Barbecue is that most quintessential American way of cooking. It fosters conviviality and camaraderie over large pieces of smoky meat and cold bottles of beer, a tradition that’s been sorely missed as gatherings shrank in size during the past year.
Generally, the Weekly writes about new restaurants after they’ve been open for a few weeks, to give chefs time to fine-tune their process. But when we heard that chef Bruce Kalman had a Soulbelly BBQ pop-up going at the Kitchen at Atomic—a sort of preview of his permanent restaurant on Main Street, which is expected to open in the next couple of months—we hightailed it Downtown for the cookout’s first Sunday installment. It did not disappoint.
On the menu board that day were Texas brisket, St. Louis pork ribs, Carolina pulled pork, burnt ends and chipotle cider-glazed chicken drumsticks—a democratic tour of smoky flavors that would please any carnivore, regardless of regional allegiance. And it very much speaks to Kalman’s approach to his craft.
“My guiding philosophy is, it needs to taste awesome,” says Kalman, a James Beard nominee and former Top Chef and Chopped competitor. “It’s a chef’s take on the regional American barbecue. I do not go heavy bark, heavy smoke ring, heavy smoke. … For competition purposes, it should have a certain amount of bark and a certain amount of smoke ring, and a lot of times, that’s what people abide by. I’m abiding by, is it delicious? Is it unctuous? When you slice into it, is there a sheen of beautiful, rendered fat?”
The answer to all is a resounding yes. The Texas brisket comes out sliced in long strips, perfectly smoked, the fat around the edges lending an addictive crunch. The burnt ends are its chunkier, heartier counterpart, glazed and well done. The St. Louis pork ribs have a sweet and tangy glaze, the meat tender but with enough cling on the bone, giving you the satisfaction of cleaning it off.
There’s no unseasoned real estate in the pulled pork—the shredded meat is good by itself or stuffed in a sandwich. The cider-glazed drumstick is a sticky and piquant affair, one that you’ll also nibble to the bone before licking your fingers clean. Wet wipes are provided, but we didn’t use them.
And while technique plays a huge part in infusing the meat with flavor, Kalman says it all starts with the highest-quality ingredients. He sources his beef and pork from Kansas’ Creekstone Farms; the brisket is all-natural with no hormones or antibiotics, and the pork is all heritage-breed Duroc. The turkey, when it’s on the menu, comes from Northern California’s Diestel Family Ranch, known for its high-quality birds.
Of course, one can’t talk barbecue without discussing sides, which temper the meats’ flavor punch and sometimes even upstage it. Kalman says he has a rotation of about 10 sides, with roughly half offered each day. The mac and cheese is one of the best around, with the chef showing off his chops learned as a chef in Italian restaurants (Union in Pasadena and Knead & Co. Pasta Bar and Market at LA’s Grand Central Market). The cole slaw, collard greens, ranch beans and green chile and corn cheddar casserole are also outstanding, which makes us eager to come back and see what else Kalman has in the works.
“My mission from the start [was] that our sides don’t suck,” Kalman says. “Our sides need to be as good, if not better, than the barbecue. There can’t be a slot on the menu where something’s just OK. It has to be delicious; it has to be amazing.”
SOULBELLY BBQ POP-UP The Kitchen at Atomic 927 E. Fremont St., 702-534-3223. Thursday-Friday, 3-11 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-midnight.
