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Dining Out: The Joint |
New Orleans does not like to be naked. We like costumes, nice clothes, wrought iron, and masks. In a way, this leads to us not being a barbecue town. Great barbecue revels in nudity: just meat, seasonings, and smoke. The barbecue at The Joint encompasses examples of products from all over the barbecue belt: brisket and sausage from Texas, pulled pork from the Carolinas, and ribs in the style of Memphis. Most of it expresses a love of being au naturel.
In our eyes, the pig is king, and thus the quality of the pulled pork is what defines a BBQ shop. Here the meat is stringy, juicy, smoky, and absolutely dynamite—especially when slathered with the house vinegar sauce and plopped down in between a torn piece of white bread. The smoked chicken gushes with flavor underneath a heavily spice-rubbed layer of chicken skin and succulent fat. The ribs showcase their smoky goodness with that pork pink smoke line under the skin of the meat, though sometimes the rib arrives al dente rather than tender. The brisket serves as a nice filler for a sandwich dressed with the other house sauce, this one thick and sweet. However, at times the brisket has more qualities of Dr. Tobias Funke than a playmate.
Sides are just that: secondary. The smoked tomato and onion dressing lacks the punch to counterpoint the smoky goodness of the meats. The egg-filled potato salad, mac-n-cheese, and crunchy cole slaw do their job. This again highlights the devotion that the Breens’ have to simply putting smoked meat on your plate. And that kind of honesty paired with a cold beer and a seat outside near the smoker will make your meal an experience. 801 Poland Ave., 949-3232; Mon-Tue 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wed-Sat 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
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