For the past two years, Andrew Darneille has had a lot more on his mind than barbecue. The pitmaster and owner of Smokecraft opened his stylish, full-service restaurant in July 2020, just four months into this global nightmare that we’re still dealing with. The date of Smokecraft’s debut is pertinent… Read More

Andrew Darneille, owner and pitmaster at Smokecraft Modern Barbecue in Arlington, brings home fifth place in pork and finishes eighth place overall at the barbecue world championship. t’s a oft-repeated phrase that “It’s an honor just to be nominated” for an Oscar. The same can be said of being invited to compete in “The Jack.”…

If your idea of barbecue is simple, inexpensive heaps of smoked meat, look elsewhere. Owner and pit master Andrew Darneille—formerly of the late Georgetown restaurant Old Glory—hit barbecue competitions for years before opening his Clarendon spot. He doesn’t skimp on ingredients or ambition. Duroc pork belly, prime brisket, and steakhouse-level rib eye make their way…

A high-end barbecue joint isn’t the first place we’d think to look for a great Jewish-deli classic, but for chef/owner Andrew Darneille, the sandwich has a personal connection. Decades ago, his mom would shuttle him to and from a job at a restaurant that made a killer Reuben, and he’d bring her one each time….

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Andrew Darneille, pitmaster of the Smokecraft Championship BBQ team and owner of Smokecraft Modern Barbecue in Arlington, has qualified to compete in the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue. “We’ve worked so hard every day to cook the best barbecue that we can, and this invitation validates that we can cook with the very best,” said Darneille in…

This new Clarendon-based joint offers an upscale dining experience accompanied by your favorite backyard barbecue bites – and it’s only a three-minute walk from Clarendon station on the Metro and currently open for dine-in or delivery through Toast. Pitmaster Andrew Darneille’s aims to incorporate flavors from the grill with every bite, so don’t be surprised to find…

Smokecraft Modern Barbecue opened in late July, and the timing almost feels prescient, given that barbecue and its sides are perfect comfort foods to soothe our pandemic-weary souls. Restaurateur and pitmaster Andrew Darneille produces some mighty fine wagyu brisket, St. Louis pork ribs, pork butt, whole chickens, chicken wings, turkey and sausage from his Southern…

Pitmaster Andrew Darneille has won dozens of barbecue contests, and the menu at Smokecraft has a common thread: Everything on it, he says, must be touched by fire or smoke. That leads to interesting choices like smoked crabcakes and cedar plank salmon, a smoked Monte Cristo sandwich and even smoked desserts like Key Lime pie and chocolate-cherry…

Smoke is ethereal. From wisps to clouds, it’s almost as difficult to harness as it is to pin down. When it comes to cooking with it, some experts know how to properly control it; others let it take the lead. Too many barbecue restaurants apply a heavy waft of the stuff in their cooking. While it…

Smokecraft Modern Barbecue has oficially opened up their first brick and mortar location. Led by Owner and Pitmaster Andrew Darneille, Smokecraft currently features an open layout of seating (compliant with all COVID-19 requirements) along with a takeout menu. The new restaurant boasts a slew of commercial smokers, where the team is able to smoke up…

From WUSA.

When he’s not collecting awards at local barbecue competitions, chef and owner Andrew Darneille is usually up well before sunrise prepping his meat to welcome hungry customers at this Clarendon hotspot. Smokecraft promises that every item on their menu is smoked, from the blue cheese on the smoked apple prosciutto crostini to the Chesapeake smoked…

Owner and pitmaster Andrew Darneille’s Arlington restaurant offers all the usual smokehouse favorites but also a slew of “modern barbecue” items such as smoked crab cakes, smoked salmon, and smoked spaghetti squash. Traditional favorites include St. Louis-style ribs and pulled pork. Pair the dishes with specialty cocktails, beer, or coffee in the expansive indoor and…

Owner/pitmaster Andrew Darneille’s Thanksgiving menu, available for takeout from the Clarendon barbecue joint, includes smoked turkeys, hams and briskets, smoked cheese and charcuterie, Bourbon mashed sweet potatoes, maplewood-smoked cauliflower and chocolate cherry bread pudding. // 1051 N. Highland St., Arlington Read more on NorthernVirginia Magazine.

Game day packages for 6 to 8 people include build your own options featuring nachos with pulled pork, pulled chicken or brisket, and sliders with two pounds of pulled pork, sausage, pulled chicken or brisket. Enjoy shareables like a wing platter, smoked buffalo dip or smoked avocado deviled eggs platter, or a BBQ sampler platter…

At the Arlington barbecue joint, lead mixologist Lauren Paylor is offering some of her creative concoctions to go (pictured above). Order drinks like Smoke on the Water with Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye, spiced honey and Angostura Bitters; the Cucumber Collins with Beefeater Gin, salted cayenne cucumber, house sour mix and soda; and the Chipotle Margarita…

For most pitmasters, barbecue never really errs from the world of brisket and ribs. But when Smokecraft Modern Barbecue opens in Arlington in late July, innovation will be on the menu. “We see modern barbecue as continuing to evolve what barbecue is and can be. The only rules we have for our food is everything has to…

The trophies on display are the first indication that your barbecue is in good hands. Smokecraft pitmaster and owner Andrew Darneille was working in management at Georgetown’s erstwhile Old Glory restaurant when he began entering barbecue competitions in 2016. He eventually turned his hobby into a profession, racking up more than 70 awards. Wanting to put his…

Last year, Andrew Darneille and his Smokecraft Championship Barbecue team snagged more than 70 awards on the festival circuit, including being named a “Pork Team of the Year” finalist by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Now the pitmaster/restaurateur is bringing his smoke-centric concept to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Clarendon in the former Citizen Burger Bar space. Smokecraft…

This newcomer to Clarendon, known for smoking nearly everything on the menu, caters to home parties with a menu full of platters that feed six to eight people with options like smoked Buffalo chicken dip, five-pound trays of wings, and pork belly burnt ends. Dessert trays come with brownies, cookies, and key lime pie bars. Read more on…

Smokecraft Modern Barbecue, a team of local aficionados who racked up a long list of BBQ championship awards, is opening its first stand-alone restaurant in Clarendon, Virginia. The new restaurant will open next spring at 1051 N. Highland St., in a space formerly occupied by Citizen Burger Bar on the ground floor of the 10-story…

Seasoned pitmasters get creative at their new Clarendon spot. In addition to competition-winning pulled pork, St. Louis ribs, and Wagyu brisket, you’ll find smoked crabcakes and fire-kissed spaghetti squash on the patio. They’ve also launched a ghost kitchen, Etta Faye’s Chicken Shack, inspired by chef William Burke’s grandmother. Read more on the Washingtonian.

The newest barbecue joint in Northern Virginia takes a familiar approach by sampling from some of the country’s best-known regional styles, but Smokecraft Modern Barbecue stands apart from the pack for the sheer variety of meats, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and woods that pass through its commercial Southern Pride smokers. “We’re really looking to redefine modern…

Smokecraft Modern Barbecue, a new Arlington barbecue restaurant opened in July 2020 by competitive barbecue team Smokecraft, launched a ghost kitchen concept in September 2020. Etta Faye’s Chicken Shack offers carryout and delivery to diners.  The concept was inspired by executive sous chef William Burke’s grandmother and is centered around two childhood comfort foods: fried…

“Andrew Darneille knows restaurants. He’s been working in them for years, mostly managing front-of-the-house operations for restaurants large and small, from a location of the Cheesecake Factory to the late Old Glory BBQ in Georgetown. When the time came to launch his own, Darneille leaned into his passion for smoked meats. A backyard hobbyist turned…