What does Barbecue mean to us....
Barbecue Defined: to gather, socialize, to smile, laugh, to meet new people, surround yourself with great people, to relax, appreciate those you're around, comfort food, messy, to reconnect with old friends, turn off the phones, to just be happy.
Honestly, we never looked up the "official" definition of barbecue. And we don't really care what it is. The definition we described,
is what barbecue means to us. Angry Smokehouse was opened to provide a gathering space that makes memories. We're here to help you
forget about stresses in everyday life. Our amazing true southern barbecue and
guest service is here to enhance your time spent with us; socializing, smiling, laughing... That's what makes us happy.
That's why we do what we do.
In the Midwest and the South, BBQ is about gathering. They get together as 1, or as 23, they meet up and enjoy barbecue.
Everyone is welcome, and strangers leave as friends. For that hour or two, or five, you are there and you feel at home.
If you've never been there, you feel like it's your 76th visit.
To us, that's barbecue.
Jeff's BBQ Roadtrip
We took a trip. A BBQ road trip. We flew to Austin, TX, rented a car and began what turned out to be one of the greatest, most educational times of our life.
Texas
Brisket is no joke!!!!
They fire up the cookers using primarily post oak wood. They get it up to about 225 degrees at most places (some a little higher), and they smoke low and slow. They spritz, they wrap, they have beers while waiting, they keep the fire going, and they have conversations. The pitmasters we hung out with taught us everything they know. They were excited to show us the old school BBQ cooking techniques that make their meat so amazing. Pitmasters were in their 60's and 70's, still cooking BBQ everyday, and they absolutely love it.
We spent several days in TX, primarily Austin, but we also traveled to Lockhart to spend time with the crews from Kreuz, Smitty's and Black's. Wow what an unbelievable experience that was. We were in Driftwood to check out Salt Lick and were lucky enough to spend some time in their pits as well. We hit the big names, but it was the small names where we spent most of our time in the pits. Working with their cookers, learning their recipes, their techniques, and soaking every bit of it in. Places like Leroy and Lewis, Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ, Brown's, Smokey J's...
We made rubs, we made sauces, we made fires, we made smoke, we drank beer with the pit crews, we laughed like hell and we made the best BBQ of our life.
Kansas City, MO
From TX we drove to Kansas City, MO. Similar to Texas, the hospitality was unreal. And they weren't shy in showing us their techniques as well. In fact, when we told them we had just drove from TX, most of the pit bosses responses were along the lines of "let me show you how we do it around here". And that they did. Kansas City likes to mop while they cook BBQ. Of course, we hit Joe's Kansas City, and Q39 and Arthur Bryant's, which were all amazing. We learned from the guys that have been cooking BBQ for 50+ years. Harp BBQ (the party here started at 10am with a band in the parking lot), Chef J, Slap's, Woodyard....
We made rubs, we made sauces, we made fires, we made smoke, we drank beer with the pit crews, we laughed like hell and we made the best BBQ of our life.
Memphis, TN
In the car and off to Memphis, TN. Similar to Texas and Missouri, the hospitality was so comforting. Tennessee folks loved our story. They felt the pride we have in doing things right and true to its origins. So they showed us their true and tried techniques. What's so remarkable is the ages of the pit masters in every state that we went to. The BBQ's we hit in TN had pit crews that were in their 70's, cooking BBQ for 60 years!
We went to a spot called Charlie Vergos, and they were some of the best ribs we've ever had in our life. They use all charcoal pits and cook at high temps. We spent some time with them. You want to talk about a well oiled machine.... One was placing the ribs, one was flipping the ribs, one was mopping with a simple white vinegar and water base, one was mopping the coals. Meanwhile another is just pulling ribs off the sheet tray on the rack and getting them to the pit crew. All day, every day, and they did it with a smile while still teaching us.
We were able to spend quite a bit of time behind the scenes at Marlowe's. We met the original Mrs Marlowe (working the merch counter now) and her grandson who helps run day to day operations. Absolutely wonderful people. Her stories about how it all started had us in awe. Then we hit some smaller joints; three little pigs, central, payne's... they all spent time with us, didn't rush through anything, and were proud to pass on some ideas they knew would help us in the north.
We made rubs, we made sauces, we made fires, we made smoke, we drank beer with the pit crews, we laughed like hell and we made the best BBQ of our life.
