TEXAS BEEF SHORT RIBS @ BLUE SMOKE BBQ

$$$: $29 for a full rack; $10 for a plate of 20 Buffalo Chicken Wings (2-for-1 Wednesday special)

The Scene:
Birthday boys must love ribs. Not long after my previous excursion to Ribbetts for a friend’s birthday did I find myself tonight at Blue Smoke BBQ for yet another birthday celebration. This time, however, the humble local recipes of Ribbetts were exchanged for a more authentic, far-reaching American experience…

The Meal:
The complimentary cornbread arrived first.

As cheese bread is to Sizzler, so cornbread is to Blue Smoke. This delightful bread is served with a unique, sweet butter that some say also has a little spicy sting in its tail (though I somehow managed to avoid encountering this entirely).

We ordered four lots of the Chicken Buffalo Wings, seeing as though they have a bit of a lofty reputation here. Available in three levels of “hotness” – original, blue hot and 3rd degree burn! – we opted for one serving of original and one serving of blue hot. The 3rd degree burn was avoided as, in the words of our charmingly American waitress, “it’s stupid“.

As a representation of proper serving size, the above image is not entirely accurate – you get about 20 wings/mini-drumsticks per serving as well as some blue cheese dipping sauce and, as a result of some unfathomable culinary oversight, a number of sticks of celery. I’m still not entirely used to taking photos of my food to chat about later on this blog, so it wasn’t until we had almost completely demolished the wings that I remembered I hadn’t yet taken a bad, blurry photo of them.

I made the mistake of ploughing into the “blue hot” wings (pictured) first, as this resulted in my tongue losing its ability to taste anything with a hotness level below that level for the next 20 minutes. So, even though I tried one or two “original” wings shortly afterwards, I honestly can’t tell you what they tasted like. I can tell you, however, that the “blue hot” wings carried a respectable amount of spice for a mid-level entry which was surprisingly well complemented by a wonderful sweet lemony tang.

After we’d dusted off the bones into the little metal pails on the table, it was time for the mains. Being my first time at Blue Smoke, I simply couldn’t pass up trying their signature Texas Beef Short Ribs (see above).

Served with fries and coleslaw, these famed ribs are, according to the menu, “hickory smoked 12 hours, then grilled & mopped with our Texas BBQ sauce.” Can’t put it any simpler (or tastier) than that, really.

The Verdict:
A class act. The cornbread and sweet butter melts the palette. The sweet and spicy one-two combo of the Chicken Buffalo Wings pack a real punch. The ribs, despite looking modestly sized for their $29 price tag, extinguish all doubts as to their worth the moment the first morsel of tender meat falls apart in your mouth like an avalanche in slow motion. If you take your time with it (an approach that all carefully crafted cuisines deserve), you will discover that what may look like a little is actually something that soars, accomplishes and exceeds in other dimensions. Throw in a few kitschy frames of Americana on the walls and the friendly, presumably bona fide American wait staff, and you have the recipe for a highly recommended dining experience.

Random Fact:
Blue Smoke BBQ is the only BBQ restaurant in Brisbane to smoke all their meats in-house.

Blue Smoke BBQ
Unit 9
85 Merthyr Rd.
New Farm, Queensland 4005

Hours: Monday: Closed; Sunday, Tuesday – Thursday: 11:30am – 9:00pm; Friday – Saturday: 11:30am – 10:30pm