Duke City BBQ a contender for the best barbecue in Albuquerque

They call it the brisket pull test.

It’s an easy way to judge a pitmaster’s prowess. Take a piece of brisket and pull gently on each end. Overcooked brisket falls apart too readily, while undercooked versions hang together like elastic bands.

By that metric, the brisket at Duke City BBQ, near Interstate 25 and San Mateo Boulevard NE, is just about perfect. The thick, juicy cuts provide only slight resistance before breaking apart.

It’s a testament to the skill of Esteban Quezada, the restaurant’s smokemaster general. A native of El Paso, Quezada developed his craft during the COVID pandemic before launching Duke City with restaurant developer Yogesh Patel in early 2023. A second location opened recently at the Bridges on Tramway development on Tramway Boulevard and Candelaria Road NE.

The original restaurant occupies a prime corner spot at a strip mall on the east side of San Mateo, just south of the Osuna Road intersection.

The midsized dining room is utilitarian. Two-top tables line the window, four tops are set along the back wall, and several tables are pushed together in the middle of the room for larger parties. Rolls of paper towels are helpfully placed on every table. For entertainment, you can watch the TV mounted on one wall or check out the action at Cliff’s Amusement Park across the street.

Ordering is done at a counter just inside the entrance. I made two visits there recently: once to eat in and once for takeout. Both times, the server assembled my order quickly while I waited at the counter. The food is served on metal trays for dining in. Some items may take a few minutes to prepare, in which case the server will bring them out to your table.

A stop at the self-serve stand with sauces and fixings like onions, peppers, pickles and salsa is essential after ordering. The sauce is served out of two metal cylinders, one containing the Classic version, the other filled with the Spicy variety. Both have a similar rust-red color and thin consistency. The Classic is tangy and sweet, the Spicy is heated up with red chile. Take a sip of it and you’ll feel the burn. The tiny plastic cups with covers are a bit inconvenient for takeout purposes. You might have to fill up quite a few to get the right amount of sauce.

The menu, displayed on a lighted board above the counter, focuses on the fruits of the smoker. Available meats include brisket, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, turkey, pork loin and spicy barbecue chop. Meats are priced by the half-pound. Dino Beef Ribs, long, meaty ribs from the lower portion of the cow’s rib cage, are available on Saturday and Sunday for $25 a pound.

Of the five sandwiches on offer, I tried the Pulled Pork ($8.99). The pork was a mix of strings and chunks, some with bark on them to give textural contrast and a punch of flavor. The spicy barbecue sauce was the optimal choice here, adding a kick without overpowering the pork. The big soft bun held it all together. An outstanding sandwich. You can also get it in the more shredded, vinegar-forward Carolina version.

I didn’t notice until later that the sandwiches are supposed to come with chips. No one mentioned this when I ordered.

At $13.99 for a half-pound, the aforementioned brisket is a bit pricey, but it does not disappoint. My to-go order was wrapped in checkered paper. It was juicy and tender, with a crunchy bark that concentrated the flavor of the rub.

Also terrific was a to-go order of the Half Chicken ($8.50), a breast and leg portion chopped into four pieces. The skin was dark and crisp, the mostly white meat moist and smoky with a pinkish smoke ring. It paired well with the tangy Classic sauce.

The three different sausage offerings all have cheese in them. The Regular and the Jalapeño come with Cheddar Cheese, the Green Chile with Pepper Jack. They cost $7.99 each. A to-go order of the Regular Sausage was sliced into 1- to 2-inch portions. The skin was puckered and a little crisp, the filling creamy and peppery with some welcome sharpness from the pockets of melted cheese inside.

Side dishes are a vital part of the barbecue experience, and Duke City has 10 of them on offer in single portions or pints. The single portions are served in Styrofoam cups and cost either $2.99 or $3.25.

Duke City’s Coleslaw ($2.99) was a sweet and soupy variation of the form, loaded with dried cranberries. The addition of pineapple and mango gave it a tropical kick.

The Creamed Corn ($3.25) was also pretty sweet. The server told me they thicken it with corn starch.

I was glad to have a couple of savory sides to balance the sweetness of the coleslaw and creamed corn. First up was Mac N Cheese ($3.25) comprised of cavatappi, a grooved elbow pasta, in a creamy, cheesy bechamel sauce. It was sharp and salty, with a good balance of sauce and pasta. For the Potato Salad ($2.99), the potatoes are cut into small chunks and tossed in a tangy, creamy dressing.

The three desserts on the menu include Banana Pudding and Tres Leches Pudding for $3.49 and Rice Krispies Treats freighted with marshmallows and M&Ms for $2.29. The puddings are kept in a cooler behind the counter, while the Rice Krispies Treats are displayed on the counter top.

Both the puddings were served in Styrofoam cups. The banana was a classic presentation, the pudding chunky with banana pieces under a layer of whipped cream topped with vanilla cookies. I enjoyed this one and its pleasing combination of banana, cinnamon and caramel flavors. In the Tres Leches version, whipped cream and a berry topping sat over a soupy bottom layer infused with cake. More like a cake milkshake than a pudding, but tasty nonetheless.

The selection of drinks includes a self-serve soda station and bottles of Jarritos, the Mexican soda.

There are many gluten-free options — more than most barbecue places I’ve been to — but they are not marked on the menu. However, the counter person was well-informed about which dishes are suitable.

Esteban Quezada does smoking right. His Duke City BBQ is a contender for the best barbecue in town.

Duke City BBQ a contender for the best barbecue in Albuquerque