BBQ blog in Sarasota, Florida: Brick’s Smoked Meats!

(SARASOTA, FL.) — In the span of just a few minutes, I gained two new “favorites” just like that!

1: BBQ brisket

2: Fried okra

On our recent trip to beautiful Sarasota, Florida, I came across Brick’s Smoked Meats on Main Street.

Located right downtown, Brick’s aesthetic is modern Western, with a beautiful indoor dining space, built-in bar area, and outdoor seating on the downtown Main St.

For an appetizer, coined “Humble Beginnings” on the menu, we split the bacon burnt ends. Served in a bowl with toothpicks to eat, these were smothered in sauce and delicious.

To get a taste of as many things as possible, I ordered the Texas Trio. Enough to fill up 2-3 people, the Texas Trio consists of three meats and two sides. I ordered the ribs, brisket and sausage! For sides, I got French fries and the highly-enjoyed fried okra.

The St. Louis ribs were lathered in sauce, meaty, and full of flavor. The brisket, now my favorite brisket I’ve ever had, was also packed with flavor, extremely tender, and delicious. The sausage was packed with jalapeno and cheddar cheese, which is one of my favorite kinds of sausage.

The fried okra was perfectly crispy and seasoned to perfection. I also got the brussel sprouts which were served in a mini skillet, amazing texture and flavor.

We also went during Happy Hour which comes with special pricing and items. Rachel ordered the Happy Hour nachos, covered in guacamole, meat, pico de gallo and more.

The only negative part is that Brick’s Smoked Meats is so far away from Peoria, Illinois. For my friends at Brick’s – there is an open space available and for sale in North Peoria if you’re interested in expanding! It used to be a Famous Dave’s, and is surrounded by shopping, hotels, and a state-of-the-art sports complex at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.

I give Brick’s Smoked Meats 5 stars across the board. Food, service and atmosphere were all stellar. We appreciated the “Future Grill Master” onesie the staff gave to Bennett as we left. See a photo of us grilling out this past weekend below!

Thanks once again to the staff at Brick’s for the amazing experience. I hope to be back in Sarasota in the near future where I can come back and visit.