The BBQ Shak & New Hampshire Smokehouse — Restaurant in New Hampton

On a rare day off my girlfriend and I decided to take a ride to the lakes region (Laconia). Unfortunately, we went on a rainy day. We stopped by Kellerhaus because... childhood memories. Ran into a tour bus full of people...lol...I did tell her it was the world's best ice cream. Now she's hangry and up pops this place on Google...14 minutes away. Perfect. We pull up to a literal shack... awesome!! Past experiences tell me this is going to be legit BBQ. We went for ribs, brisket, honey corn bread, Mac and cheese and the beans. The gentleman, whom I believe is the owner but whose name escapes me as I write this, was eager to give us samples of his goods. Pulled pork, chilli, etc Now, I have my dog in the car (a/c on of course and maybe 20 feet away - anyone that knows me knows how I feel about and treat Jasper) so it's not going to be fair to him if we eat this in the car, all the tables and chairs are wet....only one thing to do with such fantastic food in hand - stand and eat it under the small shelter covering the forks, napkins, etc. My girlfriend is Brazilian and a trooper.(Not a state trooper...just a tough go with it woman)..asked if this was my idea of a romantic meal... LOL... funny. The sauce was well balanced, the beans wee AMAZING, Mac and cheese made with bechamel and cheddar....out of this world! Ribs and brisket - fall off the bone and melts in your mouth...honey corn bread was flavourful and gave a slight sweet compliment to the food we had.... which was portioned enough that we ended up coming home with some. I gotta say , I look forward to bringing my mother up with us soon and look forward to trying the chicken and kilbasa next time....but definitely the beans again.... whatever formula he has - NAILED IT!!! In short - Wort the ride!! Best of luck to this shack! Don't change...

This is the real deal. The best BBQ I’ve had in New England so far.

Stopped by this place past Saturday while visiting the White Mountains, and we just made it in time—like many spots in the area, they only operate from April to October, so we caught them in their final days of the season. We managed to snag the very last of their smoked brisket and went all in with a full rack of ribs and a side of coleslaw.

The BBQ here isn’t classic Texas-style; it leans more toward comfort food, especially when you opt for one of their house sauces. Since Scott doesn’’t crank out BBQ in high volumes, the meat doesn’t come fresh off the pit. Instead, it rests in an aluminum container and gets gently reheated on a pan. We chose the whiskey sauce, which delivered a nice tangy punch with a touch of sweetness, though not as sugary as a typical BBQ sauce. He poured a generous amount of it onto the pan at the end.

Both the brisket and ribs were incredibly tender, with the Whiskey sauce complementing the fatty bits perfectly. As for the coleslaw, it was refreshingly light. Made with just cabbage and a simple seasoning of mayo and peppers, it had a clean, crisp bite that was the ideal palate cleanser between those rich, meaty bites. Simple, yet incredibly effective at balancing the indulgence.

Sad to see that Scott will be closing up shop until next April, but we’ll definitely be back for those ribs when the season rolls around again. Honestly, you can skip all the other BBQ joints...

The BBQ Shak & New Hampshire Smokehouse in New Hampton, NH is my favorite place to eat BBQ even though it's outside without dine-in seating. I drive an hour to get to the BBQ Shak and during that time I'm happily preparing in my mind to enjoy a feast! Here's what happened to me and what happens to many people that visit the BBQ Shak, especially 1st time customers. They stand at the counter trying to figure-out what they want to order as Scotty lovingly makes doing so impossible because he's constantly giving the customer plate after plate of BBQ meats and foods to try! He takes pride in his BBQ meats and other food items. He does his best wanting customers to try everything, even tells them to go sit down and eat before they order! I found it hiarious when Scotty did it to me! He is non-stop wanting to please and the newbie customer ends-up happy and full by the time they think they're ready to order! And guaranteed, if they do it's going to be take-out! I was so impressed by Scotty's smokehouse meats that filled my belly for free I happily spent a $100 in take-out to bring home and enjoy! I was happy to reciprocate Scotty's great service and generosity. I had eaten there for free like I were a pig in heaven! Thank you, Scotty! I also want to mention he makes and sells his own line of meat seasonings. My favorite is Saltt Peppa which I am hooked-on. It's now a "must have" in my kitchen! I buy it in 4 packs online. It's also available in sizes up...