Smoke Shack- BBQ

Spoke to the guy repainting the facade of the gyros place that recently closed at Halstead and Altgeld. He tells me it's going to be "the BBQ Shack". All I know beyond this is that it's "not a chain". My interest is obviously piqued. More details to follow...

added 9/23- there is now a sign in the window proclaiming "smoke shack coming soon". Thread title edited to reflect this.

Smoke Shack
800 W Altgeld St
Chicago, IL 60614
773-248-8886
BYOB

Today, I decided to drive by and see if it was open for lunch, and it is now open. Just got back from lunch there five minutes ago...

I had the pulled pork sandwich and fries. The pork was terrible! There was a big smoker right there behind the counter so the assumption would be that it's smoked on premises, but the pork seemed like it was the pre-sauced stuff in a tub you find in the grocery store. And then burnt when being heated up. It had a taste to almost like the charred outside of a roasted marshmallow, which is I guess is burnt sugar well beyond caramelization. There was no way to get a feel for the taste of the actual meat underneath.

The fries were no better -- soggy and limp -- some actually still cold, even though I'd seen them come straight out of the fryer. Slaw was pretty decent, similar to Smoque's w/ granny smith apple in it, as well.

The service was very poor. The guy ringing me in somehow charged me for the sandwich and a rootbeer float -- how does one mix that and a diet coke up? When I realized this, it took him 15 minutes to figure the refund and bring the difference to me. I also had to go back up because they forgot to give me the cole slaw that comes with a sandwich & side.

I work in a location in Lincoln Park (near Fullerton & Clybourn) that I can just as easily get to Honey1 or Smoque for lunch. No reason to add this to my lunch repretoire for now.

D'oh! So close to home, why does it have to be terrible

Not a surprise.....the blandness of the area continues. Thanks for the warning.

I have to see for myself. It's only fair to give the place a chance. Maybe Blipsman got them at an off time.

Haven't been, but have driven by and am thoroughly repulsed by the cheesiness of the exterior. Very surprised the ridiculous yellow awnings were approved by the building or zoning department or whoever has jurisdiction over such matters. Clearly not a neighborly gesture, especially for a street that has already become as ugly as Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles--and that's saying something.

If you're going to go ugly, might as well make it count. At least everybody will be able to find the place.

If you're going to go ugly, might as well make it count. At least everybody will be able to find the place.

True enough. Still, almost inherent in the LTH name and sensibility is the notion that the humble storefront (the loveable mutt) can bring the greatest love and highest joy of all.

This abomination is not that. Frankly, I'd rather have a place speak with its food, instead of screaming with an exterior--which suggests to me they don't feel especially confident in their offering. This seems to be borne out--at least according to the initial reports--that this place blows. In fact, if you read the commentary closely, it doesn't seem to be an issue with just having to "get their act together." Contrast their deal with the very modest, nice and neighborly looking Smoque.

I know restaurants can be rough around the edges when they're new... hopefully they will improve and become a viable option. I'll be curious to see future reports and see if/when it's time to make a repeat visit.

It appears Smoke Shack has very late hours, 3am during the week, 5am Fri and Sat, I'll have to give them a try soon.

Smoke Shack
800 W Altgeld St
Chicago, IL 60614
773-248-8886
BYOB
Monday - Thursday 10am - 3am
Friday - Saturday 10am - 5am
Sunday 10am - 11pm

So I checked this place out tonight. I just happened to spot this thread and I just happened to see that they were open until 3am, and I just happened to be on the north side of the city so I just happened to drop in and get a brisket sandwich to go.

There’s definitely something missing and I think it was in (or, more accurately, not in) the sauce. The brisket itself was tender but still retained a good “bite”. It seemed to have adequate smoke flavor imparted from real wood, not liquid smoke. The initial flavor hit on the sauce was rather bland followed by a slight bitter edge due to the preparation process. It was actually a distraction from the smoked meat rather than an enhancement.

I watched closely as my sandwich was prepared. The method they are using is not too far off from Larry Tucker’s technique at the sadly departed N.N. Smokehouse up on Irving Park. Larry would toss smoked meat into a sauté pan with a quantity of his sauce and warmed it until it was hot, then placed the sauced meat on the bun to be served. While this system worked exceptionally well for Larry, the Smoke Shack has so far missed the mark.

Oddly, the only difference here was that the cook at Smoke Shack threw the meat directly onto a hot griddle, bypassing the pan altogether. The result was an over caramelized disappointment. The griddle was probably set too high, causing the sauce to go past its optimum caramelized flavor and into the bitter zone. They would have far better success if they warmed the sauce separately from the meat and then presented it to the customer as a side condiment to be applied to the naked meat.

