Denis Maniti
Google
I really, REALLY wanted to give Blackstrap more than 3 stars but for specific reasons that I'll get into in this long winded review I had to stay at 3.
As an avid fan of low and slow cooking and Texas style BBQ, I'm ecstatic to see the Blackstrap BBQ has really carved a nice niche for itself in what isn't really a traditional BBQ market. As Montrealers our experience with the tough cut that is brisket really is narrowed to smoked meat, but I think that the Texas style has something special to offer.
During my visit, I tasted Brisket, Pulled Pork and Ribs as mains with Fried Mac & Cheese, Green Beans, BBQ Beans and Apple Coleslaw as the sides accompanied by a Burnt End Poutine.
Starting off with the outstanding. The ribs were absolutely phenomenal. All the winning pork trophies in the window are absolutely indicative of how good they pork ribs are. Perfectly smoked, tender, not overcooked and balanced seasoning.
The other standout was the burnt ends poutine. The poutine was done just as it should be, solid fries, nice thick brown sauce, squeaky cheese curd. The burnt ends were delicious, as they should be, being the best part of the brisket. Overall an outstanding offering as well.
The pulled pork and sides were all good, they didn't jump out to me like the ribs or burnt end poutine did, but they were pretty standard. The pulled pork had good smoke flavor to it, and went well with both their table side sauces. The green beans could have been seasoned a bit more aggressively with garlic, the slaw was good, the BBQ beans were nice and the mac & cheese were just ever so slightly under-seasoned to the point where a bit more salt would have pushed em to "very good" territory.
Now for the disappointing part which sadly was the brisket, what is supposed to be the crown jewel of Texas BBQ. For starters, I was already worried when I was not offered the option between "lean" or "fatty". While I don't expect people to know which they prefer between the flat and the point, we are accustomed as Montrealers to choose between fatty and lean when getting smoked meat, this shouldn't be any different for Texas style brisket.
We asked if we could specify a cut (my preference is point) but it seemed like was not possible to specify but the staff at the register was kind enough to note to the order that we wanted a "balanced" cut not too fatty or lean. In Hind sight, I should have pressed for "fatty".
We ended up with what was obviously a cut from the flat. This shouldn't mean the end of the world, but there's a few things that worried me just from appearances. First the cut was VERY thick (1 inch instead or the standard 1/4 inch on a flat) which to me is a sure fire indication that the flat of this brisket was slightly overcooked and wouldn't pass the bend or pull test. Second it wasn't cut perpendicular across the grain (the cut was more like a 30-45 degrees to the grain) which made it less tender than it could have been. It also looked like the cut was done with a dull slicer but that's more and aesthetic point than taste.
These fears were all confirmed as the brisket was a on the drier side than I prefer which corroborates my theory that it was a bit overcooked.
Overall, I still want and will come back to give Blackstrap another shot, solely on how good the ribs and burnt ends were. You don't make BBQ that good by accident and I'm confident the next time I visit, if I request and get a fatty point piece, I will be able to turn my 3 star review to a 5 star review.
One last suggestion, it would be a good idea to give the front of house a quick primer on the difference between the flat and the point on a brisket as to be able to offer lean or fatty choice of cut to the costumer.
