It isn’t hard to find SMKD BBQ; simply follow your nose. Outside the new Henderson restaurant, a pitmaster fires up the offset smoker. The aroma of slow-cooked meats perfumes the air with a hint of sweetness from the post oak wood burning in the firebox.
The low-and-slow art of barbecue is rustic, but Top Chef alum Alex Reznik—who once beat Bobby Flay in a kosher cuisine showdown—likens the process more to baking.
“Once you’ve started it, you won’t know the result until after you’re done all the way. You can’t change it. You can’t taste it on the way,” says Reznik, who launched SMKD BBQ under his Ogden Hospitality Group late last year. “If I’m cooking, I can taste that my sauce needs more salt, needs more pepper. That smoker, it changes with the weather.”
Barbecue is a different animal for Reznik. It’s a challenge, no doubt. But that’s hardly why he does it. When Reznik remembers his upbringing, it all comes back to barbecue.
“It reminds me of my childhood happy days. I come from a first-generation family. I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. I came to Brooklyn when I was two years old,” he says. “My father worked two jobs. My mother worked two jobs. But on the weekends, everyone would get together, and there was always some sort of barbecue in the backyard.”
The food that brought his Brooklyn neighborhood together is the very food he strives to deliver at SMKD BBQ.
“It had to be here in Henderson. My mother lives up the street,” he says. “My aunts and uncles, my cousins, my friends live here in Henderson. It must be a restaurant for us.”
For Reznik, who also recently opened the upscale steakhouse Hayworth a few miles away, cooking for his community means sourcing with intention. He begins with certified Angus beef and halal chicken, nothing frozen. “The only thing we have in our freezer is ice cream and our apple pies,” he says.
Brisket is seasoned with a Texas and Memphis-inspired rub before smoking for 13-plus hours. SMKD pitmaster Wendell Jones oversees the process. Ribs cook for six hours and are served until they sell out. The meat is never held overnight to avoid losing perfect texture.
“When they overcook, they fall off the bone. I don’t want that,” Reznik says. “I want to be able to take a bite, leave a bite mark in the ribs and chew that rib. I’m not looking for cat food.”
Reznik maximizes flavor through dry and wet brining methods that enhance the meat without disrupting the protein. The result is a menu that ranges from caramelized burnt ends to St. Louis ribs, and coarse-grained Andouille sausage so peppery and flavorful, you won’t give barbecue sauce a second thought.
Reznik even throws some curve balls. You’ll find a French Dip ($19), a nod to his work in French kitchens; a pastrami sandwich ($18), inspired by his trips to Katz’s Deli; and the creamy kugel, honoring his Jewish heritage. The herb-dusted potato salad ($5-$20) rivals the best family cookouts. The fried apple pie with will have you seeing stars. And don’t even think of sleeping in on the weekend brunch.
Throughout all this, Reznik’s mission remains pure: Create a restaurant that feels like home.
“We built this restaurant for the community. I love this community. On the same token, I hope the community gives us a chance,” he says. “Go in with open eyes, not a predisposition of what barbecue should be.”
SMKD BBQ 10895 S. Eastern Ave., 725-205-1460, smkdbbq.com. Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
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