Swingbellys Beachside BBQ
909 W. Beech St.
Long Beach
516-431-3464
www.swingbellysbbq.com
Barbecue purists insist that fall-off-the-bone tender is not the desired result when cooking ribs. Ribs need to be chewy enough to be gnawed clean, to be deemed properly prepared by experts. Just plain hungry folks will probably disagree. But BBQ fanatics and commoners will agree that Swingbellys Beach Side BBQ knows how to make their bones.
Pitmaster Bryan Forgione is the son of chef Larry Forgione, known as the Godfather of American Cuisine. Bryan has sited his joint in a house with big windows, along a stretch of bars and cafés a block from the beach, the whole place, inside and out, looking like a funky BBQ shack should. Nimble, nubile waitresses scurry about in T-shirts that say “Nice Rack” and “Pull Your Pork.” Order a bucket of icy cold Rolling Rock “nips,” roll up your sleeves and dig in.
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We couldn’t resist ordering a Southern specialty of sliced and fried dill Pickle Chips ($4.95). Sure, they’re salty, but mighty good. Fried Onion Strings ($4.95), made with sweet onions, are crisp and perfect. Rib Tips ($6.95), burnished to a deep hue but tender and moist, give a taste of what’s next.
A sign on the wall congratulated someone named Rachel on eating 26 wings, setting a new All-You-Can-Eat Wing record (Monday nights, $7.95). I thought, “That’s not so many, I could do that.” Then I saw the wings. I’d hate to meet up with the brother of the Buick-sized chicken that flapped these Whole Monster Chicken Wings ($6.95/12.95). Dry rubbed, moist and smoky through and through, these gargantuan parts were a revelation, making normal wings look atrophied and puny. Order them spicy and sauced if you must, but I was overwhelmed by the full flavor of the simplest unadorned prep.
A platter of Pulled Pork ($12.95), piled high with smoky, moist, shredded meat, comes with only a dab of sweet or smoky sauce, the better to taste all the effort the pitmaster put into the slow-roasted pig. Ditto with the Beef Brisket (12.95), thick cut but juicy with great smoke flavor and not overcooked like pot roast. Nothing is drowned in sauce here-meats are slow smoked, using a dry rub to form the outer crust.
Long shreds of white cabbage, lightly dressed, make the homemade Cole Slaw ($2.95) special. Mac ‘n’ Cheese ($2.95) topped with bread crumbs is another great side.
St. Louis Ribs ($12.95/19.95) weren’t so much fall-off-the-bone as the bone falling off the meat. I couldn’t get a good handle to rip a rib from the slab without popping a bone loose and clean. But the meat didn’t seem overcooked. I grappled with a giant boneless rib, marveling at the deep smokiness. Purists would deduct points, but meat-lovers will likely just grab a knife and fork and dig in. Baby Backs ($14.95/24.95) sturdily held their own, chewy and wondrously tasty throughout, joining the smoked meats as some of the best, if not the best, BBQ offered on LI.
The Swingbellys Challenge ($34.95) is a great way for diners to taste almost all of the above, and if one person devours all, they eat for free-plus gaining entrance to the wall of fame and a possible bout with gout.
