Palomino Smokehouse: Inside the authentic BBQ joint in Calgary

Mar 10 2023, 9:11 pm

The Palomino Smokehouse has been a popular spot in Calgary for years.

Even though YYC is a meat-loving city, there isn’t exactly a platter of hot BBQ joints that people instantly think of. The Block restaurants are great, the several Big T’s are fantastic, and Big Sky might just be the best in Alberta (Canada?).

YYC has many great BBQ spots, and Palomino is a favourite for food and one of the best places in town for live music.

There are so many fantastic places to eat in Calgary, but if you love smoked meats, sides, bourbon, and more, then this one is hard to beat.

Dished recently checked out the food and drinks at Palomino Smokehouse. The platters of food, a huge amount of sides, and massive starters ensured we couldn’t try it all — but we did our best.

We started with drinks because they sounded fantastic and inspired by the cocktails of the South. We also needed help washing down all of the meat that was on the way.

For the first sips, we opted to try the Palomino Lemonade, Sweet Cherry Coke, Georgia Peach, and a classic Dark N’ Stormy. They were as simple and refreshing as they sound, which is ideal for huge piles of beef, pork, potatoes, and more. When enjoying BBQ, we want refreshing cocktails and cold beer.

Palomino Smokehouse

Dished Calgary

The food here isn’t plain. The dishes are accompanied by house-made sides, sauces, rubs, and more to make them unique from your average joint.

For starters, we ordered the deep-fried pickles with chili aioli, the BBQ nachos with pulled pork, warm corn fritters served with honey butter, smoked wings, and everyone’s favourite: burnt ends tossed in BBQ sauce.

We also got a large bowl of macaroni and cheese and a Caesar salad. The pasta was made with Applewood smoked cheddar. There was also the option of adding pulled pork, brisket, sausage, smoked turkey, or house-smoked bacon to it. The salad was tossed in a rich caper dressing, as well as fresh lemon, roasted garlic, chili croutons, and cheese.

Palomino Smokehouse

Dished Calgary

Palomino Smokehouse

Dished Calgary

That main dish wasn’t just any normal plate of food either. It was called the Palomino Fat Ass Platter, and it comes with all of the popular choices so you can try it all.

This epic plate of grub comes with Applewood smoked pulled pork, Alberta beef brisket, Spolumbo’s smoked sausage, Kansas City ribs, smoked chicken, Palomino slaw, beans, garlic fries, Applewood smoked cheddar grits, bacon-wrapped corn on the cob, mash, and a helping of Kentucky bourbon apples.

It was a massive serving of food that felt as fun to explore with forks and spoons as it was to eat. Even though there were so many different types of food, it all came hot and perfectly cooked, steaming and falling off the bone.

Palomino Smokehouse

Dished Calgary

It was an enormous amount of food, and we didn’t even have time (or the appetite) to try any brunch items, sandwiches, or burgers.

Whenever you go, go as hungry as possible. Just remember to go before the live music starts and stay longer if it sounds like a good time.

 

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Palomino

Address: 109 7th Avenue SW, Calgary

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