BBQ American Style Smokehaus # https://www.smokehausbbq.com/As my loyal readers know, I have a soft place in my heart for the men and women who serve our country. My son is a Marine and 2 of my Uncles served in the Marines (1) and the Army (1).My father in law is a Navy veteran. I truly believe that there is nothing more American than standing up in service of our great nation and I can never every thank these men and women enough.
One concern for parents of Military personal (one of many, I might add) is what will my son or daughter do once they return to the civilian population. Many of these hero's enter the service directly from high school and when they get out they face having to basically start there lives over again. Today I had the distinct please of meeting one of those parents, Mr. Harold Mielke, who's son David served us proudly and came home and decided to try his hand at BBQ.
When Harold tasted the fruits of his son's labor, a union was formed between Father and Son to start a business together. David is the Pit-master and even has that on his truck license plates and Harold is the front man. What a team they make! From the moment you enter you are welcomed with a smile and a hello from some of the friendliest restaurant staff you will ever meet.
Housed in a former Burger shack in Amherst, NH, this father and son team renovated the building into a comfortable southern style BBQ joint, complete with large chalk menu boards, a four stool bar area and comfortable tables with rolls of paper towels on table mounted iron pipes. Trust me on this, you will be glad those towels are there because once you start eating their food your hands and face will become free game for the rubs and sauces as shown by my daughter who at one point during here meal has rub from her lips to just below her eyes! My favorite piece of the interior is the folded flag above the front door. Harold told me that David had served on the USS Cole and that the flag was a gift to him from his son and had flown on the Cole.
The moment you pull into the parking lot your senses come alive with the smell of Red Oak, the wood of choice, burning in the giant smoker right outside the front door. On a side note, your will also notice a very rare item mounted on the wall, a payphone. I am not sure if it still works, but I cannot remember the last time I saw one on a building!
My meal was the 3 meat combo that I ordered with Baby Backs, Bratwurst (a special today) and Brisket. To my surprise and utter delight, the waitress asked me if I wanted my brisket lean or fatty. Seriously, that's like asking me, do you want to breathe? Take my word on this, order the fatty cut, you will not be disappointed. This was the most juicy and tender brisket I have ever had and I regretted my decision immediately. I should have gotten the Fatty Brisket three times!!!Sides of collard greens and creamed corned rounded off my meal. The collards had a slight spice to them that made them very tasty but the creamed corn stole the show. The only way I can describe this is imagine sweet creamy cheese sauce, like you would find on mac and cheese, but put corn in it instead of macaroni. This was so thick and creamy I ate it with a fork, and nothing fell thru the tines!
My dining partners all raved about the hand cut fries and the mac and cheese. One had the coleslaw, of which I stole a fork full (hey she should not have left it unattended within an arms length). This was creamy and with a surprising hint of dill weed, it was very flavorful and it stood up well against the smoke meats.
As Lee Greenwood sang, "I am Proud to be an American", well the Bone Bag is Proud to have met Harold today (David was not in when we arrived) and even more proud that one of nations best has returned home to continue to service those lucky enough to be within a drive of Amherst NH. Thank you for your service and thank you for bringing amazing BBQ to the Granite State.A special shout out to #Travis Vallee,@TravisVallee a loyal Bone Bag reader and US Veteran who told me that I had to try this place out. Thanks for tip Travis, we had a blast and I promise you all, if you go, you will love everything about this place. Keep the tips coming, it's going to be a long summer and the tank on the jeep is full. Until next time, Smoke em if you got em! (Meats that is).
