Ocean City BBQ serving Southern eats at changing 45th Street Village

The makeover at the 45th Street Village in Ocean City is underway, with a hotel being constructed as the village gets a much-needed facelift, a shift away from the old shops as the Sibony family — owners of many properties in Ocean City — prepare to turn the village into a hotel and retail destination.

The building that housed the Assawoman Bay Brew Pub was torn down, but the menu that debuted there last year, a Southern-inspired barbecue bill of fare, lives on.

The modern restaurant designs of 45th Street Taphouse and OC Steamers were never going anywhere, but in May, OC Steamers was converted to OC Barbeque, where a year of research and development at Assawoman gave operator Zev Sibony, executive chef John Lofton and general manager Maureen Canale confidence to serve up Southern eats at the beach.

Like the rest of the village, the shift from seafood, a cuisine offered on practically every block in Ocean City, to barbecue is a move away from the norm.

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“We wanted to do an authentic Texas-style barbecue,” said Lofton, who spent two years at Steamers, a year at the Taphouse and a year over at Assawoman, where last year he was making barbecue for the first time in his long cooking career.

With no background in Southern eats, Lofton turned to cookbooks and the Internet.

“Cooking is science,” Lofton said. “If you know the methods, all you need is the ingredients.”

OC Barbeque cooks its meat low and slow in a smoker, and doesn’t sauce any of its meats, simply using a method of hand rubbing. The result is a tender piece of meat and natural flavor. There are sauces on each table, though.

“Everybody comes and they have their thoughts about what barbecue is,” Canale said. “Either they’re from Texas or they’re from St. Louis or Kansas City, all of these places. Ninety-nine percent walk out and say, ‘I’ve never had hand-rubbed, but I like it.’ ”

Canale wouldn’t know. She’s a vegetarian. But she said the vegetarian chili and the collard greens, made as a twist with no meat, get rave reviews from carnivores.

Lofton said the most popular smoked meats, prepared in an electrical smoker in the kitchen overnight, have been the pulled pork, ribs and brisket. The menu is broad, with meat platters, sandwiches, salads and plenty of starters.

And there are now 12 different sides, all made in-house, to choose from, including Nana’s Mac & Cheese, a Velveeta and cream cheese blend with a little sugar for a creamy texture and a sweet finish.

There are some Eastern Shore twists, as well. In the sandwich offerings is a smoked crab cake sandwich and the starters section features smoked crab balls and smoked crab dip.

Don’t want your crabs smoked? OC BBQ offers all-you-can-eat snow crab legs each Tuesday, and Wednesday nights feature all-you-can-eat ribs.

There are plenty of drinks to go around, too, including Patty’s Limoncello Martini, a perfect pairing to the deep barbecue flavors.

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The restaurant has plenty of seating in its multi-level building that features a carry-out counter at its front. The Shack, an outdoor bar with picnic tables, offers outdoor dining and drinking.

Nearly every seat on the property has panoramic views of the bay.

“This is a stunning piece of property,” Canale said. “People don’t realize it until they come walk in the door."

“A little bit of chill, some blues music and a beautiful view. What more can you want?”

If you go

Where: 4517 Coastal Highway, Ocean City
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 1 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Call: 410-524-1018
Website: oceancitybbq.com