Like Us
Follow Us
Rapid Review: Smoke Shack
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that until this week, I hadn’t paid a visit to the not-so-new Smoke Shack, 332 N. Milwaukee St. It’s been on my list, along with a zillion other places, and finally I can check it off with a juicy, delicious checkmark.
It’s never a bad idea to have lunch with the owner, and Joe Sorge made sure I left Smoke Shack in a food coma. We went nuts with the Kansas City eggrolls ($8.25), brisket sloppy joe sliders ($10.75), the brisket "sammich" with kettle chips ($13.50), sweet potato fries ($3.50) and corn bread ($1.75). I also drank about a gallon of iced tea.
I’m not a barbecue enthusiast, but I like good food, and Smoke Shack was great. I couldn’t imagine the apps and sides tasting any better – the eggrolls rocked – and the only reason that the brisket sandwich was a touch dry was because I asked for it lean – and I was warned that would be the outcome. With that sandwich, though, I mixed and matched between the Kansas City, Texas, house and "Kick 24 Habanero" sauces. I’m not sure I could even pick one winner.
But beyond the food, I appreciated the decor, since the last time I was in this building, it was a tavern called MJ’s. That the creative geniuses from Flux Design dismantled a barn and reassembled it inside Smoke Shack gave the joint an authenticity you don’t usually find in Milwaukee.
There may very well be better, cheaper barbecue places in Milwaukee, and since I’m not a connoisseur, I’ll leave it for the readers to side. But I like the idea of building a tiny, 47-seat restaurant that uses locally sourced and humanely raised meats, and smoked on site. When they run out each day, they run out.
It took me more than a year to get to Smoke Shack. It won’t take me that long to come back.
Permalink
Print
Talkbacks (8)
Share this: 
Talkbacks
olderwiser | Feb. 14, 2013 at 11:25 a.m. (report)
Double ditto with all other comments. I have no idea what the BBQ tastes like at this place. I am in the mood for good BBQ ribs but wouldn't chose Smoke Shack on the review I just read at OMC for sure. My faves so far, when I've traveled, have been in the Kansas City area. But I've been told that different regions specialize in different kinds of BBQ styles and flavors. I know some great amateur grillers that can knock them out of the park with tender meat and great flavor so maybe I'll just have to opt for an invitation to someone's barbecue in the near future.
| Rate this: |
brewcitypaul | Feb. 14, 2013 at 11:12 a.m. (report)
Smoke Shack BBQ is some of the best in the city. Not too many places that do real BBQ in Milwaukee like they do. The quality of the meat is good and the prices are a little high, but fair for what you are getting. I like the Speed Queen sauce and wish Smoke Shack had something comparable in a red tangy sauce, but other than that I've loved the pulled pork, baby back ribs and wings they serve. BBQ gets done differently all over the country and wherever you've had it before is what you'll use to compare it to. That's the fun of BBQ. So many different ways to do it.
| Rate this: |
Aardvark | Feb. 14, 2013 at 10:18 a.m. (report)
How did it take two years to go here when it's only been open for one year? #research
| Rate this: |
| Rate this: |
InTheView | Feb. 14, 2013 at 12:12 a.m. (report)
I thought the Smoke Shack was alright. BUT, my wife's from Memphis. People in Wisconsin just don't *get* bbq. The bbq in Memphis is so good that you don't even need the sauce. And it's everywhere, and every place is just as equally good down there. And you can get a huge portion of bbq for under $5 down there. In Tennessee, there's a bbq place at every exit on the highway, every truck stop, every back alley, every where. Having bbq in Tennessee ruined all other bbq for me, and I will never, ever, ever find bbq that will satisfy me here in Wisconsin. No matter how much I try.
| Rate this: |
Show me the other 3 Talkbacks
 |
8 comments about this article. Post your comment/review now |
Facebook comments
Disclaimer: Please note that Facebook comments are posted through Facebook and cannot be approved, edited or declined by OnMilwaukee.com. The opinions expressed in Facebook comments do not necessarily reflect those of OnMilwaukee.com or its staff.
Recent Articles & Blogs by Andy Tarnoff
TV loyalty
Published May 17, 2013
I watched the series finale of "The Office" last night, but before I did, I had to blow through the previous five episodes gathering dust on my DVR. In the end, it was worth the night of marathon television, but when I think about the entire final season of "30 Rock," also unwatched on my DVR, I wonder when I'll get around to it.
Downtown's "secret" clothing shop sells high-end fashion at rock-bottom prices
Published May 15, 2013
Hidden in plain sight is a clothing store you have to see to believe. Frieschskys, 788 N. Jefferson St., isn't actually that special to look at. But when you step out of the elevator on the seventh floor of the nondescript office building, it doesn't take long to realize that something special does await you.
The nicest Brewers of all-time
Published May 13, 2013
Plenty is written about baseball's jerks. I've even met some of them. But rarely do people talk about how nice some players are. They may not have been the best players, but if personality counts (which it doesn't), they'd be in the Hall of Fame.
Milwaukee Talks: WISN-12 anchor and reporter Shelby Croft
Published May 9, 2013
Shelby Croft was following the playbook for most television reporters. She jumped from market to market, position to position, ultimately serving as a main anchor in Salt Lake. But Croft knew there was something more in life than market size. She moved to Milwaukee to get closer to home. She got married, had a daughter ... then got divorced. A single mom with a high-profile job, Croft's story is an interesting one.
Thoughts on the sudden death of a friend
Published May 3, 2013
Last night at about 3 a.m., I woke up to go to the bathroom. I used my phone to light my way, so as soon as my eyes adjusted, I noticed that my mom had sent me a death notice. My friend and neurosurgeon, Dr. Spencer Block - the guy who did my back surgery in 2011 - had died yesterday at age 51.
Why boo your own guys?
Published May 3, 2013
The Brewers should've won the game Wednesday, but John Axford blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning. Sitting close to the field, it was the first time I'd seen and heard the vitriol from fans around me. They booed him. A lot.
Are you Milwaukee's next rock star?
Published April 29, 2013
It's pretty thrilling to get on stage in front of a live band, facing a cheering audience, putting your personal spin on beloved cover tunes. The idea that you could win $1,000, studio recording time and a gig at Red Rock Saloon is practically gravy, right? The Red Rockstar II competition runs for four weeks in May, kicking off this Wednesday.
Perfection: The 2013 Jaguar XJ
Published April 24, 2013
If I was a less verbose writer, I could sum up the 2013 Jaguar XJ in one word: perfection. But that wouldn't make for much of a review, and after a month with the XJ that Fields Jaguar in Waukesha loaned me, I have so much more to say. I'll start with this: if you're the kind of person who can afford to spend $73,000 on a car, and you require something with four seats, this is the car you should buy. Run, don't walk, to Fields Jaguar and buy it. Now.
You can help cure cancer
Published April 24, 2013
This spring, the American Cancer Society is kicking off a massive project to sign up, track and study 300,000 adults for decades, in hopes of curing various types of cancer. It's not the first time the society has undertaken this. Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) follows CPS-1 and CPS-2, and the results of the first two programs served to advance cancer knowledge and treatment by leaps and bounds. The Milwaukee goal for CPS-3 is 2,000 people.
Zoinks! Scooby Doo springs to life
Published April 21, 2013
It's great when a pop culture show can stay relevant long enough to be enjoyed as a kid, then enjoyed again through your kid's eyes decades later. Because Scooby Doo was around before I was born, and my daughter's finally at the age to watch the campy mystery cartoon, too, I not only didn't mind sitting through Sunday's performance of Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries at the Milwaukee Theatre - I enjoyed it almost as much as she did.
