YoYoPedro wrote:But more importantly, would you call them rockets if they were smoked over hardwood chunks?

That sounds yummy, and I bet Gary could do it, as long as it didn't involve boiling them first.

Grilled

Gary, you're thinking of something entirely different. The southern "BBQ shrimp" recipes I've seen are done stovetop in a saute pan o in the oven, not on a grill - we're not talking about something marinated and skewered here at all. I guess you could grill the BBQ oysters, but I've mostly seen them roasted on a bed of rock salt, so they don't tip and spill the sauce.

Free your mind!

barbequed shrimp, done in the manner to which I was referring

d4v3 wrote...

"Or just getting a little tired of it."

fee,fie,foe - d4vthree... get over it.

while 'smoke' (a flavoring agent) is not integral to real barbeque, cooking over natural embers is.

the q-u-e in 'smoque' is a play on faux pas, rather than holding true to real 'que'.


being the meatjohn i am and turning the corner of grace and irving, at least three times a week at midday... you'll never beat me out of a meal at smoque...

but if you do, i'm sure, i'll be able to turn around in time, with b-b-que sauce bottle in hand hand, to get over to manny's ,sample their steam tabled meats and. still, get home, afore you do... urrrp.

jellobee wrote:d4v3 wrote...

"Or just getting a little tired of it."

fee,fie,foe - d4vthree... get over it.

while 'smoke' (a flavoring agent) is not integral to real barbeque, cooking over natural embers is.

the q-u-e in 'smoque' is a play on faux pas, rather than holding true to real 'que'.


being the meatjohn i am and turning the corner of grace and irving, at least three times a week at midday... you'll never beat me out of a meal at smoque...

but if you do, i'm sure, i'll be able to turn around in time, with b-b-que sauce bottle in hand hand, to get over to manny's ,sample their steam tabled meats and. still, get home, afore you do... urrrp.

You gotta love a man who loves his apostrophes. Even if he is a hardass about the definition of barbecue. If those "natural embers" came from a hardwood tree grown with artificial fertilizers, would you still call it barbecue?

ok... I'M WRONG! and happy to admit it...

i had ribs for lunch... smoky, properly red in color and delightfully what i expect in barbeque.

perhaps i was there on 'off' days or smoque tuned it up since my last visit for ribs, i dunno, but...

my apologies to barry, his crew and to this forum, for being such an *ss, with my rants.


oh yeah... the wonderful aroma of hardwood smoke, greeted me this time, upon entry.

Finally made it to Smoque today. Here are a couple of random thoughts:

Getting there at 11 am was a great idea (if I do so say myself ). They were just opening. There was a small line and a few large, carry-out orders being put together but the wait was not long and there was plenty of parking on Pulaski. Needless to say, they were not yet out of anything. There was a short wait for chicken but it was ready -- and brought to our table -- before we'd eaten the rest of our order.

The food is definitely tasty. I especially enjoyed the moist, fatty brisket. It had a nice, barky exterior and a great, smokey flavor . . . nice smoke ring, too. The pulled pork was also really good -- smokey and moist. I liked that it had not been drowned in sauce so the smoke and the pork really came through.

The ribs were also very nice. I like that Smoque goes sauceless with them. The flavor was great and a well-defined smoke ring was evident. I tried both the spare ribs and the baby backs and fell into my usual preference for baby backs. I thought the amount of cooking, as indicated by bite resistance, was right on, too. The meat was very smokey and came away from the bone with a healthy tug but it was not falling off the bone. The only negative was that the rib meat was a bit dry. Being my first visit, I'm not sure if this was a style choice, an abberation or if it represented a problem that might need to be addressed. Still, I'm nitpicking because the ribs were very good and were on a par with just about any (actual BBQ) restauant ribs I've had in town.

The chicken was moist and flavorful with a nicely-salty skin. Sometimes smoked poultry skin can get a bit rubbery but owner Barry Sorkin pointed out to us that the convection fans in the Southern Pride smokers actually produce a very palatable skin. Chalk one up for Southern Pride.

Sides were a mixed bag and just a tiny notch below the meats, I thought. I liked the 'Chicago-style' fries a lot. Cornbread was also very good. Cabbage in the slaw was a bit too crunchy for me (I tend to enjoy slaws made with pre-salted cabbage a bit more) but I did like the dressing. Macaroni and cheese was good. The flavor was nice but I prefer it a bit creamier. I thought that both BBQ sauces, which I used sparingly, were quite tasty. As for the NC-style, I prefer a bit more vinegar and a thinner sauce overall, but again, we're down to nitpicking.

