Cooking Living with Us
WE ARE OPEN FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY, 12-7pm, WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS:
FRI MAY 3 – OPENING DAY!
MON MAY 27 – OPEN FOR MEMORIAL DAY
FRI JUNE 28 – CLOSED FOR PRIVATE PARTY
MON SEPT 2 – OPEN FOR LABOR DAY
FRI/SAT/SUN SEPT 6/7/8 – CLOSED ALL WEEKEND
MON OCT 14 – OPEN FOR MEMORIAL DAY
SUN OCT 20 – LAST DAY OF THE SEASON!
FRI NOV 29 – AT MOONLIGHT MAGIC IN SHELBURNE FALLS
After 15+ years of cooking and catering professionally, Smoky Bro decided the time was right to work for himself. In the summer of 2010, with help from a welder friend, he designed and built a massive, commercial-grade smoker; six feet long and six feet tall, weighing in at over 700 pounds.
Debuting at the Cummington Fair, Smoky Bro’s BBQ was an immediate hit. The slow-smoked meats and homemade sides won more fans at local events like Cider Days and Moonlight Magic. After taking the winter off to get married, Bro and his wife (they met at a backyard barbecue) opened for business in May, along the historic Mohawk Trail.
Operating out of a pop-up tent, coolers, and camp cookstove, with two picnic tables in a field, they wheeled out the smoker every weekend, all summer and fall, feeding locals and tourists alike. Despite the humble setting, they soon developed a devoted following of regular customers. Enduring torrential rains, Hurricane Irene, and a freak October blizzard, they managed to survive the season and establish themselves as purveyors of high-quality food.
The following year, they moved into a small building at the same location, expanded the menu, and enjoyed the benefits of having a real kitchen with water, electricity, and a roof. The meat is still cooked outside in the smoker, slow and low over apple wood, hickory, and oak, with no gas or electricity involved whatsoever. All sides and sauces are homemade fresh daily, using local produce whenever possible.
We’re still only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (plus holiday Mondays) from early May til late October. We still do everything ourselves, so if we’re catering a party or doing an event we may be closed on the Trail (call or check the website or facebook to be sure). Whether you’re a hardcore BBQ expert or just a lover of good food at a good price, we’ve got you covered. Hope to see you soon!
Read Smoky Bro’s BBQ Feature in The Boston Globe
Shelburne Falls & West County Independent • February 4, 2011
New BBQ biz to fire up soon
By Cameron Graves SHELBURNE FALLS—With very few local restaurants here that regularly serve smoked barbecue, Shelburne Falls resident Brolin Winning sees a niche that he is ready to fill. He is planning to open his new business, Smoky Bro’s BBQ with a barbecue stand Saturday, April 2. Winning, an Amherst native inspired during frequent trips to Bub’s Bar-B-Q in Sunderland when he was a kid, starting cooking professionally at age 14. Starting with the former Bell’s Pizza in Amherst in the late ’80s, he cooked at various restaurants and schools, including Deerfield Academy and Boston University, each for a couple of years. He moved to San Francisco in 1999 “on a whim, because my younger brother was out there” and initially found work cooking at a few fancy restaurants. Winning’s career path took a turn when he was hired by music Web sites to write and edit record reviews. One was MP3.com, whose parent company CNET, best known for its. technology product consumer reports, was bought by CBS in late 2008, causing him to be laid off. He also freelanced for iTunes and was developing a record label called 442 Records. “To date, we have put out nine albums since 2003,” said Winning. “It was fun making and producing music, but there is no money in it since anyone can get any music for free on the Internet, so they are not going to buy an album on compact disk” Winning never gave up his love of barbecue. He started a catering company called Instant Luau that made Hawaiian barbecue. With a small smoker he bought from Home Depot for a couple hundred bucks, Winning taught himself the art of
barbecue, including making his own rubs and sauces and trying different wood combinations for the best smoke.
His education paid off when he moved to Shelburne Falls in September 2009. Hired as the chef at Elmer’s Store in Ashfield in 2010, he was able to plan and serve a barbecue night with kielbasa, chicken, pulled pork and side dishes. Last summer, he also worked with friend and welder Julian Halpern in Holyoke to construct a commercial-grade smoker from scratch.
