The Hog Pit Barbecue
37 W. 26th St.
New York, NY 10010
(212) 213-4871

Stumbling out of Hill Country in a meat coma induced haze & back into the sweltering NYC August heat – I looked across the street to see the banner for Hog Pit Barbecue. This joint was originally in the Meatpacking a couple blocks over from Hogs & Heifers . Three years ago, it replaced by a somewhat over hyped burger place Bill’s Bar & Burger. I had figured – like many places in the old Meatpacking district – I had missed my opportunity to visit the Hog Pit for their Q.

So – though completely packed from a Hill Country feast – I convinced Cherie to drop into Hog Pit for a beer. My reasoning was we had not drank at Hill Country (so we would not be drinking like lushes) & it would give us a chance to digest our feast before walking in the heat. I don;t think she needed much convincing beyond “beer”.

Hog Pit is basically a Southern bar in NYC. Plain decoration in a not quite dive-y but could topple that way in minute style. The menu is a mix of Southern comfort food & BBQ. Beer selection is pretty much the generic mix of Bud Miller Coors (BMC) & a couple “imports” (like Guinness & Labatt Blue). Country & classic rock on the sound system.

I mentioned to the bartender I was glad to see they had not gone out of business, but was surprised to see they opened across from Hill Country. She said she had never been there but a lot of their staff come over to drink after their shifts.

“Is it good?” she asks.
“Best in NY State.” I reply.

She’s surprised & this does not bode well for the Q at Hog Pit. Generally I feel the best Q joints have employees who care & know about Q. Then again – perhaps she knew a encyclopedia worth of where to drink cheap in NYC. I did not ask.

After looking the menu over for a bit & deciding we should eat SOME Q here as that was the point of the trip (to sample as much NYC BBQ as possible), we chose to share the pulled pork slider appetizer. We felt we could manage one slider each & not completely pass out from Meat O.D.

The sliders come two to a serving on traditional slider buns, unsauced & served with a bowl of house sauce. If this pork has ever seen the inside of a smoker, I’ll eat my Backwoods Fatboy. Absolutely no smokiness or bark to be found. The pull – or more accurately shred – was a bit too fine for my taste but at least did not devolve into pork foam. The taste was pretty nice for roasted & shredded pork with a bit of a stocky flavor. I think they might be heating & holding in pork or chicken stock (or a combo of both). The house sauce was a thick rich ketchup sauce with a nice spicy kick. It worked nicely to punch up the pork.

Definitely not bad sliders though I’m not too sure I’d call them “BBQ” or “pulled pork.” Definitely makes me wonder what their “BBQ’s beef brisket” is like – especially considering their proximity to Hill Country. I’d call this more “Bar BBQ” than ” real BBQ” – something vaguely in the Q realm to eat while drinking – & there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.

Brunswick Barbecue & Brew
3925 State Hwy 2
Troy, NY 12180
(518) 279-9993

Like Capital Q Smokehouse, Brunswick was another Albany area joint we wanted to try at the Troy Pig Out but ran out of appetite & energy. We actually had tried to hit Brunswick prior to the Pig Out, but went on a Tuesday – the only day they are closed.

We ended up here on the same day we visited Capital Q Smokehouse. Decided as we were in the area – though still a bit full from lunch – we’d drop by & have some beer & check out the menu. Brunswick not so much a Q joint as it is a restaurant that serves some BBQ. It also serves a lot of of “not BBQ.” The BBQ side of the menu is pulled pork, three styles of ribs & chicken. I’m always a little disappointed when a BBQ place does not serve brisket or at least some sort of beef.

The beer selection here is outstanding. A great variety of craft beers with several on tap. I forgot to note what we were drinking but I do remember it was delicious. Following our general philosophy of “If you’re going to drink – you must eat”, we decided to check out Brunswick’s appetizers. The only BBQ for a starter is what we have currently become obsessed with: pulled pork sliders. We ordered that & chicken wings with garlic parmesan sauce.

The sliders came five to an order – not the easiest number to share but still a nice quantity. They use a Brunswick house roll – slightly larger & crustier than your standard slider roll. Cherie was a bit put off by the crustiness. I thought it helps stand up against the pork & sauce. The pork was not overly smokey & had a nice pulled texture. it does come slightly sauced but nothing so overwhelming you could not clearly taste the pork. An extra serving of house sauce – nice thick ketchup based with a hint of spice – for those who feel BBQ is just a vehicle for sauce.

