So we did a thing. We cheated on Ray Bros and Piggy Pat’s. We went to a new (to us) roadside barbecue joint. Part of me feels bad because we betrayed our deep love for everything Ray Bros and Piggy Pat’s has to offer. Another part of me regrets nothing because this was some damn fine food.
On another of our impromptu food adventures, we left the house knowing we were getting dessert and decided to sort out lunch along the way. In comes Smokin’ Pete’s nestled in the scenic area just past Geneva and along Seneca Lake, we looked at the menu of this counter service BBQ and beer house and were immediately intrigued. Smokin’ Pete’s isn’t a standard restaurant where you sit down and waitstaff come to your table. Like a lot of BBQ joints, it’s counter service where you order at the counter and you’re given a buzzer to let you know when your food is ready. I was skeptical when we walked in the door and saw instructions for how to loop the line around the building because there wasn’t a lot of people there, but I quickly learned why the instructions were necessary. Immediately after we ordered, a line had formed from the counter and out to the door but not quite outside yet. And Pete’s had only been open for 12 minutes after we walked in the door.
Chelsea decided to try the Canandaigua Turkey BLT, minus the T and with garlic aioli, with a side of garlic parmesan salt potatoes. The BLT featured thick cut slabs of house-smoked turkey, an absolute pile of super crunchy and thick bacon, chopped lettuce and garlic aioli on a toasted croissant. The turkey was insanely delicious with a heavy smoke flavor, plentiful seasoning and so moist it was practically dripping. Bacon was audibly crunchy and brought a nice salty cured flavor to the savory turkey. There didn’t seem to be much of the garlic aioli on the croissant, but it was delicious even without the sauce. Chelsea added some of their house-made Carolina Gold BBQ sauce to the sandwich in lieu of the lack of garlic aioli and it pushed the whole thing over the top and into teetering on the edge of perfection. The garlic parmesan salt potatoes were hot, not overly salty and had a heaping amount of garlic butter slapped over the top and sprinkled heavily with grated parmesan cheese, making a nice savory potato side to go with the turkey sandwich.
I went for the meat sweats, as I tend to do with BBQ food. Not one to shy away from as much meaty goodness and one can fit on a bun, I chose the Seneca Sandwich. House-made brisket, pulled pork, sausage, BBQ sauce and pickled red onion on a brioche bun, this might as well have been calling my name. Somehow despite being open for 15 minutes by the time we ordered, they ran out of their “OG Sausage” that would normally come on this pile of meats, but offered their house-made cheddar jalapeño sausage instead. “Oh no. You only have sausage with cheddar and jalapeño in it. Whatever shall I do?” was my only thought when presented with the option to make my sandwich even better. I added my side of macaroni salad and couldn’t wait to try this out. The pulled pork was cooked wonderfully and wasn’t just minced pork bits. Instead you get a mixture of strings and clumps, which just so happens to by my preferred method of serving pulled pork. The sausage had a crisp skin with a light jalapeño bite and was outrageously juicy. The brisket, however, was a whole other ordeal. There’s brisket, and then there’s BRISKET. This was the latter. Arguably the absolute best brisket I have ever had, this was tender, lightly burnt crust and packed full of so much flavor it practically drowned out the pork and sausage. I took one bite and got weak in the knees despite already being seated. The pickled red onion brought a gentle vinegar crispness to the sandwich and made it all even better. My only complaint about this monstrosity was that the brisket was so insanely flavorful it made it difficult to taste all of the other elements when you got a bite with everything. The macaroni salad was delightful as well, featuring perfectly cooked elbow pasta, a sweet and smoky mayo sauce and a sprinkle crispy vegetables. This was legitimately one of, if not THE, best BBQ sandwiches I have ever had.
We also decided to try the Everything Bagle Bites, which are served with cheese sauce and brewpub mustard. The pretzel bites were deep fried and crispy on the outside and steaming soft in the middle, but the cheese sauce was standard canned cheese sauce. The brewpub mustard, however, was wonderful with the light vinegar flavor and bits of whole grain mustard. The only issue was we didn’t seem to get much of the Everything Bagel seasoning, but they were still delicious without it. And to top it off, it’s sacrilegious to get BBQ without cornbread so we had to try that out too. The cornbread had great flavor, but it was a touch over mixed so it was denser than it should be, but it was still delicious.
Well worth the incredibly scenic hour drive to the far edge of Geneva, Smokin’ Pete’s gave Ray Bros and Piggy Pat’s a solid run for their money. The food was almost immaculate, but the brisket was toe-curling. I’m almost ashamed of the ever-growing polyamourous relationship we have with BBQ food around Central New York, but I don’t think we will be able to resist Smokin’ Pete’s in the future. Especially because there’s a frozen custard place 8 minutes down the road that blew us away just as much, if not even more. But you’ll have to stay tuned for that review next!
5286 St Rt 14
Geneva, NY 14456
(315) 412-9542