“It is about six feet long,” said Winning, “six feet tall, weighs about 700 pounds and you can fit about two dozen racks of pork spareribs in there. The smoke chamber is two 55-gallon drums welded together and then we fabricated a big firebox with quarter-inch steel. It is on wheels, so I can winch it up into the bed of my truck and bring it wherever”
Winning was able to use the new smoker when Elmer’s had a booth at the Cummington Fair at the end of August, and then during Cider Days at the BucklandShelburne Community Center in early November and again during Moonlight Magic the day after Thanksgiving. Each went well with approval from barbecue aficionados who attended the events.
Still working on an eatery site, Winning plans to start out small, opening with a stand to make enough to afford a full-sized dining site in the future. Beginning with a limited menu of pulled pork, chopped chicken, pork spareribs and kielbasa with coleslaw, potato salad and beans as side dishes, Winning would like to add beef and lamb ribs to the menu at some point. All dishes will be homemade, including a hot sauce made with chipotle peppers and a sweet sauce made with local maple syrup. Other local products, such as apple cider vinegar for barbecue sauce and vegetables for the side dishes, will also be used.
Until the stand opens, Smoky Bro’s BBQ will be available for catering and delivery and will continue serving food at local events, fairs and festivals. For more information, contact Winning at 413-489-1515 or visit smolcybrosbbq.com or Facebook under “Smoky Bro.”
Confident of the quality of his food, Winning even hopes to compete on a television show like “Pit Masters” some day.
“I have been barbecuing for at least 15 years,” said Winning. “Shelburne has a lot of good restaurants, but nothing for barbecue. Most places that say they have barbecue don’t really smoke meat, but instead took it in the oven and put barbecue sauce over it. I want to open a place where the barbecue food is delicious but affordable.”
Smoky Bro’s:
roadside good
cheer, BBQ
By ERICA COUTU Special to The Recorder
or Brolin Winning, barbecuing
for friends and family has always
been one of his biggest passions.
About 10 years ago, Winning
seriously began honing his
barbecuing skills by experimenting with
different spice rubs, sauces and wood blends
on a small smoker purchased at Home Depot.
After finding the perfect spice and sauce combinations to satisfy his palate, Winning —who was working as the head chef in the restaurant at Elmer’s Store in Ashfield at the time — began testing his homemade creations at events like the Cummington Fair, Cider Days and Moonlight Magic.
After receiving positive reviews from numerous customers, Winning began thinking of where he could test-drive a little barbecue restaurant without having the responsibility of loans, leases and other overhead that accompany owning a business.
This summer, Smoky Bro’s BBQ made its debut and has been serving up pork spare ribs, chopped chicken and pulled pork with sides of coleslaw, potato salad and spicy beans in the grassy field beside the Mohawk Trading Post on Route 2 in Shelburne.
Although most of the orders are for takeout meals, there are a few picnic tables set up and plenty of lawn to lay down a blanket and have a roadside picnic with family and friends.
With help in the “kitchen” from his wife Sunshine, Winning says that they serve a lot of local customers who regularly stop by for some barbecue while traveling along the Mohawk Trail.
What many of their diners may not realize is that the big, black, steel smoker that gets dragged to the center of the field each Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon was designed and created by Winning with the help of a close friend.
Winning said that countless hours were spent every day working with Julian Halpern,
owner of Steelhead Studios in Holyoke, on the
construction of the smoker — which he feels is
the key to the success to his “trial restaurant.”
Unfortunately, the drawbacks of owning an outdoor restaurant include inclement weather. When the eatery first opened in May, Winning was faced with many rainy weekends, which slowed business considerably and left him with more left over food than he knew what to do with.
In an effort to help out local shelters, Winning donated the food, something that he hopes to continue doing if faced with a similar situation.
Winning said that he hopes to incorporate comfort foods like chili and macaroni and cheese into his menu in the fall.
While the outdoor barbecue joint will only be open until November, Winning, who also works as a caterer, said that he will work more steadily within his catering business until the winter snows disappear and he can reopen his barbecue stand.
“This is definitely a labor of love,” Winning said. “Despite all the hours and hard work that goes into the business, I would have to say that the best apart about having a job like this is being able to meet lots of different people.”
Here’s one of his recipes:
SMOKY BRO’S PORK SPARE RIBS
One rack of full-sized ribs; do not use baby back ribs Dry rub of your choice (see below)
To prepare the ribs:
Cut off the thick, bony sternum section; trim the flap meat and peel off the membrane on the back side of the ribs. The best way to do this is to stick a butter knife underneath the first rib, loosen the “silver-skin,” then grasp the rib firmly with a paper towel and rip toward the far end of the rack. It should come off all in one piece.
Liberally coat with a dry spice rub. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Let the ribs warm up to room temperature before you start smoking.
