Up in Smoke Is Footscray's Newest (and Only) Barbecue Joint
Expect slow-cooked meats, craft beer on tap and a grocery store selling all your barbecue needs.
The team behind cult burger joint 8Bit is back — and they're about to shake up the Footscray food scene once again. Thursday, January 28 will mark the first day of business for Up in Smoke, a brand new 60-seat barbecue restaurant, beer garden and specialty grocery store helmed by chef and co-owner Shayne McCallum.
Melbourne, of course, has its fair share of American-style barbecue joints, although less so out west. McCallum acknowledges a degree of American flavour, but tells us to expect something a little more accessible in terms of the decor. "We're not in Texas," he laughs. "A lot of places around town really try to capture that feel of Texas or whatever...I'm not trying to diss people, but I think if we did that we'd be trying to be something that we're not. I don't think I'd be able to pull it off so well. I won't be in the kitchen wearing a cowboy hat and overalls."
Even so, the influence of American cooking on the menu is fairly clear. Starters and sides include ham hock and cheddar croquettes, mini smoked kransky dogs, smoked hot wings with ranch dressing, and barbecue rub fries. They also offer a number of sandwiches and tacos stuffed with brisket burnt ends and pulled pork, as well as a smoked gin and beetroot salmon salad.
But the main drawcard on the menu will likely be their slow-cooked meats. Available from 6pm after a day in the restaurant's massive Yoder Frontiersman competition smoker, choices include brisket, beef and pork ribs, and jalapeno and cheddar sausage. Just don't mess around — because once they're sold out for the evening, that's it.
In addition to the food, Up in Smoke will offer a variety of craft beer options, with a rotating selection of ten local brews on tap and plenty more available by the bottle. The beer garden should be up and running soon.
Also in the works is a grocery store of sorts. "We're going to have everything from charcuterie, cheeses, antipasto stuff, coffee, ready-made sandwiches, [as well as] a lot of the products we use within the restaurant, like barbecue sauces and rubs and mustards and pickles," says McCallum. "We're also going to have some smoking accessories, like wood chips. So you can buy the brisket and the pulled pork, whole, and you can smoke it at home."
Up in Smoke will open at 11am on Thursday, January 28 at 28 Hopkins St, Footscray. For more information check them out on Facebook or at upinsmoke.net.au.
Images: Renee Stamatis
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