Bar-B-QueNirvana | Slow & Low Bar-B-Que Bar & Grill Opens New Location in Viera
Eleven years ago, Nicole and Joel Smith opened Slow & Low Bar-B-Que Bar & Grill in Cocoa Beach. A second location is now open in Viera and barbecue lovers couldn’t be happier. With obvious favorites like brisket, pork and beef on the menu, Slow & Low Bar-B-Que Viera also features specialty items you won’t find anywhere else (giant turkey leg, anyone?) “We like to do our own version of things,” said Nicole Smith.
Both locations are popular for locals and visitors. The 175-seat establishment in Viera is already doing big business on brisket, pork and beef. The name refers to the way in which the meat is cooked. Slow refers to how meat is cooked and low refers to the temperature it is cooked. The restaurants’ smokers are going 24 hours a day. Some items take 12-14 hours to smoke and start the night before. All meat is fresh which makes a big difference in the taste, according to Nicole. Even the turkey is fresh and a whole bird, not a processed “log.” Since some items are prepped so far in advance, popular items tend to run out from time to time.
For starters or “bites,” the wings are smoked first and then fried for a unique version of an old standby. The choice of sauces are homemade including hot or mild buffalo, hot, mild or sweet barbeque, garlic teriyaki, or sweet fire.
Another tempting starter that is worth a try is the hand battered fried pickles. Dill pickle chips that are lightly battered and fried and served with a dill horseradish sauce. Even the smoked fish dip is made with mahi that is smoked in-house.
There are two specialty sandwiches that have long been customer favorites. Joel’s Crazy Pork Sandwich, which heaps pork, slaw, onions, cheese, pickles and sauce; and the Hog: pork and brisket, onions, melted cheese and chipotle barbecue sauce on a hoagie roll. Both are distinctive twists on classic sandwiches.
If you’re looking for something even bigger than the ginormous sandwich portions, the entrees
won’t disappoint. The St. Louis style ribs, brushed with a sweet barbecue sauce, are meatier than the popular baby back counterparts. The brisket is seasoned with Slow & Low’s own rub and smoked for 10 hours, resulting in a flavorful and tender meat. All barbecue sauces are homemade.
Sides include traditional barbecue fixings like cole slaw, baked beans and potato salad. Other recommendations include sweet potato chips, dusted with cinnamon and sugar and the fried okra.
If you don’t get your fill on barbecue, made from scratch desserts are certainly worth the splurge. The fried banana sundae includes a whole banana coated with a coconut batter and deep-fried, surrounded by a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and caramel. This dessert is more than enough to share.
Both locations offer the same menu but differ in the style of décor. Cocoa Beach has surf boards lining the ceiling and naturally, a beachy theme. The Viera location has more of a rustic feel with Edison style lighting, distressed wood chair rails and custom tables with Slow & Low’s logos. Both offer indoor and outdoor seating, a bar and plenty of TV screens.
Slow & Low Bar-B-Que Viera:
5490 Stadium Parkway
(321) 735-4809
Slow & Low Bar-B-Que Cocoa Beach:
306 N. Orlando Ave.
(321) 783-6199
Website:
This article appears in the June 2015 issue of SpaceCoast Living.
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