If you have a smoker, load it with the hard wood of your
choice; apple wood is mostly used at Smoky Bro’s BBQ, but oak, cherry and hickory also work well. Mesquite can be kind of harsh on pork and is better used for smoking beef. Do not use soft woods like pine in your smoker because it will ruin the meat.
If you don’t have a smoker, you can use an ordinary charcoal or gas grill — the key is to cook on indirect heat.
Start your charcoal with a chimney-type starter to avoid lighter fluid fumes from contaminating the meat. Once the coals are hot, shift them to one side of the grill and put your meat on the other, as far away as possible. Cover the grill with the lid, keeping the vents over the meat open.
Add small pieces of pre-soaked wood periodically to make it smoky.
When using a gas grill, follow the same method, turning off one side of the burner and placing a foil pouch filled with soaked wood chips, with a few holes punched in it, on the hot side.
In either case, the temperature on the “cold” side should be kept between 200 and 225 degrees, never exceeding 250 degrees.
Smoke for approximately four hours, turning the meat occasionally. The ribs will turn red from the smoke, the meat will shrink some and the inside of the rib bones will turn black.
Before you remove the meat from the grill, the rack of ribs should be flexible and the meat should be very tender but still juicy. Serve the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. The sauce can either be drizzled over the meat or placed on the side.
DRY RUBS
Dry rubs can be purchased premixed, or made up from your own spices. Here are two typical recipes:
SWEET DRY RUB FOR RIBS
6 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon mustard powder
SPICY DRY RUB FOR RIBS
6 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons salt
3 teaspoons ground black pepper 2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
For both recipes, mix all ingredients together and rub onto your ribs a good 4-12 hours before you start cooking to let the flavors penetrate the ribs.
Contact Smoky Bro’s BBQ at 413-489-1515 or [email protected]
“We stopped in at this roadside shop after seeing a few Yelp reviews and decided to give it a shot. When we arrived we were greeted by polite staff who took our order and quickly made our food. While we waited we enjoyed the tantalizing smell of the grill as we soaked up the sun…We bought ribs, pulled beef as well as corn bread. Holy smokes, the serving size was huge and these are the best ribs we have had in a very long time….In the end, we destroyed their fall off the bones ribs and enjoyed sitting outside while we dined.”
— Dan. R Greenfield, MA on Yelp 8/28/15
“We used Smoky Bro for our son’s rehearsal dinner BBQ. The food was delicious and the customer service was exceptional. We ordered large trays of pulled pork, beef and chicken and several sides, including mac and cheese and beans. Brolin, the owner, was a delight to work with. He was so accommodating to our schedule and helped us keep everything hot as we trekked the food up to a campsite in the nearby hills. So many of our guests commented on how good the food was. It is! Drive up the Mohawk Trail and give this place a try.”
— Rita O. Wallingford Center, CT on Yelp 8/12/15
“Best bbq I’ve ever had. Huge portions and super friendly. Can’t wait to go back and try some more. They change the menu all the time. You def won’t be disappointed.”
— Tisha Chicopee, MA on TripAdvisor 7/21/15
I had read a review for this place in the Boston Globe and figured I’d stop in since I was up that way today, I was blown away by how much flavor was in these ribs! The smokiness was amazing!! The sides were good – Mac and cheese was very creamy and delicious, coleslaw was crunchy and fresh!…The portions were good sized and the ribs were delicious!… I cannot say enough for the customer service!! These people really want to create a great customer base and it shows! I know from working years in food service what the correct things are to really build great customer relations and this guy goes above and beyond to show his appreciation for your business! Made me want to shake his hand and tell him what a great job he’s doing and to keep it up! This is the real deal!…I love that they’re locals and here doing their thing and making it happen!! Rock on!!
— KB Amherst MA on Yelp 6/20/15
We had to drive to this place but it was worth it. The beef brisket plate size was great and brisket was both juicy and delicious. Cole slaw and corn bread sides should have been made there, because they were fresh. The picnic tables near the road are cute.
– milkstout on TripAdvisor 7/19
The best pulled pork sandwich i ever had. baked beans are a treat as well. will be back here often.
– Gautham Boston on Google
Their meat is very moist, smoky and flavorful. The sides are good too – mac and cheese, beans, coleslaw and cornbread were great. They serve big portions so you won’t leave hungry. They have a few picnic tables so you can eat outside.
