"Eating a plate of barbecue outside does something to everyone's inner neanderthal, the part of you that just discovered the chemical reaction of fire and meat as if for the first time in history. And the patio at Morgan’s in Prospect Heights is one of the great places to spend some quality time with your inner neanderthal. The restaurant specializes in Texas-style barbecue, and their original pitmaster used to be instrumental at Franklin Barbecue in Austin. Even though the barbecue here won’t fully transport you to Central Texas, the brisket and smoked sausage are great by NYC standards. photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Morgan's BBQ photo credit: Will Hartman While Morgan’s has sandwiches and appetizers, focus on things from the smoker, especially the brisket. Make sure you ask for it cut fatty—if you’re at Morgan’s to keep things light, you may need to reset your expectations of how you’re going to feel after dinner. Meats are sold by the half pound, and the combo platters are a great way to sample a few different kinds. Our favorite is the holy trinity, which gets you brisket, sausage, a couple of pork ribs, and cornbread. These come with two sides, ideally including some potato salad that glistens in the sunlight and is studded with pimento cheese. Morgan’s is a useful spot to know about for a couple of beers and some salty, smoky brisket. And since this is New York City and not Texas, you won’t have to set up a lawn chair and cooler to wait hours for your meats. Come on a nice day and cross your fingers that the cars aren’t honking too loud on Flatbush Ave. Food Rundown photo credit: Will Hartman Brisket Texturally, this is tender and fatty. And the only real flavors in this brisket are beef, salt, and pepper—just as it should be. While we’ve had some bites that are a bit bland, this is generally a great version of Texas-style brisket. photo credit: Will Hartman Pork Ribs Though these pork ribs are somewhat chopped in half, which takes away from the satisfying chomp, the flavor is amazing. The rub is full of chili powder and black pepper, and the smoke penetrates all the way to the bone. While these aren't the meatiest ribs we’ve had, the punch of seasoning makes up for any lack of bite. photo credit: Will Hartman Smoked Sausage If you look in the Austin municipal charter, we assume you'd see that eating a smoked sausage without first snapping it in half to check the casing is punishable by a significant fine. We’re not so uptight in New York, but the casing on this smoky, spicy, fennel-forward sausage is nice and taut. photo credit: Will Hartman Collard Greens These greens are a great counterpoint to the fatty, rich barbecue. A little bitter, juicy, and sopping wet, you need these to stand up to all the salt. photo credit: Will Hartman Potato Salad This potato salad shines like the spire of a skyscraper in the sun. It’s beautiful, it’s glowing, and eating it on the patio might stir up memories of loading up a paper plate at summer BBQs." - Will Hartman
