Smoque
Half and Half Brisket and Pulled Pork Sandwich
Peach Cobbler
Bread Pudding
Cornbread
Macaroni and Cheese
Opting to take advantage of an automobile for transportation yet not wanting to overdo it before dinner at Boka it was just after 2:30 on a Friday afternoon that my mother, aunt, and I entered Smoque and with the lunch crowd still lingering but several seats open it was only dried out cornbread and an unpleasant ‘host’ who barked at us that no one could be seated until an order was placed which prevented the visit from being a resounding success. Located on Pulaski just seconds from the Kennedy Expressway and considered by some to represent Chicago’s best barbeque a visit to Smoque is unlikely to be mistaken for anything resembling an ‘upscale experience’ and opting to eschew the more fanciful digs of Lillie’s or Bub City there is no doubt that the food is the star of the show – a lean blackboard menu, steel trays lined with white paper, and plenty of napkins on wooden tables the only things besides a few pictures decorating otherwise Spartan décor. Every bit matching the Texas experience with orders placed at the counter and sodas self service it was after only a few minutes of indecision that our tray was presented, the $20 tab a veritable bargain for a large portion of meat along with two sides and a duo of desserts. Admittedly ordering lightly with a focus on favorites it was first in the brisket that each of us indulged and with a good smoke ring visible on each slice the tender beef shined, a statement slightly less applicable to pulled pork that was just a touch too sweet. Largely unimpressed by cornbread that was improved only slightly by a pat of butter but happy to find similarly plated macaroni tender amidst rich cheese it was onward to dessert that we moved and although the peach cobbler was admittedly quite good it was for the bread pudding that we’d all fight, a nearly molten slab slathered in creamy caramel with smoky pecans adding just the right bit of crunch.
RECOMMENDED: Brisket, Bread Pudding.
AVOID: Cornbread, and adding too much of the overly-sweet barbeque sauce.
TIP: Open at 11:00am every day of the week aside from Monday and smoking throughout much of the day I’ve been told that non-peak times are the best to visit Smoque from a consistency standpoint, the brisket and ribs especially subject to variability during times when the kitchen is in a rush to keep up – or serving up options made much earlier in the day.
