Drunky’s Two Shoe BBQ Opens on Leary April 4

The expansion of barbecue in Seattle continues in the Fremont/Ballard corridor on April 4, with the opening of Drunky’s Two Shoe BBQ at 4105 Leary Way NW. Owner Nate Rezac tells Eater that after two years of planning, the 80+ seat restaurant will serve central Texas-style BBQ with dry rubs and sauce on the side.

Rezac — who also owns Fremont’s 9 Million in Unmarked Bills — says his inspiration for the space is Southern hospitality and the culture surrounding barbecue. His first job was at Armadillo BBQ in Woodinville, where the customers were "so passionate about smoked meats." After 10 years at Armadillo, he opened a 33-foot airstream food truck four years ago in the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall, but shut it down in 2013 and started dreaming up Drunky’s.

The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, and will be available to rent for private events on Mondays and Tuesdays. Smoking meats daily with green alder wood, Drunky’s will feature St. Helen’s beef, Carlton Farms pork, and Mary’s free-range chickens on their menu.

"This [smoking] process produces a penetrating smoke ring into the outer layers of the meat that you can see. We’re big fans of the smooth, mild, smoky flavor it produces," Rezac explains of his wood choice. "We’re also proud that alder represents the Northwest, and it’s the most popular wood for smokers around these parts." They’ll brine their chicken for three days, then pat it down with their signature rub and wrap it in pork caul fat, which moves into the breast as it smokes. The beef brisket and pork rub is just salt, pepper, and cayenne, though they’ll inject briskets with apple juice and spray it down as it smokes, creating a "delicious, slightly candied bark."

The lunch menu will feature sandwiches and meat plates with sides, as well as salads. For dinner, a "Drunken Feast" will hit the menu, with a table piled high with meat and sides.

They'll also serve a "White Bread Taco:" white bread rolled out flat and piled with meat and slaw. Dessert involves fresh pies and "whatever our pastry chef comes up with," Rezac says, along with jalapeño cheesecake Full Tilt ice cream.

The Freelard location has a patio on the eastside, and will begin construction on a West-facing patio in mid-April, which will add another 50 seats.

Doors open at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 4. Ole Tinder, Tripp Rezac, and more bands will play live music.