Rollin' Smoke BBQ — Restaurant in Anthony

I was excited for this..until I wasn't. I can only review the service and items I ordered.

Backstory: Truck driver from Alabama just passing through. 3pm on Saturday eating by myself so I'll just sit at "the bar".

What they did right:

Pulled Pork Sandwich: The pork itself was great. Perfect cook and good flavor. I got some bark in mine and it was great. BBQ sauce was a little sweet for me. A plain pulled pork sandwich speaks for itself, put the sauce on the side. Throw in some dill slices and just a slightly better bun and you have one hell of a sandwich. Solid A-

4oz Mac N Cheese: They did pretty well with the mac n cheese. There was this herb or seasoning on it that made it different and interesting. Cooked well although I would have liked it a good bit cheesier. Dry is not the right word but maybe not super fresh. Solid B

4oz Potato Salad: It's not easy to make an exciting potato salad. This was your standard mustard based potato salad. Cooked well and good flavor nothing crazy. Solid B+

What they did wrong:

So they were probably at 70ish percent capacity when I arrived. Not crazy busy but fairly occupied. There were some empty tables and no one at "the bar". I quote "the bar" because it was not a bar at all. There is no beer on tap which made it a long countertop with barstools, six tvs and no bartender behind it. Bummer.

The guy cooking on the smoker seated me. Probably the owner which was pretty awesome. A girl then brings me a menu and gets me a beer. Great! 5 minutes go by and a different girl takes my order. Great!

I never heard from her again. 15 minutes go by and I had to ask a completely different girl for another beer as she was getting one for another customer. Not Great...5 more minutes go by and a guy walks up and asks if I need another beer. I said "no just a brisket sandwich and two sides". Never heard from him again.

10 minutes later my food finally comes out. The brisket sandwich I was so excited about was pulled pork. Not Great...it took so long to plate already cooked food and deliver it I just ate the sandwich and had them change the bill.

In conclusion they completely forgot about the only person sitting at "the bar". It was like the servers didn't have zones or tables they just ran around and picked whomever. I wasn't mad, I just had high hopes and ended up disappointed. 5 minutes after finishing my food I had to get up to find a server so I could pay my incorrect bill. The poor service I had just made my meal less...

The BBQ here is quite outstanding. I’ve eaten a lot of BBQ all over Texas; one usually ends up in, say, Austin for superb BBQ, but Rolling Smoke is a lot closer to this NM resident. I was interested in going here to try the Dino Beef Rib. The last time I visited the area, I had an excellent Beef Rib at Desert Oak (see my review), but despite all my efforts, I couldn’t get them to let me know if they still offer it. So I shave off 40 minutes and go to Anthony TX from Mesilla NM where we are visiting and head to Rollin Smoke BBQ. The Dino rib here is outstanding! It is only available on Saturdays and Sundays, and even then, you may not find they have any, so we arrived at 11AM (when they open) on Sunday, and they had only two left. It was $48.88, a bit more than the menu states, but it was well worth it (plus, I did have leftovers). It is enormous and moist, and the rib bark is outstanding. I got to pick one side and tried the Cran-Pineapple slaw, which was even a bit better than the pineapple slaw at Desert Oak. Some reviews complain about the chewy beef gristle that runs along the rib bone, but that’s just how they are built. The meat on the rest of the rib was tender and outstanding. Pull the gristle off the bone and meat, give the gristle to the dogs, and enjoy the rest! The BBQ sauce here is a bit unusual as it is sweet but with a hint of vinegar. I did like it, but the rib was so tasty that it wasn’t a must. Yes, this is pricey, and it is for special occasions if you live in the area (for us, for a once-a-year visit, I’ll always order one if I can). My wife had the outstanding Two Meat Basket with Brisket and Pork Ribs. The brisket was from the flat but was super juicy. The pork ribs were excellent. She had the beans on the side; they were terrific. The service was fantastic; the ambiance was funky and fun. It's very dog-friendly, too. Our three dogs could dine inside the bar area next to heat lamps as in January at 11AM; it was a bit chilly. They offer outside seating, too. I highly recommend that BBQ connoisseurs try Rolling Smoke BBQ; you...

My wife and I decided to try this place because the food and atmosphere in their commercials seemed great. When we arrived, the waitress was friendly but indicated we were lucky because they reserved the last food for a large group that never showed up. Anyway, we ordered three three meat plates and here is what I have to say about our meals.

Brisket The brisket was undercooked. If you don't know what that is, Google search undercooked brisket and look at the images. Undercooked brisket hasn't been cooked long enough or at a high enough temperature. The meat was chewy, and we weren't offered a choice between lean or moist.

Pork Ribs They were overcooked and overly sauced, and I felt we had the last batch.

Baked Beans It's strange, but it tastes like beef jerky, and not in a good way. It might have been the sauce it was cooked with.

Macaroni and Cheese Flavorless

I'm all about supporting local businesses and was excited about eating here, especially after watching all the smiling faces and great-looking food in their commercials. Still, I have to tell you I was very disappointed. Smoking BBQ is not easy, not by a long shot, but maybe it's a lack of experience. I'm sure the owner has tons of experience, but there has to be some quality control, someone checking the food and not sending out meat that is not up to their standards. I also found it odd that they would dedicate an entire page to their food menu regarding reviews on Google. Explaining to people how they should reach out to them before writing a review about their experience. I've never seen that before.

I hope nothing but the best...