Chef Ian challenged himself with the art of barbecue with opening Smoke & Donuts after being classically trained and being a high-honors graduate of the C.I.A. and studied under Bryan Voltaggio during his externship. Smoke & Donuts became established in Orlando, FL in 2016 and is now in a few locations around town.
They’re now visiting A La Cart with their truck for an easier location for you to find and enjoy their amazing dishes, but they’re also in College Park if that’s closer for you to pick up some takeout.
Not only can you grab food at their College Park location, but you can buy a rad T-Shirt or hat.
They focuses on oak-smoked barbecue and hot donuts; harnessing smoking techniques and seasoning profiles found in Texas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.
Listening to Chef Ian talk about the entire process to make his meats, especially the brisket, makes me want to grab my own smoker for the house. If only Chef Ian can stop by and tutor me in the arts of barbecue and smoking meats so I can ensure I end up with such moist and tender meats.
The meats are carefully crafted and paired with scratch-made sides, which are inspired by regional ingredients and his classic techniques. This Cucumber & Cabbage Slaw is more of a refreshing salad instead of a slaw itself because it consists of red & green cabbage, cucumbers, red onion, candy-red radish, and sherry & rice-wine vinaigrette instead of being a mayonnaise-based side. The Roasted & Smashed Red Potatoes are also a great side with lemon & garlic gremolata and topped with brisket burnt ends. Who doesn’t like burnt ends?!
The 1,121 Road Trip Sandwich is one of the biggest hits at the truck. It consists of chopped brisket & pulled pork with guava-quince, toasted guajillo, and green sauces, cucumber & cabbage slaw, pickled red onions, and jalapeño kettle chips on a toasted Olde Hearth potato roll.
Bar-B-Cuban is Chef Ian’s take on the very popular Cuban Sandwich. With his, he uses Virginia Ham, Swiss cheese, pulled BBQ pork, house-made pickles, dill mayonnaise, and Heywood’s mustard on an Olde Hearth Cuban roll – Pressed! I am a big fan of this sandwich, especially when I ask for his country mustard that has whole mustard seeds to dip the sandwich in.
The Pulled Pork Sandwich with garlic & apple cider jus, cucumber & cabbage slaw, pickles & onions on a toasted Olde Hearth potato roll… don’t forget to add a few slices of Chef ian’s Turkey to add a little more salty, savory flavors to the sweet and tangy flavors this dish already holds. The turkey is made with brown butter and it’s the most buttery meat ever.
You could also order meats by the pound. Brisket, Sliced is made with USDA Prime Brisket and Malabar black pepper bark. Check out this slice. Isn’t it beautiful? I could eat pounds of this, but I rather not clog my arteries and go into cardiac arrest.
As mentioned before, the Turkey Breast is absolutely smooth and buttery after being made with brown butter.
Don’t forget to grab some St. Louis Style Ribs made with Habanero chili, chipotle and pickled red onion relish. The flavors are sweet, spicy and all around delicious on top of the most tender and moist ribs I ever had. Moreover, you can bet that I mentioned to Chef Ian how this flavor would be great for jerky too.
True to its namesake, Smoke & Donuts serves made-to-order hot donuts as well. Enjoyed as dessert, as a side with your meal, or as a meal on their own in Smoke & Donuts signature barbecue sliders. I can’t tell you which is my favorite, because I fancy them all.
If I had to pick one, it would be The Lou Donut. It consists of Maker’s Mark bourbon & maple glaze, Heath bar, Hershey’s chocolate chips, and brisket burnt ends. Yes, you caught me. I like it because of the brisket burnt ends adding some salty and savory flavors to the sweet dessert.
If I had to pick a second donut, it would be S’moreo. It is flame-kissed marshmallow, Hershey’s chocolate chips, broken Oreos. These bad boys are best eaten hot when the marshmallow is melty and gooey to coat your entire mouth.
Not sure if you want to eat just meats or just donuts? How about you combine it with one of Chef Ian’s BBQ & Donut Slider Duo. The duo consists of both chopped brisket with toasted guajillo sauce & pulled pork with guava-quince sauce (one of each meat) on a donut with vanilla and sea salt glaze. With this choice if having both, you can choose one side to go with the order.
For more information, check out the Smoke & Donuts website. To order for pick up or delivery, make sure you order ahead on their website as well.
