Hometown Barbecue Brings Authentic Pit-Smoked Meats To Allapattah

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Texas barbecue is taking over in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami.

You can thank Hometown Barbecue for the sweet, smoky smells in the air.

It's the second location from Brooklyn grill master Bill Durney, who's been overwhelmed by the support of Miami foodies, especially those in the same business.

"I've never been more embraced. The one thing that has hit us hard is that we've had 30 or more restauranteurs come in and be so supportive and so kind," Durney said. "They say, 'What can we do to help?' And that's the same way we do it in Brooklyn."

His New York restaurant, which opened in 2013, has a loyal following of barbecue loving foodies who wait in long lines for hours to get a bite of any number of the popular dishes cooked over live fire.

"We do about 4-5,000 people a week in Hometown in Brooklyn, sometimes 6,000 in high summer months," he explained.

Durney was approached by a few Miami businessmen partners to open the 200 seat indoor/outdoor warehouse space that has fast casual service for lunch and sit down menu for dinner. The vibe is simple and fresh just like the food.

"We are inside Brother's Produce. We only have Brother's Produce on the signs on the building," he explained.

Back in the kitchen, Chef Alex Smith cooks up authentic pit-smoked meats and traditional sides. The fall off the bone brisket comes from Kansas.

"This is smoked brisket. It's cooked for 16 hours, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. We cook on specific wood called white oak," said Durney. "It's like really buttery and salty. You get the pepper flavor from the brisket."

"It's so tender and has so much flavor," said CBS4's Lisa Petrillo after tasting.

The chicken wings, which are smoked and deep fried with mole dust and served with queso fresco, are clearly irresistible.

"You know when the camera guy reaches over and grabs a wing it's got to be exciting," he said laughing.

"It has the perfect crunch on the outside. It's tender and juicy," said Petrillo.

The jalapeño cheddar sausage is oozing with flavor.

They end on a delicious and hearty vegetarian side: oyster mushrooms cooked over wood, smoked tossed with chimichurri and topped with homemade papitas.

Hometown Barbecue: Come out, come early and come hungry!

"We try to run out of food every night, so don't be surprised if at 9:30 p.m. we don't have any brisket left, because we cook fresh every single day," Durney said.

Hometown Barbecue is open six days a week, Tuesday-Sunday, serving lunch and dinner.

For more info, visit: HometownBBQMiami.com.