On my recent trip to Geoje Island, one of the places that I really wanted to try was UJ Smokehouse. Labeled as a Texas style Barbecue restaurant, I thought it would be a great chance to try some more of the American-style barbecue.
The first time I ever had barbecue was in the US at a place called Hood’s B-B-Q in Pennsylvania. It was a very wonderful experience, although I was unaccustomed to such a sweet barbecue sauce that was on many of the meats there.
UJ Smokehouse offers many of the same types of meat that are common in most barbecue restaurants in the US. The sides are also some of the more traditional ones that are offered in a lot of places as well.
From the outside, the restaurant looks very unassuming. Located on a smaller street near one of the many shipyards in Geoje, UJ Smokehouse only has 6 or 7 tables. The restaurant is nicely decorated with lots of wood, and they have some wonderful local brews on tap.
Sitting down, it was really tough after looking at the menu to decide what to order. UJ Smokehouse offers ribs, brisket, pulled pork, roasted chicken, and pork belly.
After much deliberation, we decided on a 2-person platter. Every platter comes with rolls, French fries, salad, coleslaw, sauces, and pulled pork. We chose the brisket and the pork belly for our two meat choices, and then the mac and cheese for our side dish.
Waiting, we got some water and got very hungry at the wonderful smells coming out of the kitchen.
By the time the platter arrived, we were famished, and the food looked and smelled incredible.
The first thing I tried was the mac and cheese. As I’ve mentioned before, I absolutely LOVE cheese! The mac and cheese at UJ Smokehouse is cooked in a small frying pan, as I saw one of the chefs making it. The mac and cheese was very creamy, and the pasta a nice al dente. The sauce could have used a bit more flavor however. A sharper cheese added to it would have improved it. As it was, there was a light cheddar flavor to the dish.
Next, the coleslaw. This was a pretty standard coleslaw of carrots and cabbage. It had a really nice flavor, with just the right touches of vinegar and sugar to the recipe. It went really well with the meats when it was added to the bun (as you shall see later!).
The first meat I tried was the brisket. UJ Smokehouse takes 36 hours to make their brisket, letting the beef mature for 24 hours and then smoking it for 12 hours. The result of this time was outstanding. The brisket was soft, tender, and flavorful. I don’t know what spice rub UJ Smokehouse uses, but it is delicious.
The next meat I tried was the pork belly. Like the brisket, the pork belly is prepared for 24 hours, but is only smoked for 4 hours. The pork belly was also very soft and tender, with a nice flavor to it. My only complaint about the pork belly is that many of the pieces had little pieces of bone in them. It can be eaten around, but makes it a little less enjoyable when you have to do so.
The last meat for us was the pulled pork. The preparation time for the pulled pork was the same as the brisket. This was my favorite of the three different meats we tried. The pulled pork was very, very, tender, and the flavors were wonderful as well.
I think UJ Smokehouse has a spicy component to its spice rub. The meats have a little bit of a kick to them, and it makes for a really enjoyable eating experience.
The restaurant also provided two different types of sauce. One was a pretty standard barbecue sauce, with just a hint of spice to it. The other sauce, and the one I liked the best, was a heavy garlic based sauce. I would say that when they delivered the platter that there wasn’t enough sauce. That being said, when we took some of the food home, they included lots of extra sauce.
One of the ways that they recommend to eat the food is to make a mini-slider with the buns. I tried to make one of my own little sandwiches.
The buns were absolutely outstanding being soft and delicious. They even put a little brand on the top of each bun!
The sandwich I made was with brisket, barbecue sauce, some little greens, and coleslaw. The mix of flavors made this a really enjoyable mini-slider!
UJ Smokehouse offers a good value for money. For only 48,000 won (about $40 US) we were able to get two meals out of the platter for two. The pile of French fries with cracked black pepper on the outside was substantial, and the added pickled vegetables and onions also made the mini-slider sandwiches nice.
If you are on Geoje Island and you are looking for a different meat experience than a typical Korean barbecue restaurant, then UJ Smokehouse might be the place for you.
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