Savory Smoke Barbecue Food Truck Launches in Norwalk Area

When cruising around the Norwalk Town Green on random weekdays or perusing the Rowayton Farmers Market on Fridays, you may have noticed a big neon green food truck with the words “Savory Smoke Barbecue” decaled on the side. On board is Ryan Cuber. His name might be new to some of you, but be assured, he’s not new to the BBQ game.

Cuber, a Norwalk resident, has been around if you’ve really paid attention to the food scene. He has catered privately, held BBQ pop-ups at Sand Wedge Deli and Winfield Street Coffee, and he ran the pits for the short-lived (but very good) Mason Dixon Smokehouse in Stamford.

BBQ aside, Cuber was around the business at an early age. “I was exposed to the restaurant business as a kid and I learned a lot; my mom was a restaurant manager,” he says. “I’ve done almost everything from folding pizza boxes to being a busboy. I’ve managed. I’ve been a chef.”

Cuber’s BBQ journey began in 2011, at a time when there wasn’t much of it around here. “There wasn’t really anyone doing it when I started…maybe Bobby Q’s was the only one back then,” he recalls. “I was overworked, over schooled, a little bit hungover. I woke up in the middle of the night, made a sauce, and said, ‘This is it. This is what I’m gonna do.’ I knew the area needed more BBQ.”

He started by smoking meats at home for family and friends, occasionally working catering gigs and a few food truck events to test out his newfound meat smoking skills. Never satisfied, he kept learning. Cuber bought books, studied, and constantly tinkered with his recipes that he says are created with ingredients that most people have in their pantries.

His journey to the now with Savory Smoke’s truck launch was a long one. “It has been longer than I anticipated, but it’s worth it,” Cuber says. “When I started, I didn’t even know what a brisket was! I figured it was something people cooked in pots or in ovens on holidays. Now, I’ve smoked countless briskets and have lots of smokes under my belt, especially after Mason Dixon and overnight smokes, where I learned consistency. Early on, I had some things that fell through. It’s easy to get down on yourself but every time, I got up and wanted to work harder and learn more.”

Speaking of brisket, that’s Cuber’s best-seller on the truck. It’s slow smoked with oak for up to 16 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. “I use white or red oak,” Cuber says. “I like my meats to burn slow and burn clean. Dirty smoke results in a bitter taste. You don’t want it to taste of wood.”

That slow-cooked, juicy brisket is available as a plate or piled high on a sandwich, with equal parts of “the fatty” and “the lean,” a drizzle of homemade sauce, pickles, and red onion.

Other sandwiches on Savory Smoke’s introductory menu are pulled pork with slaw, and smoked chicken with pickles and slaw. Pulled pork is also offered by the half pound. Tacos, with either pork, chicken, or brisket are other options, each one piled high.

Customers should be on the lookout for fall-off-the-bone ribs as a special and a menu expansion later in August that will include rice bowls, pit beans, chopped BBQ nachos, guacamole, a brisket cheesesteak, and a smoked mushroom taco for vegetarians. (Btw, all Cuber’s side dishes are vegetarian).

Cuber says the ultimate goal is to have a storefront. “I always wanted to start things with a food truck with BBQ being the focus,” he says. “Someday I’d love a small takeout spot or a bar and grill.”

Until all that happens, catch Savory Smoke Barbecue where I’ve already mentioned and look out for announcements on  Instagram and Facebook.

FYI: Arrive early to avoid brisket being sold out.

http://www.savorysmoke.com/