve found their strengths. Every employee was friendly, conscientious, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about the food. The baked beans are meaty and thick-sauced now. The rustic decor has become downright amusing, like a large schematic of a pig with the different parts labeled as “delicious,” “tasty,” and “bacon.” After-dinner mints come from the open jaws of a gator by the cash register.

The ribs still don’t fall off the bone. Slow-smoked to an almost hammy firmness, with subtle hints of cherrywood and applewood smoke, they’re one of four unsauced meats we sampled in the $28 “Enthusiast” platter, (which easily can feed two). I liked the ribs better than the naked chicken and pork. The pork was more appealing pre-sauced in sandwiches like the “Pig Mac,” topped with bacon and mac and cheese–justifiable if you’ve run 10k that day or promised yourself you will soon, because the really creamy cheese totally coats its huge curlicue noodles. For chicken, I’d skip the smoked option for the fried boneless breasts, super crispy in their honey buttermilk jackets.

Brisket rounded out the “Enthusiast.” Having sampled memorable burnt ends, I wondered what would be left of the brisket to serve on its own. But this turned out to be an interesting presentation as well–it arrived in tidy, thick little roast-beef-like slices. Though the platter came with a caddy full of house-made sauces–with all the expected sweet, spicy, vinegary, and boozy flavors represented–we dipped them in the horseradish dipping sauce left over from the “52 Smoke Bombs.”

Those bombs sounded delicious on the menu, like dressed-up hush puppies made from Jiffy Mix (from down the street) and “stuffed” with either pulled pork or a smoked portabella mushroom and veggie mix. But our pups were disappointingly mushy, served at room temperature and with the “stuffing” slathered on top instead of inside. We ate only a couple.

Smokehouse 52 is a lot about the meat, and vegetarians face an additional challenge, since lard is an ingredient in Jiffy’s cornbread mix, a slice of which comes alongside the veggie mac and cheese. There’s also a black bean burger and some veggie sides, include house-pickled “fixins.”

The Jiffy Mix is the only obviously “locally sourced” item on the menu. When 52 replaces Mangiamo in Saline, that will be one of many contrasts with farm-to-table-focused Salt Spring Brewery.

Smokehouse 52 BBQ

sh52bbq.com

Sun.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Appetizers & soups $5-$14, sandwiches and entree salads $12-$19, entrees $13-$29.

Handicapped friendly