The Smoking Jay — Restaurant in Milwaukie

Update: Went back and finally got the pork belly burnt ends in a taco and was not disappointed!! I could have eaten 6 more! We got the wedges again, obviously, and while talking with the owner and smoke master he said they make amazing hashbrowns. We stopped eating them and got a to-go box. This morning I made breakfast burritos with left over wedges, diced them up and tossed them in the air fryer. No other seasonings were used. Just eggs, cheese, bacon and the wedges from Smoking Jays. WOW!! Best breakfast burrito. I did put some of the spicy bbq sauce we had in our to-go box in my burrito. Seriously...so good! Now we will be getting wedges to go with each visit! Just go... you won't be disappointed!!

Wanted to find a new BBQ joint and we found the perfect one! The food was absolutely amazing as well as the staff. Love that you can get sliders or tacos with whatever meat you want. The wedges....oh wow. Never in my life have I had such crispy outside, fluffy inside with the best seasoning on them. We tried the pulled pork in the tacos (regular and spicy) and the brisket slider (regular and spicy). Both were absolutely amazing! For me, the spicy wasn't hot but had a great flavor. I'm asking for some as a side to dip my wedges in next time! Found out the owners came up from California....they are the best thing that state has given us. So glad they decided to open up a restaurant here. I can't wait to go back and try their pork belly burnt ends...

I wanted to love this place so badly and I had a high hopes for it because it's rated nearly a 5 star. 😬 Unfortunately it was not 5 star material for my experience. The service was great, super friendly. Charming decor and clean. We had brisket and pork ends, with mac and cheese, potato wedges, and baked beans. The brisket and pork had very good flavor, quite savory and was tender however the pork ends were mostly fat. The mac and cheese was heavily peppered with no salt. The baked beans were okay, really thought they would not taste canned but even still, edible. The potato wedges were fine. Overall for me it was just okay. If you want to try it I would suggest no pork ends, unless you love really fatty meat. And stick with the meats only, no sides. We purchased 1lb of brisket and a 1lb of pork ends and opted for large sides. (4 large potato wedges) which didn't have as much as I expected, 😕 baked beans, Mac and cheese. It came to $105. The amount of food we received didn't look like $105, so the cost was more than expected. Unfortunately they sold out of the key lime pie and I really wanted to try it. This place does not make my stop and try list but it doesn't make my avoid list either. I really love BBQ and was hoping this place...

I moved to Portland six months ago, after living in Texas for over 30 years. So, yeah, I've had a bit of barbecue in my day. Smoking Jay is hands down the best I've had in this town. I wouldn't call it "Texas style", but it's durn good. My favorite is the sliced brisket. I ask for it cut lean. (Yeah, most hard core bbq fans prefer a fatty "moist" cut.) Lean is tricky because it's subject to getting dried out. But both times I've ordered it here it's been great.

I had the chopped brisket once and it was just ok. I think it would have been improved by a finer chop and a bit more sauce. My companion had the chicken and really enjoyed it.

The sandwiches are served with excellent pickles and cole slaw on the bun. I don't know if those toppings are house made, but they are that good.

The sauce is offered "mild" or "spicy". The "spicy" really isn't spicy. If the menu had a pepper rating, I'd give it a half pepper, so give it a try. It's a nice flavor.

As far as sides, I like the beans a lot. They have a bit of a sweet and tangy flavor.

I look forward to trying the pulled pork sometime. I hope it's as good as the other things I've had -- because...