The Drake BBQ broadcasts its hillbilly presence to the street. When you walk into this rustic joint, the smell of barbecue provokes one’s hunger.
I was greeted by Chef Anthony Rose and he arranged for me to taste everything on their limited menu. While we were awaiting the sandwiches, Chef Rose proudly took me out the back where he is well stocked with apple wood and some hickory, but he mainly uses apple wood which gently kisses the meat with its sweet smoke. The barbecue is a long wide barrel of cast iron with a separate wood burning section so that the heat is not directly under the meat. He cooks the meat long and slow, keeping the temperature around the meat at about 225 F.
While I was waiting, chef presented me with classic competition beef chili, that is beef by itself with no beans or fillers — just the sauce, a delicious ground ancho chili preparation. The meat was very tender after slow braising. He also let me taste the Sunday special to come which was the beef chili topped with cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream, braised duck bacon, onions, garlic and a fried egg, all on top of corn chips. What a special!
The first sandwich was very moist pulled pork; perfectly barbecued with some dark crusty bits that went very well with the cabbage slaw and a very good bun that held together well. The only miss was the sauce, in which the taste of the cider vinegar was a bit pronounced.
The second sandwich truly hit the spot. Perfectly barbecued beef, tender, tasty and juicy with just the right amount of smoke, again, topped with coleslaw in a very good bun. The beef was very coarsely chopped, rather than sliced, to combine the drier and juicier sections of the brisket. Now, I was satisfied!
Drake BBQ, 1150 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-531-5042
Dr. Josh Josephson is the owner of The Cookbook Store and Josephson Opticians. He is a chevalier of Les Chevalier du Tastevin and the Le Chaine des Rotisseurs, a member of L’ordre Mondiale and a member and former president of the International Wine and Food Society, Toronto chapter.