Hickory BBQ has its roots in a Catskills backyard full of friends and family.
The minute you walk into Hickory BBQ and Smokehouse, you’re surrounded by the smoky, tangy aroma of barbecue and a warm welcome, all of it made with tender loving care. The only hard part is choosing among delicacies like sourdough onion rings and organic smoked housemade sausage, and that’s just the start. Expect to crave almost everything, from the classic St. Louis-style ribs to the “Kingston Trio” platter of smoked turkey thigh, beef brisket, and pulled pork. May we suggest the Feast? It’s a generous sampler with four sides, the barbecue version of a tasting flight, and can help you find your favorites for next time—and the time after that.
Hickory BBQ has its roots in a Catskills backyard full of friends and family. “That’s what we did growing up, spent whole summers up here,” says Steve Slutzky. “Our parents had a place down near Monticello, and for decades—even after we grew up—we’d go spend weekends and bring all kinds of friends and just spend whole days cooking and feasting on barbecue.” Dad Michael, who would eventually be known as Doc Hickory, had a gift for the many arts involved: rubbing, smoking, grilling, seasoning, saucing, and basting. Mom Carol, aka Ma Hickory, a gifted baker, handled desserts and sides. In 2002, Steve and his brother Mark, a Culinary Institute-trained chef, decided to open a restaurant that would bring those family recipes to the public, and the rest is history—a proud history of best-of awards for ribs and chili and wings, community involvement, and satisfied appetites.
Expect to crave almost everything, from the classic St. Louis-style ribs to the “Kingston Trio” platter of smoked turkey thigh, beef brisket, and pulled pork. May we suggest the Feast? It’s a generous sampler with four sides, the barbecue version of a tasting flight.
“This was AMAZING BBQ and the hush puppies were to die for,” writes a happy diner on Google. “Sweet potato fries for the Vegan, and even he had choices and was very happy. I’ve never had mustard-based sauce and it’s my new favorite. This is a must-go to from now on and we will even make a special trip. Nice beer on tap too. Service was phenomenal as well. The brisket was perfect and the ribs were SO good. The collards were legit too! Grandma would be proud!”
Fresh local ingredients are an important part of the magic: meats from Hudson Valley Cattle Company in Woodbridge, fresh corn from Davenport’s in Stone Ridge in season, supplies from Marlboro and Ellenville and Saugerties, carefully chosen to do justice to Doc’s meticulously refined recipes. Doc passed away in 2022, but his flavors live on and the walls of the restaurant are still graced by his paintings—and Ma Hickory still does all the baking. During the pandemic, the Hickory BBQ crew masked up, kept the doors open, and worked with the county to keep the homebound fed. “They’d tell us what they needed and then do the distribution, so we could just do what we do best, which is food production,” says Slutzky. “And it was great for the kids; it got them out of the house and active, helping prep and box up the meals.”
“We’re packed with families every day, which is great–it’s wonderful to be somebody’s regular Thursday or Friday destination, and we get a lot of travelers who make it a regular stop on their way through Kingston.” – Steve Slutzky
Son Cameron and daughter Gabby have been helping their whole lives, not just at the restaurant but at festivals and special events. “And I couldn’t keep it all together without my wife Jill,” says Slutzky. “She jumps in, covers any job if someone didn’t show up, runs to Hannaford’s for that last-minute bag of sugar—just the ideal partner.”
Catering has become a Hickory specialty. “A lot of people are surprised to hear that we do around 60 weddings a year and dozens of pig roasts,” says Slutzky. “Birthdays, graduations, family reunions—we’ll bring a slow-smoked pig, set up a grill and do ribs and burgers and dogs. We’ve done weddings and events at most of the venues around; we have a great team of cooks and servers, and we had a lot of 2025 stuff booked by last spring.”
When brother Mark left in 2007 to become a corporate chef, Slutzky found him tough to replace. “I tried for about a year. I tried out a couple of people and then one of them said, ‘You know exactly what you want and how to do it, why don’t you do it yourself?’ That turned out to be a pretty good idea, and I’ve been doing it myself for 16 years now.
I’d always enjoyed cooking anyway, it was my big creative outlet, and I learned a lot helping Dad and Mark. It’s harder, these days, to dial it back down and just cook for the four of us; we end up with lots of leftovers.”(It’s hard to believe anyone, anywhere wouldn’t love a fridge full of Hickory BBQ leftovers—a good thing to remember if you can’t decide and end up ordering more savory goodness than you can eat in one sitting.)
Slutzky loves knowing that Hickory BBQ food has become a beloved tradition for lots of local and visiting families too. “We’re packed with families every day, which is great—it’s wonderful to be somebody’s regular Thursday or Friday destination, and we get a lot of travelers who make it a regular stop on their way through Kingston. Top quality, a warm welcome, and keeping it affordable—you give up a little, but you reap the rewards in people coming back, so your business stays vital. And now we’ve had people work here who weren’t even born when we first opened—they move on and start lives and come back with a baby. It’s a complete circle, and it’s just delicious.”
hickory bbq & smokehouse
743 Route 28, Kingston
845-338-2424
hickoryrestaurant.com
