MARCH-APRIL_2017

ROUSES

EVERYDAY

MARCH | APRIL 2017

the

Barbecue

issue

offering them, and it quickly became

something I’m now known for. It’s the

rendered, barky, fatty meat that comes from

the nose, or point of the brisket. We season

but don’t sauce our meat — we want you

to be able to see the smoke ring and really

enjoy the moist, intense flavor of the cut.

When done right, it’s one of the best bites

of food you can ever put in your mouth.

We’re now doing 800-1000 lbs. per week of

burnt ends alone, so it’s obviously taken off.

Brad Gottsegen:

Is there anything special

about the pits you’re cooking on? What

types of wood are you using?

Chef Rob:

We’re doing our indirect-heat

cooking of pork butts and briskets on

converted 1,000-gallon propane tanks,

low and slow, for 15-18 hours at 250-300

degrees. Right now, we’re mainly using oak,

but I like to throw in some hickory and

definitely some cherry or other fruitwood

when I can find it. We have custom direct

heat pits for our ribs, chicken, sausage, and

we smoke our wings before flash frying

them for our daily happy hour.

Brad Gottsegen:

The forgotten meat in the

world of barbecue seems to be chicken, but

y’all seem to feature it and do an especially

nice job of keeping yours juicy, while at the

same time smoky and flavorful. Does any

special prep go into your yardbird?

Chef Rob:

We use Springer Mountain

Farms chickens from Georgia, which

are organically and humanely raised on

a vegetarian diet with no antibiotics,

hormones or stimulants. All we do is add

seasoning and let the quality of the product

speak for itself. No injections or brining —

we just apply a rub and leave them alone.

Barbecue is meant to be a simple method of

cooking — if you fool with it too much, you

can easily mess it up.

Brad Gottsegen:

A lot of barbecue purists

are offended when a diner sauces their meat.

Are y’all sauce snobs?

Chef Rob:

I want to make people happy, and

they can eat my barbecue any way they want

to.We

don’t sauce our product in the kitchen,

but we have three sauces at every table, and

we also make Alabama white sauce for those

that like it as well. After Kartrina, my wife

and I wound up in Vermont, and we used to

make applesauce from apples taken directly

from the orchards up there. It eventually

made its way into our sweet barbecue sauce

and remains a main ingredient today, so its

nostalgic for us in that it tells part of the

story of our culinary journey from New

Orleans up north and then back.

Brad Gottsegen:

How much of your

protein is sourced locally?

Chef Aaron:

We’re getting a lot of our pork

from Chappapeela Farms from Husser,

Louisiana, and the quality is just amazing.

Beef in quantity is harder to come by locally,

but because our burnt ends have become so

popular and are now a regular menu item,

we’ve found a supplier that is providing us

just the “nose” of briskets, which is the part

of the cut that burnt ends come from.

Brad Gottsegen:

Historically, barbecue

has been associated with sweet tea and

beer, but you guys have built a substantial

bar program with top-shelf bourbons and

craft cocktails. How did that play into the

planning of your overall concept?

Chef Rob:

My whole thought was that

if we were going to serve craft, artisan

barbecue, we should also serve craft and

artisan cocktails to go with it. There are

a lot of bars in this city, and you have to

do something to make yourself stand out.

We’re using all fresh juices and taking no

shortcuts, and as a result, we’re producing

some really delicious, creative drinks.

Brad Gottsegen:

What’s your vision for

the future of this neighborhood?

Chef Aaron:

We’re continuing to acquire

parcels of land around the restaurant, so we

can expand our offerings to outdoor spaces,

including live music and large parties.

We’re also nearly finished construction

of our indoor reception space, so we can

accommodate large groups for weddings,

corporate events, etc. We want to have a

positive impact and be a partner to the

people that have been here a lot longer than

we have, and given that over 50% of our

employees come from close by, we want to

do what we can to help this area become a

great place to live as well as to eat.

Interviewer Brad Gottsegen

is a member of

Team Fleur de Que, which won the 2016 Hogs

for the Cause “Top Fundraiser” Award for

the fifth straight year by donating $150,000

to families struggling against pediatric brain

cancer. They also won “Best Booth” too.

Central City BBQ

Central City BBQ (CCBBQ) is located at

1201 S. Rampart Street near the Downtown

New Orleans Rouses Market. CCBBQ is open

for lunch Wednesday thru Sunday.

“[We’re] using local ingredients and products whenever we can.

Steen’s Cane Syrup, strawberries from Pontchatoula, juice from Plaquemines Parish

citrus — those flavors are incredible ...”

Pitmaster Rob Bechtold