Foods from Meatings Barbecue
Comments
2018 Mar 7
I was invited to this tiny restaurant along with some other social media characters for a private tasting. It was a fun and flavourful evening. Here are my takeaways:
* BEST barbecue in Ottawa! Way better than all the places I've tried and better than I do at home. I love that everything is dry-rubbed and any (unnecessary) saucing happens on your plate to your taste via tabletop squirt bottle.
* Huge emphasis on products from local farmers and suppliers.
* Beau's on tap (see previous point).
* Charming staff and owners! Brothers Mat and Joey employ their wonderful grandmother to help in the kitchen. I understand that the pecan tarts are her special contribution to the menu and she is also known to make clothing for the staff. How adorable is that!
The juicy fatty brisket was absolutely incredible. So were the ribs, pulled pork, and chicken I tasted. The mashed potatoes with gravy, mac and cheese topped with crushed authentic Hawkins Cheezies, fries, and lightly spiced Tater Tots were all good and featured mild flavours so as not to detract from the meaty stars of the show. The cornbread was a tad more dry than I would like but it might have been out for a while before I got to it.
For a vegetarian option they show admirable creativity: "pulled" jackfruit. These fruits have a meaty quality that works well with BBQ flavours. Nice one.
This is the sort of charming locally-minded business we all wish there were more of. Throw in the fact that they make the best BBQ in the region and this becomes a place I can really gush about. Another guest there stated that he's eaten plenty of barbecue in Texas, Mississippi, and South Carolina, and Meatings brisket was his favourite ever. No kidding. What a gem!
* BEST barbecue in Ottawa! Way better than all the places I've tried and better than I do at home. I love that everything is dry-rubbed and any (unnecessary) saucing happens on your plate to your taste via tabletop squirt bottle.
* Huge emphasis on products from local farmers and suppliers.
* Beau's on tap (see previous point).
* Charming staff and owners! Brothers Mat and Joey employ their wonderful grandmother to help in the kitchen. I understand that the pecan tarts are her special contribution to the menu and she is also known to make clothing for the staff. How adorable is that!
The juicy fatty brisket was absolutely incredible. So were the ribs, pulled pork, and chicken I tasted. The mashed potatoes with gravy, mac and cheese topped with crushed authentic Hawkins Cheezies, fries, and lightly spiced Tater Tots were all good and featured mild flavours so as not to detract from the meaty stars of the show. The cornbread was a tad more dry than I would like but it might have been out for a while before I got to it.
For a vegetarian option they show admirable creativity: "pulled" jackfruit. These fruits have a meaty quality that works well with BBQ flavours. Nice one.
This is the sort of charming locally-minded business we all wish there were more of. Throw in the fact that they make the best BBQ in the region and this becomes a place I can really gush about. Another guest there stated that he's eaten plenty of barbecue in Texas, Mississippi, and South Carolina, and Meatings brisket was his favourite ever. No kidding. What a gem!
2017 Apr 24
On Saturday, we had dinner at Meatings Barbecue. The space is cosy and well decorated with a rustic/hipster feel. Staff is very friendly and helpful.
We ordered two sampler platters (22$) which include three meats, two sides and one dessert. Altogether, we tasted the ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, mac & cheese, beans, coleslaw, tater tots, grilled pineapple and pecan tart.
The ribs were the big winners. The texture was perfect and the rub was delicious. They had a nice bite to them as they should. "Fall off the bone" is extremely overrated.
The brisket was tasty if slightly overcooked, but unfortunately was cut with the grain which made it a bit hard to eat. We ordered fatty, but what we got was sort of in-between. It was moist and tender, though.
The chicken had a very tasty rub on it. The meat was firm and flavourful. We got a weird piece of chicken back with a good amount of meat on it. It was the last piece and we had been warned, and we were cool with it.
The pulled-pork was a disappointment. The portion we got was mushy and wet. It seemed very overcooked. We didn't finish it.
Two observations: All the meats were very lightly smoked. There were no obvious smoke rings or big smokey flavours on anything. I guess that's a choice they made. I respect that. It doesn't take anything away from the end result. It's their style. The other thing is that their rubs are on the salty side. I didn't mind, but my dining companion didn't enjoy all the salt.
Sides were generally very good. The standouts were the mac & cheese and the tots. The beans were a bit too intense for my friend, but i liked them fine.
Desserts were delicious. The grilled pineapple with cinnamon sugar is a great idea.
We really liked our visit and would go back if in the area and craving barbecue.
We ordered two sampler platters (22$) which include three meats, two sides and one dessert. Altogether, we tasted the ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, mac & cheese, beans, coleslaw, tater tots, grilled pineapple and pecan tart.
The ribs were the big winners. The texture was perfect and the rub was delicious. They had a nice bite to them as they should. "Fall off the bone" is extremely overrated.
The brisket was tasty if slightly overcooked, but unfortunately was cut with the grain which made it a bit hard to eat. We ordered fatty, but what we got was sort of in-between. It was moist and tender, though.
The chicken had a very tasty rub on it. The meat was firm and flavourful. We got a weird piece of chicken back with a good amount of meat on it. It was the last piece and we had been warned, and we were cool with it.
The pulled-pork was a disappointment. The portion we got was mushy and wet. It seemed very overcooked. We didn't finish it.
Two observations: All the meats were very lightly smoked. There were no obvious smoke rings or big smokey flavours on anything. I guess that's a choice they made. I respect that. It doesn't take anything away from the end result. It's their style. The other thing is that their rubs are on the salty side. I didn't mind, but my dining companion didn't enjoy all the salt.
Sides were generally very good. The standouts were the mac & cheese and the tots. The beans were a bit too intense for my friend, but i liked them fine.
Desserts were delicious. The grilled pineapple with cinnamon sugar is a great idea.
We really liked our visit and would go back if in the area and craving barbecue.
Ribs 6
2018 Mar 7
Meaty, juicy, tender, with a tasty bark! The pork rib on the bottom left was a hearty toothsome bit of delight.
Top left is pork shoulder, ready for pulling. Mat showed us how easily the bone slipped free. Awesome.
Top right is that wonderful fatty brisket. Mat squeezed it a little to animate the juices. ANIMATED JUICES people! You know it's a special dinner when AJ shows up.
Bottom right pic is a view of some of the sides. In case you don't want to fill yourself with just meat, these give your plate some good variety.
Top left is pork shoulder, ready for pulling. Mat showed us how easily the bone slipped free. Awesome.
Top right is that wonderful fatty brisket. Mat squeezed it a little to animate the juices. ANIMATED JUICES people! You know it's a special dinner when AJ shows up.
Bottom right pic is a view of some of the sides. In case you don't want to fill yourself with just meat, these give your plate some good variety.
2018 Mar 7
There are number of dessert options here. I didn't try them all but I heard they were excellent.
See that list of local suppliers on their wall? Ottawa proud.
The deep fried corn bread (center right in pic) totally blew me away. Definitely something to try if you visit, which you absolutely should do!
See that list of local suppliers on their wall? Ottawa proud.
The deep fried corn bread (center right in pic) totally blew me away. Definitely something to try if you visit, which you absolutely should do!
Momomoto
Everything was amazing. Although they say it's for four people, it fed us for three days straight. I think I enjoyed the pork ribs the most; my wife loved the chicken (quite possibly her first real BBQ, as opposed to grilled, chicken?).
I would have appreciated some sort of green vegetable option for sides, like spinach/collard greens, green beans, peas, etc. It did seem like quite a lot of heavy things.
We will definitely go back.