Smoke Jack

Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Restaurant: Smoke Jack
Location: 29 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA
URL: http://www.smokejackbbq.com/
Recommended By: Matt

Score: 8.3

We headed up to Alpharetta for lunch today. Smoke Jack fits right into Alpharetta as a fancy BBQ restaurant. A place where you can take a date and have a nice drink. On the menu they have the JACK. A combo plate with 6 meats and 2 sides, all for just $30. The menu says it can feed a really hungry person or 2 people. It fed 3 of us just fine.

The Burnt Ends were a big hit, they had a good smoky flavor and were fairly tender. The beef was not as tender as the burnt ends but still tasty. Pork was very good, tender, full of flavor, especially when you add the mustard sauce. The ribs could be ordered either Memphis style (dry rub) or KC style (thick sauce). We got the spare KC and baby back Memphis. The both were really good.

Smoke Jack also has several sides and appetizers to choose from. The fried pickles and Corn Bread Pudding are a must. The pickles come with a spicy dip and the Corn Bread Pudding has little bits of jalapenos in it, but not really spicy.

The sauces they bring depend on what you order. We recommend just asking for all of them up front. The Carolina Mustard is really good with a bit of mustard and sweet. The KC style is pretty good. The Citrus KC was not our favorite. The orange flavor is not the best in a BBQ sauce.


The Jack Combo 6 meats - $30
Beef Plate (2 sides) - $9
Sand (1 side) - $7.50

Matt
Overall Score: 8.5
Main Dish Taste:
      Beef – 7.5
      Burnt Ends - 9
      Chicken - 7
      Pork - 9
      Spare Ribs (KC) - 8
      Baby Back Ribs (Memphis) - 8
Sauce:
      Carolina Mustard - 8.5
      KC - 8
      KC Citrus - 6.5
Tenderness: 8`
Sides Taste :
      Brunswick Stew – 6.5
      Mac & Cheese – 8.5
      Corn Bread Pudding - 8
      Fried Pickles - 9
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 7.5
Cost: 7
Comments: Ordered the Jack Meal for $30.
Beef a little dry
Burnt Ends - Awesome
Chicken - Good but not Smokey
Pork - Very good with the mustard sauce
Spare Ribs (KC) - good. A little chewy
Baby Back Ribs (Memphis) Good.
Mac and Cheese. Very good. Burt crust.
Corn Bread Pudding. Unique flavor with bits of jalapeno
Stew - too soupy. Potatoes not cooked enough. Lots of chunky bits
Fried Pickles - Very good and good dipping sauce

Carolina Mustard was a mix of Mustard and vinegar. Very good
KC a little sweet. A little spicy
KC Citrus. The citrus flavor just threw it off

Mason
Overall Score: 8.5
Main Dish Taste:
      Beef – 6
      Burnt Ends - 9
      Chicken - 8
      Pork – 8.5
      Spare Ribs (KC) - 8
      Baby Back Ribs (Memphis) - 8
Sauce:
      Carolina - 4
      KC - 8
Tenderness: 8
Sides Taste :
      Brunswick Stew - 7
      Corn Pudding - 9.5
      Fried Pickles - 9
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 6
Cost: 8
Comments: The atmosphere is a little more modern. It didn't really have a BBQ feel to it. We started off with the fried pickles. Very good quality, huge. Came with a spicy sauce for them that was awesome too. Then we opened the menu and there it was, THE JACK. 6 meats and 4 sides for 30 bones. It said it would comfortably feed 2, but it comfortably fed 3. The beef was a little on the dry side, the pork was great. The burnt ends were very tender and some of the better I have had. Chicken was good. It came with spare ribs and baby back. You don't get that often! They were both great. A little small, but done right. The corn pudding they serve is a must, it is amazing. I live fairly close to smoke jack and will be making this a regular stop.

Dan
Overall Score:8
Main Dish Taste:
      Beef – 4
      Burnt Ends – 9.5
      Chicken - 6
      Pork – 9.5
      Spare Ribs (KC) - 7
      Baby Back Ribs (Memphis) - 8
Sauce:7
Tenderness:8
Sides Taste :
      Fries - 6
      Fried Pickles - 8
Service: 8
Atmosphere:7
Cost: 7
Comments: Try a little bit of everything, which was AWESOME. If only every place had the Jack on their menu, that would be great!! To me, the burnt ends and the pork were the stars. I had never had burnt ends before, but I may have to start trying it after this experience. The ribs were also very good. The chicken and beef were alright, but nothing to write home about. All in all a top 5 BBQ experience and I would definitely go back again.