Doubts that Joe and Kim Carroll (Spuyten Duyvil) were serious when they named their Williamsburg barbecue joint Fette Sau, German for “fat pig,” are put to rest at the food counter, where the lightest meat served is charred pork (even chicken has been banished). Any lingering apprehension vanishes at the bar, where beer drinkers can choose from ten brews on tap, offered in gallon-size glass jugs.
Such unbutton-the-pants gusto, fervent even by gluttonous barbecue standards, makes Fette Sau great fun. After waiting dutifully in line, patrons order their meats by the pound — glistening mounds heaped onto paper-lined baking trays — before toting their bounty to one of the picnic tables in the former auto body shop. Lean baby back ribs come tender and pink in the middle, the tasty meat carrying a hint of smoke and a light rub of espresso and brown sugar. Thick-crusted pastrami gets caked in a coriander black-pepper rub and gets gets a sweet, fatty coating from the drippings of its ovenmates. Complement your meaty meal with house-made baked beans loaded with burnt-brisket ends, cold broccoli spears, or half-sour pickles and fresh sauerkraut.
For those who prefer their smoke in a glass, there’s an encyclopedic whiskey and bourbon selection at the bar, which is outfitted with tractor seat stools.