– JSBVT West Halifax, VT 7/12
Nice hole in the wall bbq stop. Picnic tables to eat on. Outside smoker giving off mouth watering smells. Best bbq ribs we ever had. Staff was great. Prices great…this is the place for smoked meats…Right next to a Mohawk trail souvenir store. Loved it. Will stop for ribs again on next road trip.
– NPT1975 Chicopee MA, 5/3/15
Well, I finally found a barbecue joint that ranks five star. This place is the real deal. The ribs were smoky and a little crispy on the outside, and absolutely fall-off-the-bone tender on the inside. The smoke flavor penetrated all the way through to the bone. I usually use a ton of bbq sauce on my ribs but these didn’t need a drop. So good! The coleslaw was tasty, and the potato salad was just right. The only downside is that they don’t have a location in Florida! Will definitely be coming back next time we’re in Massachusetts.
– Joe W. Port St Lucie, FL 8/31/14
Our family stopped here on the way to the Clark Museum in Williamstown. These are the BEST ribs we have ever eaten, ever. The fixins are all excellent. Nothing phony or pretentious about this place. The owners Brolin and Sunshine are true locals but have lived all over the USA including in the pretentious food capital, San Francisco — yet you will be pleased to find that the buns are simple soft, smushy, regular old hamburger buns which don’t take away from the brilliance of the meat. In fact, the intelligence of this place is that the entire focus is on not taking away from the the rapture of meat and wood smoke. The dry rub doesn’t even have salt — and no sugar either, of course. The sweet and hot sauces are also simple, delicious and fresh. I wish all restaurants were more like this one, where the passion for food is finely focused, absent of ego and the customer’s palate was respected instead of used as an experimental testing site for the fusion of flavors that do not go together and can only be considered exciting to people who can’t really find satisfaction in the taste of something as divine as smoked wood on animal flesh. P.S. The soda collection is also awesome — Grape, Orange, Root Beer, Coke — and none of those flavors are all mixed up either. Next time we are in Shelburne it will only be on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday so we can eat some of the finest BBQ in America.
– George C. Brentwood, CA 7/20/14
Best BBQ ribs by far in western mass. Smoke master with great food at fair prices. Best ribs anywhere, unfortunately only open Fri-Sun and seasonal. Well worth the trip up Rt. 2.
– 24highst on TripAdvisor 10/15/12
My friends and I saw this place on our way to Berkshire East and thought it would be a good idea to eat there when we were done. After a long day of zip-lining, we showed up at the front of Smoky Bro’s, hungry and exhausted. I saw the smoker outside by the picnic table and immediately knew this was going to be great. I ordered the rib meal with mac n cheese and coleslaw. My friends ordered ribs with mac n cheese and potato salad, the chicken with baked beans, and the pulled pork sandwich. The service was quick and friendly. The meat was literally falling off of the bones! The mac n cheese was so creamy and delicious (I ended up ordering a large side to go!), the coleslaw was perfect! I tried my friend’s potato salad and loved that it was mustard-based! My friends also thought their food was delicious! Most of our eating was done in complete silence, except for our grunts of approval! If I ever make it back to Western Mass (probably to zip line again), I’m definitely hitting this place up again!
– Dena C. Brooklyn, NY 10/8/12
This is by far the best BBQ joint I’ve had in Massachusetts. The only bad thing is their limited season. We only found out about this place a few weeks ago and in a couple of more weeks, they’ll be closing until next year. Their ribs are succulent and fall of the bone with that beautiful pink smoke ring. We haven’t tried their other meats yet because we’re still so addicted to their ribs. I’m not a big fan of sides in general so nothing they have sidedish wise excites me. The couple that runs the joint are really friendly and you can tell the dude is really proud of his BBQ. Atmosphere wise, it is a roadside stand with a couple of picnic benches on the grass. The times we’ve gone the weather has been pleasant but it would be nice if they could move indoors and open year round. We’ve stopped going to Bub’s and have made this our BBQ home. We make trips from Amherst to Shelburne solely for their ribs.
– Ronald Y. Amherst, MA 10/7/12
Came upon this place after kayaking on the Deerfield River. Had the pork ribs with spicy beans and coleslaw. It was all delicious. Ribs were perfectly cooked. Owner was very friendly. I will make this a regular stop.
– Sue R. Newtown, CT 6/21/12
This place has, hands down, the best BBQ I have ever had. The portions are generous, the people are friendly, and the food’s amazing. What more could you want!? When I went I had the rib plate; just 10 bucks. The smoker, where they cooked the meat, was right outside and those ribs must have been slow cooking for most of the day because it was so tender. I had eaten BBQ all of the country, but mostly Texas, and I was just amazed at how well prepared this food was. I went back the next day and got 3 racks for our mother’s day dinner. If you are thinking about going, GO! You will not be disappointed.
