Bill Cianci's (Mostly) Burger Reviews: Bailey's Smokehouse, Blauvelt, NY

"Blog Reader Guest Review"

written by:

STEVE SPENCER, owner, operator, pitmaster of SMOKIN' YANKEE BBQ, NJ

https://www.facebook.com/smokinyankee/

https://twitter.com/smokinyankee?lang=en

Where:
Bailey's Smokehouse
136 E Erie St, Blauvelt, NY 10913
(845) 398-1454
http://www.baileysny.com/

What:
BBQ Sampler Platter for Two
Includes: Pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and ribs.

Smokehouse Stacked BBQ Pat LaFrieda burger
topped with pulled BBQ short rib, bacon, onion rings, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and apple butter sauce.

Sides:
Corn soufflé
Mac and cheese with pulled pork stuffed egg rolls
BBQ "Burnt Ends" (brisket end cuts, sweet & tangy BBQ sauce).

Comments:
As a self-proclaimed foodie and Pitmaster, I am ALWAYS skeptical when going to a BBQ restaurant – let's just say I've tasted more bad BBQ than good in my life. When I visit a BBQ restaurant, the first thing I’m immediately drawn to is their source of fuel and the machinery used to burn that fuel. I was pleasantly surprised to see logs and logs of hardwood ready to be eaten by a Southern Pride smoker. To me, that indicates we’re starting off right!
Now let’s get right to the good stuff.

The BBQ Sampler Platter for Two (pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and ribs):
The platter was HUMONGOUS! Never mind the size of the platter, what won me over was the pulled pork. Moist, very tender, well-pulled, succulent with a balanced smoke throughout the meat. The meat was free from fatty areas that can sometimes ruin it for me. A definite two thumbs up on the pulled pork.
I am a rib man, so I was looking forward to the ribs – I found them to be flavorful, bite-off-the-bone and "smokified." I would definitely order the ribs again. The sausage had nice flavor and you can tell it was a special blend made by a respectable butcher. The one area that was borderline for me was the brisket. To Bailey's credit, it's VERY difficult to keep brisket serve-ready. It did have a bark but I was expecting more. You could taste the smoke in the meat, which was good, and it was tender, but I found it to be on the dry side and not too visually appealing. I've had much better brisket in the promised land of Texas.

As for the sides (corn soufflé, egg rolls stuffed with mac and cheese, and pulled pork): Stop reading this now and go to Bailey's to order these two items. The flavor and texture contrast were off the meter for pulled pork egg rolls. Crunchy, savory with a bit of sweetness. I kept going back for it and had to stop myself when I remembered that there was a ton more food coming my way! The corn soufflé is a decadent explosion of goodness that will make you a Christian, and you should only eat with closely kept company because the first thing you will say is "Oh my God," and then your mouth will be making a bunch of strange sounds, "mmmmm, ohhhhhh, wow, ugh, damn!". At least that’s what my mouth did. The corn soufflé was sweet and moist yet creamy with a pillow-like texture cooked to perfection. Winner, winner.

BBQ "Burnt Ends" (brisket end cuts, sweet & tangy BBQ Sauce):

The burnt ends were decent. They certainly were not lacking flavor or sauce. They had a decent bark on the outside and a good ratio of fat to meat. They were just a little too sticky and saucy for me. However, a near religious experience was had when mixed with the mac and cheese egg rolls.
My overall rating of Bailey's is a definite thumbs-up. The ambience was nothing less of everything that suited my tastes – old wooden bar, large TVs with sports on, beer, the smell of sweet smoke, and BBQ. I definitely see myself as a frequent customer of this establishment in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to write for the blog Steve...happy smokin'

~BC

We arrived at Bailey's at 11:30am to beat the rush and by 12:15 the place was packed...

Egg rolls stuffed with mac n cheese and pulled pork

Burnt ends

Burnt Ends

Pitmaster Steve Spencer

Bill's burger review:

The Smokehouse Stacked BBQ Burger consists of a Pat LaFrieda patty topped with pulled BBQ short rib, bacon, onion rings, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and apple butter sauce.

The burger was presented very nicely, however, it did not taste nearly as good as it looked. I'm not saying it wasn't LaFreida meat, but the coarsness of the grind, flavor and texture when cooked were nothing I've ever tasted before. I ordered a medium-rare temperature but my burger was served at medium-well, which turned to well-done within a few short minutes. I'm afraid it was very disappointing for me ~ BC