CR Midnight Smoker BBQ — Restaurant in Cedar Rapids

I went to the restaurant in newbo on a Saturday as that is the only day you can get ribs. I tried the ribs and brisket with coleslaw. I got the blueberry and house bbq sauce. The ribs were good, some of the better ones in town, with a nice pepper forward flavor but did not overwhelm the meat. I would definitely recommend the ribs and am saddened that you can only get them on a Saturday. The brisket was pretty good with a nice smoky flavor. The meats on their own were good and didn't really need a sauce. As a certified bbq judge, the brisket was a bit over cooked for my liking as it dried out pretty quickly. I did try the blueberry and it was decent though not my preference. I did enjoy the house bbq sauce and would recommend it as it has a nice kick but not overly spicy. The coleslaw was good as far as coleslaw goes and I would order it again but not something I would go out of my way for. The owners were awesome and very nice people. They had a good set up. I would recommend this place for good bbq with nice friendly people who take pride in their business and their food. This bbq is above average for the area and for most everyone and as a bbq judge, I would recommend anyone to go here as I will be frequenting more often as well. I will update my review when I go back and try the pulled pork and some of the other sides.

Update: I went back to try the pulled pork and the potato salad on Sunday afternoon. When I arrived, there was a line. I wandered away for a few minutes and came back. But when I went to place my order, I found out they were out of potato salad so I just got a bit of pulled pork. I will say the pulled pork was definitely good. The pork had a ton of flavor, was cooked spot on as so not to be mushy as we all know pulled pork and pulled chicken can be sometimes. There were strings of meat which shows even further how well the meat was cooked. I would definitely recommend the pulled pork, though I would have liked to have gotten some bark with the pulled pork. I will be going back earlier on a Saturday to get ribs and brisket again as a follow up. If they can keep up the consistency and expand their times for ribs, and have some good combo plate deals, this would be one of the top, if not the top spot in CR right now for BBQ. I would definitely say to go try it if...

I did a quick Google search for BBQ in the area and found this gem. I do a lot of smoking meats myself, so I’m quite the critic when comes to smoked meats. I went for the ribs but much to my disappointment they were sold out (5:00). I asked how many racks of ribs they do for a Saturday and he told me 14, so if you want ribs I’m guessing be there by 2 or 3 pm. I ordered the 2 meat platter which came with a hearty helping of pulled pork and brisket. My disappointment soon turned into pure bliss. The brisket was tender, moist, flavorful and seasoned with just the right amount of rub. The pork was tender, moist, and like the brisket seasoned perfectly with rub to complement the smoke and meat but not overpower the savory flavor of the smoked meat. The homemade recipe used for the German style potato salad was delectable, not sweet and not salty, just right. The cole slaw was another home run. The pickled red onions were sweet and flavorful but not hot or spicy. I’m not a sweet pickle fan but the sweet bread and butter pickle chips were phenomenal. Lastly, the smoke master gives you a choice of 2 cups of your choice of bbq sauce to add to you meat if you chose. I chose the blueberry and it was so good, I only used a small amount of it and stuck the leftover sauce in the serving cup in my pocket to take home for another dish. The two meat platter is enough to feed two adults without question. I ate all of it because I was by myself and my wife had already eaten at home. That was probably my only poor decision of the night. Don’t second guess The Midnight Smoker, go get some now, you...

We had the coolest experience with CR Midnight Smoker BBQ on a drizzly June day last year at a BBQ festival just outside of Cedar Rapids.

We had been wanting to try CR for quite a while but it seemed like every time we were in town they were closed or off catering or at an event. So, prior to our Baseball, Brewery, and BBQ trip to Iowa last year, we reached out to CR to see if they'd be around. (This was back when they were serving up their BBQ at the NewBo Market.) Greg (owner/pit master) was nice enough to email us back to let us know that on the day we were going to be there, they'd be just outside of town at a BBQ festival and if we wanted to stop by, he'd save a sampling of his BBQ for us. Well, that certainly made the decision easy.

We visited the festival and tried a half dozen different BBQ vendors but low and behold, CR was the best! The brisket, the ribs, and the beans were all excellent. And Greg was even nice enough to chat with us for a while and to give us some pointers about which other BBQ vendors were his favorites.

We are so stoked to see that CR now has its own location so that we can stop in for excellent BBQ whenever we want (usually before a Kernels game.)

...and for context, my wife and I are certified BBQ judges, international beer judges, are food and travel writers, and international food and drink tour guides. So, we know a thing or two about food and so can say with confidence that CR is some of the best...