Tropical Smokehouse, the much-loved West Palm Beach restaurant known for rocking Florida-style barbecue, has received a lot of attention since opening in 2021, including write-ups in Southern Living, Miami New Times, Boca Magazine and The Palm Beach Post, add to that mentions across countless blogs and social media posts.
All that attention, seems to have gotten some attention. Now, Tropical’s next moment will be in the national spotlight with an appearance on The Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-In & Dives” airing Friday, May 22.
With many fans of Tropical probably yelling “it’s about time,” part-time Palm Beach County resident Guy Fieri and his ‘Triple D’ crew visited the South Dixie Highway restaurant Feb. 27 and 28 and filmed the episode titled “Sandwiches, Sausages & Sweet Snacks.”
“Diners, Drive-In & Dives” goes tropical barbecue
Chef and pitmaster Rick Mace, who co-owns Tropical Smokehouse with Jason Lakow, prepared their original brisket empanada featuring their brisket, queso, roasted sweet potato, scallion and pimento along with their Cajun gator sausage for the episode. Mace said the two dishes represent the “South Florida kind of mash up that we’ve come to be known for.”
Though both dishes may sound relatively simple, they’re ‘just a tad’ more involved than popping something in the microwave or opening a tube of Jimmy Dean.
Crafting good brisket is a mix of science and serious art and Mace and his team know what they’re doing.
Tropical Smokehouse uses heritage premium Prime Angus from DemKota Ranch Beef for their brisket that is hand trimmed, seasoned and marinated overnight before being slowly smoked over oak and hickory in their M&M Rotisserie Smoker.
Though Mace said the goal is to let the beef do the talking, they help the meat find its voice with a blend of spices featuring kosher salt and coarse-ground black pepper with an equal portion of their house rub. “It gives a little bit of extra seasoning to the beef without being too heavy on aromatics like garlic and paprika,” he said.
“The first leg of the cook is at a lower temperature typically around 225 to 250 degrees. We cook the briskets until we see the bark that we want.” Mace said.
“That’s the point that we wrap them in butcher paper and return them to the smoker,” Mace said. They are then cooked at a slightly higher temperature and that’s going to finishing the cook and get it through the “stall,” where larger cuts of meat plateau at a particular temperature. Mace said the method helps the fat, particularly the fat deep in the meat, render more fully, producing a much better texture.
An equal amount of love and dedication goes into the Cajun gator sausage as well.
“We do process the sausage in house, grinding, stuffing and smoking,” Mace said. In addition to gator and spices, the sausages get equal amounts of trimmings from their Duroc spare ribs and brisket.
Mace said they like using Florida gator, but it’s not always available, so they also have a commercial source in Louisiana.
The sausage is cured, air dried overnight and then smoked at around 200 degrees. Fully cooked, it is then shocked in ice water which “stops the cooking and also rehydrates the casings… and plumps them back up so they’re not dry.” They are then cooked to order in the 600 degree service oven on the line. “It gives the best texture on the casing… and a good snap when you bite through,” he said.
Many of the restaurant’s regulars have long said it would be a good fit for ‘Triple D,’ Mace said. The common refrain: “You gotta get Guy in here!”
Though other shows have called, they were ‘reality’ or competition shows, Mace said. “This is the first one that they wanted to highlight the restaurant… so that was something we wanted to do.”
“I remember when the show was new and, like, my reference point for The Food Network is Emeril Lagasse… it’s kind of a surreal experience when we’re included in things like this… it memorializes Tropical in the greater cannon of a restaurant that I’ve been a part of.”
The episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” featuring Tropical Smokehouse is slated to run Friday, May 22.
Tropical Smokehouse, West Palm Beach
Where: 3815 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday
Information: eattropical.com
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm BBQ restaurant featured on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show
Reporting by Eddie Ritz, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
