Monk’s Meats Brings Damn Tasty Vegan BBQ to Brooklyn
The Kansas City-style BBQ seitan sandwich is the most popular item at Monk’s Meats.
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A few years ago, I wrote about the potential of vegan barbecue for Gothamist as a new category of the still-expanding barbecue world. Back then, the most impactful event that opened my mind about meatless barbecue up to that point was trying the well-made food at Monk’s Meats.
For several years, Monk’s Meats has been a top vendor on Saturdays and Sundays at Brooklyn’s popular Smorgasburg food markets. There, owner Chris Kim and his team have served up items such as Kansas-City-BBQ-style seitan sandwiches, pulled mushroom sandwiches, loaded fries, and all kinds of specials. All of the proteins are smoked for several hours over mesquite and hickory woods, which connects this food closely to the traditional barbecue I love.
Monk’s Meats owner Chris Kim holds his most popular item, the BBQ seitan sandwich.
Now, Monk’s Meats is about to get a lot bigger than just being a vendor at Smorgasburg, as it has just taken over the kitchen at Starr Bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The operation will typically run seven nights a week, from 5 to 11 p.m., giving it a chance to connect with fans and vegan-curious eaters daily.
“We have been looking for a setting like this for a while and it was part of our plan to find a late-night spot in Bushwick for Monk's,” Kim said. “There's a really good food scene here and a little lack of diversity for vegan options. We also felt it was good to bring a barbecue option here because there's a lot of burger around but not much in the way of barbecue.”
Starr Bar is an eclectic bar and venue where Monk’s Meats provides the food.
Kim believes Starr Bar is an excellent choice for his business because the bar has social justice theme that meshes well with vegan and vegetarian cuisine. Starr Bar hosts a crazy amount of events, with open mics, concerts, markets, fundraisers, and more, meaning all sorts of people come into the bar that might be introduced to Monk’s Meats.
“We ended up at Starr Bar, which has a mission that dovetails well with what we do and what we're trying to bring with our politics and our iconoclastic menu,” Kim said. “We brought all of our old favorites from Smorgasburg,” Kim said. “We have plans to bring more things, including a full barbecue plate, ribs that we're working on, different kinds of sausages, and more. In the new year, we'll also be adding a Southern-inspired brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays."
The delicious pulled mushroom sandwich from Monk’s Meats will surprise you.
I tried several items from the new menu and can confirm they are just as good (if not better) than what I’ve tried at Smorgasburg. My single favorite item was the smoked and pulled oyster mushroom sandwich, which was actually featured in the popular barbecue recipe book Smoked by Handsome Devil BBQ’s Ed Randolph. It’s smoky, savory, and has a pleasant chew to it.
Kim said there are some other menu items worth checking out too. “Our most popular item is our barbecue seitan sandwich with Kansas City barbecue and tangy flavors, but my favorite is the Rasta Roots sandwich with Jamaican jerk seitan with roasted red bees and pickled carrots, ” Kim said.
Monk’s Meats’ expansion and the relative success of vegan BBQ speakeasy Honeybees in the East Village show that that there is room for vegan barbecue in New York. Monk’s is the much more accessible of the two joints because it’s in a casual bar in Brooklyn, where Honeybees has dimly-lit fine-dining style that’s very Manhattan.
"Our focus has always been on just bringing great food to the table," Kim said. "A huge part of our fans are vegan and vegetarian. But we've been successful in attracting customers who are interested in trying something different, especially those who want to cut down on meat a little bit but don't want to sacrifice on flavors. This is a fantastic moment for what we're doing with more people interested in plant-based options."
The Alamo Fries at Monk’s Meats are topped with three-bean seitan chili, cashew queso sauce, jalapenos, and more.
As for Smorgasburg, Kim said Monk's Meats will not be doing anything with the organization this winter but he plans to return next year when Smorgasburg fully returns in the spring.
"We just had our best season so far and we're looking forward to the 2020 season," Kim said. "I love Smorgasburg and it's given us a platform to reach a lot of people."
All in all, Monk’s Meats is a worthwhile place to trek to, especially if you’ve never tried vegan barbecue. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Kim and his operation.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Here are the top BBQ (and related) food news stories you need to know about this week:
The Market Line, a new underground food hall on the Lower East Side, just opened. (Photo by Scott Lynch / Gothamist)
The Market Line, a highly anticipated new food hall with lots of cool vendors, opened last week on the Lower East Side, reports Gothamist. Located on the floor below Essex Market, this new space has about 25 new vendors and restaurants, including acclaimed deli Ends Meat, Queens taco favorite Tortilla Nixtamal, pierogi king Veselka, and new pizza place Slice Joint.
If you need to find something to do with your leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, the New York Times has some suggestions for creative turkey sandwiches. These include variations on barbecue, Cuban, and Mediterranean sandwiches.
The acclaimed dry-aged burger at Black Emperor bar is sadly no more, but it has moved to the new Korean restaurant Nowon (at 507 East 6th Street between Avenues A and B). Chef Jae Lee had been manning the kitchen at Black Emperor but now he has his own restaurant, so the hyped burger followed him over. Eater NY reports that the burger will only be available from 5 to 7 p.m. and after 7 p.m., the restaurant’s Korean wok-cooking will take center stage. Plan accordingly.
In a new spotlight of the five best places to eat nachos in New York, City Guide NY included Virgil’s Real BBQ in Times Square on its list. Virgil’s is well-known their nachos with “barbecued pulled chicken, Carolina pulled pork, and Texas beef brisket.”
Finally, in a funny note, New York City has always celebrated Thanksgiving in creative ways, but not quite like this. One group of subway riders took over an L train car and set up and served an entire Thanksgiving dinner. Reactions to the stunt have been mixed, but I’ve got to give it up to the riders for their creativity.
IRL BBQ
Here are the top BBQ (and related) food events coming soon to the New York metro area:
If you want to get close up to learn more brisket, now you can from brisket master Robert Austin Cho at his Brisket Master Class. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Saturday, December 14: Pitmaster Robert Austin Cho will be hosting a Brisket Master Class at his restaurant Kimchi Smoke in Westwood, NJ. He will go over the basics and advanced level techniques from selecting a brisket (different grades), trimming, seasoning, cook times and temperatures. He’ll also take a deeper look at issues like tenderness, bark, smoke ring, and finally eat some brisket together. There will be a Q&A afterwards where Cho will give personalized tips for different types of smokers. Wherever you are in your smoke journey, you’ll be sure to take it the next level. Buy tickets here.
Saturday, January 18: The 10th Annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival is leaving Manhattan after a decade of fun and heading to Brooklyn. A ticket buys you access to tasting great local barbecue, hot sauces, and tons of spirits. The “Beast Cage” will be back with exotic smoked meats, including alligator, lamb, bison, longhorn rounds, and much more. There will also be whole hog as well and you won’t want to miss it. Buy tickets here.
Saturday, January 25: The 12th Annual Cassoulet Cook Off will take place on Jan 25 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Cassoulet is the ultimate winter dish, where French traditions meet New England baked beans, Texas BBQ brisket burnt ends and beans, California vegetarian beans casserole, and many other chef driven styles. There will be 10+ chefs and more food than ever, plus craft beer, hard cider, wine, and spirits. Buy tickets here.
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