I’m not sure this place is beyond redemption though. Among its assets; the portion size on the sandwich was excellent, and the “full meal” prices, which include 2 sides and slaw, seem like an outstanding value if they can get their act together. I also liked the way they griddled the bun on all sides creating a very pleasant, toasty flavor and appearance. I didn’t try any of the sides this time around because it was 11 o’clock at night and I just wasn’t that hungry.

Although this visit was not what I would call a screaming success, it was not a total disaster either. I’d like to go back when I’m hungry and sample some of the sides and other meat offerings. Perhaps a good talking to with the owner would help steer them in the right direction.

Buddy

P.S. In looking at the menu just now, I see they also serve an Argentine chorizo sandwich served with chimmichurri. It might be worthwhile to try the pulled pork served without any sauce at all and add a splash or two of the chimmichurri in its place.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:The method they are using is not too far off from Larry Tucker’s technique at the sadly departed N.N. Smokehouse up on Irving Park. Larry would toss smoked meat into a sauté pan with a quantity of his sauce and warmed it until it was hot, then placed the sauced meat on the bun to be served. While this system worked exceptionally well for Larry, the Smoke Shack has so far missed the mark.

Not to take this too far off-topic, but I ran into Larry at a Christmas party he catered a few weeks back. Since the closing of LT's, he's been doing the catering gig and he intends to open a new restaurant in 2008 after he takes care of a family matter. He ended up giving me a nice big ham bone when I left the party, which I later used in some fantastic red beans and rice. Great guy.

I gave smoke shack a try with a friend last night and had a really good dinner.

We tried both the baby back and St. Louis style ribs. The baby back were more flavorful but the St. Louis had a stronger smokey flavor (which I liked) and bite.

We also tried the wings and chorizo sandwich. Both were really good too.

The fries were soggy but they had bacon in them. BACON in fries, awesome. I forgive sogginess for bacon. Fair trade if you ask me.

We thought that the bbq sauce was good and different. It had a kind of mole kick to it. It's not a traditional tasting sauce.

The manager was real nice and enthusiastic about the place. I asked if they had been busy and he said that they had been moderately busy and hopes it picks up in a couple weeks. They are still working out all the kinks and trying to perfect things.

He also mentioned that starting today they are having somebody come in at 2:00am to start the smoking process so food will be ready at lunch and somebody will start smoking again later in the morning for dinner. That probably explains why Blipsman had a bad lunch yesterday.

I think it's a good addtition to the neighborhood and hope they do well.

^What other places in the neighborhood do you like?

4 posts and only about Smoke Shack, you must really like the place!

I've been reading this page for a while and finally decided to start posting.

I'm not too impressed with most of the food in the area. I used to love Taco Burrito Palace when it was at its old location and I haven't been back since it moved. It doesn't feel right. I tried the new mexican restaurant on Wrightwood and Halsted and didn't have a great meal. It wasn't close to as good as Sol de Mexico, in my humble opinion. The neighborhood is really lacking in interesting restuarants, which is why I was so excited to see something like this move in.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:4 posts and only about Smoke Shack, you must really like the place!

There must be a post from ilmangiatore in some other thread somewhere, because looking backwards from when you wrote this, there are only 3 from him in this thread. (The possibility exists that he deleted one Smoke Shack post entirely, though.)

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Oddly, the only difference here was that the cook at Smoke Shack threw the meat directly onto a hot griddle, bypassing the pan altogether. The result was an over caramelized disappointment. The griddle was probably set too high, causing the sauce to go past its optimum caramelized flavor and into the bitter zone. They would have far better success if they warmed the sauce separately from the meat and then presented it to the customer as a side condiment to be applied to the naked meat.

I hadn't paid attention to the sandwich assembly, but BuddyRoadhouse's description certainly seems to explain why my pulled pork had the "burnt marshmallow" taste... maybe I could ask for it dry w/ the sauce on the side. That's how proper BBQ should be served anyway.

The chorizo w/ chimichurri did pique my interest, so I do want to try that at some point.

riddlemay wrote:There must be a post from ilmangiatore in some other thread somewhere, because looking backwards from when you wrote this, there are only 3 from him in this thread. (The possibility exists that he deleted one Smoke Shack post entirely, though.)

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... ht=#167866

ilmangiatore has been an occasional poster over at chowhound for over a year. I suspect he/she is just excited about the new restaurant in the 'hood.

