Hey, newsflash, I love BBQ.
Yeah maybe it’s not the most diet friendly food but everyone needs a cheat meal once in a while and usually mine is BBQ. Or pizza.
NOWWW the secret to kick ass BBQ is finding the right spot. This can be tricky if you’re not living in Texas so I’m here to help you out. The SECRET is the smoker.
A bad ass smoker makes or breaks your BBQ experience.
Calgarians, you are in SOME LUCK.
I’ve toured around looking for the best BBQ joint in town and I am loyal to the best, Hayden Block.
This is not the first spot I’ve gone to and I even tried a few more after Hayden Block, but it only confirmed what I already knew, Hayden Block is the best BBQ in town.
As I mentioned above, the SMOKER is what makes or breaks good BBQ. Hayden Block gets it. That’s why they did a TON of research and decided on the memphis style Ole Hickory smoker from Austin, TX… the #1 smoker in all of Austin.
They actually drove it up and had to knock out the back of the building to get the smoker in. That is how serious this thing is.
It holds a grand total of 675 lbs of meat and they use apple cherry wood from the Okanagan. The brisket cooks for 14-16 hrs, pork shoulder 17 hrs and the short rib 9 hrs. Hayden Block also is really into supporting local, which is something I absolutely love. All of their meat is local within a 3o km radius from one supplier and their beer is all craft/local except for 3.
I can’t stress enough how insane this BBQ is, and you don’t even have to fly south of the border to get it. Their influence is from mostly Austin, a hint of Kansas City and then Chicago for the whiskey cocktails.
From the Texas style long picnic tables to the long horn hanging on the wall Hayden is bringing BBQ to YYC.
Their back patio has 40 seats and is always open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturdays.
BBQ wouldn’t be complete without a whiskey bar, and they have one that holds 150 whiskeys. Monday to Friday from 3pm-6pm all the bottles are half price. Beer is all craft and local except for 3. I had the Tennessee Mule and it did NOT disappoint. Their ginger sugar is legit.
So there you have it, you CAN in fact get Texas quality BBQ even when you’re not in Texas.
xxoo Drea Marie
+ does anyone have any at home BBQ recipes that they swear by!?! I’d LOVE to try them out. Let me know in the comments below xxoo
