Smoke BBQ

Wonderful news for everyone who loves authentic barbecue! I found it! It isn’t in Miami or Wynwood, it’s in Delray Beach! Smoke BBQ! Executive Chef and Pitmaster Bryan Tyrell brings authentic Kansas City style smokehouse barbecue, including pulled pork and a wide variety of craft-beer to put down your gullet! In addition, Smoke offers cocktails made with quality purées and in-house simple syrups. Which is wonderful because I love syrups!

As my friend Cari and I made our way out of the parking garage the smell of bbq filled the air. After a short walk we found ourselves at Smoke BBQ. As we made our way in I felt like a small part of Kansas City or Texas made its way to sunny South Florida. One of the first things that caught my attention besides the décor was the massive screen towards the back of the restaurant and the two additional over-sized projector screens to watch NFL or college games. FYI Florida Gator fans, Smoke is your official Gator watch party headquarters. The restaurant also features live music weekly. But beware folks, the kitchen shuts down at 10:00 p.m. Food is available after 10, based as part of their late night menu. 

As we sat down, we were quickly greeted and promptly ordered our drinks. We started our meal with the Texas Caviar Bean Dip. This isn’t your traditional bean dip. The black beans are served with yellow corn, green and red peppers, red onion, celery, fresh roma tomatoes, and jalapeños. The tortilla chips are made in house and come with a little kick. A perfect starter for 2-3 people.

The main course was heavenly! I went with the smoke burger and told them to pile their Carolina pulled pork on it! This burger doesn’t mess around. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and piled high, just the way I like it! For sides, I went with tots and State Fair-winning coleslaw. The coleslaw was just right and the tots were crunchy and a bit on the greasy side, but what are you going to do? They’re tots. When it came time for Fatgirlhedonist to order, she definitely didn't skip a beat! She got a winning combo of their smoked half rack of ribs and Smoke’s 16 hour beef brisket! We couldn’t believe the huge portions and certainly weren't able to finish our meal! The half rack is huge and more importantly, delicious! By far the BEST ribs in South Florida. I’ll say this, you want the best ribs in South Florida, these three places are your best bet, in order; Smoke BBQ, Shiver's BBQ, and good ole Flanigan's. The corn was very good and it comes with a small side of cinnamon butter. Be sure to order two! As a kid I ate macaroni and cheese on what seemed to be a daily basis, and to this day I still indulge on regular basis. Grandma’s mac n’ cheese was perfect. Cheesy and creamy. Great side dish but at Smoke you’ll want to eat a whole plate of it!

For dessert we tore up their “Mud in a Jar”. Warm Chocolate flourless cake at the bottom and topped with ice cream and house made caramel sauce. And it gets your attention making its way to the table with two massive marshmallows hovering atop of everything. I know you were wondering, and yes, it’s definitely looks as good as it tastes. To be honest I almost wish I had two stomachs because their dessert menu is just crazy! In a good way.

I’m definitely planning a return visit to Smoke. I don’t care that it’s an hour and 18 minutes from where I live. It’s worth the trip! There’s just too many items on that menu I want to try. Like their steamed or fried parmesan brussel sprouts or the banana coconut cream pudding. Good old Southern Hospitality here. The staff and management were very attentive and I noticed the manager made his way to visit each table. If you love BBQ I highly recommend you give Smoke a try. It is a real BBQ experience prepared by a recognized national champion pit master. But hey, like some say, “what do I know?” Right?