paired with Colour and Shape IPA from Superflux
Jordan Braun, chef at Broken Hill in Nelson, B.C., describes the menu at the tap house as “barbecue joint.”
“It’s Texas style and we certainly take our inspiration from there, but we’re not stuck on that,” says Braun. “We do all things southern.”
He notes brisket is a best seller at Broken Hill.
“People from Texas and the Southern U.S. have said it’s the best they’ve had outside of their respective states and favorite local spots,” says Braun, who grew up in Langley, B.C. “Ribs are also a fan favourite. Everything is made in-house and smoked over hickory wood.”
Braun joined owner Chad Hansen at the tap house in October, 2020—right in the middle of a global pandemic. Prior to that, Hansen had been looking for the ideal location to build a brewery in Nelson when the former Redfish Grill, which was extensively damaged by fire in 2010, became available in 2015. The heritage building was fully restored and opened as Broken Hill in 2019, specializing in craft beer and whisky. The name of the tap house pays homage to Nelson’s history as a mining town and the Broken Hill mining company, which owned the block at the turn of the century.
Braun adds Broken Hill has a whisky library boasting more than 100 varieties to choose from.
“We have everything from Scotch to bourbon, ryes, Canadian, American, UK and Indian brands and Japanese whiskies.”
But, of course, Broken Hill is even better known for its beer offerings, including 24 taps of craft beer (largely from B.C.) and one Nitro tap (think stout). The tap house pours all styles of beer, including sours and hazy and several Ontario beers are also available, including Bellwoods Brewery’s Jelly King.
Braun recommends pairing Broken Hill’s Hot Mess sandwich—made up of sliced smoked Beretta Farms beef brisket, house-made Buffalo Trace Bourbon BBQ sauce, coleslaw, fried onions and pickle on Kootenay Bakery brioche—with a Colour and Shape beer from Superflux.
Braun adds the barbecue sauce also goes great with meats like chicken and pork.
“Use it to wet mop or finish smoked pork ribs and whole chicken or mix with pulled pork and load up a soft bun with pickles, onions and coleslaw for a classic pulled pork sandwich.” —Sandra Thomas
Ingredients
Makes 2.5 L of BBQ sauce
• 40 ml canola oil
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 oz. garlic, minced
• 1.5 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1.9 L ketchup
• 130 ml tomato paste
• 200 ml cider vinegar
• 200 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 425 g brown sugar
• 1.5 tsp hot sauce of your choosing
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp mustard powder
• 130 ml soy sauce
• 1.5 tsp cayenne
• 80 ml Buffalo Trace Bourbon (or your favorite bourbon)
Directions
- In a pot, combine the oil, onion and garlic.Sweat for 20 minutes on medium, until the onion is translucent. Deglaze with whiskey.
2. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 more minutes.
3. Blend smooth in a blender. Be careful when blending hot liquid! Only fill the blender half way and use a towel to hold the lid on. Start at a low speed and gradually increase.
