Boston Butt — the city's first smokery and charcuterie — will serve comfort diner food from USA's southern states
Chef and restaurateur Siddharth Kashyap's new concept grew from the epiphany that men change inexplicably around a barbecue. "Men start believing that they can cook. Non-sexist men turn sexist, ordering women around," says the Napeansea Road dweller. "It somehow pulls us back to caveman times when we used to hunt and cook. My father was the lord and master of our weekend barbecues in the backyard. The high heat would burn the chicken on the outside and make it dry and chewy inside."
Chef and restaurateur Siddharth Kashyap's trip to southern USA introduced him to the smokers' scene there with its bar food and easy vibe. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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A few years ago, when Kashyap travelled to the UK and then southern USA, he got into the smokery scene with its cured and smoked meats, bar food and easy vibe. That is what he, along with partners Karna Shinde and Nishant Rao, are trying to recreate at the about-to-open The Boston Butt Bar, Smokery and Charcuterie at Kala Ghoda.
Located above The Irish House, the location itself made them stretch their previous budget. However, growing as it is as a district for art, fashion and food, the trio decided it was worth the budgetary spike.
The new eatery derives its name from a cut of meat — the Boston Butt is a wider cut of the pig shoulder, traditionally used for pulled pork recipes. For the decor, the trio approached Bandra-based Reza Kabul who put together influences from New Orleans' French Quarters (such as the bevelled window panes), Southern diners (a plaid corner couch) and typical smokery elements such as Prohibition era signboards.
It’s what he and partners Karna and Nishant Rao hope to recreate at their new Kala Ghoda eatery
A tractor front, painted red, becomes the DJ's console for the upper section of the eatery, which will be cultivated as the livelier section with its bar; there are plans to host live jazz bands later on. The lower section expects families for dinner. "Even these table bottoms are called the Boston," says Nishant, pointing to the heavy industrial chic stands. Then there is the Boston Round, an apothecary bottle with a narrow neck that would traditionally hold tinctures or medicines. Boston Butt uses them for serving drinking water and condiments.
"Barbecues and smoking originated in the Mexico region," informs Siddharth. "Smoking also comes from a form of pit-cooking. It has coarser beginnings — the tenderloin would be sold to the rich; a tougher cut was sold for less. Curing or smoking this cut tenderised it and preserved it for longer." The time taken to smoke depends on the meat — a brisket or a pig shoulder could take 16 or 15 hours respectively; vegetables take two hours. A separate kitchen staff comes in at 11 pm to start the smoking and baking process (they bake their own bread) for the next day. "We use birch, hickory, applewood or mango wood," says Siddharth.
The smokey flavour is most apparent in the Philly Cheese Steak with chicken, where the bland meat takes on a sweet-salty smokiness associated with pork
"The meat is smoked at 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit which gradually melts the fat and connective tissues, cooking it slowly to the centre." The result is tender, moist meat with a slightly caramelised and distinctively smokey flavour. It's most apparent in the Philly Cheese Steak with chicken, where the usually bland meat takes on a sweet-salty smokiness associated with pork.
While the menu has ample red meat attendance in the form of lamb, pork and buffalo, an effort has been made to have enough for the vegetarians and pescatarian diners. The task was to find mediums that smoked well. "We tried smoking everything and anything," says Siddharth, who has the chef duties in the partnership.
"And discovered you need things with body that take in the smoke well and don't disintegrate, such as mushrooms, tomatoes, yams, potatoes. Cucumber failed miserably and turn into some sort of mush; zucchini, on the other hand, held well." So, vegetarians can expect a pear and smoked leek gazpacho, a smoked halumi chilli and smoked bean mini sloppy with a cider slaw. In seafood, salmon, kingfish and black pomfret will be given the smoke treatment, but the real treat is calamari or squid, whose usually rubbery texture needs much mastication. After a brief time in the smoker (four to five hours), the squid rings give away easily under your teeth.
The charcuterie part of their brand is expected to start a month later — it refers to the curing on meat. "Traditionally, large cuts, such as the shoulder, are cured over two to three years," says Siddharth. "However, we will be focusing on smaller slices which should take a few months." The Boston Butt opens on 24 August, 2016. For the first week, it will be open only for dinner, 6 pm onwards and children under the age of 18 will not be allowed past 7 pm. Later, it will open for lunch.
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