This place is OK. The square bun they served was cold, as if it were stored outside or in a closet with no heat. The Mac-n-Cheese side order was puny!!! The sliced brisket was decent enough, somewhat bland and I echo the comment about the BBQ sauce being a tad too sweet. When you have to add Tabasco brand hot sauce (which is so distinctive tasting itself), that sort of kills the uniqueness of the BBQ. Standouts were the cole slaw and fries.

every time i have been here it has been right on . the sausage is great . but every has a of day sometimes

A buddy and I went to Smoque a couple of weeks ago and thought it was great! We went on a Friday around 3 and was still a nice stream of folks coming and going. The standouts for us were the Brisket and the Sausage. Spot on! Nice bark and smoke ring on the brisket and very moist as well, the sausage had nice spices and snap to it. We also tried the baby backs and the spares as well as the pulled pork. The ribs were nicely done and the pork was moist as well.
As for the sides I did not like the slaw and buddy did. I like mayo and vinegar based slaw and they have a vinegar based. Beans were ok, Mac and cheese good, I did not feel cheated by the portion and the fries decent for hand cut fries! All in all I am glad to have this option around Chicago! Keep up the good work Barry! Oh and if you don't like the breads you could always BYOWB like GWIV! Bring your own white bread!

Visited Smoque after the post-lunch rush on Friday. It was nice and mellow.

I continue to be impressed by their sides, which are consistent, plentiful, and good. The attention paid to the sides is refreshing — they're all too often an afterthought at other BBQ joints. I love their fries, and think the beans and slaw are pretty darn good.

I almost always get the brisket. I think the pork options are above average at Smoque (none of the pork offerings have been dried out on my visits, they're always moist), but I'd rather spend my Pork Dollars at Honey 1.

And is it me, or has Smoque's sauce actually become less sweet than it used to be? The sauce on my recent visit seemed noticeably tangier. I enjoyed it more than I remember, aberration or not.

Finally went to Smoque last night!

It was maybe around 7:30. No big line. (Just one party in front of us.) Lots of business, but no wait for a place to sit. Had a half slab of the baby backs and a "taste" (quite an ample one) of the Texas sausage, with mac and cheese on the side and a peach cobbler that I shared with the missus.

As I raised each rib to my mouth (so that it also passed under my nostrils), I was struck by what seemed like the olfactory hallucination of smoke. I've never had that happen before. I've tasted smoky-tasting ribs and other meats, and I'm certainly familiar with the flavor of meat and fish that've been smoked, but this sense that I was actually in the presence of a billow of dark gray smoke, this was new. It was like, if you blindfolded me and didn't tell me where I was, I might think just from the sensors in my nose and mouth that I was standing outdoors near a BBQ kettle with a breeze blowing a cloud of hickory wood smoke in my direction, or indoors near a fireplace full of burning hickory and a flue that wasn't working 100%. Remarkable.

I enjoyed the sausage quite a bit, too, and the mac and cheese, while small, was so deliciously rich that small was all it needed to be. One of my friends traded me a St. Louis-style rib for one of my baby backs. My impression was that the St. Louis rib had a dry rub on it that the baby back didn't. Not sure if that's true, but he had the same impression. The peach cobbler was really good. Better than it had to be. In a place like this, you kind of expect that they're going to think of dessert as an afterthought, something they make available perfunctorily only because some of their customers will want it and it can be an additional "profit center." But no, a lot of care went into making the peach cobbler as good as it was.

Now I know what all the fuss is about.

DH and I finally made our first trip to Smoque yesterday. It was about 4pm and there was a line that moved quickly and we waited about five minutes for a table after we ordered. We ordered the 1/2 & 1/2 rib combo with sides, the brisket with sides, some brisket chili, Texas sausage and cornbread. My guy described his experience as transcendent and said that at times he thought he heard angels singing. We enjoyed the rubs that were on the ribs and found each style of rib perfectly prepared - juicy and with enough texture remaining that the meat dids not fall right off the bone. I enjoyed the St. Louis style better because I like the extra thickness of the meat and those really good tips on the ends. The brisket was my favorite as it was sooooo juicy and tender with just the right amount of smokey flavor for my taste. It needed only a slight dribble of the sauce to be the perfect blend for me. My favorite of the meal was the brisket chili which had a good mix of chili flavor (chili powder with cumin) and smokey flavor. I should mention that I crave chili every day during the winter, so my liking the chili best should not be read to imply that I didn't enjoy the other items too. Oh yes, and we really liked the sausage.

While I thought that the baked beans were too sweet, DH gobbled them up. The mac and cheese was terrific - we took to calling it "Mac 'n Cheese Brulee". (When we talked to one of the owners about it, he confirmed that it really is prepared like a brulee with an egg custard, not a roux.) The slaw was a big hit with us, even though neither of us typically enjoy vinegar based slaws. Smoque's slaw does not scream "vinegar" when you taste it, it has a nice balance of sour and sweet. The cornbread was quite yummy - not too sweet and not too dense.

Our next trip to Smoque will certainly include St. Louis ribs, brisket, brisket chili, mac and cheese(brulee!), and cornbread.

bookmarked, need to try this place

Just a quick mention that we were there on Saturday around 2.30pm, and they were firing on all cylinders.

Waited about 5 mins for food and a table. Ordered the 1/2 rack of St. Louis ribs with some Texas sausage, slaw, mac & cheese and fries. Dining companion had a salad (don't ask...)

Ribs were perfect, toothsome and well-spiced. Slaw - delicious, love vinegar-based slaws. Fries were also outstanding - very large portion, crisp and well-fried (some would consider them slightly overdone perhaps, but I like em that way). Had never tried the fries before and I am now a fan. Only slight disappointment was the mac & cheese. The crust was excellent but the inside had dried out considerably in my portion, making it extremely hard to eat.

I think we'll be going back next weekend because we'll be in the neighborhood again

LTH,

Count me a fan of Smoque, friend and fan of Barry Sorkin and the place in general. While I've not had a bad meal I've never been exuberant, with the possible exception of the Texas style sausage. about any particular item, its always been a 'whole is greater than the sum of its parts' experience. Tonight Smoque's brisket, moist, smoky, tender yet still retaining structural integrity, changed that and jumped near the top of the commercial BBQ heap with, of course, the exception of Cooper's in Llano, TX, where god goes when she's in the mood for brisket.

Smoque BBQ





I've been going to Smoque since week one and each and every time the BBQ gets a little better, not an easy trick when you have people lining up night after night. Kudos to Barry, Mike, Al and staff.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Tonight Smoque's brisket, moist, smoky, tender yet still retaining structural integrity, changed that and jumped near the top of the commercial BBQ heap with, of course, the exception of Cooper's in Llano, TX, where god goes when she's in the mood for brisket.

she (god) eat well , the brisket was tops last night .

After a frigid day of hiking around the gold coast and loop to set up an Urban Orienteering hike for the boy scouts, we got in the car and decided we wanted warm, smoky meat. I'd suggested Sun Wah, but MrsF vetoed that and suggested Smoque.

Normally I eschew ribs at such places, as the servings of brisket and pulled pork is usually a better deal in terms of amount of food, but after tasting one of Smoque's last time I was there, and making a couple slabs of baby back using the GWiv technique, I wanted a meal of Smoque's.

I tried the "half a slab of each" dinner. Loved the baby backs, but while the smokiness of the spares was greater, I found the softness of the meat versus the primal toothiness of the BBs made them not my favorite. For meat that soft, they amazingly managed to avoid a meat jello, reaching instead a greaseless, rillette-like texture. It's quite an accomplishment, just not what I'm looking for having been raised on Carson's.

MrsF had the brisket, sliced, which was just a small notch below what I've had in Luling.

Sides were awesome, as usual: Fries are in the top tier of any place in Chicago. Mac and Cheese terrific, baked beans wonderful. The cornbread must have been terrific too as MrsF wasn't willing to share. I like their slaw, I don't love their slaw.

JoelF wrote:I tried the "half a slab of each" dinner. Loved the baby backs, but while the smokiness of the spares was greater, I found the softness of the meat versus the primal toothiness of the BBs made them not my favorite. For meat that soft, they amazingly managed to avoid a meat jello, reaching instead a greaseless, rillette-like texture.

Hmm.... Interesting. We grabbed takeout the other night just before closing time and I thought the baby backs a little dry and resolved that next time I was ordering at days' end to try the spare ribs. The brisket was delicious and nothing at all like what I've eaten in Texas, thank goodness. (Though I'm still waiting for a certain big-talking BBQhead to live up to his promise to convince me that Texas-style brisket is worth eating. )

G Wiv wrote:
I've been going to Smoque since week one and each and every time the BBQ gets a little better

This has been my recent experience as well - last night's takeout was their top showing for me so far; even the sauces tasted better, more balanced, earthier, less commercial. The meat, both brisket and pork, were intensely flavored with woodsmoke, quite impressive for this or any setup without crossing into jerky. Nice bark (more chewy than crispy) with a more liberal rub application than I've seen before. A Friday night gamble turned out to be a smoothly-handled and very satisfying experience.

