Finding Authentic BBQ In A Shack Down By The Tracks

 

 

Before the birds wake up, a variety of BBQ meat begins taking a gentle carnival ride inside a shack between a gun shop and railroad tracks. In a short time, owner Rob Ecker and rotating meat will start holding conversations.

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Rob Ecker

 

On the day we visited the Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House, a scruffy-looking shanty in the small town of  Lizton, a mix of clouds and blue sky accented sheets of rusted, corrugated metal above the porch. Red rust, metal, and barn wood proclaimed that we had arrived at one of Indiana’s premier BBQ restaurants. 

I approached its aw-shucks exterior with apprehension. 

And then I knew. 

I knew that even though the modest BBQ shack sat next to the tracks and was formerly a liquor store, I was in for a treat. 

Bear in mind I am passionate about BBQ. It’s in my soul. My dad’s side of the family is from small towns in central North Carolina where BBQ only means one thing—slow roasting an entire hog over pits filled with oak embers. My best BBQ memories come from these experiences. 

I also lived in a small town outside Dallas, Texas, during high school. During this time, I learned that beef brisket is a masterpiece that can make or break Texas pitmasters.

I will forever judge BBQ from these great magnificent memories.

Finding restaurants like the Rusted Silo that cook with old-fashioned BBQ pits is one reason we prefer traveling by backroads and two-lane highways through small towns. So how did the Rusted Silo measure up? Can Indiana BBQ compete with two of America’s powerhouse BBQ regions? 

Thank you, Visit Hendricks County, for sponsoring our visit. As always, all opinions are our own.

Cooking BBQ Over A Pit Of Hot Coals

In today’s world of stainless steel smokers, throwback BBQ joints are almost impossible to find, but when you do–savor the experience.

As I stood before the brick BBQ pit, my childhood memories wrapped me up like a warm blanket on a cold winter day of crisp air and rosy cheeks. 

Flickering flames from slow-burning cherry and hickory logs reflected under macho slabs of meat spinning around on long black racks. Rob calls it his Ferris Wheel of Meat. Mesmerizing silhouettes of fire danced in my pupils with joy. Smoke snuck into my nostrils and uplifted my soul with nostalgic recollections of whole hogs cooking over open pits of oak coals in North Carolina BBQ shacks. 

Billowing smoke rose, penetrating the succulent meat before it escaped the brick chimney. Some of the smoke evaded the chimney and filled the restaurant with an old-fashioned BBQ haze, much like a foggy morning.

This is my kind of place. Cooking over a pit will always be the right way to make BBQ.

The Rusted Silo is a favorite of Sherman’s too. Two-time Emmy-Award-winning on-air personality Sherman Burdette travels the Indianapolis area searching for the best events, restaurants, and festivals for Fox59 Morning News. His popular show, “Where is Sherman,” has been here twice, and besides loving the BBQ, he seriously likes the collard greens.

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From An Old Barn To A Hoosier BBQ Trail Favorite

If the interior of a BBQ restaurant indicates how its food should taste, then I anticipated being in hog heaven. Like most outstanding barbecue restaurants, don’t expect anything fancy. 

The Rusted Silo dismantled an old barn from Frankfort, Indiana, that’s more than 110 years old, piece by piece, then repurposed its materials for the restaurant. Antiques and vintage decor hang on rusted metal wall panels as well as license plates from states across America. Friends and family donated license plates to the restaurant, and each one has a story. Weathered red barn wood, some boards with red paint clinging on more than others, and rusted metal make up most of the interior. In the narrow back dining room, two long but thin tables appear to be built from barn wood and extend the length of the walls. A few simple tables sit in the front dining area adjacent to floor-to-ceiling walk-in beer coolers. 

 

Overall the Rusted Silo can only seat about thirty people, and that’s ok. The Indiana Foodway Alliance includes the Rusted Silo on the Hoosier BBQ Trail for a reason. Customers will find additional seating on weather-beaten picnic tables between the restaurant and railroad tracks. Bring your fur friends, too. They will enjoy sharing your meal in this dog-friendly area.

