It is Thursday and it is ‘Mac & Cheese’ day at Smokey J’s. We were only here seven days ago but a return trip was warranted to try other menu items. Ms. Goofy loves macaroni and cheese. On Thursdays for 10 dollars you can have a huge plate of macaroni and cheese that is filled with your choice of smoked meats. I wanted to try Joshua’s special rotisserie chicken. We arrived at high noon and took our place in line with other Smokey J’s followers. We were not the only ones that had discovered this smoky meat palace.
The rotisserie chicken is a labor of love. It is brined in sugar, salt and spices for 12 hours. A cool clear water bath for an hour removes excess salt. A 45 minute kiss of cold smoke from whiskey barrel and maple woods is another step in the process. Finally, the chickens take a two and one half hour Ferris wheel ride in the rotisserie. The final product is a chicken that is sinfully delicious. The skin tastes as it has been basted in butter to create decadent crispness.. The only seasoning is from brine and smoke, but oh what a flavor treat it is. The meat is some of the most tender and juicy chicken that I have ever had.
Ms. Goofy did her best to finish her huge plate of macaroni/ cheese and pulled pork. This dish made her very happy. We may be regulars on Thursdays. A lot of bbq restaurants have chicken as an obligatory meat item for the menu. I usually shy away from these dry offerings. At Smokey J’s, the rotisserie, brined, smoked chicken is a destination meal. It was some of the best chicken ever. We are not the only ones that know about Smokey J’s demonstrated by the noon opening line. We do feel like we have discovered BBQ Gold.
Smokey J’s
3015 Shattuck Av.
Berkeley Ca. 94705
(510) 647-8442
Brining a bird is the only way to go. Plus, that is a ton of mac and cheese. It all looks really good Chilebrown.
ReplyDeleteNow to decide when to use my Groupon..
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we will try this place soon - any place that gets such a ringing endorsement from you two has got to be stellar!
ReplyDeleteTwo visits? It sounds addictive.
ReplyDeleteThree Dogs BBQ, We only discovered brining about a year ago. We are now converts and brine all the time now. It really makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteKailyn, Anytime you have a smoky tip be sure to let us know. Lucy wants to give a shout out to Borris. "What's up?".
Zoomie, We are not the only ones that have discovered Smokey J's.
Greg, We will go back to places but do not always post about it. This chicken was spectacular.