We first came across Ruben Santana when he was smoking Central Texas-style cue’ out of his garage in Queens. Following a successful run of NYC’s pop-up route across Queens and Brooklyn, Santana finally found a home for his roaming barbecue business, parking it inside our very ownTime Out Market in Brooklyn.
His merge of Texas and Dominican style of cookery has drummed up quite the attention, as Bark was named one of the best places to get barbecue outside of Texas and his chopped chicharrón and brisket sandwich earned a rightful spot on The New York Times list of the “57 Sandwiches That Define New York City.” But Santana always envisioned a full-service restaurant to call his own. And now he has one, all 8,000 square feet of it.
Today, Bark Barbecue officially opens in Bushwick at 25 Thames Street. Seating up to 200 people indoors and another 90 on the patio, the massive, industrial-style restaurant features an illuminated and orange-tiled bar, oak paneling, communal tables and booths, and a stage. The four smokers that power the whole operation are on full display behind a glass wall.
Naturally, all of Santana’s tried and trues will be making appearances here, including his low and slow brisket, pork ribs and longaniza sausage, as well as sandwiches, including the aforementioned chicharrón sandwich and the Tres Golpes stacked with pulled pork and maduros. But with newer digs comes new menu items, and Santana will honor the Dominican tradition of cooking pork over live fire by pit smoking whole hogs. Santana’s popular sides such as his family recipe of rice and beans, arroz congrí, as well as adobo and Dominican oregano-heavy mac and cheese and maduros will also be accompanied by newer items, including Criollo-style BBQ beans mixed with pulled pork and a smoked sweet potato, known as batata asada…