apocalypsebbq.com
When the pandemic hit, Miami native Jeffrey Budnechky's work as a freelance marketer ground to a halt. A self-described backyard barbecue enthusiast, he took his ten years' worth of grilling experience and said, "F the apocalypse, let's just make barbecue." What began as a handful of orders using a 22-inch Weber grill has since turned into one of Miami's favorite pop-ups, serving a variety of meats that now emerge from the chef's professional 125-gallon tank smoker. Along the way — including an appearance at the 2021 South Beach Wine & Food Festival under his belt — he made a promise to himself to help define South Florida barbecue. To do so, Budnechky marries the flavors of his Brazilian-Argentinian roots with his wife Lara's Cuban heritage. That means pulled pork smothered in a colada-infused barbecue sauce he calls "oro negro"; massive dino beef ribs dusted in a homemade coffee rub and finished with a lacquering of the chef's own Bustelo-infused cafecito sauce; and four-hour, slow-smoked pork-belly burnt ends braised and glazed in his "guava lava," a guava-mango-habanero sauce. Only his Texas-style brisket toes the line of tradition, slow-cooked and seasoned simply with salt and pepper.