Went to Smoque for the first time last Saturday, to use our first A La Card of 2010 (actually, our first A La Card ever), and were roundly impressed with everything we tried.

The brisket was tender, smoky, and flavorful with a nice bit of crust on each slice. The chicken was juicy, beautifully pink throughout from smoke, and had just enough BBQ sauce to give it a nice flavor without making it goopy. The Taylor, TX-sourced sausage link was excellent, with spice, snap, and a nice semi-coarse texture that really hit the spot (and was a steal at $3/link).

The simplicity of the vinegary slaw made it crisp & refreshing and the baked beans were saucy, smoky & porky with the slightest spicy kick (though I had to spice it up a little extra, 'cause that's how I roll). The mac & cheese wasn't my style, but it was well-made (my wife was a big fan of it though).

The place was an absolute madhouse, yet the staff somehow managed to stay laid back, friendly & helpful. I'll definitely head back there when I'm in the mood for some good brisket, with a couple of ice-cold beers in tow.

Santander wrote:

G Wiv wrote:I've been going to Smoque since week one and each and every time the BBQ gets a little better

This has been my recent experience as well - last night's takeout was their top showing for me so far . . .

I'm also of the opinion that Smoque has gotten so much better since it originally opened, and I thought it was hitting on almost all cylinders back then. But be it the brisket, pulled pork or Texas sausage, the meat is just great. On occasion, the St. Louis ribs have a little less chew than I like, but the flavor is outstanding. If I had to pick a favorite, it might be the sausage but I usually opt to visit with friends and share 'em all.

I would also add that the sides are so much better than any of the bbq places I'm aware of -- fries, cornbread, slaw, beans, mac & cheese . . . they're all excellent. And the service is about as good as you will find anywhere.

I really love Smoque... I know it's been so crazy busy lately and such, but if you go right at like 4:45 any day during the week it's nice and comfy. I'm reallllllllly quite familiar with Texas BBQ and this place really does it for me... though, I've had some turn their nose up at it because it's NOT in TX, whatever, there will always be those people...I can't travel down to North Main in Euless, TX whenever I wannnnna.

My brother reallllllllly likes the sausage, a lot lot.... I go for their brisket and to steal some of his sausage The ribs there are simply not as good as my fav. TX BBQ place, but their brisket is crazy good at Smoque in my lovely opinion.

Smoque is one of the few places where I never worry about going during peak hours because I know they are very skilled at handling the crowd -- both at the register and in the "dining room." Even with the line out the door, I've never waited there more than 30 minutes for my order. And because of the way they do things, there's always a seat when it's busy because they don't let people "camp" the tables.

=R=

G Wiv wrote:Smoked brisket chili was the special of the day, tasty, though flavor was slightly overpowered by cumin.

Recent Smoque brisket chili yielded balanced flavor, subtle cumin, abundance of brisket and tender beans, very tasty, much improved.

Quick question- how would you describe the rib sauce and the brisket sauce? Smoque's catering my wedding this weekend and I'm working on some table signs for our guests. It's been since last fall that I've had any food from them, so I don't remember how else to describe it, except for "it's delicious. Eat it."

abe_froeman wrote:Quick question- how would you describe the rib sauce and the brisket sauce? Smoque's catering my wedding this weekend and I'm working on some table signs for our guests. It's been since last fall that I've had any food from them, so I don't remember how else to describe it, except for "it's delicious. Eat it."

I had Smoque cater Mr. X's birthday party last year. I think I marked the sauces for what they were intended for, not any flavor descriptors.

Amazing...

I remember this forum from a few years ago when I met some of the great people in Chicago while on my "sausage tour" at Smoque. I was recently notified about this forum again and I am amazed at all the compliments about my Mikeska Brand Spicy Pork Sausage. I know the people of Chicago take their food very serious! I am humbled by the reception of my Texas Sausage. I am fortunate to be a 5th generation sausage maker. A Texan of Czech ancestry, who understands the value of good food, good friends and tradition. We follow that tradition every day.

When Barry and his partners showed up in Texas years ago... I knew immediately.. "they ain't from around here"! But I saw the passion in their observation of my business and in our products. I enjoyed talking to them and knew they were very serious. I was only one of the many great BBQ purveyors they visited in Texas. In all my years of business I don't think I have ever seen a business started with the "due diligence" that Barry did. Before he opened the doors at Smoque, he had traveled the country visiting every kind of BBQ concept and BBQ style. That’s why the food is so great at Smoque. They have the right concept, the right people and they are very passionate about what they are doing.

