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Smokin Bob BarrBQ, a closer look
Aloha!
1/29/09 - On this island of diversity, one thing I really don't understand is why we don't have more genuine smokehouses here. With local bruddah's like myself having a reputation for livin' large off plate lunch, buffets, hibachi's, and other heavy foods in general, you'd think we'd share a special fondness for American BBQ and Southern cooking in general. Both cultural styles have a penchant for lots of meat, lots of fat, and Man-sized portions to fill up even the hungriest cowboy or Paniolo in town! Sure, we'll always have enough oven-cooked BBQ ribs at various restaurants around the island, some even coming pretty darn good, but as for meats that prove themselves worthy by proudly displaying those tell-tale pinkish-red smoke rings, your choices are drastically whittled away.
Smokin' Bob Barr-B-Q, so named after friendly, jovial owner Bob Barr, is one of the few places that do, in fact, offer the real thing. His eatery was actually closed down for many years, re-opening recently with the help of his lovely and equally hospitable wife, as well as a brand-spankin' new, state-of-the-art smoker the size of a one-car garage! With enough stainless steel and oven space to fill the entire set of Sam Choy's kitchen, this behemoth comes tricked up with a motorized rotisserie, a power ventilation system, and an automatic temperature control system. If you've ever tried smoking meats before, the all-day process is a blast when done with friends a couple times a year as you all sit around, talking story, drinking beer, and sharing a spread of pupu's while constantly checking the temperature and adding just enough soaked wood when necessary. Try having to monitor that smoker every day, however, and the process quickly turns from hobby and fun into chore and task! Believe me, having a pretty beast like this is a smokers dream come true!
The crew here at Smokin' Bob uses mostly Kiawe wood to fire their burners, which is a dense, slow-burning variety that produces a strongly-flavored smoke. Some say it is a close cousin to Mesquite, while others say it is one and the same. I don't think it is, though, as I've used Mesquite before, and that thing, while good for quick-smoking or grilling, is much too bitter and over-powering for slow smoking. Whatever the case, anyone doing a lot of smoking in Hawaii is bound to use Kiawe, as it is the single most abundant source on the Island for such purposes. They also use other varieties, however, according to what is available at the time, such as mango, cherry, and even lychee!
And how's this tricked-up, bright-red push-wagon? If only I had one of these when I was a kid - I'd be the envy of the neighborhood!
Anyone driving down busy Kahuhipa St. will be hard-pressed missing this flamboyantly-decorated eatery. The Western motif is loud, comical, and fun, if not a bit tacky, with furnishings that include a full-sized horse-drawn cart, giant plastic cacti, wagon wheels, cello-playing frogs, several large skulls of bovine origin, and a bunch of other such frontier memorabillia.
And by the way, metal-working happens to be a passionate hobby of Smokin' Bob, so chances are, any metal ornaments hanging around will have been made by Bob, himself. He's actually designed creations for Hollywood movies and television series like Mission: Impossible, as well as for various wholesale and retail operations both here and in the Mainland, some of which he's also owned.
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The dining room at Smokin' Bob's is filled with long, park-bench-style tables, with a single, small television set entertaining a few diners with the latest sports action. Since it's all open-air here, the nippy weather we've been having recently set the perfect temperature for a comfortable meal. Not sure about summer-time, though, when I just may be clamorin' for some cool A/C, especially since the smoker sits right there in the dining room! Surprisingly, the automated ventilation system built right into the smoker does prevent smoke from hanging around inside, and the smell doesn't permeate the whole place like you think it might. Your breath, however, is a different story - eat any amount of smoked meat and you'll be burping out a distinct smell for the rest of the day, at least. Oh, and remember - Cash only! Thus the ATM near the order counter.
Moving right along, mom, wifey, and I shared several different items, probably half of which we took home to finish, not over the next meal, but over the next several meals. Wifey went with a mix plate, which included a 1/4 chicken, beef brisket, and pork. The last two items were thin-sliced, making them easier to eat and, as an added bonus, made the perfect sandwich-stuffers for all those left-over meals we had later on.
Here's a couple shots from the meat-side of the plate, the first undisturbed and the second, opened up just a bit.
All large and mix plates come with a choice of three different sides, chosen from a list of five that includes beans, cole slaw, Bob's special Cajun rice, mac salad, and white rice. The first of wifey's choices, baked beans, was excellent, coming creamy, mixed with large chunks of genuine smoked pork, and with a taste that struck a perfect balance between savory, sweet, and tangy, while the special Cajun rice was a long-grained variety that was a bit on the dry side, but tasty with Southern-style spices. The slaw was a welcome respite from the boldness in either texture or taste of every other item on the plate, tossed in a light, simple mayo that was spectacular in its unspectacular-ness. The mac salad I had on my plate, which you'll see later, was surprisingly local-style, tasting just like it would at any of the better local plate lunch houses. No added vinegar or sweet pickled relish, thank goodness, as is the case in Mainland-style potato or macaroni salad.
With all that meat, I kinda wished for bigger portions of side's, as you know me, local boy that I am, I'm used to a little more starch-balancing from the flavor and texture-mellower called... white rice! But then again, good 'ol American BBQ is all about giant slabs of hearty protein, so what am I doing wanting more side dishes, anyway?
A new addition to the line-up at Smokin' Bob's are wedge-cut fries. Though I do grow weary of thick, salty batters surrounding thick-cut fries at most American restaurants, Smokin' Bob's version was very different, indeed. The batter was much less salty and came with a crispy-lightness that wasn't greasy at all, while the potatoes themselves seemed freshly-cut and moist, unlike the dried-out starchiness so often found in frozen-shipped fries elsewhere.
