At 2 pm on the chilliest day of winter so far, my table was one of two occupied, of many, at Mighty Quinn's Barbecue on the corner of 2nd avenue and 6th. The space is modern, simplistic, and devoid of any signature hangings that the perfume of burning cherry, oak, and apple woods drifting about the dining area seemed very out of place. There was no sound of buzzing chatter, overly bubbly servers with Southern accents, kaleidoscopic checkered table covers, blasting country music, or whatever is typically associated with a barbecue joint to accompany the heady fumes. It's like everything I had known about barbecue from watching Food Network re-runs had been dismissed.
My lunch companions arrived, and we began observing the short menu. There are about ten types of meat, and a few side dishes. None of us are barbecue fanatics, nor did we know our meat intake capacity, so we ordered cautiously.
We returned to our table (this place offers counter service only) with a rack of pork ribs and a pound of freshly sliced brisket. I made sure to ask for the fattier cuts of brisket, as the ends are much leaner and consequently drier. Layer upon layer of thick, luscious brisket meant us stuffing the buns full with several slices leftover. The smoky charred ends are essential for adding another dimension and genuine BBQ essence to the burgers.
I found the buns very dry without any additional sauce, but I wasn't exactly loving the sauce either. I'm very picky about sauces in general and definitely not a fan of cold barbecue sauce. Mighty Quinn's signature sauce, which was presented in huge glass bottles, sat at every table, and possessed smoky, tangy qualities and a sweet finish.
We began working on the pork ribs after our burgers. The exterior of the rack had actually formed a crackly, robustly-seasoned "skin" - which was phenomenal.
But as feared, the center meat was slightly dry and desperately needed some additional salt. Unevenly distributed fat meant several ribs were juicier than others, but ultimately there wasn't anything a few drizzles of barbecue sauce couldn't alleviate (provided you do enjoy BBQ sauce. If you don't then you're kind of stuck). An alternative to the ribs if you're adamant about feasting on pig is the pulled pork, which was our third option but was never ordered.
I was seeking something memorably smoky and undeniably Southern at Quinn's, but I got something much more subtle and well, Northern. Although road tripping down South for some serious meat intake still tops my bucket list, I think Mighty Quinn's offered me a very solid, although not revelatory, introduction the Southern staple.
Mighty Quinn's Barbecue
103 2nd Ave (2nd and 6th)