My compliments also to the wonderful people of Chicago, that take the time to eat out and make comments about their food adventures. Without these kinds of comments, restaurant owners and suppliers like myself would be left in an information void. Keep making those comments and let us know what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong……


Thanks,

Tim Mikeska
CEO Mikeska Brand Texas Bar-B-Q
Taylor, Texas
www.mikeska.com/familytradition.html

Smoque has partnered with Levy Restaurants to put a stand in the LG Skyline Club of U.S. Cellular Field on the 300 level:

http://blogs.vocalo.org/dolinsky/2010/0 ... cell/24148

had two of the mikeska texas sausages @ smoque yesterday... just awesome. to boot, their pulled pork, STL ribs and mac n cheese were also excellent, as were their fries. yes, smoque, a BBQ place, does great fries. might i also mention their brisket sauce (on the side) is excellent for dipping just about anything in.

Finally ALMOST MADE IT to Smoque this weekend, but not quite - went on Sunday night and found a very very long and slow-moving line. We expected a line, but the slow speed (and the fact that people seemed to be waiting for tables after they got their food) did us in. We gave up, vowed to return on a weeknight when it would be less crowded, and made off for Honky Tonk (Honey 1 would have, I agree, been a more obvious next step, but my eating partner lives right around the corner from it and goes all the time, so he wanted to try something new).

We vowed that if something stopped us from getting Honky Tonk, we'd have Mexican, since we'd already be down in Pilsen and taking the trip there in the first place from Irving Park (when we both live up north) was a little nuts. Sadly, we got there and found that Honky Tonk was closed for vacation.

We looked at each other at this point, and decided that we'd gotten to that crave-point where we had to have bbq that evening, so we drove back up to Logan Square, to Fat Willy's (on Schubert). I'd never been there (though my eating partner had), and we both got ribs. My St.Louis ribs were good, but not great - they were appropriately supple, but not incredible well-seasoned, I didn't think, and required a good amt of extra sauce. The cornbread side I got was a bit tiny, but decent nonetheless.

So it's back to Smoque next week..

Smoque was apparently on national TV recently, as Himself heard from some first-timers he waited in an hour-long line with starting at about 6:30 last night. I applaud his patience -- I wouldn't have waited. The restaurant provided umbrellas to those waiting outside when it started to rain.

The baby backs were fabulous, though. Perfect chewy texture, moist and meaty, excellent smoky flavor.

LAZ wrote:Smoque was apparently on national TV recently, as Himself heard from some first-timers he waited in an hour-long line with starting at about 6:30 last night. I applaud his patience -- I wouldn't have waited. The restaurant provided umbrellas to those waiting outside when it started to rain.

The baby backs were fabulous, though. Perfect chewy texture, moist and meaty, excellent smoky flavor.

Their segment on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives re-aired this week. It really made me miss going to Smoque, which I plan to do again very soon. I absolutely love Barry's demeanor, which is dead solid perfect for his chosen path. I cannot think of a more enthusiastic, appreciative or hospitable host.

When I was recently laid up after a surgery, several friends brought carry-out by for me. It seemed like I was having it once a week, which was fantastic. Still, I need to get back there soon. It's been far too long.

=R=

Hi,

Smoque will be closed on July 4th.

Regards,

A friend of mine had a taste for Smoque yesterday, but oddly I wasn't in a pork/brisket mood. So for the first time I tried the 1/2 chicken and it was outstanding - crisp and well seasoned skin, great smoke flavor and really moist. It was easily the best smoked chicken I've ever tasted.

The last couple times I've visited Smoque, it just so happens I'd had beef or pork for lunch. Not wanting to overload on red meat, and even looking for something on the lighter side, I opted for the smoked chicken salad.

A lovely bed of crisp romaine, loaded with roasted cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, sliced cucumber, a handful of sunflower seeds all topped off with one of the moistest, most flavorful, succulent smoked boneless, skinless chicken breasts I have ever tasted. Pour on a couple tablespoons of Smoque's signature dressing (the same one they use on their fantastic slaw) and you've got a dish you just can't stop eating.

If you're ever looking for a nice change of pace at Smoque, check it out.

Buddy

This place is a God send for the region. I wouldn't be ashamed to take my friend from NC here. Always consistently good. This is not a place that rests on its laurels. Refreshing to say the least. Other restaurants should take notes.