If tailgating isn’t an option in the cold winter months, then take the party indoors and hit up Blackstrap BBQ: the big boss mix plate is something that everyone should experience. A sampling of everything on the menu from smoked ribs and brisket to turkey and fried mac and cheese balls, this meal can feed a small family or serve as a reward to someone who’s just finished watching Silver Linings Playbook.

Momesso’s is an institution for any dude in NDG. This sports bar/restaurant is like your uncle’s basement man-cave that’s stuck in the 80s. Sports trophies and paraphernalia line the walls of this former NHLer’s classic diner that serves up their signature submarines with homemade hot sauce. The “supreme” usually hits the spot – steak, Italian sausage, sautéed onions and bell peppers, topped with cheese, coleslaw and their hot sauce.

Math is manly and so is hitting up Poutineville, who throw down 77 billion different combinations of custom-made poutines to order. From their signature smashed potatoes to julienned or sweet potatoes, this place features a poutine that pays homage to Montreal; a smoked meat poutine with mushrooms and fried pickle.

Il Piatto Pieno is the perfect place for the wannabe Soprano. Fire-cooked pizzas and fresh pastas to order (not to mention it’s BYOW), this spot in Little Italy leaves nothing up to the imagination when role-playing your favourite HBO Mafioso. Red and white checkered tablecloths frame towering plates of perfectly cooked Fettuccini Amalfitana – garlic, shallots, sun-dried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes in a lush rose sauce.

What’s more manly than eating with your hands at a taco joint that’s situated in a converted parking garage, eating off homemade furniture made with recycled shipping pallets while sipping drinks out of a bag? Montreal’s first taco truck has turned their headquarters into a full-fledged dining option. With a rotating menu of inspired items, keep an eye out for their turkey dinner taco – thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings… in a taco! Check their Facebook page for their hockey night specials as well.

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 THE DETAILS

Blackstrap BBQ, 4436 Rue Wellington, (514) 507-6772

Restaurant Momesso, 5562 Chemin Upper Lachine, (514) 484-0005

Poutineville, Multiple Locations

Il Piato Pieno, 177, St-Zotique East, (514) 276-1076

Grumman78, 30 de Courcelle, (514) 290-5125

The post MANLY MEALS FOR MONTREAL SPORTS FANS appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

What started as a hobby and delicious weekly specials at his former restaurant, Chef Dylan Kier honed his favorite past time into a crowd-winning recipe. What actually turned out to be a championship-winning recipe has taken Kier and his Blackstrap team to a first place title at a local barbecue competition and then subsequently asked to represent Quebec at the Jack Daniel’s invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

“It started from a small home smoker my wife gave me as a gift and it took off from there.” Unfortunately, he out-smoked the smoker and broke it. Kier’s passion for barbecue and trying to understand every aspect of smoking meat, amalgamated to a cross boarder run with five buddies to haul home a 500-pound, Missouri’s finest industrial smoker.

“I was researching all kinds of recipes, ones from famous pit masters to celebrity chefs, tweaked and modified to find one I was happy with to call my own.”

Hitting up their eatery, I had the opportunity to taste a few items on the menu; first at bat was the Blackstrap brisket sandwich. A generous mound of beautifully smoked brisket, the meat was tender and juicy. The bark – the outer crust of caramelized dry rub – was incredibly flavorful and sweet.

The pork ribs came with a side of coleslaw and braised greens – although all menu items are dry rubbed, there is homemade spicy barbecue sauce and sweet barbecue sauce available should you desire smokey palate lube for your meat.

The secret to Blackstrap’s deliciousness is in the rub – a complex mélange of spices that highlights the meat’s natural sweetness, and draws out the deep and mysterious wisps of smoke that has embedded itself for over 12 hours. Nicely paired with tart and tangy sides, the slaw and cider braised greens, brightens up each bite of ribs.

If you are unable to decide what to order, Blackstrap has made it simple for you, get  “Le Gros” (The Big)” – a sample plate of everything on the menu enough for two people or one hungry one.  From ribs and brisket, to smoked turkey and pulled pork, Le Gros also includes a sampling of all the side, such as braised greens, smoked spicy beans, biscuits and most importantly, fried mac and cheese balls.

These bad boys are exactly what you think they are and everything you want them to be. Cheesy and lustful, these golden nuggets ooze with cheese and beg to be eaten slowly and not shared. Slow is key – no one needs molten hot cheesy lava singeing the roof of your mouth.

There is something to be said about honest people serving up honest food and nothing is more unpretentious than barbecue. Kier and his team at Blackstrap exemplify southern hospitality, while sharing their passion of barbecue and providing Montrealers another reason to use wet-towelettes.

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THE DETAILS

Blackstrap BBQ, 4436 Wellington, (514) 507-6772

The post BLACKSTRAP BBQ: MEMPHIS COMES TO MONTREAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.