Pulled pork parfait at new BBQ spot

Hefty ribs, piquant housemade sausages and pulled pork parfaits are the major edible attractions at Holy Smoke, a new barbecue joint that officially opened in Seoul’s Haebangchon district this Wednesday.

Owner-chef Mongo Kim, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu Australia, is the man crafting all this tasty protein, building each dish from the ground up, from the sauces to the sausages to each component of his hearty parfait.

Given that prior to Holy Smoke the accomplished chef was doing French cuisine, one might wonder why he turned to barbecue, but Kim’s answer, like his fare, is straightforward and direct: “Because I like meat.”

Holy Smoke’s pulled pork parfait (front) and Mikkeller’s tart, Lambic-style draft Spontanframboos (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)

Meat is basically what is on the menu at Holy Smoke, served up in a no-frills manner that focuses on its natural flavors and keeps the sauces and seasonings in supporting roles.

Those who want some more liquid seasoning, however, will be pleased to note that Kim has also taken the liberty of crafting several housemade sauces, all of which are good, and placed bottles of them on each table for diners to squeeze onto their meat.

Ribs, thinly veiled in Kim’s housemade Kansas BBQ sauce, pretty much demonstrate Kim’s serious passion for protein.

Over an inch-thick, the ribs are so succulent that the juices drip right down one’s hands. A slight pop of fruity sweetness from the sauce complements the natural flavors of the pork itself.

For the moment, the only way to get Kim’s ribs is to order them as part of the house’s signature meat platter, which, for 24,000 won ($23), comes with three sides, two of those juicy ribs, 100 grams of brisket, 100 grams of pulled pork and 100 grams-worth of Kim’s housemade Italian-style sausages.

Holy Smoke’s meat platter features two ribs, 100 grams each of sausage, brisket and pulled pork, and a choice of three sides. (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)

Charcuterie, it appears, is another one of Kim’s many strengths. Holy Smoke’s sausages are fiery, rich and go great with beer.

Then there is Holy Smoke’s pulled pork parfait.

Kim picked up on this trendy meal-in-a-cup, he said, because it is “easy to eat simply” and is a good take-out alternative for diners-on-the-go.

Kim layers from-scratch mashed potatoes, housemade baked beans and pulled pork that takes him eight hours to make for a sweet-starchy protein feast in a glass.

As for the drinks, Denmark-based microbrewery Mikkeller’s beers, including a gluten-free India Pale Ale called Green Gold and its famed Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Imperial Stout, are available, along with its draft Spontanframboos, which is on Holy Smoke’s guest tap.

Kim considers the tart Lambic-style Spontanframboos an ideal brew for one to enjoy towards the end of one’s meal.

“To cleanse one’s palate,” Kim, 32, advised.

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)