Brothers Juke Joint BBQ

Auckland opens new food spots at the speed the rest of us open our emails, meaning there is a welcome abundance of spots for every trend, taste and dietary requirement (see: picky eaters).

There's one thing we seemed to missed the boat on though: American BBQ. Sure, lets not discount the ever-welcome slow cooked brisket upon bistro menus, or a pulled pork po-boy at your local lunch spot, but what about real all-American cuisine? No fuss, no frills, smoky and free from loopy add-ons, except of course, dill pickles (and a decent beer).

Enter, Brothers Juke Joint BBQ, and please stand front and centre. From the kings of the Auckland craft beer scene, Brothers Beer, comes its edible equivalent. It's an ode to the American BBQ smack-bam in the central area of Mount Eden, 50 metres from the Mount Eden train station. The site, an old leather factory on Akiraho Street, is home to Brothers Juke Joint BBQ with its traditional American counter style service and order sheets delivered by the customers to the chef in the servery.

What their smoker can do is almost too good to be true. Their beef brisket is cooked in it for 14 hours, their pork ribs are Memphis-style; sticky and made to be chewed on, then there's the thick and chunky pastrami and the smoked sausages. Have your meat naked or in a sandwich (a traditional dinner roll with slaw and pickles), and don’t forget the sides; burnt-end beans (house-made, rich and smoky with tender ends of brisket), or collard greens that are perfectly legit laced with smoked ham hock. Then there is eight house-made condiments to choose from; we recommend the espresso BBQ sauce. Vegetarians, you are included too, try the smoked vegetable skewer.

Don’t think Brothers would forget about the beer though. The space is shared with the new and improved Brothers Brewery, where they will work on their huge bottling and kegging endeavours, as well as offering tours and tastings. Enjoy your all-American meal while sitting adjacent to the working brewery, then wash it down with the freshest beer in Auckland, poured straight from the tank.