Two Drummers Smokehouse, Toano, Virginia

Here’s the headline: Direct heat pork barbecue comes to Virginia! Subhead: And whole hogs barbecue is on the way!

Direct heat is the classic and best way to cook pork barbecue, with coals below the pork, not off to the side as in Texas beef barbecue. Indeed, as one venerable pitmaster put it, “If pork fat ain’t dripping down on the coals, it ain’t barbecue.” The magic of direct heat is that the dripping pork fat hits the low, slow fire and smokes rather than flares. It drifts up and blesses the pork with another delicious layer of flavor. And it builds better bark.

And now this lost heritage has returned to Virginia for the first time in I don’t know how long. Appropriately enough, it’s reborn a few miles from Williamsburg, where Washington, Madison, Jefferson, and other leaders first served after treating voters to whole hogs and cows cooked directly over coals. Also lots and lots of liquor. These days, instead of feeding you, candidates want you to give them money.

I wrote about Two Drummers at 8864 Richmond Road in Toano a while back (see here). I recently returned after a fine lunch at Allman’s to check on them in preparation for updating the Ten Best list for Virginia. After my first trip I knew that Two Drummers would be a contender. Now there’s no doubt at all.

Here’s the deal. Two Drummers found a genius at a welding company in Indiana, Jay Craig of Outlaw Smokers, who will make you a custom smoker that has a firebox inside, rather than appended at the end of the 10-foot smoker. Two Drummers puts the pork shoulders on top of the firebox over wood coals. The pork fat drips down, the smoke goes round and round, whoa-oh-oh-oh, and it comes out here — at the other end, ten feet away. On its way, the smoke glides lovingly around the briskets and ribs at the other end, and graces them with that delicious smoke.

Does it make a difference? In a word, He’yeah! I ordered some pork and brisket with a cheese grits cake, which I’d never had, and collards.

The Two Drummers pork was very good before, and now it’s even better, with even more depth of flavor. Excellent. And the brisket, which I hadn’t tried last time, was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I’m not sure, not having had theirs before, but I think the brisket may have been improved by the new smoker. In any event, it’s a contender for the Virginia best list for brisket as well as pork. I’ll add that they have a tangy vinegar sauce — to which they’ve added a little mustard — that can hold its own among sauces.

We now move from the smoker to the kitchen. And while Jon seems to be the front man on the smoker (they both work it), Jason is the trained chef. Here he is, fresh from his labors.

That cheese grits cake was terrific. My notes say simply, ” A+.” The grits had a nice crust, especially on the side not shown, as it turned out, and they retained a nice texture, not dried out. This is a side you should order. The collard greens “with bacon” also were well above the norm. Jason had added a touch of vinegar, which collards always need.

The sides also can be inventive. I noticed the they were Sold Out of butternut squash fries. I’ve never seen those, but they sound like a great idea. I reported on their Brunswick stew in my first post. I see that they pair pimiento cheese with both fried chicken and a pork belly burger.

And there’s more! Two Drummers has another custom Outlaw Smoker on order that will feature not one but three moveable fire boxes so that they will be able to (drum roll) serve whole hogs cooked over direct heat, just like the Skylight Inn, Rodney Scott’s, Ramey’s, and George Washington. My heart be still!

Two Drummers is a remarkable business. They’ve opened a butcher shop and sell meat to local folks and barbecue competition teams, and to themselves. The business gives them buying power when supplies tighten, and helps in getting the best quality.

They have a second dining area for small events where they show paintings by local artists.   

There’s also a large outdoor porch, fully armed with fans and heaters and extended by a tent that offers additional seating. Those tables face a bandstand that brings customers pouring in for live music in the evening.   

Jon and Jason are a treat. They’re affable and filled not only with energy and ideas, which are a drug on the market here in Washington, but also willing and able to take the risks and pains to put those ideas into action, to make adjustments, and make them work. They’re also upbeat and affable.

Obviously you should make a point to go to Two Drummers. Let me know how much you enjoyed it.

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