After 13 years of Austinites showing up to Salty Sow expecting barbecue, the restaurant has joined forces with a "pit boss" ready to provide it. A new concept called Smoke Break, headed by Chad Deen of the existing barbecue trailer Waylon J's, has moved into a building on Salty Sow's property.

Smoke Break opens Friday, June 20, and will serve barbecue during the lunch hours when Salty Sow is usually closed. It will operate through counter service, so guests can enjoy their dishes on Salty Sow's patio, inside the dining room, or as takeaway.

Waylon J's has moved into a building sharing a parking lot with Salty Sow.Photo courtesy of Salty Sow and Waylon J's

Salty Sow is highly regarded for its zhuzhed up comfort foods offering chef-minded takes on "gastropub fare" and Southern classics like deviled eggs, fried chicken, and smoked pork shoulder. However, chef owner Harold Marmulstein says the name has led many guests to believe they would be ordering barbecue — so this partnership just made sense. He met Deen at a series of tastings at local Mexican restaurant Bulevar.

Smoke Break combines the barbecue style that Deen had already developed for Waylon J's with sides in the regular style of Salty Sow, creating a partnership that stays on-brand but doesn't sacrifice either point of view.

The concept is starting with a relatively expansive menu, offering smoked meats — prime brisket, pork sausage, whiskey maple pork belly, smoked turkey, pork shoulder with craklin' pork belly, and a Sichuan bacon rib — plus sides and sandwiches. Marmulstein says whereas a standard barbecue sandwich tends to be chopped, the meat on these sandwiches will be hand-pulled and tossed in a unique sauce for each recipe.

"The slaw is freshly made," Marmulstein says. "We use Martin's potato buns. We're buttering them and double-toasting both sides on them, so it's going to come out on a warm, butter-toasted bun, not just a bun taken out of a bag."

Smoke Break sandwiches are each paired with a special sauce.Photo courtesy of Salty Sow and Waylon J's

A highlight among the sauces is Deen's whiskey maple mop, which is made with spirits from Andalusia Whiskey Company in Blanco. That comes on the pulled pork and cracklin' sandwich; the turkey sandwich is paired with Alabama white sauce, and the prime brisket comes with a classic au jus.

"We kind of combine different techniques," says Deen of Waylon J's approach to briskets. "[It] takes extra steps to do that. But we do feel like the quality is top notch. We use prime grade Goodstock meats, and we go through ... early in the morning and check each one like they're our babies, and then we wrap them all back up in butcher paper paper. It's a very tedious thing to do."

Rounding out the menu are a few desserts, each with an option to add ice cream, plus grab-and-go drinks including beer, margaritas, and frozen old fashioneds.

Salty Sow and Smoke Break, which is marked by a Waylon J's sign, are both located at 1917 Manor Rd. Smoke Break is open for lunch from 11 am to 3 pm Fridays through Sundays. Salty Sow is open for dinner from 4:30-9 pm Sundays through Thursdays, and 4:30-10 pm Fridays and Saturdays. Smoke Break will also offer catering with 72 hours of notice.