• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

IN THE MOODY’S

Written by DAN MCCARTHY Posted May 21, 2015 Filed Under: Eats, LIFESTYLE

EA_Moodys1(DanMcCarthy)_728
Photo by Dan McCarthy

Being in the presence of Josh Smith, owner of Moody’s Delicatessen in Waltham and its gastropub conjoined twin restaurant next door—Moody’s Backroom, which opened in early April—is being the presence of a true meat-centric bon vivant.

 

“It’s just the best thing in the world getting to start your day lighting a big fire,” he says while loading and igniting wood in his hulking custom copper-top oven. “Fucking primal. Look at that. That’s how we got to start today.”

 

To wised-up foodies in the city, Smith’s penchant for meat is well known. His New England Charcuterie project started about four years ago, when Smith was tinkering with recipes and running the early stages of his operation out of Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington. After the restaurant would shut down, Smith would head into a rented space in the walk-in cooler and hand-mix spices he’d haul over from his garage, grind and stuff his meat, and generally use his passion for the trade to fill the hours (and his meat casings) six days a week. And then … he’d give all the meat away to local chefs and friends as he continued to tinker with his recipes.

EA_Moodys2(DanMcCarthy)_300
Photo by Dan McCarthy

 

“What you’re seeing is 15 years of obsession,” he says. “We have 89 products, and every day I try to do the best I can to just make everything as perfect as possible.”

 

The obsession has paid off. Smith has created a destination gastropub-deli hybrid with Moody’s Backroom that anyone who has sampled his wares knows is worthy of the praise it has garnered to date, and moreover, the quick jaunt to Waltham from Boston. The svelte dining area and bar is lined with limestone reclaimed from a French abbey and capped by high ceilings held up by walls adorned with country-style jar work, with hanging legs of aging prosciutto made from pigs that Smith and his team actually raise themselves at a small family farm in Auburn. He works with an agricultural program out of Tufts University for which every year Smith and his team get 10-15 heritage breed piglets to be hand-raised and fed produce and veggies grown right on the farm.

 

“Once a month we bring in four whole animals, take the legs, and process them as prosciutto,” he says. “We age them for two years, and we’ve been doing it for three years at this point, so now we’re pulling and using the two-year-old stuff that’s been curing all this time.”

 

Which isn’t to say that it’s all process and no passion for Smith. Trained in classic French methods, Smith got the jones to open the spot two and a half years ago, after he had already traveled all over the country, getting into processing facilities and asking questions wherever possible. From there, he got the necessary certifications to turn the subterranean space (dubbed “the food lab”) at Moody’s into a fully certified meat-curing cleanroom that’s monitored and tested for purity at every level.

 

In addition to all of the outstanding meat variants (not to mention the knockout Cuban sandwich), Moody’s Backroom also house-ferments all its own sauerkraut and vegetables, spice kits, and sea salts from Italy and France (“both of my loves,” says Smith). In the end, it’s the attention to every minute detail as well as the creative takes on classic charcuterie that have won Smith fans and accolades both from those within the industry and the hungry denizens of the Hub.

 

“I just figured it out,” he says. “A lot of this stuff I’m really passionate about, and it comes natural to me. I understand the process, therefore I can create the process.”

 

THE BACKROOM AT MOODY’S DELICATESSEN AND PROVISIONS. NOW OPEN TUES-SAT 4PM-10PM. 468 MOODY ST., WALTHAM. MOODYSWALTHAM.COM

DAN MCCARTHY

Dan is a freelance journalist and has written for publications including Vice, Esquire, the Daily Beast, Fast Company, Pacific Standard, MEL, Leafly, Thrillist, and DigBoston.

More from author
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    cannabis massachusetts pandemic
    RANGE OF VOICES TESTIFY TO OPEN CANNABIS DISPENSARIES DURING PANDEMIC
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    BIG CHILL: A YAWN OF A CENTENNIAL, DINNER WITH MICHAEL J. FOX, AND THE MICHAEL BENNET PRIMARY TEST
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    THE POLICY POLICE: CANNABIS COP AND GOP COHORT CHALLENGE CANDIDATES AND EDUCATE VOTERS ON WHY DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGAL
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    ACCESS DENIED: BUTTIGIEG PACKS ROOM, BRUISES INDEPENDENT MEDIA EGOS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Filed Under: Eats, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: Backroom, Blue Ribbon BBQ, delicatessen, gastropub, josh smith, Moody's, provisions, Waltham

