John Brown Smokehouse

***IF YOU COME AFTER 7 FRI-SUN THERE IS A GREAT CHANCE THEY WILL NOT HAVE WHAT YOU WANT TO ORDER****

I don't generally start my reviews with screaming points BUT that is probably the most important thing to know about this place so you don't go and be one of the many disappointed places I saw here this past Saturday. My friend and I stayed here for some hours enjoying beers and talking to the staff and as it goes many of the meats are freshly marinated and cooked over night to make them amazing for the next day so once they're out....they're out until the next day. It's just how they do things. Go early or cry a river, whatever lol.

FOOD- I order the 3 ribs platter with mac n cheese, cornbread, and brisket. This was around 6:30 and 2 customers after me they were out of ribs( just so you can gauge how this goes). Ribs and mac n cheese were VERY on point. Brisket was terrible, I really wish I'd ordered the burnt ends instead but at the time I didn't know them for the "it" item they are. Cornbread was good, but the put actually pieces of corn in it, like A LOT, which I didn't like because it got in the way of my bread.

DRINKS- Grabbed a beer from the bar in the back. I asked for something close to Shocktop, the bartender had never heard of it (0_o) but he went through their tap and let me sample each until I found one I liked which was great and the beer was delicious. They even hd a Blueberry Pancake beer!! Twas soooo yummy!

A random thing I did *not* like was that the girl who does the cash register is also the person who has to give everyone their fountain drinks, *and* answer phone orders. Lovely girl, but not the greatest multi-tasker and this place gets BUSY. It took me 10 minutes just to get my water and I had to ask 3 times.

Otherwise great food and totally worth a try if you're in the area.

No complaints. Just takes a while to get your food, but delicious!

BBQ done right!! There are four parts to the traditional BBQ experience...the meat, the sides, the sauce, and the setting.  

Tried the pulled pork and the pork belly. Both were cooked to perfection.  The pork belly is truly something special.

The mac-n-cheese and the collards were on the money. The sides have to stand up to the meat. The white bread (or as we say in the south...light bread) was an authentic touch.

The ghost sauce was a nice touch. Sauce is such a personal preference that its hard to fit everyone's style. I would like to try the sauces again with a little apple cider vinegar added to thin it out.

The atmosphere said "BBQ joint". Especially liked the butcher paper for plates.

Obviously someone did their homework before getting into the BBq business. Job well done!!