We love a good barbecue here at Insatiable Munchies, and to continue on the celebration of Barbecue Week, we enjoy all things smokey at The Oxford Tavern!
Because really, with American style meats cooked low and slow, how can you go wrong?
Located out the back of The Oxford Tavern, Black Betty Barbecue is available every weekend, from 12:30pm till the meats are sold out. The Oxford Tavern is part of the Drink ‘n’ Dine group, the people behind other delicious casual dining eateries like Chica Linda, House of Crabs, Queenies and Forresters. I think they know how to do a great theme, and with Executive Chef Jamie Thomas, they are taking the Sydney pub grub scene by storm.
At Black Betty Barbecue, the meats are sold by weight, so you can either decide what you’d like to get at the ordering window, or – very helpfully I might add – you can have an idea of what you’d like, and tell the chef on duty – in our case it’s Executive Chef Jamie Thomas – how much you’d like to spend, and he’ll work it out for you.
You can expect any meat cooked in this manner to be very hearty and rich, which makes it so great that there’s a variety of sauces – from Rita’s Hot Ass Sauce (have I mentioned how I love tongue-in-cheek names like that?), Black Betty’s Barbecue Sauce to Chipotle Tabasco – that helps cut through the richness and provide a finger-lickin’ goodness.
But condiments aside, this is all about the MEAT!
Black Betty Barbecue has all the favourites you’d expect – whole smoked chicken, beef brisket, pulled pork, lamb ribs, pork ribs, and smoked chorizo sausage. The order is neatly arranged on a tray, and served alongside fresh slaw and a fluffy glazed bun.
Besides the smokey barbecued meats, there is also a short list of sides, and by short I mean you have two options: Burnt End Beans, $6 – smokey sweet baked beans cooked with the narrow tips of the barbecued beef brisket – and a seemingly token Kale and Edamame Salad, $6.
As with any lunch where you try everything, there is a point where all the food can blend into a smokey haze of a food coma. The standouts for me were the lamb ribs, pork ribs, brisket and Burnt End Beans. The ribs were both succulent with the right amount of fat – pork ribs for me are often too dry or too anaemic – the brisket was juicy and tender but still held it’s structural integrity, AND had the pink smoke ring that heralds a good brisket, and the beans, oh the beans. I must say that I’m partial to sweet barbecue, and these beans held the right amount of sugar and tang, which kept me eating right up to the end of the carton.
If you do pop by Black Betty Barbecue, try visiting the ol’ BBQ herself out the back of The Oxford Tavern! Don’t expect to see her smoking though – she usually runs before lunch, in order to get all the food ready for our hungry tummies, but pop by and have a gander anyway!
The Oxford Tavern
02 9550 9900
1 New Canterbury Road
Petersham, NSW
http://www.theoxfordtavern.com.au
Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of The Oxford Tavern and the Drink ‘n’ Dine Group.
love the beef and lamb ribs at the Tavern. Finger licking delicious