Introducing: Greenwood Smokehouse, a surprisingly vegan-friendly barbeque joint on the Danforth

By Renée Suen | February 7, 2014

By Renée Suen | 02/07/2014

Introducing: Greenwood Smokehouse

Name: Greenwood Smokehouse BBQ
Contact info: 673 Danforth Ave., 416-469-2270, greenwoodsmokehouse.com, @Greenwood_BBQ
Neighbourhood: The Danforth
Owner and Pit Boss: Warren DeSimone

The Food: DeSimone has been finessing his Southern barbecue recipes for over a decade. He sticks to the Memphis and Carolina schools of barbeque technique. That means slow-smoked pork, beef and chicken doused with a puckery, vinegar-based sauce (as opposed to Kansas City’s thicker, sweeter glaze). The treatment isn’t limited to meat: wood-smoked veggies feature in soups, chilis, stews and a vegan burger.

The Drink: Meat makes its way onto the drinks list, too: whiskey-based cocktails are infused with things like triple-smoked bacon and ham hocks.

The Place: Unlike some of the city’s sleeker smokehouses, Greenwood has an authentically woodsy, ramshackle feel. The walls are wood-paneled, and the decor includes rusted agricultural tools and wagon-wheel light fixtures.

The Numbers:
• 400 square feet of wood paneling
• 21 hours to prepare a batch of Memphis ribs (18-hour dry brine + 3 hours in the smoker)
• 3 woods used in DeSimone’s signature smoke blend: whiskey barrel chips, apple wood and hickory wood
• 3 caesars prepared by Christopher Johnson, who used to tend bar at the Calgary hotel where the caesar was invented.
• $3 shots of herbal Polish vodka and Honey Jack

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