Meat's Meat BBQ Shop opens in Mattituck

Larry Mondello could have called his new Mattituck venture Meat’s BBQ Shop and you’d be fairly certain what you were going to find there. But, just to make sure there would be no confusion, he called it Meat’s Meat BBQ Shop.

The first “Meat,” it turns out, refers to Mondello himself — it’s the pitmaster’s nickname, earned during 10 years of smoking meat. The former welder started fabricating his own barbecue pits and advanced to outfitting food trucks. His first barbecue truck started rolling around Long Island in 2016, a second one followed in 2020.

When Mondello took over the space that had been North Fork Doughnut (now relocated around the corner on Love Lane), he leased not only the storefront, but the yard and warehouse around back so that he could weld pits, customize trucks and smoke meat all at the same address. He opened for business on May 5.

Meat’s Meat’s menu is short and savory. Mondello said he spent five years perfecting his brisket — and it is juicy and flavorful without being overwhelmed by smoke. St. Louis ribs are “competition style”: they are tender, “but you need teeth to eat them.” The pulled pork is not pre-shredded; the whole shoulder just sits in its own juices until the cook pulls off some meaty hunks. Meat is sold by the pound and ranges from $19 for the pulled pork to $30 for the brisket. No barbecued chicken here, but you can get pulled chicken ($24 /pound) smoked-then-fried wings ($2.50 per) tossed with your choice of Buffalo, garlic-Parm, sweet chili or sweet barbecue sauce. Brisket, pulled pork and chicken are also available on sandwiches ($14 to $16).

Chef Dan Waj is in charge of the classic sides: bacon-jalapeno mac & cheese, brisket baked beans, corn fritters, fried cauliflower and more. Desserts are provided by The Treatery LI’s Christina Padrazo, who Mondello met when he customized her 1964 Shasta Airflyte Camper into “a sweet and savory trailer.”

The shop, managed by Rich Cato, is takeout only.

Meat’s Meat BBQ Shop is at 13175 Main Rd., Mattituck. Preseason hours are noon-6 p.m. Thursday, noon-8 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday with longer hours and/or more open days after Memorial Day; 631-298-7251, meatsmeat.com