It seems that the Smoque team is holding up pretty well in the wake their initial avalanche of success and that they are not taking lightly the problems that have been brought to their attention. I get the feeling that they'd hoped for a slower ramp-up so that they could have addressed the issues a bit more systematically and patiently, rather than on-the-fly, with the audience 'in their seats,' so to speak. But the waits were not long today at lunch. At 11:45, I got back in the short line and placed a 2nd, carry-out order to bring back to my office. It was ready within a few minutes.

If running out of food is the worst thing that can be said about Smoque, I think that the hardest part of their 'birth' is probably behind them. And again, it seemed pretty clear to me that the problems which have been voiced here and elsewhere are really being taken to heart by Smoque's owners. According to Mr. Sorkin, customers are already making unsolicited suggestions for new Smoque locations. With that kind of goodwill, they'll likely have enough wiggle room to work out the problems that have accompanied their somewhat unexpected initial rush of success. I definitely look forward to returning.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote: According to Mr. Sorkin, customers are already making unsolicited suggestions for new Smoque locations.

=R=

Let's run this one up the flagpole and see who salutes:

How about Smoque buying the defunct Barnum & Bagel property on Dempster? My reasoning follows:

A. On any given day, 4,000,000 cars pass that location.
B. The restaurant is 5 minutes from the Edens expressway.
C. There is a large parking lot.
D. West Dempster is being re-developed in the hope of becoming more
upscale.
E. Jobs will be moving into downtown Skokie as a result of the hi-tech
campus being developed.
F. I live 2 minutes from there

ronnie_suburban wrote:The ribs were also very nice. I like that Smoque goes sauceless with them. The flavor was great and a well-defined smoke ring was evident. I tried both the spare ribs and the baby backs and fell into my usual preference for baby backs. I thought the amount of cooking, as indicated by bite resistance, was right on, too. The meat was very smokey and came away from the bone with a healthy tug but it was not falling off the bone. The only negative was that the rib meat was a bit dry. Being my first visit, I'm not sure if this was a style choice, an abberation or if it represented a problem that might need to be addressed.

The dryness is off and on -- sometimes they're perfect, sometimes a tad dry. I'm thinking this has to do with variations in timing or holding plus fat content. They use a very lean trim. I've been there several times as well as getting carryout, and mostly they were great but on our visit this week I found myself adding sauce. However, they've always had a good smoky flavor and a definite smoke ring.

The ribs aren't entirely sauceless; they get a light glaze of sauce that caramelizes on the meat. That's my personal favorite style, vs. completely dry or drenched in sauce.

I prefer Smoque's baby backs to the spares as well; they cook the spare ribs an hour longer and for me the texture is too soft.

Thanks, LAZ, for the additional information and the clarification. I just assumed that Smoque's ribs had received only a dry rub but what you write about a light glaze makes perfect sense. In either case, they are served with their exteriors dry, which is how I make my ribs and how I prefer them in general.

And I love the idea of the old Barnum and Bagel location for any decent restaurant. It is a very convenient location for me.

=R=

this thread hadda come up again...

(bbq drives me nutz, so here i go... again)

pulled up on pulaski about twenty five yards short of grace, and what did i smell???

why it was 'smoque'.... real smoke!

ordered up the brisket, and what did i notice???

a 'smoque ring'.... a real smoke ring!


it looks like barry's finally working the ol' SP box, right.

now, if he could only rid his wonderful sides of those tightass, constraining cups and just slop them out with a ladle...

cito wrote:How about Smoque buying the defunct Barnum & Bagel property on Dempster?

This very suggestion came up in conversation as I was standing in line the last time I visited Smoque. Barry must have been very involved with the opening and instant success of his new reataurant because he seemed genuinely surprised to find out that B&B had closed!

Wish I could take credit for making the suggestion but it was a couple of really old guys standing in line in front of me.

Frankly, I think Barnum & Bagel's space would overwhelm Mr. Sokol and company as they try to keep up with what they've currently got. Let them grow into the business and expand it organically based on experience and demand.

Buddy

there's also some empty south side steelwork plants, with strato-spheric chimneys, available.

barry doing just fine for now...

blowing 'smoque' in lil' old irving.

I've been hitting the Smoque pretty hard lately. I've become quite enamored of the food they're putting out and even for a suburbanite like myself, their location -- right off the expressway -- is super convenient.

I've been effing around with a new camera and captured some images over my last few visits . . .


