Australians love a backyard barbeque with a few snags on the grill and beers in hand. Although, the Americans know true barbeque royalty with low and slow smoked meats, spice rubs, and lip-smackingly good sauce.
While we can’t travel to Texas, or Alabama for good old American BBQ, there are a few places in Sydney that dish up BBQ that is just as good. If you’re looking for pulled pork, 72-hour smoked briskets and sauce you’ll want to swim in, here are the best restaurants in Sydney to get American BBQ.
Smoky Sue’s
Maroubra
Smoky Sue’s is a nod to how this restaurant cooks its unusual style of American BBQ. First, the meat is sous vide then hickory smoked to retain the juiciness without compromising on flavour. They use an American-made pellet smoker from Kansas to smoke slabs of brisket, pork belly and hot links for hours. After being smoked, the meat is slathered with sticky sauce and turned into several dishes including on platters with your choice of sides, on burgers, burritos, tacos, and barbecue bowls. You can also get a smoked brownie for dessert and a selection of cocktails including a gin mule, margarita, and long island ice tea.
Vic’s Meat Market Butcher
Pyrmont
If you’ve been to Pyrmont, you’ve probably picked up some meat from Vic’s butcher, but they also have a smokehouse, serving juicy, tender cuts of meat. Their smoker is custom built by Yoder Smokers in Kansas, USA. It’s the largest custom smoker in Australia, weighing in at almost two tonnes. Holding 200kg of meat, the smoker enjoys a steady diet of ironbark. Each dish takes inspiration from a different state in the U.S. including a Carolina pulled pork and Central Texas brisket with a simple salt and pepper rub. Expect pork butts brined for 12 hours and then barbecued for 10 more hours.
LP’s Quality Meats
Chippendale
LP’s Quality Meats fills the Chippendale laneways with the smell of smoked barbeque with its Southern Pride smoker working around the clock to consistently produce tender and smoky staples. Think dry-aged rib eye and cured meats, made in-house from scratch. It’s a small restaurant, but an absolute gem of a place. Luke Powell knows meat and proves it with the Smokehouse.
Surly’s
Surry Hills
At Surly’s, get ready to dig into soul food from Ole Hickory, a famous commercial fire-box smoker flown in straight from Missouri. The atmosphere resembles a dingy dive bar, offering an authentic slice of Nashville in Sydney’s foodie hub. As for the food, expect hearty plates of beef brisket, pulled pork, and chicken thighs—all come with a side of pickles, onion, and cornbread. If you’re after something smaller, try the burgers or load your fries with hickory bbq brisket for comfort food like no other. They even have cajun shrimp, Surly’s wings, and mac n cheese balls to share. As with any dive bar, they serve a range of beers on tap, and fun, cocktails and $8 shots. In the non-alcoholic category, expect American sodas, such as an A&W root beer, Dr Pepper, Kirk’s creaming soda, and strawberry Fanta which can all be upgraded to an ice cream float for $3. It doesn’t get any more American than that.
Nola Smokehouse and Bar
Barangaroo
If you’re a fan of whiskey Wednesdays, there’s no better place to go than Nola in Barangaroo. Here, diners are treated to Southern hospitality and the flavours of New Orleans, which includes Spanish, Mexican, North African, and South American. Rather than focusing on Creole and Cajun styles, you’ll see a menu boasting gumbo, charred octopus, blackened chicken, candied pork cheek and southern slaw with buttermilk dressing. They also have the biggest American Whiskey collection in Sydney. Inside, diners will find artful and playful interiors, resembling the French Quarter.
The Erko
Erskineville
The Erko in Erskineville is the local pub, but out the back, a smoker is producing an American barbeque menu for the locals and their furry friends. This friendly neighbourhood pub puts together a tasty shredded brisket burger topped with apricot BBQ sauce, slaw, and served with a side of chips. Another crowd-pleaser is the Erko club baguette, which is stuffed with Tat’s house-cured bacon, smoked chicken, lettuce, tomato, egg, aioli, and a side of chips.
Endeavour Tap Rooms
The Rocks
Here, it’s all about feasting on smoked produce, vibrant salads, and house-made sauces. Not to mention the house-brewed beers. Their house-smoked meats include Angus beef brisket, bush tomato wild kangaroo and pork sausage, and smoked paprika rubbed chicken. Make it a brewer’s plate which is changed daily and comes with a selection of sides. The a la carte options include a toasted Reuben sandwich, a crowd-pleasing buttermilk fried chicken burger, and chargrilled steak with beer-battered fries.
BlackBear BBQ
Blacktown, Wetherill Park, and Vineyard
In 2017, BlackBear BBQ opened its doors in Blacktown, slinging brisket, ribs, and sides to locals. They soon got a lot of attention and now have two more locations including Wetherill Park and Vineyard. They’re best known for their low and slow BBQ slathered in rich, sweet and tangy sauce, with the bold taste of smoked wood piercing through. Their BBQ boxes are a hit. The brisket box is filled with brisket and slaw, or there is a pork belly box with potato crisps, housemade pickles, and slaw. You can also get rolls stuffed with smoked meats and the usual suspects, of housemade pickles and BBQ sauce.
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