Hometown Bar-B-que

In NYC, we pride ourselves on amalgamating the world; we're home to people and cultures from just about everywhere. Our culinary scene reflects that cosmopolitanism, providing ready access to nearly any cuisine. For longtime residents, it's always been a little odd that there wasn't much good barbecue to be had. That's the breach Hometown Barbecue stepped into. Rather than presenting a trussed-up or gentrified version of barbecue, Hometown kept it simple. That’s the way barbecue should be.

Setting down roots in a big, unfussy space in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the restaurant evokes the joints you'd find in more rustic, less metropolitan locales. It doesn't exactly feel transportative, but they aren't pretending to be anywhere else, and they're not selling you an identity. But there aren't many spaces in the city that feel quite like this. There are smaller tables for more intimate situations and bigger picnic tables for bigger parties. There's a bar where you can get beers and cocktails. It's pseudo-cafeteria style: you order at a counter and receive a tray with your food plopped on butcher paper. That's just fine.

The food is really what it's all about here. The brisket is juicy, fatty, smoky, with a nice, sturdy bark. The pulled pork is unctuous without being greasy. The ribs pull cleanly and satisfyingly away from the bone. This is barbecue—good barbecue, not some compromised approximation. The New York City inflection shows up in the menu's variety: you can get chicken, slab bacon, turkey, rib tips, house-made sausage, and veggie alternatives. They come in classic, jerk, Vietnamese, Korean, Mexican, and Jewish-deli-inflected preparations. There's chili, sandwiches, tacos, wings, and, yes, the classic meat-and-three if that's your preference. Not all of it is the best version of that thing you'll find elsewhere in the city. That said, during one visit, the pulled pork was a little dry. On another, the jerk rib-tips were tough as boot leather, the sauce sweeter than jerk spicy. But other times, neither of those things was true. That is more of an issue with consistency than the food itself overall.

If you're new to the place, go with the classics: brisket, pulled pork, or spare ribs because Hometown nails all three. The sides are pretty good, too. The cornbread is sweet but not tooth-achingly so, and the greens are bitter with that smoky, porky note you want. But who are we kidding? You're not coming here for a cup of macaroni and cheese; there are at least a couple dozen places in the city that specialize in the stuff.

Coming from Manhattan, the ferry ride from downtown is a beautiful bookend to a meal here. If you're coming from anywhere else, you'll probably want to drive, bike, take a bus, or taxi. Nobody here is afraid of a long walk, but the walk to or from the train is tough to recommend.

If you're in the market for barbecue, you'd be hard-pressed to do any better than Hometown. It's got everything you're craving, plus a lot more. You can get it delivered, and there's an outpost in Industry City, but the Red Hook original is well worth the trip.