*****NOTE: Not more than 48 hours after posting this, we were told that this spot is becoming a Peruvian place and BBQ Smith is going to Catering Only*****
Recommended by: After we claimed that Tavolata had the best Happy Hour in Seattle, a reader suggested checking out BBQ Smith’s Happy Hour. We took her up on her suggestion.
Description on the BBQ Smith’s website: Seattle Barbecue/Texas-Inspired
Neighborhood/Type: Roosevelt, Maple Leaf
Address: 7919 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: Texas Cheese Fries – Crispy Fries loaded with house made gouda cheese and topped with brisket. Texas Style Brisket, Pulled Pork, Corn Bread, Mac & Cheese, Miso Collard Greens, Half pound of pulled pork(smoked 10 hrs) and half rack of pork ribs(smoked 5 hrs), Mama Moon’s Kim Chi, Cornbread, Brown Sugar Beans, Hardcore corn- smoked to the core on the smoker with butter/cheese/sour cream/tajin mixture
Comments: We’ve always passed BBQ Smith on our way to Chiang’s Gourmet right down the street. It’s in an odd spot right in the middle of a neighborhood(Maple Leaf) with not a whole lot of parking. Truthfully we had it on our radar to try, but it was never a priority. That is until a reader saw the blog post claiming that Tavolata had the best Happy Hour in Seattle. She begged to differ and suggested BBQ Smith. So of course we needed to check it out.
The first thing we noticed when coming to BBQ Smith was the Chuck’s Hop Shop sticker and discovered that Chuck of Chuck’s Hop Shop fame is actually the owner! One of the best kept secrets is that there is a little satellite Chucks’ Hop Shop in the back. It doesn’t have the selection that the regular shop has, but it does have a really great beer selection for a small bbq joint.
Before visiting BBQ Smith, take a look at their website . They have Google Slides embedded and starting around page 4 they start talking about their bbq preparation-how long it’s prepared, cooked, rests and served. They also talk about the types of cuts. See below.
The style of bbq served here is Texas style bbq, which means they rub the meat with spices and cooked on low heat over long periods of time over indirect heat, which means the meat is not cooked directly over the flame, but to the side or higher above the flame. This leads to some yummy tenderness. Also sauce is not typically slathered on the meat, because it’s not needed. You can see it represented in their cook times. The pork ribs are smoked for 5 hours, the pulled pork is smoked for 10 hours and the brisket is smoked for 12 damn hours!
We’ve eaten both indoors and although their patio is not the most “finished”, it’ll do on a nice summer evening for sure.
You can order your bbq as a plate or by the pound. We’ve ordered so many different sides and types of meats, we won’t go into a lot of detail, but suffice to say all the bbq is tender, oh my god how tender, moist and smokey.
Sides – Score : (4.0/5.0). Nothing really blew us away except maybe the corn. The collard greens were interesting with it’s Asian twist. Everything was good, but not mind blowingly good.
- Mama Moon’s Kimchi – Secret Kimchi recipe passed down from generations.
- Brown Sugar Beans – Slow cooked pinto beans with brown sugar, jalapenos, tomato and spices
- Mac & Cheese – Asiago Cheese, smoked gouda and black pepper
- Miso Collard Greens – collard greens, bacon ends, onion, sugar and garlic slow cooked with an Asian twist
- Hardcore Corn- smoked to the core on the smoker with butter/cheese/sour cream/tajin mixture
- Cornbread
BBQ:
- Half pound of pulled pork(smoked 10 hrs). Score: (4.75 / 5.0)
- Half rack of pork ribs(smoked 5 hrs). Score: (4.25 / 5.0)
- Texas Style Brisket(smoked 12 hrs). Score: (5.0 / 5.0)
Appetizer: Score: (5.0 / 5.0)
There’s one last dish which we got during happy hour and this might be the best happy hour dish in Seattle. The Texas Cheese Fries is $4! You read that right. During happy hour the Texas Cheese Fries are $4.00. Check out how massive this tray is. There’s no way two people can finish this. Also got a Bodizafa from Georgetown Brweing for $3. Holla! Back to the dish. So they give you a huge tray with a layer of fries and these fries are no ordinary frozen Ore Ida fries. Then they put a layer of their 12 hour brisket and they are not chintzy with it and then a layer of their home made cheese. One time we ordered it and the brisket was on top and the next time we ordered the cheese was on top. No matter, trust me.
One thing we haven’t tried are the sandwiches, but honestly why add bread to the mix when you can fully enjoy the bbq on it’s own.
They also just started serving brunch on the weekends, although we haven’t tried it yet.
I wouldn’t say Seattle is the hotbed of bbq, so I wouldn’t consider ourselves experts, but we know what we like and we have had our fair share of bbq in Seattle at Bitterroot, RoRo’s, Drunky’s Two Shoe, Cask & Trotter and Peco’s Pit. And also Bourbon & Bones and Kickin Boot Whiskey may they rest in peace. So for now Smith BBQ has become our go to bbq joint in Seattle due to the hidden Chucks Hop Shop bar in the back, one of the best happy hour dishes in Seattle and just plain good bbq. One last thing, no cash accepted.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Maggie
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