The Best New Long Beach Barbecue Pop Up Features Brisket and Beef Ribs | Eater LA

"At their Long Beach pop-up I watch hunks of smoked beef ribs, thickly sliced brisket, and strips of tri-tip slathered in herbed clarified butter and given a finishing sear on a scorching-hot flat top; Ian mans the grill while Qiana handles money and orders and the rest of the family—Son Tai with a spatula, daughter Dominique and younger son Robbie assembling platters—rotate between helping patrons, leading service calls, and packing to-go trays, forming a well-oiled assembly line. Born in April 2022 after Qiana and Ian reconnected following sobriety, the pop-up grew from their shared desire to build a new life for their blended family (they have eight children, some from the foster system, and tragically lost a son, Noah, in 2018). The operation turns out some of the most interesting takes on Texas-style barbecue in L.A. County: two signature sauces (one smoky with Ancho chiles and another Kansas City–style with apple cider vinegar), candied pork belly chunks, mascarpone-rich mac and cheese with mild and sharp cheddar plus Monterey Jack, corn fried in butter with bacon, green peppers and onions, mashed potatoes smoothed with crème fraîche, coleslaw laced with coconut milk and pineapple, and bourbon baked beans layered with cumin, allspice, bacon, and ground sausage. Because legal issues limit on-site offset smokers, they smoke meat at a private facility and pull it onto the flat top for finishing; Ian aspires to reach the level of places like Heritage in San Juan Capistrano and hopes a brick-and-mortar will follow as demand keeps growing each weekend." - Brian Addison