The wings had quite a kick. We’re garlic lovers, but this might just be a bit over the top. We were glad we both ate the wings as it would have been an uncomfortable night for the one who did not. Garlic parmesan is definitely not the sauce you want to have before that big important meeting! Good crispy skin on the wings & fairly juicy & meaty. Talking with the owner he said they often cater with smoked chicken wings & it made me wish those were being served in the restaurant.

All in all a nice little joint. It is a bit too far out of the way for our usual travels in the region. We’ll likely make some future trips but when is definitely up in the air. Certainly worth checking out if you find yourself at the beginning (or end depending on which way you’re coming) of State Highway 2 in the Troy area.

Capital Q Smokehouse
329 Ontario Street
Albany, NY 12208-3335
(518) 438-7675

We first ran into Capital Q Smokehouse at the 2010 Troy Pig Out – an annual BBQ fest & competition in downtown Troy, NY. They had the mega-Q-wagon shown above parked at the start of the food vending area. Unfortunately for us, we started eating at the end of the vending area. After some less than spectacular food & a long day in the sun, we were a bit too full & tired to wait in the Capital Q Smokehouse line. So we made note of the fact it was in Albany & planned a trip in the near future.

Capital Q Smokehouse is located on a side street off of Madison Ave. in the College of St. Rose area of Albany. You might initially think you’re gone the wrong way, but keep driving. It is in a rather unassuming house with a big Q hanging out front. Find some street parking & get ready for some serious good eatin’.

This is my idea of a perfect joint. A small lunch rail in the front window with a few stools & not much else. The majority of Capital Q Smokehouse is the kitchen & service area – just as it should be in a great Q joint!

Dan – the guy working the counter when we visited – started by asking if this was our first visit. We answered “yes” & so began our introduction to the three porks they serve. Capital Q Smokehouse takes a beautiful smokey hand pulled pork & gives it three treatments: Okie Pig, Capital Q & South Carolina. The Okie Pig is simmered in a Kansas City style red sauce. Capital Q uses a spicy North Carolina style vinegar wash. The South Carolina also uses a vinegar wash but spicier & with a mustard seed kick. Brisket is offered as sliced or as Okie Beef & Burnt End. Okie Beef & Burnt End is chopped brisket simmered in the Okie sauce. There are almost too many side choices to deal with or list.

Sandwiches come as regular or slider size. For lunch, you can get 2 sliders, a side & drink for $7. We decided that was too good to pass up & went for the lunch deal. I had the Capital Q Pulled Pork slider, Okie Beef & Burnt End slider, mashed sweet potatoes & a couple of croakers (more about this in a minute) as an extra side. Cherie went with a South Carolina slider, Okie Beef & Burnt End slider, jalapeno mac & cheese & BBQ mac & cheese as an extra side. We also got a 1/2 pound of sliced brisket because brisket is our obsession.

I know that may sound like an insane amount of food, but actually it was quite manageable. The sliders – something we’ve decided will be a staple at the Hut – are the perfect size for sandwich sampling. The sides were just enough to share without being overwhelming. The sides were ok but not as amazing as the meat. It’s something we often find in Q joints. All the effort is focused on creating great meat then it is served with passable (or worse) sides. I am quite glad Cherie is around to focus on the sides for the Hut.

One experiment in sides I found intriguing but ultimately a bit disappointing was the Croakers. These are fried mashed potato croquettes with cheddar cheese, scallions & bacon. at 50¢ each, I tried 2. I wanted more bacon (then again who doesn’t) & the cheddar really does not come through. Nice & moist with a great crunchy fried crust, they had so much undelivered potential. I hope perhaps they’ll take them up a few notches.

Then again – one does not go to a joint for sides. It’s the meat – & oh the meat at Capital Q! The pulled pork is a wonderful smokey delight with a great bark & spicy kick of vinegar. (I’m not a KC sauce fan though the KC sauced Okie pork here is pretty great.) When Dan started slicing the brisket, I called Cherie over & asked: “Does that look familiar?” Yes – for the first time since starting to make BBQ in upstate NY, I found another joint making brisket like mine. Beautiful smoke ring. Tender, moist & smokey. Beautiful spicy crust. It was quite reassuring to discover perhaps I actually do know what I’m doing & have not made a horrible career choice.

Both brisket & pork were brilliant. We left very little on or plates.

The one saving grace is – when talking to Dan about Capital Q expanding – they are looking north of Albany. I would not be keen to go up against them – though it might be fun. On the other hand – it is nice to know I can actually get good BBQ when I have to do the run to Albany for Q supplies.