Pork Belly's, Horse Thief BBQ And The Serious BBQ Pop-Up
Three new places to experience L.A.'s smoke-fueled Renaissance
We love good barbecue. We love it even more when it's carryout.
We've eaten our way through three new spots that are low on seating but high on flavor–so clear some space on the hood of your car and have napkins ready.
Hill Street Blues
The newest addition to Grand Central Market, Horse Thief BBQ, specializes in Texas-style 'cue. Assemble a tray filled with tender spice-rubbed brisket ($12 for ½ pound), pink-ringed pork ribs ($12 for half a rack), or smoked chicken ($12 for half a chicken), then dine patio-side, in full view of Downtown's Bunker Hill.
Chopped brisket sandwich
Pig in a Bun
Skip the juice bars on Abbott Kinney and follow the hickory scent to Pork Belly's, a takeout sandwich shop equipped with a 300-pound-capacity smoker. The Belly Up ($9), made with smoked strips of pork belly slathered in barbecue sauce, is the sandwich of choice. But a side of deep-fried dill pickles ($4) is a must too.
Smoked pork shoulder
I Like Smoked Butts
Author and New York City pitmaster Adam Perry Lang has assembled a gargantuan customized rig in the middle of Hollywood, a.k.a. the Serious BBQ Pop-Up on the backlot of Jimmy Kimmel Live. Stop by during lunch Tuesday through Thursday until September for a Flintstonian portion of whatever meat Lang is smoking that week. Our visit featured a hulking wedge of pork butt ($15; cash only) served with mustard slaw and buttered Texas toast.