Tip: Check out the restroom. The sink is an antique salad bowl attached to a vanity built from the reclaimed barn. 

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Craft Beverages From A Floor To Ceiling Walk-In Cooler

Rob, his wife, and co-owner Tina stock an enormous selection of craft beers, mainly from Indiana breweries, inside the walk-in cooler. He said he keeps around eighty choices now but amassed over 180 before the pandemic. The floor-to-ceiling walk-in cooler is a leftover from the old neighborhood liquor store and a popular feature of the restaurant. If you want a craft drink but not beer, you might enjoy a Boylan Craft Soda. For instance, Orange is made with Italian mandarin and tangerine oils, and Grape with an oaky Concord grape flavor. For a twist in classic sodas, try Black Cherry with a blend of cherries, wild cherry bark, and extracts of bourbon vanilla, or Creme Soda with a hint of coffee.

Like any good Southern BBQ restaurant, traditional iced tea is served, either sweetened or unsweetened.

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Take A Road Trip For Southern-Style BBQ, Sides, And Dessert

Although the Rusted Silo professes southern-style BBQ in its name, how will its pit-style cooking and flavor stack up to what I know? After all, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb likes their ribs and brisket and lists the Rusted Silo as one of his favorite Indiana BBQ restaurants. But will pulled pork and beef brisket meet my southern-style BBQ expectations?

Simply prepared food is the focus at Rusted Silo, not fancy digs. Meats are lightly seasoned, so their flavors come through instead of a heavy layer of spices and sauces. Ingredients are locally sourced from the Midwest as much as possible. It’s all about cooking great-tasting food, and Rob and Tina prefer to buy locally sourced meat like chicken from Miller Amish Country Poultry and pork raised in Indiana. Corn on the cob for Mexican street corn comes less than ten miles from a local farmer during the season. 

For starters, you might consider Chorizo and Kielbasa sausage made nearby for the Rusted Silo paired with house-made pimento cheese. A creamy blend of cheddar cheese, secret ingredients, and pimento peppers roasted over the BBQ pit recreate the southern staple. Or try a grilled pimento cheese sandwich made from Texas toast for something different.

Layers of fresh ingredients combine to create tasty side dishes but don’t expect deep-fried foods. Nothing on the menu is fried. The Rusted Silo doesn’t own a deep fryer. Finally, after watching pit master Rob prepare the meats, I couldn’t wait to taste his style of BBQ. 

Award-Winning BBQ At The Rusted Silo

Rusted Silo has been voted Indy’s Best BBQ for Indy’s Best Things for the last five years. Readers have nominated the restaurant for numerous other categories yearly. Final 2023 voting takes place in November, but five categories list the restaurant in the top three. Again, Best BBQ, along with Best Caterer, Best Food Truck (Rollin’ Silo), Best Meal Under $10.00, and Best Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten Free, for their side dishes.

The Ferris Wheel Of Meat

I watched Rob place handfuls of BBQ on the tray. Straight off the pit from the Ferris Wheel of Meat, intense steam rose from each type. Of course, my finicky eyes caught pulled pork first. Tender chunks are freshly pulled from flame-roasted pork butts only after an order has been placed, unlike many BBQ restaurants that prepare pulled pork a few times during the day.

I spotted pieces of dark bark, the hard, crusty, carmelized outside layer that forms during the long, slow cooking process. That’s where I pulled from because it is the most flavorful section of open-pit cooked pork butts. I couldn’t wait to dig in. On the opposite corner of the tray, beef brisket quickly jumped into my tongs, but the thick slice of beef fell apart before it reached my plate. I have not eaten Beef brisket this tender before. Beef brisket doesn’t fall apart like this. Pot roast does, but not BBQ beef brisket. Not even in Texas. Each piece fell apart similarly, so I took chunks of brisket instead of slices. That’s extraordinary.

