A smoked brisket is hardly an occasion to break from tradition. The tough cut of meat allows for no shortcuts and little in the way of innovation. No, a brisket must be smoked low and slow or not cooked at all, and for a large segment of the brisket-eating population, sauce on brisket is the equivalent of cursing at church. But Mouthole BBQ, the mobile meat-smoking outfit that operates primarily out of Calusa Brewing Company, is not averse to the occasional blasphemy.

While owners Ray and Nicky Mabalot generally keep things simple and classic with their brisket sandwich—the beef cooked low and slow with smoke over 12-14 hours—their sauces say much about their rock-and-roll aesthetic. Their spicy sauce burns both in- and outfeed holes, their sweet sauce soothes, but it’s their tangy yellow sauce that has as much complexity as the best Thai curries. Despite being comprised of the usual suspects of a Carolina BBQ sauce—mustard, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, paprika, salt, sugar, etc.—Mouthole adds a twist in its use of soy sauce. The result is a sauce that tastes spicy, tangy and a touch sweet, with a hint of something new that lets one know that some rules are meant to be broken. By all means, drown your brisket sandwich in sauce; the purists in Texas don’t need to know.

Mouthole will be serving up their burgers tonight at Calusa Brewing from 5pm to 8:30pm, while Saturdays feature their full menu of smoked meats, including brisket.

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