Smok’n, the Slovenian way

Barbecue in Slovenia? Oh yes. And even the purists would cheer.

Cecile and I were looking for a culinary adventure the other night and saw a notice for Kralj Zara BBQ Restaurant just off Kongresni Trg in old Ljubljana.   Coming from an area where arguments about the nuances of Kansas City versus St. Louis versus Memphis barbecue can go on forever, we just had to give it a try.

This was the first time we have eaten barbecue off of a white linen tablecloth. Kralj Zara is an elegant restaurant in the old European style, with a couple of tech nods to modernity, like a large wine cooler and a glass-fronted meat aging cabinet filled with darkened rib-eyes and house-made sausages.

Our waiter was a pro – honestly friendly, gracious with our lack of local knowledge and ever-ready to make our meal more pleasant. And like all Slovenian wait staff, he wasn't angling for a tip.

Barbecue here is much like what the competitive barbecue teams prepare in Missouri. It’s house-smoked meats that need no sauce. We had a platter of baby ribs, baby pork leg, and brisket with incredible pickled apple slices. On the side we had coleslaw (of course!) and truffle French fries. Washed down with German lager.

It was a meat-lover’s heaven. I told Cecile she could just leave me at the table for a few days. I could hang around until it was time to go back for a mess of Buckingham’s finest.