One of the most hard-working and talented chefs in our area has been churning out vats of the real BBQ deal at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, MA. Chef Neil Penley hails from North Carolina which means that on occasion, we all benefit from his deep appreciation for North Carolina BBQ - vinegary, mustardy and potent. Neil has been leading a terrific team at Formaggio as they held their weekend BBQ fests under the tent just outside the store on Huron Ave. Sadly, last weekend was the last for the season (poor you if you missed it), but Neil assures me he’ll be cooking in the Formaggio kitchen throughout the fall and winter, so keep looking for his BBQ there.
Among the meaty goodness he puts out are: smoked brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, fried chicken, possibly the BEST collards in the county, plus a plethora of other sides like yams, mac and cheese, cold potato salad, coleslaw, cornbread, banana pudding, and the richest (and not too sticky sweet) baked beans.
Most of us can barely imagine the long hours and days it takes to put out this quality and volume of BBQ. Kudos to Formaggio for recognizing that there is a lively market for Chef Neil’s food and supporting both him and his talented team. (I wish I could name them, but their photo on Formaggio’s website doesn’t give their names. Cred where credit is due, people!)
Bald, bearded, burley and multi-tattooed, Neil is happy to chat with customers – letting us in on how he crafts his magic. He’s a generous chef and we look forward to his return under the tent and to some of his work available inside Formaggio at the meat counter.
I agree that Chef Neil is a delightful person, easy to talk with, welcoming. That being said does anyone know what happened to the previous BBQ chef ? He manned the Q for years. I am guessing casualty of the new owner. We went for the sides - cheesy grits, bbq beans, collards, fennel slaw , fried chicken, 1/2 bbq chicken and occasional 1/2 rack of ribs.. One day I showed up for the usual haul only to be told “No cheesy grits, mashed potatoes”. now". My reply was “Mashed potatoes with bbq ? No grits ?”. He repeated what is said, very loudly. The next time I went by, that chef was gone and a sedate, less convivial fellow was helming the Q. NO fried chicken, No 1/2 bbq chicken, No grits, bland bbq beans, fewer sides overall. This season went to see what was up. Chef Neil running the Q. The grits had not returned and the beans needed major work once home. The thrill is gone sad to say IMO.
I was in today for cheese and they’ve brought a selection of their bbq inside for the winter. They had burnt ends and chili, both vegetarian and meat, along with their potato leek hand pies, which are one of their winter staples.
I grew up in North Carolina and I don’t recall grits ever being served at barbecue restaurants. Ever. Grits were breakfast food until upscale restaurants started serving them at dinner quite recently. Traditional barbecue sides in North Carolina are at the top of the list hush puppies…fried cornmeal with or without onions in the batter (source of controversy). Also never mashed potatoes. Potato salad, fried okra, baked beans, collards stewed in pork. My favorite slaw by far was eastern style: veg-o-matic shredded cabbage with the vinegar sauce, no mayo.
That said, I loved the FK sides more than the barbecue, though the new chef’s vinegar sauce is an improvement (needs even more vinegar to my taste). The fennel slaw was delicious and healthy and not at all traditional (I didn’t discover fennel until I left North Carolina for college) and I liked the collards, too, though they are not traditional southern collards. And the baked beans were fine as well.
It’s really hard, I think, to translate barbecue to a different region. People who didn’t grow up in the south have very different expectations for tastes, especially the sauces, and sides. Different tastes for levels of vinegar, sugar, fat…the list goes on. And the barbecue wars are legendary even in the south. St. Louis, Texas, the Carolinas have different traditions and tastes and even North vs. South Carolina…and in North Carolina, Western vs. Eastern.
I recall going to Highland Kitchen years ago. I loved their NC style barbecue it was, well, NC style barbecue. The server actually told us not to order it and said, “People don’t like it and they send it back. It’s not barbecue. It has a vinegar sauce people don’t like.” I said, I’m from NC and I love it and my husband is from Iowa and he had it in NC and he loves it too. It is barbecue, but it’s not New England barbecue." The server was astounded. It disappeared from the Highland menu long ago.
Chris Schlesinger got North Carolina barbecue right at the East Coast Grill and Jake and Earl’s. He is from Virginia. Sadly, long gone.
Sweet Cheeks Q in Fenway has a lot of traditional sides. Only place I’ve found great fried okra.
Yes. They’ve had hush puppies off and on this past season. I like them, but you’re the expert.
I lied upthread when I said that was all I’d say. To add a bit more, my main objection is that their meats tend to be overcooked, overcharred, and dry. They have an excellent-looking slab of prime rib on offer, for example, but when you order it they slice off a lovely piece but then char it excessively on the grill. Ditto their hot dogs and their ribs. The pulled pork, too, has a tendency to have gone past unctuous to stringy.
I get that the vinegar twang isn’t for everybody. Those of us who love it, love it. The barbecue sauce most commonly available in New England is way too sweet and ketchup-like for me. Many traditional southern foods are way too sweet for me; the traditional unsweetened southern cornbread and barbecue sauce are major exceptions I love!
Thank you for saying it. We’ve had some extremely dry ribs and brisket from Formaggio. Good for them I guess, but I never got the hype on the BBQ. I can do better on my green egg.
Thanks for your post Madrid. Agree re:grits not traditional at BBQ anywhere but I liked them a lot more than mashed potatoes. Anyhow, the thrill is gone on the bbq at Formaggio. East Coast Grill was my go to place when it was open. Delicious ! Traveling for work over the years I sought out bbq joints in NC, Texas, Missouri and always enjoyed the variations. My favorite place in NC was Lancaster’s outside of Charlotte. Tried every spot I could along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Gave up on the Q and switched to pie - far more success and pleasure. Simply asked is the pie homemade ? If the answer was yes, I ordered it regardless of the flavor/type.
