Tattoos and Brisket -- Federal Hill Smokehouse

Ryan and his wife opened Federal Hill Smokehouse in 2016 and is the first restaurant they have owned, but it is not the first shop he has owned. He also owns the tattoo shop next door, Ink Assassins, which he opened in 2000. When coming up with a name for your restaurant it has to be something people will remember and understand. Ryan told me, “I didn’t want something jokey for the name and I wanted smokehouse in it, so I found a picture of the intersection here from the early 1900s and it was called Federal Hill.” 

Ryan had been getting good at cooking barbecue in his backyard and when he brought it to parties he got a really good response from everyone, so he decided to start selling it. Along with getting good at cooking it, he also wanted to do something that would be fun and then it all took off.

To make their typically sold out barbecue, Ryan’s day starts at 5 a.m. to get the turkey and ribs on the smoker, then runs errands to get back to the restaurant by 8 a.m., then from 9-11 a.m. they finish their prep, and have service from 11-3 p.m. and they are done. However, someone has to come back at 8p.m. and midnight to feed their smokers that runs on all wood all week.

Something that makes them different from other smokehouses in the area are that they use all wood smokers instead of gas. They also make everything homemade, including their sides, and cook in small batches for a great quality. Ryan said that they do not have a secret recipe because everything is pretty basic, but time is what makes it really good.

He believes that by offering a really good product, the customers will return. Some people might get mad if they get to their restaurant and find out that everything is sold out, but that only happens because they are making their products for quality. Ryan gave me some advice for the customers by telling me, “Get here by 12:30 and you’re good, things tend to die down by 1 p.m., but for may be limited.” The most popular menu items are brisket, turkey, and Mac and cheese, but Ryan’s favorite is the sausage sandwich.

In the future, Ryan would like to expand the upstairs to have more seating, buy another smoker to accommodate their business since they are also catering for many parties and events, and also keep things status quo.

To Ryan, having people return, giving them good reviews on the food, and saying that they have a hospitable business makes him happy, but making the customers happy is the best. Besides making the customers happy, being able to work with his wife and friends is another great experience while working there.

Federal Hill Smokehouse is located at 2609 Peach Street

They are open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until they sell out.