People who bake from scratch can get sniffy about those who use shortcuts like packaged recipes or (shudder) frozen dough. I was talking with one such perfectionist who sneered at such practices with the memorable line, “You may be baking something when you use those, but you’re not a baker.” Shortcuts just don’t teach the reflexes of the craft, the understanding of the process that lets you make an extraordinary rather than average product.
But baking snobs are far eclipsed by barbecue purists, who refuse to even dignify the weekend amateur’s tools with their common names. The metal thing in your backyard that sits on a wheeled tripod? It’s not a barbecue, it’s a grill, because you can’t use indirect heat to smoke the meat. That passel of chicken legs you tossed on a hot fire after dousing them with sauce doesn’t pass muster – you didn’t season them with a dry rub, smoke them for a few hours, and add the sauce at the last minute so it caramelizes but doesn’t burn.
All this would just be chatter if those who really concentrate on barbecue didn’t make a superior product. Properly made chicken, pork chops, or steaks from that backyard grill can be delicious, but they can’t have the complex mix of flavors that hardwood smoke and dry rubs can impart.
For a taste of master-level barbecue, you might visit Smoky Doky, a little spot in Wilmington presided over by pitmaster Daniel Jess. (Sure, pitmaster sounds like a title for a minor character in Game of Thrones; maybe the one who handles Daenerys’ dragons while she’s away. It is however the term of art for those who craft traditional barbecue.)
Like most small barbecue joints, Smoky Doky doesn’t try to make a wide variety of items. They’re specialists, and if you don’t want brisket, tri-tip, chicken, pork ribs, or pulled pork, you’re in the wrong place. They have the classic complementary sides — macaroni and cheese, potato salad, cheese potatoes, beans, and coleslaw, but nothing to set a vegetarian’s heart aflutter.
The technique here is tried and true: rub the various meats with a mix of salt and pepper and then put them in a smoker for just the right amount of time. In the case of the brisket and ribs, add a crust of herbs dominated by chopped rosemary. Then let that aromatic, slightly sweet hickory smoke do its work for exactly the right amount of time. When the smoke has seeped into the meat and flavored it through and through, giving the exterior a caramelized crust that experts call bark, it’s done. When you cut into it, you’ll see the pink halo around the edge that is nicknamed the smoke ring. Most of the fats and collagen in the meat will have dissolved during the long, slow cooking process, so the meat will be very juicy and tender. The sauce will be offered on the side for those who want it. You should try the meat unsauced before adding it.
What Jess does is mostly traditional, except for the bit about adding rosemary to some rubs. That’s an interesting choice since rosemary crusts are usually used for roasting lamb or prime rib, not barbecue. The rub here is peppery compared to some others, so those who like a big herb and spice flavor will love it while others may max out on the cumulative effect of the seasoning.
Your best first-visit tactic is to order a combination plate and ask for at least one of the meats that use that rosemary rub. I suggest a three-item with the ribs, brisket and chicken so you can try three critters and two rubs, though if you want to sample everything get a five-item combo which ought to handle two people. I like the beans, which have a nice oniony tang, and the creamy macaroni and cheese. The coleslaw is pretty good too. I haven’t tried the other two sides, because I was saving space for the meats.
All meals come with Hawaiian sweet rolls and a mildly peppery sauce that has a balance of vinegar and tomato in the base. I prefer Smoky Doky’s meat just as it comes out of the smoker, but it’s worth dipping a few times to enjoy the effect. Plates also come with your choice of soft drink from the usual selections.
The little storefront has minimal space to dine in, a pair of narrow and not particularly comfortable counters with stools, so most people get theirs to go. My recommendation is to drive a few minutes to Banning Park and find a nice bench under a tree. There’s something primal about eating barbecue outdoors. And while I can’t prove that it tastes better, it just feels right. (Sorry, no pits to throw your bones into at the park like a true cave dweller so please be sure to dispose of your containers properly.)
Smoky Doky is the only place making traditional barbecue in the area, and they do it well enough to please the most exacting purist. After you try it you’ll still like properly grilled meat, which has its own charm, but you’ll understand the majesty of barbecue as it was meant to be.
Smoky Doky is at 223 W. Anaheim Street in Wilmington. See the menu online at smokydokybbq.com. It’s open six days a week Tuesday through Sunday.
Details: (424) 364-0588.