Cockeye BBQ is a straight shooter

by: Mark Smesko & Mike Vallas

Nothing makes Mark’s mouth water more than the promise of good barbecue, so with empty bellies and hungry hearts we ventured to Parkman Road in Warren to taste the offerings at Cockeye BBQ.

Cockeye opened in May and is owned and operated by Chef Erik Hoover and his wife, Stacey. What started as a side hobby, and competition in Kansas City Barbeque Society events, led to the decision to purchase a building and open up their “fast casual” restaurant, explained Chef Hoover.

As you walk in you’ll notice the floors and counters are appropriately outfitted with hickory wood, and the two in-house smokers permeate the air with the comforting smell of what is to come. The process is simple: place your order at the counter, pick up your food in an unassuming takeout container, grab your utensils and condiments, then head out the door or take a seat at a dining table.

Chef Erik asked us what we would like to eat. As we tell everyone, “We will eat anything you serve us and you can’t possibly feed us too much.”

He left our table with a smile on his face and returned with a huge tray of barbecue and sides. We decided to start off with the meats. Chef Erik explained to us that all the meats get a coating of their custom rub prior to going into the smoker.

While not divulging the recipe, he did acknowledge that it contained chili powder and dark brown sugar. The pork shoulder is in the smoker for 14 hours, brisket 12 hours and St. Louis style ribs and chicken for four hours. Both oak and hickory is used to smoke the meats. The oak provides high heat and the hickory provides lower heat and flavor. Chef Erik recommends getting your order lightly sauced so the taste of the rub and smoked meat comes through, with the sauce serving as condiment.

First up was the ribs, which were very meaty and had a nice pink smoke ring. They were tender but not so tender that they completely fell off the bone. You get a slight spice from the rub and a nice smoky flavor. The house-made barbecue sauce was slightly sweet and provided the perfect flavor combination. These ribs are representative of why Chef Erik was a winner in competition barbecue. They are addictive and some of the best we’ve had in the area.

We next moved on to the brisket and pulled pork. Both of us have eaten a lot of barbecue and have found that brisket can sometimes be dry. Not the case here. The brisket was juicy with nice hints of smoke. The pulled pork was succulent and tender. Both meats melted in your mouth and paired well with the sauce.

Lastly, we sampled the chicken. Cockeye BBQ tries to source locally whenever possible. They get their rolls from Warren Baking, their cheese is from Great Lakes and their chicken is from Gerber Farms. The chicken is smoked low and slow for four hours, resulting in the tender meat falling off the bone. Served in quarter chicken portions, it was quite delicious.

After satisfying our carnivore instincts, we moved to a variety of side dishes. We first dug into the mac and cheese. The dish is traditional in that it is a bechamel (cream sauce) based but the cheeses used are what makes it interesting. Cockeye uses white cheddar and smoked Gouda to give it a whole different flavor profile. Slightly smoky and very tasty.

Next was the cheesy potatoes. Grated spuds mixed with sour cream and cheddar cheese then baked to creamy perfection. The coleslaw was mayo-based and only lightly sauced, maintaining the crispiness of the cabbage.

The baked beans were not traditional in that they used kidney, butter and pinto beans. These were mixed with some of the pit meats to give it a nice depth of flavor. The cornbread-based corn casserole was luscious with added texture from whole corn kernels.

Other sides we tried were fried green tomatoes, deep fried cheesy grit cakes and hush puppies. All very good.

Cockeye also has numerous “Handhelds” or sandwiches. We sampled two of them.

First up was a Classic Polish Boy. This consists of a polish sausage in a hoagie roll topped with French fries, coleslaw and barbecue sauce. Next was the “BPT” or breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. This is a massive piece of pork breaded and fried served on a roll topped with a honey mustard sauce, onions and pickles. Both were full of flavor and would satisfy anyone’s hunger.

Last but not least, we were served the “Mess plate.” This is somewhat of a secret menu item. With this dish, you pick a starch, pick a meat and pick your topping. Our customized dish was mac and cheese topped with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce and onion rings. We had a little taste at the restaurant but were so full, we really couldn’t enjoy it. Mark took it home and shared it with his son Dylan the next day. Needless to say, two thumbs up from Mark and his 9-year-old. Definitely something to order on your visit.

Our gig gives us the opportunity to eat good food, and (most of the time) meet extremely nice and hardworking people. This experience was no different. Chef Erik and Stacey genuinely love what they do, and it shows in their food and the way they approach their customers. Give them a try. You might be visiting one of the future landmark restaurants in Warren.