Vancouver has a new barbecue house. Peckinpah is a Carolina-style barbecue house that is opening tonight. And how cool is this, it is located in Gastown on the site where the original Gassy Jack’s Saloon was located.
Although Peckinpah officially opens tonight, Saturday night, the good folks at Peckinpah welcomed me and my Banker into the barbecue house last night for a sneak peak and a very delicious sampling of the barbecue flavours that Vancouver can expect to enjoy.
Here is a pic of the sample table that we had the opportunity to enjoy…
The dish in the front of the above photo is a heap of pulled pork. My Banker, a connoisseur of pulled pork and butter chicken assured me that this is the best pulled pork he has ever tasted.
My first move was to reach for what appeared to be a dinosaur rib. Alas, it was not a dinosaur rib but actually a bison rib. The bison, born in northern Alberta and raised to the north of Pemberton, BC are hand selected (I suppose this is a team you would not want to get chosen for) by Phyllis, Peckinpah’s Pit Smoker.
The bison ribs were beyond delicious. I kept going back and forth from the beef brisket to the bison to see which I preferred and, you know, after eating some eleven ribs and six pounds of brisket, the bison was my preferred choice. The meat is much less fatty but still tender enough to pull away from the rib.
This is not to say the brisket is a second place loser. The brisket, sadly an under-appreciated cut of meat in Canada, was wonderful in its own way. The bark that develops on the brisket was just the right crunch to make the tender inside of the cut that much more appreciated. With a quick dunk into the vinegar and pepper sauce that was supplied, the smoke flavour just teases your palate, but does not overwhelm.
One thing to keep in mind is that Peckinpah does Carolina-style barbecue. That means Peckinpah does not serve that sticky, messy, barbecue sauce slathered meat like you might get in Texas. The 14 hour smoking process that the brisket, and beef, pork and bison ribs go through is what develops the dry “exterior bark” that holds in the flavour of the meat until you give it that quick dunk in the vinegar sauce.
Another very cool thing about the menu at Peckinpah is that all the meat is locally sourced and processed. The barbecued beef sausage they serve is processed in North Van to specifications developed by Phyllis Cornacchia Tanga, the Peckinpah Pit Smoker. The beef and bison are from the north of Pemberton.
When I asked Tyson Reimer, the owner of Peckinpah (and nearby Cobre and Deacon’s Corner) why he wanted to open a Carolina-style barbecue house in Vancouver and Gastown in particular he told me, “Well, ’cause nobody else was doing it. And I wanted to, help keep Gastown from turning into another Yaletown. It is part of keeping Gastown real.”
I believe that the Peckinpah crew will no doubt do their part to keep Gastown real. Peckinpah looks like a home-run. I can imagine how hungry the sweet aroma of Tennessee white oak fueled barbecue will make the neighbourhood. Although they only have thirty seats inside, I’m sure the soon to be open take-out window will keep the passersby barbecue-lust satiated. Well done. Very well done.
Peckinpah is located at 2 Water Street, Vancouver. You can call them at 604.681.5411 for more information.
Disclosure; I have received no incentive or financial reward (I did eat a heap of bison ribs and brisket, but that was just to inform my writing) for writing this blog entry. I am not obligated nor expected to write this blog entry about Vancouver’s newest barbecue house, Peckinpah. In any blog post I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions or concerns, contact me at editor@theleftcoast.ca