- I've always been fascinated by sandwiches.
There's literally thousands of ways to make them.
So, when I heard about a place
totally thinking outside the bun,
you know I had to go and check it out.
Today, we're headed to The Speakeatery
in Asbury Park, New Jersey --
about an hour outside of New York City --
to check out their creative and unique sandwiches.
The first sandwich that really caught my eye
was the Turk Diggler, a souped- up Thanksgiving Day sandwich
they're serving between two buns made of stuffing --
talk about a game-changer.
They start off by making fresh stuffing
combining mirepoix, bits of white bread, seasoning,
and turkey stock to bind the mixture.
Once it's all melded together,
they form the mixture into balls,
place them in a mold,
and press them into buns.
They then take the buns and fry them
until they're perfectly golden brown.
What I've always disliked about the Thanksgiving sandwich
is that you are forced to double down on carbs.
You have the bread.
You have the stuffing.
The stuffing bun,
it kills two birds with one stone.
You're getting both of those in this one package,
and it really elevates this sandwich
to a whole 'nother level.
Once the buns are finished,
they spread out a base layer
of their house-made cranberry aioli.
Then, both buns are covered
with garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes.
What I really admire about The Speakeatery
is that they're always willing to go the extra mile
to ensure that you're getting the best sandwich possible.
Take, for example, the turkey in the Turk Diggler.
Instead of just buying a pre-smoked turkey,
they're smoking a full breast themselves
out behind the restaurant for anywhere up to 10 hours.
And after seeing their sandwiches,
I'm pretty sure that turkey's not the only thing
getting smoked out there.
Once the turkey is finished, they shred the meat
by hand into these perfect bite-sized strips.
Then, they're dousing each serving
in their house-made bacon gravy,
which adds this incredible richness to every bite.
This is, hands down, the best Thanksgiving sandwich
I've ever had.
I'd take this over a Thanksgiving meal
any day of the week.
Another sandwich they're serving is The General,
a nod to the Chinese takeout classic,
General Tso's chicken,
served on two sticky white rice buns.
The thing that I love about this sandwich
is how much it reminds me of Chinese leftovers.
The rice buns have a very similar consistency
to rice when you first take it out of the refrigerator.
To make the rice buns,
they take room temperature sticky rice
and mix it with rice vinegar and mirin.
Then, they ball up the rice,
put it in their mold,
press it into a bun, and finish it off
with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Next, they lightly fry a boneless chicken breast,
coat it in their spicy house-made General Tso's sauce,
and add it to the bun.
It is then topped with
their broccoli and red cabbage Asian coleslaw.
The General perfectly recreates the famous dish
in hand-held form offering a unique balance
of textures and flavors.
It's really an unforgettable bite.
The last sandwich we checked out,
The Hand Grenade, also plays on that idea
of an entire meal in each bite.
Now, the name of the sandwich might be a bit intimidating.
But, trust me:
It's nothing to worry about.
Really, what you're getting is everything
from a barbecue platter but in a bun.
- So, when I like to eat,
I like to have a bite of everything on my plate
at the same time.
So I want to eat the rib.
I want to eat the coleslaw.
I want to eat the mac & cheese.
I want to eat the bean.
I want the bread.
I wanna taste every single bite at once.
- They start by spreading baked beans
on a buttery hot dog bun.
Then, they pile on their super-stringy mac & cheese.
Next, comes some coleslaw,
which adds a bit of acidity to the very rich sandwich.
Last, but not least, they finish off The Hand Grenade
with one of their smoked barbecue ribs.
These ribs are so tender,
that when they serve the sandwich,
the bone is still in them.
Once you get it, you're supposed to pull it out,
almost like the pin of a grenade, hence the name.
Then, just dig into this delicious barbecue feast.
Quick pro tip about The Speakeatery:
Not all the sandwiches that we showed today
are always on the menu, so you gotta hit them
with a follow on IG
and see what they're cooking up daily.
And if you liked what you saw today,
please watch another Thrillist video
and like, comment, and share below.