Guest Post: NZ’s Smokin’ Guns!

At long last, my friends! As many regular readers know, those of us holding down the fort here at DenverStreetFood.com are vegetarians, which can be a major disadvantage when it comes to writing about a food scene as diverse as the Denver street food scene. Imagine our glee, then, when Chef Pat of Who Is In the Kitchen? Personal Chef Services buzzed and let us know she’d recently had the chance to swing by the NZ’s Smokin’ Guns truck for some barbecue, and wondered if we’d want to post her writeup of the grub. Hell yeah! Pat, you’re a lifesaver.

I recently met Nick and Kirk of NZ’s and sadly admitted I’d probably never try their food. We talked briefly about the possibility of veg options they could try (a Boca burger slathered with NZ smoked green chiles or a fine chipotle aioli?). I’m hopeful that one day I’ll be able to talk about their food from my own experience, but in the meantime, I give you Chef Pat’s first-hand experience of this culinary treat! The original writeup can be found at Chef Pat’s recently launched blog.

Chef Pat on NZ’s Smokin’ Guns Barbecue

Denver is coming of age in regards to street food vendors. With over 20 trucks serving up everything from breakfast items, gourmet sausages, fantastic sandwiches, pizza, cupcakes, to coffee, these vendors are making a real impression on the food scene here. I had the opportunity to have lunch this week from NZ’s Smokin’ Guns, and what I had was true bar-b-que.

On the walk to the truck I could smell smoke, and when I smell smoke, my mouth starts to water. My stomach alarm goes off. I consider myself a fairly good judge of bar-b-que. I’ve eaten it from Kansas City to Florida and all points in between. And I can throw down some mean “Q” myself. I ordered two different sandwiches. The beef brisket and pulled pork sandwiches are served up mild or hot and come on fantastic rolls. No additional sauce – the meats hold onto the sauce/rub they were cooked in and trust me, you won’t want more sauce. Besides, I want to taste the smoky flavor of the meat, not a slop of sauce.

I also ordered the Bar-B-Que Chili, with onion and cheese. What a bowl of flavor! Smoky, meaty, and you can eat it with a fork. I did share all three items with a few friends and they all agreed, this was some of the best “Q” they’d had in Denver. NZ’s Smokin’ Guns also carries other sandwiches and sides, but I was here for the “Q”. The three items cost me around $18.00 and were well worth the price.

So next time you’re out and about and you see NZ’s Smokin’ Guns food truck, park the car and run to this vendor; you won’t be disappointed.

NZ’s Smokin’ Guns usually posts their day’s parking spots on Facebook and on their Twitter feed, which is reposted at DenverStreetFood.com, along with many of Denver’s street food vendors.

Thanks, Chef Pat!  And to Nick and Kirk – Pat’s enthusiasm makes me feel a little twinge of regret about my vegetarianism. Just so you know.