S’porean Who Worked At Famed Texan BBQ Joint Has Pop-Up In Botanic Gardens

With the US elections taking up most of our news space lately, now seems like a good time to indulge in some authentic American-style barbecue. What’s American ’cue? Painstakingly smoked meats like ribs and brisket cooked low and slow over wood fire, popular in the “barbecue belt” of the USA, which includes Texas, North and South Carolina, Missouri and Kentucky.

Enter S’Mao Barbecue, a pop-up concept at the Les Amis Group’s Casa Verde, the latter an al fresco Italian restaurant in Botanic Gardens. Unbeknownst to us, S’Mao has been quietly soft-launched for a few weeks now. Hmph. It’s helmed by 28-year-old chef Chia Jue Mao a.k.a “S’Mao” (pronounced “smile”, a nickname given to him by his pals thanks to his infectious grin). He spent a year working at popular food truck LeRoy & Lewis Barbecue in Austin, Texas. On top of the usual ribs and brisket, the truck serves unusual cuts of meat like beef tongue and Akaushi beef, a Japanese brown cattle breed. It was recently named “most creative barbecue in Austin” by American food website, Eater.

Chef Mao, a graduate of Culinary Institute of America’s campus in Singapore, worked with multiple concepts under the Les Amis Group like Bistro Du Vin and Peperoni Pizzeria years ago.

He then headed to the States to work in restaurants for four years — one of his stops included Hubba Hubba Smokehouse in North Carolina, a wood-fired barbecue joint specialising in pulled pork and brisket. Mao had wanted to continue working in Texas, but left LeRoy & Lewis in April and returned to Singapore because of the pandemic.

He shares: “One of the hardest parts about barbecuing is the meticulous management of a fire which takes skill, patience, and love. Pitmasters subscribe to a low and slow philosophy that can take up to 16 hours for the best results. I hope to be able to introduce the best of what I’ve learned while forging a sense of community through the food I serve. In a fast-paced city like Singapore, some things are best savoured low and slow.”

Chef Mao describes his cooking as Texas-style barbecue. At Casa Verde, he uses wood-fired offset and vertical smoker barbecue pits and cooks his meats with a blend of Hickory wood and charcoal.

Why the pop-up (which only runs in the evenings thrice weekly; Casa Verde’s regular menu features the rest of the time)? It’s a test bed to see if Singaporeans are receptive to Texan ’cue. A Les Amis spokesperson says there are plans to open a standalone American barbecue restaurant, but it hinges on finding the right venue. What’s confirmed is chef Mao’s barbecue will be available for online delivery via the group’s soon-to-be-launched cloud kitchen concept.

Here’s a look at what’s available at S'Mao's pop-up kitchen. Prices are pretty steep, but we suppose it’s ’cos you’re paying for the painstaking effort and time taken to smoke the meats using purely wood fire (most other American barbecue joints in Singapore use electric smokers with wood chips thrown in).

Seasoned simply Texas-style with salt and pepper, and smoked for eight to ten hours over hickory wood. There’s no minimum order, but just one rib weighs roughly 500g, which costs a whopping $75.

The Duroc Pork Ribs (Duroc is an American pedigreed pig breed), smoked over hickory wood for four to six hours, is available in a half rack that feeds one person.

Chef Mao makes the sausages using fresh pork shoulder seasoned with Cajun spices. It’s smoked along with the other meats.

This spread includes half a rack of Duroc pork ribs, Duroc pork belly, two Andouille sausages — plus six sides like cornbread with butter, S’Mao coleslaw, charred corn on the cob, basil Mac ‘N’ Cheese, charred romaine lettuce in buttermilk dressing and fries. There’s also a larger platter for $195 that feeds up to five people.

S’Mao Barbecue is available till 31 Dec on Fri, Sat & Sun, 5.30pm to 9.30pm at Casa Verde, 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore Botanic Gardens, S259569. Tel: 64677326. www.casaverde.com.sg/menu

Photos: Les Amis Group