Big Kahunas Smokehouse Restaurant — Restaurant in Hooksett

I have reviewed alot of BBQ places around the country and maybe it had something to do with the Hawaiian theme but this place is just almost all around poor.

The good stuff first. The kid that took our order and later brought our food was fine, no complaints.

The bad stuff, everything else. There were three of us, the average entre price is about $20 so after adding bottled drinks from the cooler it all came to $70. (For that price it better be gold, spoiler, it wasn't)

We waited nearly half an hour to receive our meals and there was only one couple ahead of us, the place was almost empty. It's BBQ and pretty much everything should be prepared already so why would it take 30 minutes to make three plates?

Of the three entrees only one came out correctly, sauces and sides were wrong on two of them.

Nothing was hot, only slightly warmer than room temp.

The pulled pork was dry and bland.

The ribs were tender, cooked to black and charcoal coated. They tasted like burnt charcoal. But honestly not the worst ribs I have had. They were surprisingly not as dry as I expected them to be with so much burnt charcoal on them.

The pork belly was not too bad but was about 80% fat so it's hard to dry that out.

We ordered 2 different sauces but received three different ones and I don't know what we received because none of them tasted like anything I would have expected. One was straight up horrible I can't even describe what it tasted like. The second was like pure imitation maple flavored pancake syrup. (Yuck) The third, I think was supposed to be the peanut one, had a vague peanut flavor but reminded me more of sweet Tai chili sauce than peanut anything. That one, whatever it was, tasted pretty good.

The smashers were ok, but nothing more than sorta smashed boiled potatoes.

The Cole slaw looked nice and colorful, and it was nice and crunchy but pretty bland.

I wanted to try this place for a long time, now honestly I'm sorry I tried it at all.

Update: (After the owner responded with an accusation of a fake review) I have never posted a fake review but the fact that you apparently spend so much time convincing google to remove honest reviews explains why your poor excuse for BBQ shows such high marks. Maybe if you spent more time on your food quality you wouldn't have to spend time censoring your honest customers. And since you gave your own response a thumbs up I'm willing to bet most of the positive reviews we see here are, in fact, the actual...

If I had to choose one final meal, forget the fancy steakhouses, forget the five-star restaurants, just drop me off at Big Kahuna’s, hand me a full rack of their ribs, and let me go out like a legend.

These ribs? So tender, a gentle breeze could dislocate the meat from the bone. So juicy, I had to tilt my head like a dog drinking out of a hose just to keep from drowning in that Caribbean BBQ sauce. And speaking of that sauce, sweet, smoky, and possibly infused with the tears of angels. If I had a time machine, I'd use it to go back and experience my first bite again.

For sides, I went with cornbread and smashers, not because I expected much, but because I needed something to soak up the pure joy leaking from my soul. The smashers? Absolute sleeper hit. Crispy, buttery, and honestly, they paired so perfectly with the ribs that I started getting jealous. Like, maybe they should get a room and leave me out of it.

And the vibes? Peak. Coming from the frozen North, stepping into Big Kahuna’s felt like I had been granted one last vacation before the great beyond. Palm trees? Check. Warm, smoky air? Check. Pieter, the owner, making sure my experience was flawless? Absolute king. That man cares about his food and his people, if he ever runs for office, he’s got my vote.

So yeah, if you find yourself in Hooksett and you DON’T stop at Big Kahuna’s, just know you’ve failed your ancestors. These ribs are legendary. If I could trade my last remaining good kidney for another rack, I...

Figured I have driven by enough that it's time. Stop in for dinner. I ordered a brisket meal with "smoked black beans" and corn bread. Based on reviews I expect a hugh delicious meal, unfortunately what I received was an utter disappointment. The brisket was very clearly not freshly smoked, and most definitely heated up on a flat top or something of that nature until it was very overcooked don't think I have ever had brisket that requires a knife to cut. It tasted like corned beef with black pepper and char not smokey juicy brisket. I decided to try two different bbq sauces both of which I had one bite and closed them back up as they just tasted gross nothing like any bbq I've ever had. The black beans came in a cup which had been lined with foil first but just barely pushed in to make it look like a heaping amount. I'd guess I had 2 ounces of beans as a side, and they tasted like liquid smoke. I'm convinced the only reason people go here is the great atmosphere and beer selection... if you want real delicious BBQ try goodie Cole's or smoke Haus! I usually try a place at least twice but my first visit has left me baffled! If you go I only hope you have a...