Texas smoked brisket, Tennessee ribs, South Carolina whole hog – BBQ chef in self-exile whets his appetite for a trip home when coronavirus allows it
- Hong Kong barbecue joint Smoke & Barrel’s chef Chris Tuthill namechecks BBQ restaurants in three states he’d make a beeline for if he were back home in the US
- While there he’d get his fill of oysters and all the other seafood at Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco, and bag some Sicilian pie at Joe’s Pizza in New York
Barbecue restaurant Smoke & Barrel’s head chef Chris Tuthill is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Previously, he was the chef at Forty Niner, the gastropub at The American Club in Hong Kong, for five years.
I grew up with seafood. My mum wasn’t into red meat and my grandparents are from Virginia which has lots of seafood. I would love to be able to go back and visit.
If I had the chance to return to the States, here are some barbecue places I would love to check out. I’m a fan of Rodney Scott’s BBQ (1011 King Street, Charleston, South Carolina, tel: +1 843 990 9535) – the way they barbecue a hog amazes me. I’ve known him for a long time. He was featured on the Netflix show Chef’s Table.
I don’t know too many other people that do the whole hog – it’s not common at all now. But it’s a real experience, and for a gathering of 10 to 12 people – it’s just deliciousness. I would love to try that here.
The menu at Cozy Corner (735 North Parkway, Memphis, Tennessee, tel: +1 901 527 9158) contains more than ribs – but it’s really all about the ribs. There’s wet ribs, dry ribs, spicy ribs … it’s a place I’ve heard a lot about but never been to, so I would love to visit.
Franklin Barbecue (900 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, tel: +1 512 653 1187) is another place I’ve never been to, but they are legends and known for being the number one place for barbecue brisket in Texas.