Meats Meat BBQ moves to Mattituck brewery

Larry Mondello is pretty sure he has the biggest smoker on Long Island. His 2-year-old Meats Meat barbecue just moved from a takeout shop in Mattituck to the sprawling Branch Brewing Co. (formerly North Fork Roadhouse) about a mile west. Now, in addition to supplying his two trucks and catering customers, he feeds all the hungry quaffers at Branch, which opened earlier this year.

Mondello got his start in barbecue more than a decade ago by fabricating smokers and outfitting trucks but, this time around, he was too busy to make his own. He turned to Heirloom Pits in Magnolia, Texas, to convert a 16-foot-long decommissioned propane tank into a smoker. They cut four doors into the body — each chamber has its own thermometer — and added an insulated firebox on one end. In Mattituck, Mondello mounted it on skids and it’s now the star attraction on the patio — along with the steel bins that hold the cord of wood (cherry from Orient) that he goes through every week.

Mondello, who thinks in meat, quantified the smoker’s capacity as "64 briskets."

It took a good five years, he said, to perfect his brisket — and it is juicy and flavorful without being overwhelmed by smoke. "I was experimenting with which woods to use, what to put in the rub," he said. "In the end, it came down to getting the best-quality meat: You want to see marbling in the flat [the leaner of the two muscles that make up one brisket]."

He also uses briskets to make pastrami, brined for three to five days, then smoked and steamed. It is cut thick and served by the half pound ($18) or in two sandwiches, the OG ($24) with mustard on marbled rye and the NW (new way, $20) with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.

New to the menu at the brewery are smoked brisket burgers, for which he double grinds brisket, using a 75/25 fat-to-lean ratio, then smokes the patties until they are cooked through. When ordered, they are briefly flame-grilled: They don’t need to pick up much char on the grill because they are already suffused with the savor of smoke. Have your burger with American cheese (plus lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, $18), cowboy-style (with Pepper Jack cheese, onion rings and barbecue sauce, $18) or "all in" (with brisket, pulled pork, Thousand Island dressing and barbecue sauce, $24).

Mondello’s ribs are some of the best on Long Island. "Competition style," they are tender but, he notes, "you need teeth to eat them." He also smokes a fine custom-made sausage, pulled pork and pulled chicken. Meats are available by the half pound ($13 to $18), or you can order the "5-meat plates," which include brisket, sausage, ribs, pulled pork and chicken. A small ($32) features a quarter pound of each meat, a large ($59), half a pound thereof.

Starters include smoked-and-fried jumbo wings ($12), loaded potato chips ($20) and rib nuggets ($12). Sides include brisket baked beans, jalapeño mac-and-cheese, seasoned fries, hush puppies and coleslaw ($5 to $7 for small orders, $8 to $12 for large).

Shortly after Branch opened in May, owners Larry and Peter Frasca asked Mondello if he would come over and do a big roast. Everyone got along great and they began to cook up this collaboration: The Frasca brothers would continue to run the brewery and the bar; Mondello would take over the food service. With a larger kitchen — and largest smoker — he’s now better equipped to cater and supply the trucks, and the new venue is more eat-in friendly. Beyond the bar, there are 90 indoor seats, two patios, three lawns and even a stage for live music.

Meats Meat at Branch Brewing Co., 9095 Sound Ave., Mattituck, 631-298-7251, meatsmeat.com. Open Tuesday to Thursday noon to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays.