Honoring his late Sonâ€s love of BBQ, Morilla turns Grief to Sustenance

 

By Sally Deering

Situated in the middle of Palisade Avenue on 51^st Street in West New York, Louieâ€s BBQ Pit serves ribs, chicken, brisket and pulled pork smoked and barbecued in owner Luis Morillaâ€s secret seasonings. Morilla opened his eatery just five weeks ago and his take-out has already taken off.

Louieâ€s BBQ Pit has a simple menu that packs a wallop of smokin†flavor in its dishes. It features Pork and Beef Ribs, Chicken, Brisket and Pulled Pork – smoked, seasoned and barbecued Texas style. Thereâ€s a Whole Chicken with Rice and Beans, a Full Rack of Pork Ribs with Rice and Beans; Beef Ribs with Rice and Beans; and Pulled Pork, Chicken & Brisket Sandwiches. Customers can order Family Meals like a Whole Chicken, 6 Pork Ribs and Rice and Beans combo; and a Full Rack of Pork Ribs with Rice and Beans.

Louieâ€s BBQ Pit serves yummy sides, too, like Tamales and Chicken Croquettes; and you can order Brisket by the pound.

The urban eatery features a counter and stools for those who want to eat-in. Upstairs, Morilla marinades, rubs, seasons, and smokes the meats he serves in oak wood. Itâ€s also where he keeps a book of secret recipes, mainly the seasonings he uses for his rubs and marinades. Morilla brines chicken, and marinades brisket and pulled pork from 18-22 hours before barbecuing.

“I like to please people,” Morilla says, taking a much-needed break outside his eatery. “I enjoy cooking and I cook good smoked barbecue.”

Born in Cuba, Luis Morilla came to the U.S. when he was 17. His family settled in West New York where Morilla graduated from Memorial High School. He went on to Kean College for two years and from there went into business selling clothes in New York and then Union City. Years later, he turned to cooking.

After only five weeks, Louieâ€s BBQ Pit already has signature dishes like the Pulled Pork that are turning one-time customers into regulars. One customer stopped in recently for Morillaâ€s barbecue who was doing business in New York and hails from Louisville, Kentucky.

Mainly a takeout spot, Louieâ€s BBQ Pit delivers to West New York and town beyond like North Bergen, Guttenberg, Weehawken, and Union City. Morilla hopes to get the word out to residents on the waterfront, and plans to start delivering to Hoboken, too.

“I always liked barbecue and my son Louie liked barbecue,” Morilla says. “It was something we enjoyed together like baseball, hunting, and fishing.”

If you look closely at Louieâ€s BBQ Pit logo, youâ€ll see a blue baseball cap with the No. 22 on top of the “o” in Louie. It stands for Morillaâ€s son Louis Morilla and the cap he wore as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2010, Louis Morilla lost his life from a gunshot wound during an altercation in Passaic. Five years later, Luis opened Louieâ€s BBQ Pit, naming the eatery after his son.

On the baseball field, Louis Morillaâ€s position was Catcher, but he was also a great hitter, his dad says. Luis Morilla remembers when a Major League Baseball scout was coming to see his son play and the young Louie said to his dad: “All I want is for them to pitch to me; Iâ€ll take it from there,” Luis recalls.

“Thatâ€s how I feel about Louieâ€s BBQ,” Morilla says. “All I want is for people to try the food, just once, and Iâ€m sure theyâ€ll come back a second time.”

If you go:

Louieâ€s BBQ Pit

5107 Palisade Ave,

West New York

(201) 974-8848

Hours:  Mon-Sat, 10:30 am-8 pm

The post THINGS ARE SMOKIN’ AT LOUIE’S BBQ PIT first appeared on River View Observer.

On November 5th, 2014 owners Tony Leonardo, Danielle Leonardo, and their partners along with  Hudson County Freeholder; Bill O’Dea, Newly -elected Bayonne Freeholder  Ken Kopacz,  Freeholder Anthony Romano, Jersey City Councilman Khemraj “Chico” Ramchal and other dignitaries and friends celebrated the “Ribbon Cutting” of Hudson County’s Newest restaurant Smokin’ Barrel.

The brainchild of a group of business-partners Robert Kakov, Nirav Patel, Richard Gaetor and Anthony and Danielle Leonard fills a void on Willow Avenue in Hoboken and serves authentic Texas BBQ.

Read our Smokin’ Barrel  Story Here 

The post Hoboken’s Smokin’ Barrel Holds Ribbon Cutting first appeared on River View Observer.

 By Sally Deering

 Hobokenâ€s 13^th street just got a new kid on the block: Smokin†Barrel Authentic Texas BBQ is the most recent addition to the neighborhood and the place is jumping with locals who like smoked meats and a choice of 50 domestic beers to watch the big game on one of 23 flat screen TVs.

Partners Robert Kakov, Tony and Danielle Lenardo, Chef Otis Gordon, consultant Marc Bernstein, and partners Narev Patel and Richard Gaetor enjoy a Sunday afternoon at their new Hoboken restaurant Smokin’ Barrel

 The brainchild of a group of business-partners Robert Kakov, Nirav Patel, Richard Gaetor, and Anthony and Danielle Lenardo – Smokin†Barrel fills a void on Willow Avenue where thereâ€s a dearth of restaurants and local places to hang out with friends and watch a game over some cold brews. There are glass topped-barrels that serve as bar tables, and if you canâ€t find a stool at the bar, you can always hitch a ride on one of the leather saddles affixed to a thick coil for a little “Yee-Ha” with your BBQ.

“Itâ€s a vision,” Anthony Lenardo says. “We have the only in-house smoker in Hudson County.”

Other restaurants in Hudson may serve their version of BBQ, which might be “pouring BBQ sauce on meat thatâ€s already been cooked,” Anthony Lenardo says, but authentic Texas BBQ is a different and slower process. With authentic Texas BBQ, the cook applies a spice rub to the meat and then smokes the meat in a smoker for 10 hours. Thatâ€s what they cook ribs, pork and brisket at Smokin†Barrel. No cut corners, here.

Chef Otis Gordon, former chef at Harlem BBQ in New York City, and consultant Marc Bernstein, the owner of Harlem BBQ, have teamed up to oversee the BBQ meats process, while Chef Otis ensures orders are going out on a timely basis.

“We do brisket the Texas way and Carolina Pork,” Bernstein says. “The Texas way is the smoke and the rub; the Carolina way is a vinegar BBQ you add after you smoke the meat.”

 Smokin†Barrelâ€s menu is a hearty selection of Starters, Wings, Salads, Sandwiches, Burgers, Entrees and Sides and itâ€s all laid out on one page. Starters include Rib Tips, Smokin†Barrel Nachos, Short Rib Chili, Catfish Bites, Bacon Wedges, Pulled Pork Slider, Smoked Brisket Slider, Blackened Salmon Slider, and the Slider Sampler. ($7.95-$14.95) Thereâ€s one more specialty on the Starters menu: Fried Pickles, slices of kosher-dill pickles battered, deep fried, salted, and absolutely delicious. ($7.95)

Salads feature Caesar; Arugula; and Iceberg Wedge ($8.95-$9.95). (Add Grilled or Fried Chicken or Shrimp, Blackened Salmon or Grilled Steak for additional $3.95-$5.95.) Sandwiches and Burger selections are Angus Beef Burger, Turkey Burger, Hickory Smoked Veggie Burger, Smoked Beef Brisket, Smoked Pulled Pork, and Catfish Po-Boy Sandwich ($9.95-$11.95) (Add cheese or bacon for $1; add both for $2.)

Wings are served either boneless or traditional with your choice of Bar-B-Q, Honey Buffalo, Mango Jerk, Honey Mustard or Spicy Chipotle Bar-B-Q. (5 wings for $4.95; 10 for $8.95; 20 for $17.95.)

Entrees include Smoked Brontosaurus Short Ribs, Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Chicken & Ribs, Roasted Half Chicken, Brisket and Pork Platter, Blackened Salmon, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Grilled Hanger Steak, and Grilled Porterhouse Pork Chop. ($15.95-$21.95)

Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm and the menu features Wings-n-Waffles, Steak & Eggs, Fried Chicken on a Biscuit, French toast, and Omelets with a choice of fillings). ($9.95-$14.95)

Sides are Grilled Corn, Cole Slaw, French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Pit Beans & Pork, Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Mac & Cheese with Bacon, Basket of Corn Bread, Collard Greens, and Baked Potato. ($2.95-$6.95)

“The menu may be minimal, but itâ€s a very big process,” Bernstein says. “Thereâ€s a lot of labor, a lot of prep time that goes into this.”

The beers are all domestic and thereâ€s a choice of 50 on tap and in bottles; and some old style Southern drinks with a choice of high-end bourbons.

BBQ meats; 23 flat screen TVs and a choice of 50 beers. Smokin†Barrel may not be the first BBQ restaurant to open in Hudson; but with the in-house smoker, itâ€s a stand-out.

And where else can you get battered Fried Pickles?

If you go:

Smokin†Barrel

Authentic Texas BBQ

1313 Willow Ave.

Hoboken

(201) 714-4222

www.smokinbarrelnj.com

The post Hoboken’s Smokin’ Barrel Serves Up House-Smoked Texas BBQ and 23 TVs for Sports Fans   first appeared on River View Observer.