Smokejack Barbecue - Alpharetta, Georgia

Greetings BBQ-Bandits readers!

This is the first (hopefully of many) entry to be made by JM, AM’s brother. We’ve grown up eating barbecue together, so I figured I’d join in on the fun. It’s appropriate for me to be writing this entry because I was the one who suggested that we eat at Smokejack last night.

Background

Driving up and down highway 9 through Roswell and Alpharetta, I’ve seen the place on the side of the road many times and really wanted to stop in. I also once read a favorable review of the place on Northside Food, but I’ve never happened to drive by it at a time when it was convenient to go.

Luckily, last night when AM and I were trying to decide on a place to eat dinner while perusing the internet, we found a coupon on atlantarestaurantcoupons.com for Smokejack. This reminded me of how much I had wanted to visit, and provided further incentive to go: a free appetizer or dessert.

The Restaurant

Smokejack is located on highway 9 in Alpharetta, in a cute little downtown-area set-up. There was parking available right out front when we went (which was late on a Tuesday), but not a lot of spaces. The website says there is more parking around back – we didn’t investigate.

The interior is warm and welcoming. The décor is a little upscale for a barbecue place – they even have cloth napkins, which I consider to be odd. There’s a full bar off to the left, and the main dining area sits to the right. On the wall there is a large chalkboard with specials and recommendations, which is easy to read and quite convenient.

The Service

When we first entered, I was disappointed in the response. There was no hostess at the podium and we had to stand there for a good 3-5 minutes before anyone addressed us, despite the fact that two waiters walked by and obviously saw us. They could have at least managed a “someone will be right with you” rather than walking by pretending they didn’t notice.

Once we got seated, the service improved. Our waiter ended up being very helpful and the food came out fast. We were in the place around 8:30pm – 9:30pm on a Tuesday with only two other parties present. Being so empty, and with a posted closing time of 10:00pm, I feel like the initial service could have been better. However, the service after being seated redeemed the place.

The Food

First, drinks. We both ordered sweet tea, which was very pleasant. Not too sweet like some barbecue places. The drink menu/bar seemed pretty ample, but I didn’t look at it in particular detail. I ordered a Sweetwater 420 on draft, which was satisfying.

As mentioned, we had a coupon for a free fried pickles app with purchase of one entrée. I’m a big fan of fried pickles, and always curious to see how each individual restaurant’s version will turn out. These were the best I’ve ever had. The batter was light and well-seasoned, with strong black pepper flavor. They were served with a spicy mayonnaise of sorts, which was really unremarkable. I’d skip the mayo and ask for a side of barbecue sauce to dip them in, as this was delicious, or just eat them solo. I’d definitely order these again, and getting them free was naturally a plus!

AM ordered a bowl of brunswick stew as an additional appetizer. It was very tasty and we ended up splitting it. It was the style I prefer - more or less blended, with small pieces of pork and vegetables rather than large chunks. We both approved.

We both ordered the pulled pork shoulder (boring, I know). Between the two of us we got these sides: baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and corn pudding. The pork had a very nice flavor to it, but it wasn’t exceptional. It comes lightly sauced so I couldn’t be totally sure of the flavor coming just from the meat. The sauce was interesting. By default it comes with a “Carolina mustard bbq sauce,” which was okay, but not great. It was applied conservatively, which helped. The sauce was mild, but had noticeable mustard and vinegar flavors. AM actually didn’t like the sauce, and asked for a side of the other one they offer, a “Kansas City style sauce.” This was your typical sweet, tomato-based sauce, but I liked it a lot. It had a nuanced flavor that wasn’t too sweet. Definitely an improvement over the mustard sauce, and next time I will be sure to request this one on my pork.

The sides were solid. The macaroni and cheese tasted fresh and homemade, with a nice baked crust on top. The baked beans were nice, and actually seemed to have fresh chiles in them, which is super unusual. I was pleased. The corn pudding was the standout. It was like a soufflé, made with cornbread. I thought the texture was wonderful, and there was a pretty strong sweetness to it. However, it also had green and red chiles in it, so there was some kick, adding another welcome layer of flavor. I suppose if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like sweet cornbread, then you wouldn’t like this too much, but it really hit the spot.

In summary, I’m really glad we decided to hit this place up, and I’ll be returning as soon as it is feasible. I hope to try some of their other offerings in the way of meat, but I can’t resist ordering that corn pudding again. Definitely recommended.

Info:
Smokejack Barbecue
29 South Main Street
Alpharetta, GA 30004
770-410-7611

www.smokejackbbq.com

Our New Friend - Pilgrim the Pig

Please welcome our new mascot, Pilgrim. He is a beautiful creature that represents the BBQ bandits well. While his graphic is still a bit amateur, his spirit is quite professional.

Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q - Marietta, Georgia

Location: 1425 Roswell Rd, Marietta, GA‎ - (770) 971-3201‎

One of the first things I noticed about this place is the extensive menu. The menu is three fold out pages! That's a lot for a BBQ restaurant. Most have a one-sided sheet to hand you.

I also enjoyed the decor, particularly the stuffed rooster with a bandanna near the door. Unfortunately my photo of it came out poorly. The place has that country feel you seek in a BBQ joint. The deer heads and carved wooden chairs create the perfect atmosphere for eating some 'Q.

We ordered the Combo Platter for a nice sampling of chopped beef, chopped pork, pork ribs, and baked chicken. Sides included green beans, mac n cheese, and stew of course.

It was an adventure veering away from pork, which is what I usually strictly stick with. I've actually never tried chopped beef and I'd have to say it was quite delicious. The flavor is much stronger than the pork. The beef really picks up the smokey flavor, and it comes on strong. The beef also surprisingly had a nicer, softer texture. Not as many rough parts, which were a plenty in the pork. This is probably due to the way each was prepared but I would say the beef was executed better, which was disappointing. The ribs were good, not quite fall off the bone savory, but worth ordering. The chicken looked amazing, but I was disappointed to find that it was extremely dry and even when covered in sauce could not be rescued. Sadly most of it went uneaten.

Lets side step: Mac n cheese: Stouffers could easily top this recipe. Green beans: heavy on the garlic, mmmm. Stew: very sweet and soupy, tasted kind of like a BBQ sauce soup with some okra and tomatoes thrown in, not my favorite.

The strong point of this restaurant is the sauce. The Original Sauce, as they call it, is a great mix of sweet and spice. I'm typically not a fan of sweet sauces, but this had the perfect taste of sweetness. With peppercorn and red pepper mixed in, the sauce created an enjoyable kick in random bites. I'd completely recommend taking home a bottle (pre-packed and sold in restaurant) and putting it on your favorite BBQ dish.

We also journeyed into the land of desserts here. How could we not with this tempting dessert display? We tried the banana pie and it was great. The base is made of your typical banana pudding with a thick layer of homemade whipped cream on top. The pair was great with the crust beneath. Highly recommended.

Don't Miss: Sauce, try on your own cooking for best results.
Skip: Stew, sides, tea.
Highlights: Beer selection, decor including bandanna chicken

Rundown: Grab some dessert and a bottle of the sauce to take home and top on your best BBQ recipe.

Corky's Bar-B-Que: Gatlinburg, TN

Location: 519 Parkway, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.

With pulled pork right in the middle of country town Tennessee, I'd expect nothing less than a superb taste from Corky's. I'm happy to say the pork was indeed that, superb. My favorite BBQ dish, the pulled pork platter, was great. Two sides, mac & cheese and sweet potatoes. The macaroni and cheese was homemade goodness with a rich cheese flavor that popped from between the noodles. If you want to know how to get to my heart, serve sweet potato fries, I've nearly never had a batch I didn't like. Funny because I despise mashed sweet potatoes, but anyway, Corky's version may actually fall into the few that don't make me crazy. It surprised me that it was very difficult to taste any sweet flavor. They are sweet potatoes after all. I give kudos to Corky's for offering these on their menu, but I would recommend that they cut the salt added in half. They are too salty and don't allow the beautiful sweetness of the potato to shine through.

The pork however was excellent. Pulled like it should be, mostly tender, and served with sauce on top. The pork did need the sauce it came with though. A little flavorless without adding the sauce from the table. While Corky's only serves up one sauce, it covers several different flavors all in one. It is smoky and not too sweet. Easy on the tongue, not much fire. The perfect sauce some may say. I personally like a little more heat. I recommend this dish completely, just ask for some hot sauce if you're looking for some heat.

My number one complaint about this joint is the service. The place was simply understaffed when we were there. Given it was 4th of July weekend, the service was simply short. I waited nearly 15 minutes to find out the price of merchandise at the front. The hostess could not handle the flow coming in and the bartender was blatantly unwilling to help. This is a rather large production for a BBQ restaurant with 2 stories and a wait list. We did not have to wait at dinner time but struggled to get the attention of our waiter. Don't expect great service, but once the food came my mind was definitely elsewhere.

Bottom Line: If you don't mind your sides being served in styrofoam, this place is a great stop-in at this popular vacation spot in the Smokies.

Posts Coming Soon

Just getting this shindig started. Reviews, photos, and delicious comments about the best BBQ joints to come. Will focus on the Atlanta region initially due to travel restrictions. Stay tuned.