I was actually the first paying customer, but was hesitant to post before allowing them time to get on their feet. The smoker they're using seems to be a high end Old Hickory model, powered by some sort of jet engine and burning hickory and applewood logs. This is quite an impressive piece of BBQ technology, and is likely capable of turning out some credible commercial Q in the right hands. As others have noted however, things at the Shack are not quite there yet.
In a very LTHish coincidence, Phyllis and I walked in just as they were opening the door carrying a bag containing a slab of baby backe, a slab of spares and a brisket sandwich from Honky Tonk, where we had just picked up food for carryout (we live only a few doors away and were heading home for dinner). The fact that I already had plenty of food didn't stop me from getting a half slab of backs (spares are offered but weren't ready yet) and a brisket sandwich from Smoke Shack so I could compare both side by side.
Bottom line: Unsauced, I found the back ribs smoked fairly well, but didn't reall care for the SS rub, which I thought tasted flat (the owner must like it though as he told me he'd tried "25 different rubs" before deciding on that one (he even divulged his "secret ingredient" but I'm not telling....). I found the sauce way too sweet and oddly fruity. The "hot" version was a little better, but still not to my taste. Lets just say that the Brisket and sides needed work though I liked the slightly vinegary beans fairly well.

I prefered the backs from HT as an overall package including sauce (or horseradish), but thought the SS ribs plain held up quite well. The brisket wasn't that great from either place, though again HT won by a nose.

The biggest disappointment of the night turned out to be the spares from HT, which were pretty bad.

The owner is Argentinian, so the Argentine chorizo with Chimmichurri might be worth a try. I'm assuming this is a work in progress. I'll try it again ina few weeks to see if things get sorted out.

LTHForum,

Had lunch at Smoke Shack today. It's my impression they are making an honest attempt to produce decent BBQ, but still have quite a way to go. Dried out brisket was served on a burnt bun drowned in sauce, pulled pork fared better, meat moist, mix of shreds and small chunks though with the amount of sticky sweet sauce masking flavor the meat might just as well had been cooked in an oven.

Brisket Sandwich


Pulled Pork Sandwich


Ribs had potential, though the granular rub distracted and the fact they were both held and reheated in foil compromised what little textural integrity they might have once had.

Saint Louis Ribs



I liked the basic BBQ sauce, though not on the merits, but for a faint similarity to my favorite commercial BBQ sauce, Open Pit original, the sauce I grew up eating. The 'spicy' was the same sauce with vinegary hot sauce added and seemed coarse and out of balance. Thin cut food service fries were good, but only because they were crisp and I like crisp, beans were boring and underdone, slaw had potential, but was dominated by apples and apple cider vinegar.

I was keen on trying the Argentine Chorizo with chimichurri, imagining chunky full flavored sausage, snappy natural casing strategically cracked, charred from the heat of the fire, juicy, mouthwatering.......The reality, lightly grilled pre cooked sausage of no real ethnic determination served with out of balance chimichurri.

Argentine Chorizo w/ chimichurri



I liked the physical space, service was friendly and efficient, prices reasonable for the location and they are open very (very) late 3am during the week, 5am Friday and Saturday.

I'll give it another month and go back, someone seems to care, they just don't quite have the knack as of yet.

Enjoy,
Gary

Sounds unterrific.

They may just need to get that Old Hickory down pat . Every cooker has a learning curve. I really dont understand why most BBQ places dont just ASK your preference for sauce on on the side or not when taking your order. Personally I think they should be educating their customers BBQ wise and not just serving them food.

Now slapping pulled pork on hot griddle befor plating it is just crazy talk to me. It aint corned beef hash!

Thanks for taking one for the team Gary!

I haven't been to this place, though the outer of the ribs looks quite dark, and at careful glance of the meat, it appears dry. Personally, I don't mind if ribs are a bit dry, as long as they are very smoky and that I reasonably can break the bones off for me to be able to eat without making a mess, despite that I rarely use sauce, if at all. Also noted, the fries look undercooked to me. I like fries to be very crispy, yet those don't even looked cooked normally. Although Gary did say they were cooked crispy. Granted, the place is new, so hopefully with time, it'll improve.

BP wrote:I like fries to be very crispy, yet those don't even looked cooked normally. Although Gary did say they were cooked crispy.

BP,

Agreed, fries do not look crisp in the picture, must be a trick of the lighting, but they were quite crisp and, for food service fries, tasty.

Enjoy,
Gary

LTH,

According to Chicago Magazine's Dish Smoke Shack has closed. Not to worry, three new BBQ joints have opened in just the last few weeks with a seemingly endless supply in the wings.

Enjoy,
Gary