Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Brisketlab Chef Bringing Barbecue to the High Line

By Mathew Katz | April 1, 2013 9:41am

CHELSEA — A taste of Texas is coming to the High Line.

The man who cooked up thousands of pounds of beef last summer for a series of underground brisket parties is opening a barbecue stand on the West Side's popular elevated park.

Meat master Daniel Delaney exploded onto the barbecue scene last summer with Brisketlab, which allowed hungry customers to buy a "share" of meat by the pound and then claim it at one of many parties around the city.

His newest venture, SmokeLine, will open at the High Line's Chelsea Market overpass, at West 15th Street, on April 18.

Delaney said the new stand will serve up the central Texas favorites that were popular both at Brisketlab and BrisketTown, Delaney's brick-and-mortar barbecue shop in Williamsburg.

"It will be more portable versions of what we do at the restaurant," he said. "More sandwiches, very grab and go."

Along with brisket and ribs, cooked at Delaney's off-site smoker in Brooklyn, SmokeLine will have a deep fryer that Delaney plans to use extensively.

"We have a lot of pig skin that we throw away," he said "So we're thinking of making a pulled pork sandwich with crispy pig skin."

Delaney added that he's working with other culinary mainstays on some menu items. His sandwiches will be made with Amy's Bread, and he plans to fry up cheese from Williamsburg's Bedford Cheese Shop to throw on his brisket sandwiches.

If that's not enough, the stand will have a made-to-order soda bar and a huge selection of pies, including a "Derby pie" made with chocolate, bourbon and a cookie crust.

Since launching last year with Brisketlab, Delaney Barbecue has grown from just Delaney cooking up brisket for friends to a 15-person company, with four or five more employees coming on board to staff SmokeLine. In addition to his restaurants, Delaney also runs a significant barbecue catering business.

"Brisketlab was like wading into water — that was, in a sense, all fun and games," he said.

"Now, we're a restaurant, we're dealing with actual quantity and production — we face normal challenges any business faces."