My favorite food (apart from authentic Chinese, of course) is barbeque, smoky meat cooked over hickory or mesquite wood for long hours, burnt crispy at the edges with a pink rim of fat. Beef brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork...and my favorite, big juicy beef ribs. It's all scrumptuous...and, surprisingly, it is still not easy to find the real thing in Los Angeles. Oh, yes, it is here...you just have to know where to look.
What evoked this subject is a few visits made recently to a new midtown barbeque place, The Smokin' Joint (8486 West 3rd Street, just off the southeast corner of La Cienega, 323.655.7427). A gregarious guy named Michael Kesler was in the music business but left to follow his passion and go to culinary school. He then made the decision to open this barbeque place, designed the little storefront and had the furniture built in Bali, installed a bar from India, created the logo and menu, installed the two pecan wood-burning black ovens in the kitchen, and began serving up smoked meats and wonderful desserts.
Oh, did I mention, he not only cooks all of the barbeque with the aid of his Chef de Cuisine Shari Teremotos, but he is also a master dessert chef, and the cakes are all exceptional. It seems that his dad was not only a fine musician but also a pastry chef, so the talent is inherited. He has his guitars on the wall and videos from his vintage collection of rock, blues and jazz performers playing. What led me to investigate Mike's joint was the fact that he serves only farm-raised, grass-fed organic hormone-free prime Angus meats, as well as fresh farmers market organic vegetables, perhaps the only bbq place that does so. When I dined there with some friends, he told me that all the meats are are brined in apple juice rather than the usual salt water, then he adds the rubs and begins smoking the meats early each morning.
I'll guide you through the dishes we have eaten here, starting with the greasy but good Onion Ring Loaf ($7) and a plate of Smoked Wings ($8), the wings slightly spicy and very good. A House Salad with Tri-tip was overly-drenched in dressing, so I concentrated on the tri-tip, which was somewhat too well done for me. Catfish Bites ($8) were good, and I finished a portion of Crispy Fried Pickles ($7). All sandwiches are $11, with one side, and we shared a Pulled Pork on a soft roll...the pork moist but somewhat bland. A note: the House BBQ Sauce is terrific, semi-sweet with a slight kick, and although I usually like my barbeque dry, I found myself drizzling sauce on much of it. All entrees come with two sides and plenty of freshly-made cornbread with honey butter; be careful, those little puffs are addictive. We skipped the signature Smoked Filet Mignon, 9 oz. for $25, going immediately to the Baby Back Ribs (12 for $25, 6 for $17). They were tender, somewhat bland, Add the sauce, yes! Six prime Beef Ribs ($25, four for $17) were much better, juicy with an earthy favor. I was told the Beef Brisket ($17) was cooked for 15 hours, which may explain why I found it a bit overcooked. (You may realize by now that I like my meat juicy, rare and tender.) By then the Smoked Chicken ($17 for a half) emerged from the kitchen on a big platter and it was perfection...yes, juicy and tender. Then I snared a piece of Catfish from my protesting date; it was marinated in mustard and thyme and flawlessly fried in peanut oil (as is everything that is fried here) and it was delicious. Excellent Chili is made from smoked filet mignon, brisket and some beer.
All this time I was greedily digging into a cornucopia of sides (large $7, half $4) piled onto the table....Baked Beans made with three beans and apple-smoked bacon, excellent. I didn't get to share the Corn-on-the-Cob drenched with chile-lime butter, but I did order a second bowl of Mac 'n Cheese for myself.
As I mentioned, baking tasty pastry is a family tradition here, they - all $7 - are freshly made each day, very large, easily serving several people. Buzzed Pecan Pie has a Jack Daniels-infused crust, Kickin' Cherry Pie is made with fresh sour cherries, and there are Devil's Cake ad Red Velvet Cake yet to be tried. The Smokin' Joint is still a work in progress, but it shows enough promise to be strongly encouraged. Open every day for lunch and dinner.