At times Bob also carries Barr-bosaurus ribs, which are dinosaur-sized beef ribs that don't get much bigger anywhere! An order comes with a single giant rib as well as a meaty portion that is sliced thick, pupu-style, and slathered with the same tangy, slightly sweet BBQ sauce that covers just about every smoked item here. Though the taste was fabulous, I couldn't help but notice that several items were not quite as soft as I'd prefer them to be. The thin-sliced meats were very soft, but thicker cuts like whole chicken, pork bone-in ribs, and the bone section of Barr-bosaurus ribs, though coming with all the smoky-good flavor anyone can ever expect, were just a wee-bit on the tougher side. Not enough to spoil the show at all, but just enough to notice.
Though my order filled the entire plate and the rib-bone itself couldn't fit inside of a standard styrofoam plate-lunch container, our super-friendly hostess and part-owner, Bob's wife, said that it was actually smaller than the ones normally served! Whaaa? Tough to imagine for me, as instead of taking the whole rib home because it couldn't fit in the container, I ended up slicing all the meat off and just leaving the bone there!
Sorry for the terrible pic, I'm still making mistakes on some of the more technical aspects of shooting - Aaargh!!! I know exactly what went wrong, though, so hopefully I won't get so careless again. No promises, though - Human error is so unpredictable, especially in this particular human...
Here's a cross-cut shot of the meaty section, which were a whole lot softer than the meat on the rib itself, and came juicy and delicious, bursting with both fatty and smoky-flavored goodness. See the pinkish-red smoke rings around the outer edges?
Meanwhile, mom had the smallest order of the day, a smoked pork sandwich, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I probably finished off a quarter of it, and also found the soft, generous slices of pork, mixed in with just the right amount of BBQ sauce and a durable-enough bun to contain everything, perfect for a lunchtime meal.
Despite the fact that we didn't come close to finishing everything, we also, upon house suggestion, had to try an ala-carte order of smoked pork spare-ribs. Again, the flavor was right on the money, but wasn't quite as soft as I'd expect from pork ribs. We ended up taking most of this order home, only because there was just too much food already, where they were de-boned and made into some killer smoked-pork sandwiches.
And what better way to wash everything down than with sweet Texas tea? Not quite as sweet as I've had elsewhere, but perfect, nonetheless, to cap off a great American BBQ meal.
A few items I haven't mentioned yet, nor tried, neither, are smoked tofu, Cajun sausages served with sauteed onions, and chili/rice, which is filled in with chunks of smoked beef. There are also a couple of Tex-Mex plates that come with Smokin Bob's rice and baked beans, including plus-sized tacos filled with the same smoked dishes of beef, pork, chicken, or tofu, and giant quesadillas with the same fillings, plus avocado sauce, chipotle aioli, and pico de gallo. A yet-larger quesadilla includes all the former as well as onion, Cajun sausage, olives, green fire-roasted peppers, and chips. I can only imagine how great that plate would be...
For take-out, they also sell smoked brisket, pork, spare ribs, tofu, and whole chicken by the pound, which are perfect for parties and, as mentioned earlier, make fabulous sandwiches.
In parting, I'll leave you with a shot of Smokin' Bob and his lovely wife, two big-hearted individuals that'll welcome you in, maybe chat you up a bit, and surely leave you with good, positive vibes and a hankerin' to wanna come back!
Y'all take care now, ya hear?
Till next time,
Aku
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Comments:
David B (3/10/10) Where is this place located (I thought he was talking about Bob's BBQ in Kalihi)?
Aku (3/10/10) 1366 Dillingham Blvd., 842-3663. They're right on the corner of Dillingham and Waiakamilo, right across the street from McDonald's. Great Hawaiian bbq, on the sweet side, and good as far as plate lunch houses go. I don't always include addresses and all that specific stuff on my closer looks, especially the older ones, but I do include them on the regular pages, which I do provide links to from the Closer looks and are also accessed from the tabs on the left side of each page. Good eats to ya!
David B (3/11/10) Thanks but not the place. The Bob's I saw yesterday on your listing is more of a country style "smoke" house. Ribs, beef, pork, etc. The links were not helpful if I can not contact directly or get an address or phone number. I was looking for smoked BBQ food, preferrably a mobile unit much like the Kiawe Smoke Wagon that disappeared last year. But based on the listing for Bob's, I would want to try his place also.
Aku (3/11/10) Aaaah, so sorry - you're talking about Smokin' Bob's BBQ out in Kaneohe! Rather than just giving you a direct link to the Smokin Bob's Closer Look page, try this - go to my site and click on "American" on the left-hand tabs. Then hit the button "Southern/American BBQ." From there, you'll see a list of several American-style Smokehouses, some authentic and some, well, not. Addresses, phone numbers, Google map links, and more are listed for each of the restaurants there. Since I've done a Closer Look on Smokin Bob's already, there's also a "Closer Look" link right there on that page to see a more in-depth report. BTW, I'd go to Bob's in Kalihi for local-style bbq, which they do well, but their American bbq is basically sauce from a jar, maybe with a little sugar or something added, so I wouldn't exactly recommend it. Molly's, Hog Island, Smokin' Bob's, and perhaps Grampies (the only place I'd have cornbread-fried catfish) are my favorites there. Hope that helps - sorry 'bout the confusion!
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