Fletcher's Brooklyn BBQ

A couple years ago Brooklyn BBQ blew up. Suddenly everyone was driving smokers up from Texas and throwing brisket over coals from Red Hook to Williamsburg to Gowanus and everywhere else they could find enough space. Restaurants like Hometown and Morgan’s were the talk of BBQ fans all over town, and deservedly so. They were f*cking revelations. Fletcher’s Brooklyn BBQ opened around that same time, but the buzz seemed to fall off quickly. Fletcher’s is a traditional American cue with influences from all over the map. We got some hints of Texas, Carolina, and the Midwest. The people behind it care about their meats, and only source it from farms that take good care of their animals. Like most BBQ joints, it’s counter service, and has great craft beers on tap and a small but well-curated selection of whiskeys. In 2006, Fletcher’s would have been one of the best BBQ options in town. But unfortunately, Fletcher’s meats just aren’t as memorable as some of the others. That being said, we’d happily eat it anytime. The standard is set pretty high nowadays, but this is still some solid ‘cue.

Pulled pork, either on its own or in a sandwich, is the best thing on the menu, followed by the hot links. We’re all for a fatty piece of brisket, but not one where you have to cut half the piece off because it’s blubbery jello. Also, most of the ‘cue needs BBQ sauce. Bad. The pork ribs are a bit too dry, and while the rub flavors are excellent, it’s not until they’re smothered with sauce that really good things start to happen. Not a tragedy by any means, and their sauce is sweet and smoky heaven, but the mark of great BBQ is that it shouldn’t need to be sauced to be awesome.

The bottom line is that Fletcher’s is an excellent local option for anyone who lives in or around the Gowanus hood, but it’s not worth going out of your way for, unless you’re BBQ crawling BK like it’s the outskirts of Austin. In that case, the Fletcher’s pulled pork needs to be on your trail map.

Food Rundown

Half Rack Of St. Louis Ribs

The rub is fantastic: smoky, flavorful, bold. But the rib itself is dry. Enter, Fletcher’s A+ BBQ sauce. Lather her up and enjoy.

Burnt Ends

Very disappointing. Fatty cubes of what seemed to just be sliced-up fatty brisket – not the overly-charred, perfectly caramelized actual ends of the meat. This was confusing.

Pulled Pork

Best thing on the menu. Fletcher’s pulled pork is seeping with moisture, flavor, and chunky flakes of burnt bark. Definitely go big here, and probably also get it on a sandwich.

Brisket

Inconsistent. That’s how we’ll describe the brisket. The first time we came here, it was way, way, way too fatty. Like, half of each slice had to go in the garbage. That’s just sad. Another time, it wasn’t necessarily too fatty, it was just a little dry. So, yeah…not our favorite brisket.

Hot Links

This is the other best thing on the menu – hot and spicy sausage done right. Make sure this is on your platter.

Mac & Cheese

It looks glorious, and it’s worth ordering, but this mac ‘n cheese is in need of salt, stat. It’s very bland tasting without it.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

As we mentioned above, the pulled pork is ridiculously good. The obvious move is to get it on a sandwich.

Pulled Rib Sandwich

Speaking of sandwiches, the rib sandwich smothered in sauce and onions ain’t so bad either

Banana Pudding

If you have enough room for dessert, the banana pudding will end your meal on a sweet note. Do it.