The scent of hickory and cherry smoke—a telltale aroma of low and slow-cooking—and the dog days of summer go hand in hand. At Mattituck’s Meat’s Meat BBQ Smokehouse, now known as Tuckers Taproom and Smokehouse, the smoked meat is succulently cooked over an open flame on a custom-built 1,000-gallon smoker, an imposing beast shipped directly from Texas.
It’s the undisputed heart of the operation. The sheer size of this smoker, combined with the slow burn of cherry and hickory wood sourced from local landscapers in Mattituck and Orient Point, creates the signature aroma that’s impossible to ignore if you’re anywhere in the vicinity. Former partner Larry Mondello, a seasoned fabricator and welder by trade, fine-tuned the smoker to ensure unmistakable flavor in each cut of meat. The cherry wood they use creates a sweet note and a beautiful red hue to the meats, while the hickory brings the BTU heat and depth.
The menu at Tucker’s Taproom and Smokehouse is a carnivore’s dream, offering succulent pulled pork, tender pulled chicken, fall-off-the-bone spareribs, savory sausage and piled-high pastrami sandwiches. The best seller, though? The classic, tender brisket. Smoked for a painstaking 12 hours, it is served in thick slices on a toasted brioche bun with bracing raw red onion and a generous dollop of their house-made spicy barbecue sauce.
Feeling inspired to purchase that at-home smoker from the local hardware store? Tuckers Taproom suggests the pro tip of cooking the brisket at a higher temperature for less time. What kind of rub or sauce do you need to recreate this sumptuous flavor profile? It’s best to schedule a reconnaissance mission to Mattituck.
General manager and co-owner Chris Hujber and his new partner Patrick Donagher of Alewife Brewing are already laying the groundwork for an ambitious outdoor beer garden, with whispers of an Oktoberfest event in the fall—more reasons to follow the irresistible aroma of authentic Southern-style BBQ in the North Fork air.
Tucker’s Taproom & Smokehouse BBQ Brisket Sandwich
PREP TIME 30 minutes
COOK TIME 8 hours
SERVES 10-15
10-12 lbs. brisket
2 red onions sliced thin
12 brioche rolls
butter or beef tallow
Dry rub seasoning & BBQ sauce
1.Trim your brisket to remove excess fat and to make more of an even surface area. Trim fat down to 1/4 inch to ensure you keep that meat moist.
2. Pick your favorite seasoning (a no-brainer is our house-made seasoning). The brisket must have salt and black pepper at a minimum. Cover the entire brisket with it.
3. Place the brisket in your smoker at 225-250° for 4-6 hours or till 170° internal temp has been reached.
4. Rip two pieces of foil and place some tallow or butter down on one side. Remove brisket from smoker, wrap in foil, and place back in the smoker for another 4-6 hours or till the brisket reaches an internal temp of 203°
5. Remove brisket from the smoker, wrap it in a towel, or place it in a cooler for as long as possible. After resting (at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours), remove, slice, and stack that bun high with meat! Top with onion and sauce and enjoy!
