A new Texas-style barbecue joint is popping up inside of popular Toronto restaurant, Rasa.
Cory Kurtzman, a sous-chef at Rasa in Toronto, has always been intrigued by the American south––particularly with southern barbecue. Amidst the frustration of the provincial government’s flip-flopping regulations, premature opening and closings and overall ignorance towards the foodservice industry, the team at Rasa announced they would be closing their regular takeout services for the next lockdown.
“The team and myself spent countless hours coming up with an entirely new menu at Rasa that was more suitable for in-house patio dining,” said Kurtzman. “With anticipation and excitement building up, we had opened for two days and then were told that we had to close our patio doors once again.”
In the meantime, Kurtzman along with owners Adrian Niman and Adam Minster decided to take on a different operation while they gave their staff a ‘much needed 28-day break’––eventually pivoting back to a concept they ran during the Super Bowl.
“Although we initially took this as another setback, it ultimately sparked the idea of doing passion projects for the team, so we can work on different culinary [and] hospitality endeavours,” Kurtzman said.
The concept, reborn as ‘Cory’s Smokehouse’, is a pop-up barbecue joint that Kurtzman created. They serve Central Texas-style ‘cue by the pound, or in one of Kurtzman’s specially-curated combos and platters.
American barbecue is one of the country’s most prized and celebrated cuisines the states have to offer––and one that is difficult to replicate across the border. Kurtzman, who has spent time travelling through barbecue hotspots in Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas, got his first hands-on experience cooking low-and-slow while spending the Fourth of July in 2018 at Rodney Scott’s famous BBQ joint in South Carolina. Scott, one of America’s most established pitmasters, is a James Beard Award winner––well known for his whole-hog barbecue.
Kurtzman's love for barbecue only grew from then, eventually bringing him to his latest venture out of Rasa. The new barbecue spot consists of the barbecue classics, like smoked brisket, spare ribs, pulled pork and chicken wings. They also serve up traditional southern comfort sides, like mac and cheese, cornbread and coleslaw.
Cory’s Smokehouse is open for pre-orders now for this upcoming Saturday and Sunday, which will be their opening weekend. You can place an order for either pick up at Rasa through their website or for delivery through Tock.
Rasa is located at 196 Robert Street in Harbord Village.
