Greenwood Smokehouse BBQ

One thing when you have too long of a winter is that you start daydreaming about warmer weather 24/7. I know I have to go through the coldest of it as I was the one who chose to be Canadian. To make best a gloomy situation, I try to inject colour in my day-to-day, opting for bright colours and cheerful day-to-day things. That same assertiveness also goes with food. Even when it is the height of winter, I still long for BBQ. The moment I saw that article in Toronto Life introducing Greenwood Smokehouse BBQ, I knew I had to check it out.

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It was a long drive as I start around the airport area and the promise of a taste of summer was on the east side by the Danforth and Pape. That did not deter me doing that lengthy of a drive. When a craving starts, I know myself too well that the only cure is to make time for it.

It was easy enough to find. Just when you get to Pape by the Danforth, it was on your southeast side. From the outside, the restaurant seemed small but I later found out that there are tables way to the back and patio space that they tend to max out come summer. That just makes a lot of sense when the best item in the house is BBQ. From what I knew, they were just new to the block, opening two weeks before I got there. But you would never know that by looking at how full the restaurant was.

I did not fret and even volunteered to just sit by the bar to eat my dinner of ribs. I thought if I didn’t fuss too much, I would surely be fed quickly. There isn’t too much waiting when what you ask for was smoked overnight and cooked long for hours and hours. Plating it would be a cinch. Apparently, you can choose to have the ribs dry or with lip smacking, finger licking sauce. I thought I did an unconscious licking and biting of my lips as they described it to me. I was just so much in the mood for a good BBQ.

As I was waiting, sipping my cola, one of people at the other side of the counter caught me taking pictures of a charming piggy fixture by the bar. He then later told me that it was old and he probably picked it somewhere in the Carolinas. I figured I was talking to the owner and pit master Warren DeSimone. As we were chatting my plate arrived and I jokingly told him that I was pretending it was summer. LOL. He later left me to enjoy my food and it was exactly as he promised, a Memphis experience.

You can definitely taste the savoury mix of dry rub, paprika and lusciously thick Memphis BBQ sauce. The meat was so tender it flaked right off with just a nudge of the fork. I could not help myself and ate it with my hands so I can start licking my fingers. I actually made somebody else order the ribs as they were apparently watching me as I ate. LOL. I have been told over and over again I tend to make people hungry as they watch me eat.

And that is how I combat this cold. Moments like a good hearty meal of smoked BBQ ribs can make me hold on for the promise of spring. Hang in there, it would eventually be over. :)