WHAT’S NEW

PICS & RECAP: JUSTICE 4 DUANTE WRIGHT JUSTICE 4 ALL EMERGENCY RALLY 

PICS & RECAP: JUSTICE 4 DUANTE WRIGHT JUSTICE 4 ALL EMERGENCY RALLY 

A SHORT DOC ABOUT HOW DIGBOSTON WEATHERED A PANDEMIC YEAR

A SHORT DOC ABOUT HOW DIGBOSTON WEATHERED A PANDEMIC YEAR

FULL PARKING ENFORCEMENT RETURNS TO BOSTON, BLUEBIKES STILL AVAIL FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS

FULL PARKING ENFORCEMENT RETURNS TO BOSTON, BLUEBIKES STILL AVAIL FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS

EMERGENCY PRESS CONFERENCE AND RALLY FOR DAUNTE WRIGHT

EMERGENCY PRESS CONFERENCE AND RALLY FOR DAUNTE WRIGHT

POLITICIANS GET IN LINE TO CALL FOR BOSTON POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

POLITICIANS GET IN LINE TO CALL FOR BOSTON POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

PARENTS RELEASE AN ANALYSIS OF BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDRAISING INEQUITIES

PARENTS RELEASE AN ANALYSIS OF BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDRAISING INEQUITIES

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • VACCINE EQUITY NOW! COALITION ASKS BAKER TO ALLOCATE 20% OF NEW DOSES TO HARD HIT COMMUNITIES by SHIRA LAUCHAROEN
  • IF YOU’RE SURPRISED THE BPD CODDLED AN ACCUSED MOLESTER COP, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION by CHRIS FARAONE
  • rally to protest discrimination and crimes against Asian and Pacific islanders during Stop Asian Hate rally on Boston Common in Boston PICS & RECAP: “STOP ASIAN HATE BOSTON” RALLY ON THE COMMON by KEIKO HIROMI
  • A FAREWELL TRIBUTE (OF SORTS) TO MARTY WALSH by DIG STAFF
  • THE MYSTERY OF CHEZ TORTONI by CHRISTOPHER EHLERS

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 2.1 – March 2021

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

Footer

digbos

digbos
“My administration is doubling down on our work “My administration is doubling down on our work to stand up the #Boston Office of #Police Accountability and Transparency.” https://digboston.com/politicians-get-in-line-to-call-for-boston-police-accountability/ #politics #Massachusetts
This week is your last chance to hit up Mooby’s This week is your last chance to hit up Mooby’s in #Boston … https://digboston.com/moobys-boston-how-kevin-smith-has-brought-his-pick-up-experience-to-10-cities-during-the-pandemic/ #fan #popup #fun #restaurant #movie #Massachusetts #snoochieboochies
The group is asking that polices address the dispa The group is asking that polices address the disparities the #data has revealed. https://digboston.com/parents-release-an-analysis-of-boston-public-school-fundraising-inequities/ #education #school #public #study #fundraising #racism #Boston #Massachusetts
“We’re not going to survive for 20 more years “We’re not going to survive for 20 more years if we don’t do this [move to a bigger space].” https://digboston.com/how-juliet-hit-a-100k-kickstarter-goal-in-4-days/ #restaurant #business #food #crowdfund #SomervilleMA #coronavirus #COVID19
EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR KIM JANEY. Environmental organizations and individual activists invited to submit opinion articles for publication. https://digboston.com/editorial-digboston-seeks-climate-ideas-for-mayor-kim-janey/ #politics @boston_mayor #environment #globalwarming #climate #activist #callforsubmissions #policy #Boston #Massachusetts
“Most are some of my favorite bars or local clas “Most are some of my favorite bars or local classics that I’ve learned to love in my time living in the city. Others just have a great facade that I know would make a great drawing.” https://digboston.com/drawn-but-not-forgotten-local-artist-sketches-beloved-boston-restaurants/ #art #artist #sketch #drawing #Boston #Massachusetts #bar #restaurant
Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors hit new high notes. “My #teaching has gone to another level.” https://digboston.com/the-medium-is-the-maestro/ #education #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chron From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chronicles the business of joke-telling. https://digboston.com/the-history-of-stand-up-from-mark-twain-to-dave-chappelle/ #comedy #history #book #interview #Boston #Massachusetts
“I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local “I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local field office and hear what people have to say.” https://digboston.com/dear-reader-the-political-season-is-upon-us-embrace-it/ #politics #commentary #election #Massachusetts
“I think most people agree that we want our publ “I think most people agree that we want our public dollars to go to those companies that are not cutting corners.” https://digboston.com/bill-seeks-to-penalize-contractors-for-unsafe-conditions/ #politics #legislation #construction #safety #labor #Massachusetts
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]