Holy Smoke BBQ Favorites Are Cookin’ at The Coop
Fans who miss Holy Smoke BBQ’s brisket and pulled pork can rejoice. Although the Layton restaurant closed last fall, former owner Jeff Ray is now the pitmaster just down the street at The Coop, next door to Rooster’s.
Located in part of what was once Corbin’s Grille, The Coop is licensed as a bar, and offers a small, barbecue-heavy menu.
From Tuesday-Saturday, there’s a daily BBQ sandwich from Ray’s smoker. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s smoked brisket; Wednesday is smoked tri-tip; Friday is pulled pork shoulder, and Saturday is the “Hot Mess” of brisket, pork and tri-tip. The sandwiches (with a choice of side) are $14.
You’ll also find smoked wings and a smoked brisket platter, smoked carnitas enchiladas, and smoke-kissed prime sirloin. You could get a burger, or chicken & waffles, but I think the highlight is the barbecue, especially given Holy Smoke’s longstanding reputation.
A couple of weeks ago I checked it out with a friend, Julie, a fan of Holy Smoke back in its heyday.
Since The Coop is a bar, plan to show your I.D., even if you don’t plan on ordering alcohol. My friend ordered white wine. I don’t drink alcoholic beverages, but I felt comfortable about just ordering a soda.
Since it was a Thursday, I had the brisket sandwich. I thought it was a generous meat portion, with thick slices hanging several inches over the large, sturdy bun.
The meat was moist and juicy, with nice “bark,” — the dark, crusty outer layer that carries the flavor of the seasonings and the caramelization.
I took a portion home as leftovers, and I found that the bun held together well, even after soaking up the meat juices. In fact, the leftovers tasted even better the next day.
As a side, I had the Brussels sprouts. They were nicely crisp on the outside, and firm in the middle, so they needed some serious knife-sawing to cut in pieces. That’s par for most restaurant Brussels sprouts that I’ve had, so maybe I’m the only person who wishes for a more tender core.
My friend Julie had the smoked brisket platter and fries. She also thought the brisket was moist and juicy. She got the fries as a side, and said they were good. Other sides are mashed asiago potatoes, green salad, cabbage slaw, roasted root veggies, mac ‘n’ cheese, burnt-end beans, and caramelized cauliflower.
The Coop has maybe a dozen or so tables, and bar seating. If you’re waiting for a table at Rooster’s, it’s a good place to cool your heels. The barbecue aroma is likely to convince you to eat there instead. But it’s not a family place, unless all of your family is over 21.
In November, Ray announced on Holy Smoke’s closure on his FB page and hinted about the partnership with Rooster’s/The Coop:
“We are closed in our current location and will be taking a bit of a break but we have a saucy new venture, a smokin’ opportunity and we’ve cooked up a new partnership. We’ll be just down the block (literally!) and we can’t wait to share the big news with you.”
To find out how the Holy Smoke partnership happened, I called Pete Buttschardt of Rooster’s, who also owns The Coop and the banquet space in the same building.
Pete said Jeff Ray had to close Holy Smoke after its building was sold. Around the same time, the Layton Roosters took over the former Corbin’s Grille space next door, turning it into The Coop and banquet space for group events, especially those from Hill Air Force Base.
“As (restaurant) neighbors, we collaborated on events with Jeff in the past, and we talked with him. Because we’re trying to do something different with The Coop, we decided to add a house-smoked meats component,” said Buttschardt.
Ray is also smoking the wings and BBQ rib specials for all the Roosters’ locations. Smoked meats are also available for catered group events.
“It’s working out pretty good,” Buttschardt said. “Jeff is pretty happy. He does what he loves, and the stress is less, since he doesn’t have to worry about managing the whole thing.”