South Carolina
Back in the car again and off to South Carolina. The Carolina's were quite a bit different than TX, MO and TN. We were introduced to whole hog BBQ in South Carolina. Wow! It's a completely different beast when it comes to BBQ and cooking techniques. We hung out with pit masters in several joints that had been barbecuing for 50+ years. Like every other state, the second we told the pit crew what we were doing, their responses were all "Well let me show you how we do it round here". And that they did! Chicken brines, slow smoked turkey and whole, we learned from the best all day and night, and they smiled the whole time. They taught us real South Carolina vinegar based BBQ sauce and Carolina Gold BBQ sauce!
Of course we hit some of the bigger names; Rodney Scott's which was some of the absolute best whole hog and talking to their crew was outstanding. Sweatman's and Home Team were also amazing. And we hit some smaller off the beaten path bbq's; Duke's, Melvin's, Scott's, Lewis, Swig & Swine. Here's what they all had in common: they were proud to talk about BBQ, they still love what they do 50, 60, 70 years later, and they were proud to show us their ways.
We made rubs, we made sauces, we made fires, we made smoke, we drank beer with the pit crews, we laughed like hell and we made the best BBQ of our life.
North Carolina
And we're off, this time thankfully only about a 5 hour drive. We're in North Carolina. Our final stop on the BBQ tour. Now in North Carolina they have a sauce. A vinegar BBQ sauce that will blow you away, especially if you like heat. Most joints had it readily available, all made from scratch. They were simple sauce, thin, with heat. The first few places we were hanging with the pit masters and they would show us everything but this sauce. They showed us rubs, they showed us brines, they showed us hush puppies and cherry cobbler. But they would not show us their simple sauce. Some called it a Piedmont sauce, some called it a Lexington sauce. There was delicious whole hog BBQ in North Carolina as well, with another heavy concentration on whole and quarter chicken. But the desserts, my goodness....
We hit Buxton BBq, Herb's, Lexington, then we arrived at Stamey's. This place has been cooking BBQ for a long long time, sticking with traditional techniques. Absolutely amazing! We went to Sam Jones, Wilber's, Jon G's and Buxton Hall where we learned a lot, including this spicy BBQ sauce we've been searching for in about 11 spots now. These pit masters took 2 days with us, taught us rubs, a very simple sauce, desserts and took pride in all of it. We sat by the stick burners, cooking mostly of hardwood coal, and relaxed, for hours and hours. We drank, we told lies, we played guitars. There is so much pride and tradition in both Carolina's and the southern hospitality was very apparent there as well.
We made rubs, we made sauces, we made fires, we made smoke, we drank beer with the pit crews, we laughed like hell and we made the best BBQ of our life.
Baldwinsville, NY
In a meat coma!!!
On the road one last time, heading north back to Baldwinsville, NY. We pull into our little town, exhausted, in a meat coma and exhilarated with information. Can't go to sleep, have to go over all the notes we took. The rubs, sauces, the smoking techniques, how they built their fires, and how they made hardwood charcoal....
Our minds and energy didn't stop for days. We just experienced the most magnificent culinary journey anyone could ever imagine! When we returned from this road trip, we put pen to paper. We took plenty of video and pictures to remind us of technique and process. So many were willing to write down and even make copies of recipes. It became more about remembering the moments of hearing their stories and less about the recipe! The stories of how they were taught, the traditions passed down, the smiles and constant reinforcement that BBQ makes everything right in this world. Their lifelong stories have been passed down from generations of family cooking barbecue. And they shared it with us! How in the world did we get so lucky? What did we do to deserve this? In every single state and every single barbecue that we spent time with the pit crew or owner, they were proud to show us their traditions, they were excited for our future accomplishments, and they wanted us to have this knowledge for a reason.
Well who are we to keep it to ourselves??? Let me introduce you to Angry Smokehouse. A true, traditional BBQ joint. We smoke slow. We season light, we want you to taste the meat, not the spices. We smoke dry, we want you to taste the meat, not the sauce. We want you to taste the countless hours of hard work and love that goes into our cooking process. Our cookers run all day and all night. We're smoking hickory wood, and you'll taste that subtle hint in everything we smoke. But what we do here is not about the food. It's not about the booze. It's about consuming yourself in such a pleasurable experience with people that you can't wait to make more memories here. It's about smiling, laughing and forgetting about all other things. It's about this very moment.
Thank you for allowing us to play a part in that.
Contact
Location
33 Water Street, Baldwinsville, NY 13027