FOOD & DRINK Edited by Joe McPherson (food@groovekorea.com)
Manimal Story by Joe McPherson / Photos by Peter Kim
Smokehouse B B Q
c o m p e t i t i o n
h e a t s
u p
“M 34 www.groovekorea.com June 2015
aster of the secret that divides man from animal, animal from man.” - Intro to the highly cheesy ‘80s TV show Manimal The line between animal and man breaks down at Manimal Smokehouse. Not only does the BBQ bring out people’s more carnal natures, the online vitriol comparing Manimal to other recent American BBQ joints has been savage. This is Korea, where ranking is embedded in the psyche, even among the expats. Formerly from Wildfire, the folks at Manimal have more of a Texan focus on BBQ, cold smoked over Korean oak wood. In general, regions west of the Mississippi River focus on beef while regions to the east focus on pork. That’s why you should expect a Texan restaurant to have great brisket. That’s the measure of the quality. Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible states that brisket should be tender enough to cut with the side of a fork. Manimal’s is beyond that. You could cut it with the back of a spoon. Ice cream puts up more resistance. Mastering the tenderness is just the beginning of BBQ mastery. It takes years - decades - to get it right, which is something some of the local trend-jumping restaurants can’t respect. Manimal feels like a BBQ lab, a work in progress. They’re starting out well, but they’re tweaking and improving. The other available meats are pulled pork, dry rubbed pork spare ribs with a satisfyingly crystalized crust and boneless chicken leg quarters. The chicken is a slight bit rubbery, but it’s on the right track.