Vegetarians could eat at BrushFire BBQ Co., but why?
Of course, they can load up on side dishes — like the $2 corn cobs, three different slaws ($1.50) and two varieties of potato salads ($1.50). Carb heaven.
But BrushFire is becoming a mecca for carnivores, where all the meat is slowly smoked on site for three to 16 hours, depending on the variety. That means wings, brisket, sausage, ribs, pork, turkey and chicken. Even the salads ($6.50-$8) are topped with your choice of meat.
Ben Rine, one of the two owners, describes BrushFire's barbecue as "Tucson style," meaning they mop the meats with more seasonings and flavor, like balsamic vinegar and fresh garlic, than other styles. He and co-owner Jared Wren met while working in the kitchen at Daniel's Restaurant and Trattoria in St. Philip's Plaza about nine years ago.
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Wren, 28, has lived in Tucson since the third grade. After working at a variety of restaurants and hotels, he and Rine, a 30-year-old Tucson native, decided that Tucson really needed a good barbecue spot.
The duo opened BrushFire on July 27 in a 1,600-square-foot space in a strip mall on North Campbell Avenue near East Glenn Street. The location, formerly Daglio's, is next to a martial-arts studio and a few steps away from India Oven. Rine said they'd like to open two more BrushFires in Tucson someday.
Diners are met by dancing flames painted on the walls and a bevy of framed fire photos. Order at the counter when you arrive and seat yourself. Your food will be brought out. About a dozen seats are in the room, including an eight-seat communal table in the center.
Whatever you order, you get a lot of it. If that's still not enough, there are "hungry" portions that include 2 ounces more meat for $1.20-$3 more. Regular salads and sandwiches come with 5 ounces of meat; meals have 5.5 ounces.
We ordered two combo meals ($9.50 each), which came with two meats and two sides.
The smoky beef brisket and roasted chicken were bathed in BrushFire's sweet and bold sauce. The slightly sweet flavor yielded to a smoky — but not hot — sauce. The lean meats were plentiful and stacked on slices of garlic bread, giving them an open-face sandwich look.
A side of house potato salad was full of firm potato chunks, smoked bacon, crispy celery, roasted peppers, caramelized onion and a judicious amount of mayo. Two mini corn cobs with grill marks and semi-sweet, perfectly cooked kernels tasted like they just were taken off the grill.
The slow-baked beans ($2.50 if purchased individually) stood out with blended flavors of sweet molasses, garlic, onions and smoked bacon.
The plump sausage and BrushFire pork were basted with BrushFire Mild sauce. The meats could have used some more sauce, but more was provided immediately after asking.
Also, if BrushFire's hot sauce isn't fiery enough, choose from the more than 75 bottles of various hot sauces lining two of the restaurant's walls.
Other BrushFire sauce choices are sweet molasses, honey dijon and bacon balsamic. We'll be trying those on our next trip.
Desserts are made in-house. Go for the chewy chocolate chip cookie ($1).
During October, the restaurant will offer "dinosaur-size" beef rib meals, Rine said. Regular portions will cost $10, and hungry portions will cost $13. Each entree will include two sides and garlic bread.
2745 N. Campbell Ave.
• Parking: Located in a small strip mall.
• Hours: 10 a.m -8:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.
• Phone: 624-3223.
THE BILL
Two combo meals: $19.
One regular soda: $1.50.
One "Thirsty" soda: $1.90.
Brownie: $2.
Chocolate chip cookie: $1.
Total, before tax and tip: $25.40.
