John Brown Smokehouse In Queens - NYC
John Brown Smokehouse is flourishing in its new digs
In John Brown Smokehouse's case, barbecue travels well. Very well.
Owner/pitmaster/head banjo player, Josh Bowen's travels have taken him from a Kansas childhood, to a decade in Austin and a turn at Hill Country, to Queens, where he opened his own shop.
A recent move from Astoria to Long Island City has given Bowen heaps more space, a liquor license and a more accessible location.
Deliciousness of all meat types is scrawled over a wall-wide chalkboard menu (pulled pork, pork belly, rib tips, pastrami), but just remember: You are here for the burnt ends ($24 per pound).
Twice-smoked over pecan and peachwood, these wickedly good chunks of fatty brisket deckle are also twice-seasoned with sugar and ground coffee. As Bowen jokingly says, "Fat, sugar and salt–if you don't like that, you just ain't American."
On the side, whole corn kernels, creamed corn and sour cream conspire to create a cornbread so moist, it's practically a kissing cousin of corn pudding ($3 for 8 ounces).
Our advice: Get there by 7 p.m. to ensure total barbecue satisfaction. Bowen deals nightly with the high-class problem of running out of meat, and you surely don't want to be on the non-burnt ends side of things.
John Brown Smokehouse, 10-43 44th Dr. (at 11th St.), Queens; 718-361-0085 or johnbrownseriousbbq.com