Sliced brisket sandwich



Chicken



Baked beans



Pulled pork sandwich



Baby back ribs

I have to say that the ribs, pictured above, were not only fantastic but they were the best ribs I've ever had in a commercial BBQ establishment. They were served to us at about 1:30 pm. That's when the 2nd run of ribs comes out of the smoker each day. They were smokey, juicy and piping hot. The meat was tender on the inside and had a perfect, light crust on the outside. Not only did they not need sauce, they were far superior without it. It was a total pleasure to eat them.

=R=

Hi,

Excellent pictures. Those baked beans with chopped BBQ and carmelized onions really hit the spot.

I was there about a week ago, I inquired with the owners if they have had to close early recently. While he didn't exactly answer my question directly. He did offer a Southern Pride representative showed them how to adjust racks to increase capacity by 14%. They think they are coming closer to tweaking the balance between brisket and pork shoulder to satisfy customer demand.

I visited Smoque for the first time last December. I tried to visit a few times since, to find either a line I wasn't willing to put up with or closed early when food ran out. My two visits within a few days recently, I was impressed by the presence of the owners walking the floor to make sure everything goes without a hitch. I expected it when they first opened, I thought it was great they continued the practice.

Regards,

I was at Smoque tonight, about 6 p.m., and after parking the car (not easy to find a spot tonight) and entering to see a line of about 30 people in front of me, the friend I arrived with said he didn't want to wait and we left.

I was disappinted to have to leave because this was my first visit, but in fairness to my friend - he's been seriously ill and the wonderful (to me) aroma of the place sickened him and he didn't want to stand eating, or eat in the car, or take the food home - so it was best to go elsewhere.

There were only several open places at tables, and there was a sign on the door announcing they were out of the pulled pork. I'll go back another time, on a slower day - and either with other friends, or by myself. The aroma was heavenly.

Bill wrote:I was at Smoque tonight, about 6 p.m., and after parking the car (not easy to find a spot tonight) and entering to see a line of about 30 people in front of me...

This and the Coal Fire thread convince me more than ever that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who could tolerate a situation like the above, and those who couldn't. I don't think we'll ever understand each other, so the best that can happen is that we live peaceably together in mutual respect. Although you bolted (against your wishes, because of your friend), that left thirty people who thought the food was worth remaining in line for! My italics indicate my incredulousness, which only further separates me from the other side, because that side would be equally incredulous that I could see a problem in a line that long, provided the food were special enough.

Now that I think of it, I did wait in a line that long, willingly, a few times, back in the seventies and eighties on weekend mornings at Walker Bros. in Wilmette--but the line moved along. (And they never ran out of apple pancakes.)

(And I was younger--which may be the key. When you don't know how much longer you're going to be alive, long waits take on a whole new significance.)

riddlemay wrote:And I was younger--which may be the key. When you don't know how much longer you're going to be alive, long waits take on a whole new significance.

On the other side of it, as long as you're alive, you still have the opportunity to BE in a long line... Once you're dead, it's no longer an option.

This and the Coal Fire thread convince me more than ever that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who could tolerate a situation like the above, and those who couldn't. I don't think we'll ever understand each other, so the best that can happen is that we live peaceably together in mutual respect.

I have no second thoughts, ever, about putting aside my selfish desires (in this instance, to eat at Smoque) to accommodate a friend who is having health problems or, for whatever reason changes his/her mind at the last minute. As for people who can't tolerate such consideration or who don't understand how someone could put a friend first, well - that's something I don't think I'll ever understand. Yes, it's all about respect.

Bill wrote:I have no second thoughts, ever, about putting aside my selfish desires (in this instance, to eat at Smoque) to accommodate a friend who is having health problems or, for whatever reason changes his/her mind at the last minute. As for people who can't tolerate such consideration or who don't understand how someone could put a friend first, well - that's something I don't think I'll ever understand. Yes, it's all about respect.

Bill, I think you misunderstand my point. If there are two schools of thought about accommodating a friend with health problems, I don't want to know about the other one!

The two schools of thought I was referring to were on a different question: waiting a long time for food.

Sidebar: Smoque's line moves quickly. Well, as quickly as a line can when they prepare everything to order - yum! I've been going routinely since they opened and the lines actually seem to be getting smaller (perhaps based on the additional 14% smoker capacity?).

I picked up carry-out this past Saturday at 12noon - no line, plenty of open tables (surprising for lunchtime on a beautiful weekend when everyone and their dog seemed to be out walking). I also dined in w/ friends a few Fridays past at 6pm - small line, about 10 people - we waited approximately 18 minutes from entering the line to picking up our order. Friends dined in on Thursday at 6:30pm with no line at all. Bonus: Smoque hadn't run out of anything by that time of night - a big change from when they first opened.

