Smoking Aces BBQ — Restaurant in East Hanover Township

We stopped here in our RV to spend the night (this is a Harvest Host location-for HH members) so of course we went inside to meet Ace and have some dinner. Absolutely delicious. I had the pulled pork bowl, which is fresh, hot pulled pork piled on top of macaroni and cheese. The Mac and cheese was good- definitely better than most- but the pulled pork was GREAT. Tender and flavorful. Pretty much melts in your mouth. My wife had 6 BBQ wings. Also delicious and more filling than she expected. As another reviewer mentioned, it is not cheap, but I’m WAY less disappointed paying a high price for a good meal than a low price for a mediocre meal. This one is memorable enough to pay a little extra. Hell- lunch today was $22 at McDonalds and it was cold, lousy and small even by fast food standards. To be completely honest, I would also agree that the dining area is nothing special, but again, I was there for the food, not the ambiance. Also- Ace is a super friendly guy. He came out several times to make sure everything was good and also just to chat and make us feel welcomed and appreciated. A little off the beaten path, but worth the trip...

My wife and I checked out this BBQ spot for the first time. We were hungry and some brisket was on our minds.

First problem….no brisket. Bummer, but we get that this sort of stuff happens.

We both ordered the pulled pork fries and a additional side. Now as you can see in my picture, my $5 max n cheese side is reallly small. Not worth the extra $ we spent. My wife’s coleslaw was an additional $4 and came in the same size cup. Not a big fan of the price and quantity.

Now the food. Pork was nice. Juicy and tender. The sauce was nice (Carolina)…. We wanted to try an additional sauce but were told it would cost a $1. Fries were a bit greasy. Mac n cheese was really good. Portions were ok, but our meal was over $45 so I expected a bit more.

Another issue was being given Lysol surface disinfectant wipes for our hands. While it was well intentioned, you shouldn’t use them on any parts...

The real test of a BBQ joint is not how good they are during normal hours, but how they perform on their day off. Ace's place has been in business three weeks, and Monday was an off day devoted to cleaning and organizing after the opening rush.

Enter two hungry travelers turning off Route 81 during a six hour drive, not noticing the Yelp "Closed Mondays" warning. We walked in the font door and smack into a cleaning crew, but, after thinking over an answer to our question about alternative lunch options, Ace offered to open with what he had: chicken, ribs, beans and mac & cheese.

We'll have to report on the pit beef, brisket, pulled pork, collards, etc. some other day, but we can certify some serious smoked and sauced chicken and next level sides, augmented with sliced jalapenos and good, nicely concieved renditions of Memphis and Carolina sauces.

So, as far as the real test,...