Blowin' Smoke BBQ opens in Woodbury
Smoked baby back ribs with mac-and-cheese and burnt broccoli at Blowin' Smoke in Woodbury. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Prime Time Butcher is an old-time shop that changes with the times. Third-generation butcher Lou Kreitzman opened it in 1993, his son, Josh, came aboard in 2003 and the two men have worked to ensure their legacy by staying current. They began dry-aging choice beef during the 2008 recession to give belt-tightening customers a break; they popularized the “bullet roast” (hip sirloin) as a more affordable alternative to prime rib; they hopped on the high-end burger trend with a “bliss burger” made with brisket and prime short rib.
Now, Prime Time has launched Blowin’ Smoke barbecue, a takeout menu focused on house-smoked meat.
All the classics are here: Ribs, both baby back and St. Louis, are smoked and then slathered with either sweet-savory or pineapple-bourbon sauce. Platters, $22.77, include a half rack with two sides. There are also platters of barbecued chicken, pulled chicken or pulled pork ($16.56) and sandwiches piled high with either pulled meat, coleslaw and pickled red onion ($12.42).
That bliss burger, seared in a cast-iron skillet, can also be had on a bun ($14.49). The king of the sandwiches, however, is made with a big, juicy chicken thigh that’s been expertly fried, placed on a garlic-aioli-slathered bun and topped with pickled red onions and candied jalapeños ($12.42).
The fried chicken sandwich with candied jalapenos, pickled onion, vinegar slaw and garlic aioli at Blowin' Smoke in Woodbury. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Every Thursday Josh offers house-brined-and-smoked pastrami, which can be savored in a sandwich (with Josh’s own spicy brown mustard between slices of Orwashers seeded rye, $18.63) or by the pound ($31.05). On Thursdays, there’s also brown-sugar-mustard-glazed corned beef ($18.63 sandwich or $31.05 a pound). Fridays bring smoked brisket, shredded on a sandwich ($21.74), sliced on a platter ($25.86 with two sides) or by the pound ($35.19).
Prime Time has always excelled with prepared foods, and the sides offered on the Blowin’ Smoke menu are anything but afterthoughts: mac-and-cheese made super-creamy with mascarpone, regular or sweet-potato fries that are hand-cut and fried to order, roast potatoes, burnt broccoli, creamed spinach, coleslaw, cornbread and pineapple-bourbon baked beans.
Blowin' Smoke, 8045 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury, 516-921-6519, blowinsmokeque.com. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