I skipped chicken because I’m not too fond of chicken with a smoky flavor. It turned out to be a mistake. Rob said chicken is his favorite out of all the open-pit cooked meats. And I almost passed on spare ribs, too, considering I can take or leave BBQ ribs. That would have been a big mistake too. Surprisingly, BBQ ribs were my favorite. Again, tender meat that fell off the bone. With a perfect smoky flavor from hot coals, these ribs were scrumptious and didn’t need any sauce. 

Rusted Silo BBQ Sauce

Speaking of BBQ sauce, the Rusted Silo makes four homemade BBQ sauces: Kentucky Bourbon, Carolina Mustard, Habanero Bourbon, and Alabama White. However, don’t be afraid of tasting the habanero BBQ sauce. Rob and Tina assured me it’s more flavorful than hot and only has a small bite. Nonetheless, ask for the hidden sauce if you prefer more heat. It’s barrel-aged and made for the Rusted Silo.

True Southern Style Side Dishes

Side dishes at the Rusted Silo reflect the southern roots of owners Rob and Tina. Rob is from Panama City, Florida, and Tina is from central Kentucky. 

Grits milled from a 150-year-old mill in Kentucky, collard greens, and potato salad made with Duke’s mayonnaise reflect traditional BBQ side dishes. 

The most popular side dishes are western-style ranch beans and collard greens, slowly cooked with ham hocks. We sampled these, plus potato salad, cole slaw, and Mexican street corn, which were all tasty. Despite that, I thought my favorites would be traditional BBQ sides, but they weren’t. 

Cheesy grits were a pleasant surprise, and I would order them again in a heartbeat. Rob and Tina lived in Midway, Kentucky, and were regular customers at nearby Weisenberger Mills. Since opening, they have cooked stone-ground grits in their restaurant supplied by this historic 1865 mill.

Initially, I skipped Mac-n-Beer Cheese. To me, macaroni and cheese at restaurants is often too pasty or made with a loaf of processed cheese spread. No, thank you. And adding beer doesn’t appeal to me. I only like homemade macaroni and cheese. Near the end of lunch, I decided to try a small bite. What the heck, I have nothing to lose. The first bite shocked my tastebuds: no beer flavor or sub-par cheese. In disbelief, I took another bite. Big noodles, cream, and sharp cheddar cheese intermingled perfectly and reminded me of my favorite that my grandmother made. 

Made From Scratch Southern-Style Desserts

Tina’s mother makes all the delectable desserts from scratch at the Rusted Silo. Mama Junes Nanner Puddin recipe has been in the family for generations and was great, but her Bourbon Pecan Pie was out of this world. Pecan pie is my favorite. Since my teens, I have made my exclusive homemade pecan pie from a family Texas recipe. Until this year, nothing could top it. Two pecan pies I have tasted this year have become my favorites, and this is one. After this year, I need to fine-tune my recipe a little. 

Read why Emmy award-winning journalist Theresa Carter Goodrich at The Local Tourist cried over the Rusted Silo’s pecan pie.

Final Thoughts

Rusted Silo is about raw fire, mechanics, a burly brick pit, and meat. Taste what flames and smoke create without elaborate spices. Would BBQ from Indiana’s Rusted Silo compare to the North Carolina and Texas styles I fondly remember? I had my doubts. 

Evidently, BBQ at Rusted Silo is incredibly tender because Rob has mastered the art of meat banter. According to him, you have to listen to the food.  If the meat talks too much, then it’s too hot. Or if the meat doesn’t talk enough, it’s too cold. Like all great communicators, listening is the most essential skill to master. In this case, Rob is a magnificent listener and a first-rate BBQ pit master, much like the Larry Bird of BBQ.

Although the BBQ meat flavors were slightly different from the North Carolina and Texas flavors I love, they were excellent. Ribs were my favorite, and I’m not a rib person. I stepped back in time at the Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House.  The only thing missing was an ice-cold Cheerwine in a glass bottle.

The Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House is approximately thirty miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis off Interstate 74. Take exit 58 to 411 N State St, Lizton, Indiana 46149 — (317) 994-6145. Closed Sunday and Monday.