Smokin' E's BBQ — Restaurant in Hobart Township

I recently moved here from Texas and have been on the hunt for good BBQ. I have probably been to about 12 or 13 before finding this place. So far the best I have had here in NWI. But why 3 stars? Well, it is very obvious that they have got the temps down for cooking and after talking to the sweet lady behind the counter (sorry I didn't get your name if you are reading this) it is apparent that they do take pride in their cooking. I had brisket sandwich, a sausage link (which is definitely not store bought) and pulled pork.

The brisket was good, a little dry which made me use the BBQ sauce (typically this would be a sin, but I like a mix of 60/40 moist to lean on my sandwiches). Also, the bit of brisket that had become chopped almost disintegrated like all of the protein connections had been broken (makes for an almost powdery texture). The smoke on it was not very strong either, not sure which wood they use to smoke on, but it doesn't really bring anything to the table. The seasoning was a little light on it as well. Overall it was good and for the price worth eating again.

Now, I make my own sausage as well with the family every year. So, I am very particular on how my sausage is served. The grind on it is a bit fine for me. At this level it is just a little more coarse than a hotdog grind. I would open it up a but so that you can get the seasoning to shine through, also, when you have a coarser grind the sausage stays juicy longer. It was also obviously smoked since it had the ring in it, but again the smoke was lacking. Lastly, the seasoning seemed to be missing a little bit of a bite to it. Overall not a fan of the sausage and probably won't try again.

The pulled pork was cooked very well, juicy and easily turned into a sandwich. I would recommend a little stronger seasoning (not much as all I was tasting was meat) just to get it to pop out a little (good smoke can help here too).

I was pleasantly surprised when I got my order and there was a nugget of cornbread. That was really good. I love it when people put corn kernels in the cornbread! (I promise no sarcasm) next time will purposely order that

The Mac and cheese was definitely on point and would definitely get again without hesitation.

The baked beans were really good. But seemed reminiscent of Bush's. Not sure if it was on purpose; however, I really like Bush's baked beans for store bought. So, I will definitely order again.

Overall, worth the money and eating again. Not sure about some of these complaints some of the people had on here, but I can say for certain that I will be returning. If you guys want 5 stars, the flavor will need some help. It is almost there and could certainly use some blind taste testing experimentation. I'd be willing to help if...

Being from the south (Oklahoma) and a BBQ smoker myself, I may be a bit of a harsh critic.

Hot link which they say is homemade had good flavor, and was twice the size from what I was expecting. That being said, the color on the outside did not scream 'smoked meat' to me, and there was no grill/char marks so I'm guessing if they are smoked, it is for a small amount of time and then finished in the oven. Like I said, good flavor, just not what I was expecting.

Brisket sandwich I got was not sliced like I had seen in other reviews pictures, which was disapointing. Did not seem to be a real bark to speak of on the meat that I got. It was tender, but something seemed off. Had a piece of unrendered fat, but the meat itself was almost squishy in consistency. Reminded me of something that had been done for a while then reheated in a microwave. That being said, flavor wasn't terrible. As another review mentioned, would have liked a sauce for it (although not their sauce, more on that in a bit)

Fries were fresh, but lacked any seasoning (ie. Salt/Pepper). I probably could have asked for some, but I didn't think about it at the time as I was already getting full from the rest of the food.

Mac N Cheese was pretty bland, and noodles were overcooked. Probably my least favorite thing I tried.

Was only given one cup of sauce, which was not thick at all, and was a sweet/tangy sauce. Not necessarily bad, but definitely not my cup of tea (I prefer a smokey and/or spicy/peppery sauce, IE texas style or kansas city style)

May give them another shot and try the pork products (pulled pork, baby back ribs) as maybe that is their specialty, but would not come back for the...

First of all I'd like to say I don't like giving bad reviews but I am a rib tip connoisseur in love every time I come through Chicago so I can stop and get some rib tips usually I stop at other places I saw this on the map figured I'd give it a shot especially since the parking lot I'm pulling a 53-foot trailer I was able to pull in and Park the service was fine that you know the lady working there with what was nice but I'm sorry the rib tips was the absolute worst I have ever had in my entire life I maybe would give it to my dog but probably not but it was swimming in Greece the barbecue sauce tasted like literal tomato paste and it was just horrible that's how I can say horrible the Fry's if anybody that's ever worked at a fast food joint at Knollwood refrying the french fries to heat them back up does to french fries it destroys them and they are all terrible that is what I got instead of cooking fresh fries she took some old fries and refried them and gave them to me if you want there's better barbecue places in the area to get rib tips and fresh fries . Don't know if any of the rest of it taste any good or or is any better but don't waste your money on...