– Travis D. Philadelphia, PA 5/15/12
I’ve tried a lot of BBQ in the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires and there’s something really perfect about everything I have had at Smoky Bro’s. Great Entrees? Check. I’ve had the Pork Spare ribs, Chopped Chicken, Pulled Pork. Unlike a lot of BBQ, each of these are completely unique and carry their own flavor. Killer sides: Slaw, Potato Salad. Check. The spicy baked beans are awesome. The sides are a eally good compliment to the smokey flavor. Sauce: Smoky Bro’s HOT SAUCE IS AMAZING. Its a big deal. The sweet is delicious too, but when you appreciate hot sauce, that’s pretty much where you live. Roadside: definitely, the smoker is rocking the trading post. Easy access, great food on Rte. 2. Go by there on the weekend all the time on route from Greenfield to Shellburne Falls. Catering: check – just had a small family reunion, asked Smoky Bro to bring some chopped chicken and pulled pork. We were about 5 hours out from serving, so he gave us the vinegar to heat up the pork. It was perfect. Every guest went out of their way to tell us how much they loved the food! I know a bit about what goes into to making quality BBQ. It’s all about the tools, quality ingredients and cooking time. This place takes care of all of this and makes it completely unique, delicious and worth the effort of finding. Do yourself a huge favor and get to this gem.
– Chris J. Williamstown, MA 8/20/11
“Best potato salad I’ve ever had.”” I want beans and potato salad””Can I have another pulled pork please?” This place is the best! I think everyone should check it out..unless you are vegan. The couple who run Smoky Bro’s are really nice and cute! And it’s fun to shop at the Indian Trading Post after you eat!
– Hungry I. Turners Falls, MA 7/11/11
874 MOHAWK TRAIL SHELBURNE
OPEN
Read about us in Boston Globe
Chopped Chicken
Pulled Pork
Bar-B-Que Beef
Cole Slaw
Spicy Beans
Mac-N-Cheese
Cornbread
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Feeding the whole gang? Try Smoky’s Special Party Pack!
Includes full rack of ribs, 1 pound of meat (Pork, Chicken, or Beef),
2 large sides, 4 buns, and our homemade sauce all for just $50
We slow-smoke our meats with 100% apple wood, hickory, and oak. No gas, no electric.
We use local produce in our sides and sauces whenever possible
Cooking with wood creates a ‘smoke ring’ and imparts a pink color, don’t be alarmed, the meat is fully cooked
Full catering service available to parties large and small
Click here for catering menu and pricing
OUR STORY
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
413-336-5266
Pulled Pork
(melt-in-your-mouth slow smoked pork shoulder, served with BBQ sauce on the side)
Pulled Chicken
(slow smoked boneless skinless thighs, pulled, with sauce on the side)
Bar-B-Que Beef
(slow smoked beef shoulder with salt & pepper rub, sauce on the side)
Pork Spare Ribs
($25 per 12-rib rack)
(slow smoked ribs, dry rubbed and served with sweet or hot BBQ sauce on the side)
Cole Slaw
Spicy Beans
Mac-N-Cheese
Cornbread
Smoky Bro’s BBQ Sauce (Hot and Sweet)
White Sandwich Buns
Paper plates, plastic forks, paper napkins
Delivery within 10 miles of Shelburne Falls
Beverages, Deserts, China, Silverware, Linens, Flowers, Candles, etc
(ADD 6.25% MASS FOOD TAX)
1 Meat & 2 Sides $12 per person
2 Meats & 2 Sides: $16 per person
3 Meats & 3 Sides: $22 per person
4 Meats & 4 Sides: $28 per person
Ribs are $25 per 12-rib rack
Price does not include gratuity
For full-service catering (we set up tables and serve all food) add $2 per person
For delivery outside of Shelburne Falls, add $1 per mile
Catering orders require a 50% deposit 2 weeks prior the event, balance due upon delivery
For parties on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, minimum order is $1500
For a more affordable option, call ahead to place party-size orders for pick up.
A large foil pan with 5 pounds of meat is $75, same size pans of sides are $25
(5 pounds of meat will make approx 20 sandwiches, buns available upon request)
Please let us know in advance if any guests have food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
Contact Smoky Bro’s BBQ at 413-336-5266 or [email protected]