Blackstrap BBQ
4436 Wellington St. (near Willibrord Ave.)
Verdun, Quebec H4G 1W5
Phone: 514-507-6772
Website: http://www.blackstrapbbq.ca
Casual \Take Out- $$

Winter has been very long and bitterly cold this year, so when I walked into Blackstrap BBQ on the coldest night of the year, the smell of burning smoked wood chips and meat grilling on the barbeque was downright southern comfort. A big fan of southern food, I have had a few mean smoked meat sandwiches in my life. As my Texan cowboy says smoked meat Southern style not Montreal Style! If you are looking to sample decent authentic Southern style smoked any type of meat, this is the place and forget Baton Rouge….please!

Blackstrap BBQ smoke their meats daily on the premises in a pit smoker with flavoured chips and coal till they run out of food! You will find the black non presumptuous sign for this small and narrow take out restaurant on Wellington Street in Verdun. Far away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, it holds its own and is always busy. The restaurant decor is minimal to say, so do not expect anything fancy here. As soon as you walk in you will be greeted with an ordering counter, where from a big blackboard menu you can make your choice of sandwiches, plates, sides and others. The area close to the window holds two picnic tables guaranteed to be full on most busy nights. So we placed our order and we were relegated to sitting at one of the two long counters, with a dozen wooden stools placed against the wall or the kitchen. I wanted to sit in front of the kitchen so I can get a peak at the cooks and see what they were doing. Very Cool!

When your food is ready the waiter calls out your name and brings your order served in steel containers. Service is young, extremely friendly and very casual just like southern warmth. Our pulled pork sandwiches were mounds of smoked slow cooked pork, (sixteen hours I’m told) with a hint of sweet smoky tenderness. Topped with a little creamy coleslaw and served with homemade fries and homemade BBQ sauce that can be found strategically placed in squeeze bottles on the counter. One is labeled sweet the other spicy. I tried both sauces with my virgin chunks of tender pork that sang harmony to my taste buds. Not at all dry and with lots of texture and flavour. The sandwiches were not soggy or messy and held well on their own. Very delicate and different from most of the other pulled pork sandwiches I have sampled which are doused in thick overpowering barbeque sauce.

Opened in fall of 2012, Blackstrap BBQ is still running strong. Co-owners Clara Barron and Dylan Kier got their inspiration while travelling through American barbecue country, then decided to bring the idea back home only to become one of the pioneers of authentic American type smoked meats in Montreal. The team has even won Quebec barbecue championship at the Mondial du Grill and won 13th place at the Jack Daniel’s 2012 World Invitation Barbecue in Tennessee. Blackstrap follows the Memphis tradition of serving a dryer product minus the sauce.
Because we were only two this evening and it was an impromptu drop in, we both ordered the same thing. But I recommend trying- Le Gros, it has a little of everything and at $37.00 is a steal and what a better way to try their entire menu. I walked out of Blackstrap BBQ satisfied and very happy, mainly because it was a simple no fuss meal for a good deal and secondly because the aura in the place is intoxicating, the staff uber friendly and accommodating. It is worth a definite return with more friends on a warmer night to sample more dishes on the menu, but then who needs heat… this place emanates it!
Cost of the meal for two with 2 soft drinks and no alcohol – $ 29.00.