Texas-style barbecue joint fires up in Simi Valley

A former Bludso’s pitmaster mans the smoker at Cork & Batter Roadhouse

Pitmaster Jimmy Weathersbee holds a rack of ribs given their savory profile by Lola, as his beloved smoker is known. Weathersbee has cooked at music fests like Coachella and Stagecoach. Photos by Andy Holzman

The restaurant, whose sister location is in Inglewood, also aims to appeal to music fans with a stage for bands.

A sample of the decor and seating arrangement at Cork & Batter in Simi Valley.

A pool table lends a touch of roadhouse ambience to the recently opened restaurant.

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By Richard Guzman

riguzman@scng.com

With a pitmaster that made his name at one of the most respected barbecue restaurants in the nation, Texas-style joint Cork & Batter Roadhouse just opened its doors in Simi Valley.

“You’re going to get down-home Southern Texas barbecue here. It’s real Texas barbecue — that means slow-smoked, taking your time, making your rubs, making your flavors and matching your sides to your meats, your woods,” said Jimmy Weathersbee, the executive chef and pitmaster at the restaurant, which held its grand opening Jan. 30.

Weathersbee was previously the pitmaster at legendary Texas-style barbecue spot Bludso’s in Los Angeles, which was started by Kevin Bludso, a pitmaster and host of Netflix series “Barbecue Showdown.”

Weathersbee, who has also cooked at music festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach, is bringing his old-school skills to the airy new restaurant that mixes modern elements like brick walls, a sleek bar and vintage touches like old gas station signs, Johnny Cash records, Texas license plates and a bull skull with horns hanging prominently on a wall.

There’s also a stage for bands, pool tables and a patio anchored by a large barbecue smoker named Lola, where Weathersbee can be seen in action making brisket that’s smoked overnight as well as pulled pork and tender baby back ribs doused in a housemade sauce.

“I normally don’t sauce any of the meats, but the baby back ribs go so good with our spicy apricot and it’s just a match made in heaven,” Weathersbee said as he pulled a rack of ribs from the barbecue during the grand opening.

This is the second location of Cork & Batter. The original is in Inglewood, and plans call for a third location to open in San Diego this summer.

“When we met chef Jimmy we knew right away Cork & Batter was going to be barbecue in Simi Valley because he brings a lot of great things to the table — his creativity, flavor, his history,” said Freddy Braidy, founder of Boulevard Hospitality Group, which teamed with Weathersbee for the Simi Valley location.

“And the design, we kind of skewed it a little bit towards this nostalgic and rustic vibe where you feel like you’re at home,” he added.

Highlights at the restaurant include the tender brisket, which is smoked for 14 hours over white oak and pecan wood. “When you take a bite out of it you literally chew it twice and it melts in your mouth. We’re bringing that kind of down-home cooking that takes that amount of time to break down that cut meat so that when people put it in their mouth it falls apart,” Weathersbee said.

Other suggestions for those visiting the restaurant for the first time include the mac and cheese with mashed potatoes and brisket gravy; the St. Louis ribs, which are made with a house rub and smoked with white oak, pecan and apple wood; steaks like a 32-ounce tomahawk; the rib-eye, and smoked pastrami.

“The smoked pastrami is not a thin-sliced pastrami, it’s real smoked pastrami. It’s got that nice salty, peppery crust, and we have it on sandwiches or we have it where you can buy by the pound. It’s one of those sleeper items on the menu,” he said.