Two Drummers Smokehouse, Toano, Virginia

Remember my Ride through Hell Recovery Tour? After a devastating barbecue-free drive from Palm Beach to Washington, my doctor prescribed a four-day barbecue fest in North Carolina. I left you in Raleigh after lunch on Day 4, and inquiring minds have wondered, what happened on the way back?

Well, I drove on up I-95, and as I got to I-64 I started smelling smoke. Not really but I’d heard of a barbecue place in Toano, over towards Williamsburg, that switched from gas-assisted and now cooks exclusively with wood. I needed to check them for the Campaign for Real Barbecue, so I drove up to a white frame building, pulled in, and walked around back. Jon Wade was there adding ribs to a smoker.

Currently Two Drummers uses Lang all-wood offset smokers, but they’re moving from indirect to direct wood heat for the deeper flavor. They already have one pit, I think a BQ made in North Carolina. Having confirmed Two Drummers’ wood-only status (no wires, no tubes), I presented the True ‘Cue window sticker.

We chatted a bit. Jon Wade and his brother Jason were members of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps. Jon continued drumming professionally — you may have seen Rich Whiskey — while Jason worked his way up to a classical chef in Williamsburg. A local barbecue place went under, they bought the building, and opened Two Drummers. Their connections with restaurants gave them access to quality meats, and when word spread on the barbecue circuit, the Wades had so much demand from circuit competitors that they opened a separate butcher shop in Williamsburg. The meat at Two Drummers looks really good.

I let Jon get back to cooking and went around front to enter. Inside, Two Drummers is spacious

and decorated, naturally enough, with cymbals and drumsticks.

I looked over the menu and chose a pork sandwich (slaw on the side, please) and a third of a rack of ribs with a side of collards.

Okay, and some Brunswick stew.

The pork properly came unsauced, as do all of Two Drummers’ meats. This is good pork. The meat is tender and smoky, with a good pork flavor. As you can see, the pork was pulled and roughly chopped, with a nice share of outside meat. The ribs were remarkably tender and, again, smoky. They came with a light glaze that sealed the custom rub that Two Drummers uses for the ribs. There are other rubs, not just salt and pepper, for the other meats, and the rubs are complex, as I saw while Jon was working those ribs. It was a lot of food, so I took two of the ribs home with me, and Nancy loved them.

The Brunswick stew was very smoky and had a lot of depth of flavor. Jon came in to check on me and told me that the pork and chicken are both freshly cooked, never leftovers. I added, as always, some of their Tangy Vinegar sauce, which I liked. The light cornbread was well above the average of the crowded With Sugar cornbread category, and helps beautifully with the pot likker.

I was very impressed by Two Drummers. This is a professional operation with a clear commitment to quality, especially with the advantage of their own butcher shop. And the prospect of a shift to direct heat is exciting, what with the extra layer of flavor that comes from the pork fat dripping on the coals. The fact that Two Drummers recognizes the importance and is willing to commit to True ‘Cue speaks volumes these days. And the prices — $5 for a sandwich! Two Drummers is a blessing for any family going to Williamsburg, and a definite go-to for everyone. Head to Toano and Two Drummers.

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