For those people who can wait (health allowing), it shouldn't be long and your reward will be great

Well, there was no line at Smoque today at noon 'CAUSE IT'S CLOSED ON MONDAYS

Seriously, I do this way too often.
Damn you Ronnie and your pics.

-ramon

Ramon, it was still closed at 1:30 when I stopped by. Misery, meet your company.

Mondays. Sheesh. That Bob Geldof is a genius.

Stopped by Smoque yesterday after little league, at about 1:30. The place was hopping, with a steady but short line, which was moving along nicely throughout our visit.

Again, our timing was excellent, as the St. Louis-style ribs were just coming out of the smoker . . .


St. Louis-style ribs at Smoque



A closer look at the St. Louis-style ribs at Smoque



Interior view of the St. Louis-style ribs at Smoque

Again, these ribs were spectacular. They offered a great crust and moist, smokey meat which resisted perfectly when tugged away from the bone.

I also noticed a nice improvement in the Macaroni and Cheese, the flavor of which I've always enjoyed. On past visits, the texture has been a bit dry but yesterday, it was creamy and really made a difference in the overall enjoyment of the dish. The folks at Smoque tell me that they're still tweaking the sides, which is great to know. For example, with the M&C, even though they're producing a new batch of it every 30 minutes or so, there are still some textural variations in the dish over the course of that window, which they're working on smoothing out. Yesterday's serving was the best I've had so far at Smoque . . .


Macaroni and Cheese at Smoque


I was also thrilled when Barry showed me this . . .


Berkshire pork shoulder

This was actually a sample left for the crew by a supplier. So far, they're not exactly sure if or how they'll be able to work this into their rotation but they're going to do their best to do so.

=R=

Popped over to the Smoque Sunday morning for an early lunch, around 11am. I concur with the previous posts - it was pretty good (this coming from someone who usually choose a bbq joint Last if given a choice.)

I also wanted to mention that I appreciate the fact that they have 1/2 sandwiches available for us less-hungry eaters. I had a 1/2 pulled pork sandwich with a side of mac and cheese and got filled up nicely.

Proper, beautiful barbeque.

The brisket rocked my world.

I finally made it to Smoque over the weekend. It was Saturday at about 3 p.m., between the lunch/dinner rush when things were quiet and there was no line.

I'd read so many good comments about the sliced brisket sandwich I went with that as my first choice from the menu; I wasn't too hungry, so a sandwich was what I wanted.



I liked the meat, though the amount of fat was a bit more than I typically settle for on a sandwich; it had a great flavor (the meat). The sauce was an excellent condiment - I started sipping some from a spoon, all by itself. Though the meat was good I think the bread roll got in the way - too much bread, too heavy and I didn't think it was very good quality (seemed to be "day old"). Maybe such a heavy roll is necessary to support that type of sandwich, but if I order the brisket again in the future It'll be the platter, not the sandwich.

The slaw presentation (including the taste!) was good and the portion size right. I opted for just one side - the mac and cheese, and I loved it. The portion is a bit small, stingy, though - or so it seems to me.

Visiting the restaurant when I did was right for me. I had the opportunity to eat without feeling rushed or crowded, and I could watch the kitchen staff go about their chores - especially the assembly line construction of the meal trays.

Bill wrote:


I liked the meat, though the amount of fat was a bit more than I typically settle for on a sandwich; it had a great flavor (the meat).

If you look at the image of your sandwich vs the other photos that have been posted of the brisket, that brisket is fattier than I have seen or have eaten there.

mkiss wrote:

Bill wrote:
I liked the meat, though the amount of fat was a bit more than I typically settle for on a sandwich; it had a great flavor (the meat).

If you look at the image of your sandwich vs the other photos that have been posted of the brisket, that brisket is fattier than I have seen or have eaten there.

Many would say that extra fatty brisket is a good thing. Myself included.

stevez wrote:Many would say that extra fatty brisket is a good thing. Myself included.

Ditto

=R=

stevez wrote:

mkiss wrote:

Bill wrote:
I liked the meat, though the amount of fat was a bit more than I typically settle for on a sandwich; it had a great flavor (the meat).

If you look at the image of your sandwich vs the other photos that have been posted of the brisket, that brisket is fattier than I have seen or have eaten there.

Many would say that extra fatty brisket is a good thing. Myself included.

My minpins, Bosco & Lola will fight you for it...