Scott Himelstein:
Have you ever tried smoked nachos? And where can you find LA style smoked barbecue? Today on Eat Live Love San Fernando Valley, we’re at Mecha BBQ in Canoga Park. The San Fernando Valley has a lot to offer, amazing food, rich history, tons of community events, and amazing people and organizations.
I’m Scott Himelstein with the Scott Himelstein Group, and this is Eat Live Love San Fernando Valley.
Abel, my friend, it is so great to be here.
Abel:
Nice to meet you.
Scott Himelstein:
Finally get to meet you. All right, I’ve been excited to try you guys for a long time, so tell me, what’s Mecha BBQ all about for someone who doesn’t know?
Abel:
Mecha BBQ, so it’s LA style barbecue, so all the meats are smoked and we implement that in Mexican food. And Mecha, in Spanish, it actually means fire and/or spark. I implemented that into the logo, so I go with fire is the passion and spark is the idea.
Scott Himelstein:
Abel, you have a pretty unique smoker, don’t you?
Abel:
It’s a drum smoker, so all the meats are hung, and all the fire and the wood are below the meats, so that’s more of my style of like vertical smoking. Yeah.
Scott Himelstein:
What are you going to be having me try today?
Abel:
The nachos. So we do have a two meat nachos. You can choose either from pulled pork, chicken, or the tri tip.
Scott Himelstein:
Okay, and then on the nachos, tell me, obviously, besides the meat, what else do you have? Because most people have never tried smoked nachos before.
Abel:
Yeah. Yeah, so my nacho cheese is more spiced up in Mexican flavors and Mexican cheese, like the Oaxaca cheese, so it’s a little bit more unique.
Scott Himelstein:
Cool. Well, it sounds incredible. Can’t wait to try it.
Abel:
Thank you so much.
Scott Himelstein:
Guys, if you haven’t figured out already, you know that I could eat barbecue any day of the week, so just take a look at the nachos right here. There are nachos, and then there are nachos. This could feed easily a family of four, so this is the tri tip and chicken nachos. You have the choice of getting two meats on your nachos. You got the chimichurri sauce, the chipotle sauce, which gives it some real serious kick, and obviously, you’ve got the nacho cheese, so I’m going to try to get a little bit of everything together here. Easier said than done. Put it through. Get some all this flavor. I’m going to get dirty and just do it with my hands.
Guys, these nachos are absolutely killer. The first thing that you taste when you take a bite is the spiciness and the kick of the Chipotle sauce, and then immediately you have the smoothness of the nacho cheese sauce, so that obviously gives a little bit of a tang to it. Then you got the chimichurri sauce, as well as the sliced onions and cilantro. And obviously, of course, you got the chicken and the tri tip, both of them juicy and tender as can possibly be. All right, now I’m going to try those smoked wings with the sliced jalapeno on it.
So the smoked wings, you can taste the smokiness, but at the same time, the meat just falls off the bone. Then you add some jalapeno, some even more kick. As you know, I love spicy food. Last, if not least, is the tri tip quesadilla, and on the tri tip quesadilla, they got the homemade chipotle coleslaw, which they make on site, as well as the tri tip, and again, the cilantro and the sliced onions as well as the cheese. But this thing is like a gym workout. I mean, look at the size of this thing.
I love the first thing that you actually bite into is the grilled oversized corn tortilla, and then you immediately taste the tri tip, and most tri tip that you taste here in Los Angeles, most of it is chewy and somewhat hard. This is very soft, juicy, and tender, just like in the nachos that we just had. So highly recommend it with all the flavor, plus you got the homemade coleslaw here that uses the chipotle sauce, so it just adds a bit of spiciness and kick to it.
Guys, if you’re looking to try some LA barbecue, not the normal Texas style barbecue that you can find anywhere here in LA, these guys focus on tri tip, pulled pork, as well as their smoked wings, so come on out, their food is just absolutely amazing and incredible, packed filled of flavor. So where can you find these guys? On Fridays, they’re at 8one8 Brewing in Canoga Park. They’re a popup, so make sure you follow them on social media, follow them in stories to see where they’re going to be each week, but highly recommend them.
If you liked this episode, make sure you like, comment, share so we can blow these guys up and support these guys here in the San Fernando Valley. And we look forward to seeing you next time on Eat Live love San Fernando Valley.
?8one8 Brewing – 8953 De Soto Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91304
Follow them on their social media sites:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mecha_bbq/
