Oink and Moo BBQ food truck opens Florham Park storefront
FLORHAM PARK – Twenty-five years ago, as Josh Sacks and his fellow Rutgers classmates chowed down on Fat Cat burgers and assorted fare from the famed grease trucks that lined the New Brunswick campus, he had a vision.
"I had an obsession with barbeque in general and had a dream of working for myself and having a barbeque truck," he said. "I'd always cooked for family and friends and thought that having a truck would be a great transition into the food world."
A quarter-century later, Sacks, now 45 and the owner of Oink and Moo BBQ, owns not one but two successful barbeque trucks as well as another, more permanent testament to his prowess in this competitive culinary category — a brand new bricks-and-mortar restaurant in Florham Park which is bringing New Jerseyans the best of southern barbeque with a bit of Garden State flare.
Ahead of a trend
The grease trucks he visited as a college student all had similar menus and Sacks watched as gourmet food trucks became more specialized over the years. He saw the spread in popularity from the west coast to the east and eventually spawning its own culture.
An explosion of local food trucks, food truck festivals and such events as Food Truck Wars held annually at Monmouth Racetrack every Memorial Day weekend, became popular in New Jersey.
"I was a little ahead of the trend and got in before it got really big," said Sacks, who launched his Oink and Moo BBQ truck featuring fresh gourmet barbeque favorites in 2012. "Since then, we've had a three-pronged approach to the market, bringing our food to corporate clients during the week, supporting house parties and catering requests, and participating in special events such as street fairs and wine and beer festivals on the weekends."
Last month, Sacks added a surprise fourth prong to his successful strategy when he officially opened Oink and Moo BBQ, a 1,200 square-foot, 24-seat restaurant in Florham Park.
"We offer fresh and tasty food in a relaxed, fast-casual setting," said Sacks, a Millstone resident and father of two. "Guests will enjoy authentic barbeque made from scratch and with care right here in New Jersey."
He said many chefs think it's easier and more economically feasible to launch a truck rather than invest in the bricks and mortar of a restaurant, "but, when you own a truck, you still need to rent licensed commercial kitchen space by law to receive, prepare and store your food," said Sacks. "We got to a point where we were outgrowing the kitchen space we were renting at a local firehouse and had interest in the bigger space that a permanent restaurant could offer us."
Based on the heavy volume of customers that Oink and Moo had established in northern New Jersey, the cozy neighborhood location they found — in the ground-floor space occupied by a former deli in a residential area just minutes from both downtown Madison and Florham Park — "made sense," Sacks said, and, as coincidence would have it, became available for move-in during the trucks' annual slower time over the winter.
Blowout BBQ
Decorated in the same red and pink colors of the Oink and Moo trucks that circulate throughout New Jersey and Philadelphia, the Oink and Moo BBQ restaurant fully reflects Sacks' unique approach to and love for great barbeque specialties.
"There's Carolina-style barbeque, which features pulled pork with slaw on top in a vinegar-based barbeque sauce and there's Texas style," he said, noting that "good barbeque is hard to find in New Jersey and isn't available on a whim like other ethnic foods," a reality which led him on many 'BBQ vacations' to renowned destinations like Memphis, Austin, and Lockhart, TX over the years to learn different styles around the country.
"Ours is a merger of favorite things I've seen from all over," he said. "I like a little spice, so many of our dishes have a little kick to them, but each menu item has its own sauce paired with the meat to showcase that item best and make it stand out from the other dishes."
Among other principles, Sacks is dedicated to the concepts of fresh and homemade.
"Everything we do is made in-house from scratch," he said, including brisket and pulled pork that's hickory-smoked on the premises for 12 hours, as well as their own special rubs and sauces because, "although great barbeque must be based around the meat, sauces can make or break a dish."
Among other offerings, guests will enjoy Oink and Moo's signature brisket or pulled pork sliders with spicy cole slaw for $9.50 or $8.50 respectively, or their brisket and pulled pork chili — "all meat – no beans or other fillers" — served with a piece of homemade corn bread for $7.
Other popular options include a platter of three chipotle chicken tacos, a tasty blend of spicy grilled chicken with a chipotle rub, homemade pickled poblano peppers and homemade sour cream cilantro lime dressing ($8). "We also offer our own baby back ribs served with corn bread and cole slaw ($12) which we think stands up to the best," Sacks said.
While these items are fully available both at the trucks and the restaurant, several options are currently only available at the restaurant, where Sacks says he's embraced the opportunity to expand his menu and try new things that he hopes will become standards.
These include quesadillas featuring black beans, cheese, and chipotle chicken, skirt steak, or pulled pork ($6.50-$9.50) as well as a smoked sausage sandwich ($6.50), a black bean salad, a creamy mac and cheese side and a banana pudding dessert.
In the competitive field that he's chosen to play in, "a lot of barbeque restaurants don't make it," Sacks said. "Some people perceive it as cheaper food, but if you're using high-quality meat like we are and not loading up dishes with rice and beans, it can definitely be gourmet and higher-end. In the six weeks since our restaurant opened, we've had great word-of-mouth and are already seeing a lot of repeat customers."
A dream come true
Sacks said that his dream was made possible by good food as well as good timing.
"A lot of the nation's food trucks are run by chefs who can't afford a full-on restaurant and use their truck as a segué to test things, build a fan base and hopefully attract investors," he said. "Our new restaurant fell into place perfectly for us — both financially, geographically and in terms of the space we needed, when we needed it and we're excited for people to try it."
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If You Go
Oink and Moo BBQ
Address: 54 Broadway, Florham Park
Tel. 973-845-6101
Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday.