Smokin Barrel BBQ — Restaurant in Omaha

Flew in from Austin, TX yesterday to visit my dad and he was hankering for some BBQ. I was apprehensive, thinking BBQ in Omaha would be a bust. I already know I'm not fan of "baked beans" (gimme ranch style pintos or black beans). Dad's neighbor who always provides solid recommendations suggested "Smokin Barrel". I called shortly before closing and Wayne said they were out of ribs, but had brisket, smoked turkey, pulled pork and sausage. He had lived in Texas and would keep the lights on for us! After sampling a bite of the moist (vs lean) brisket, we loaded up! The brisket would be a hit, even in the snooty Central Texas area! Great flavor, tender, yummy bark! Had it for dinner and again in eggs for breakfast. Had the smoked turkey for dinner tonight, and that was great. Not dry, not overly smoked, not too much pepper - right in the groove. I asked if the pulled pork was carnitas style (with cumin) or orange-brine, but he said it was Carolina style. I've had plenty of Carolina style pulled pork (wife's family lives out east), and Wayne's was great (I picked at it tonight before writing this review, but it will be tomorrow night's main course). I usually only put sauce on my meat if it needs enhancing, but the meats were spot on. Even so, I might sneak some of the bourbon sauce on the pulled pork for fun or find some buns and top the pork with the cole slaw. My personal favorite sauce was the X-treme sauce, but my dad couldn't handle it :) I told Wayne I would pass on the beans, but he told me he loads his with brisket and gave me a sample. Loved 'em and took home a pint. They're already gone. Very friendly folks, and great food. My only complaint is that they should charge more. I'll have to go to confession because it feels like I was stealing! What we got would have easily cost twice as much in Austin. Highly recommend .. and will be a staple when I come...

My wife and I made a day trip to Omaha from Des Moines today. It’s our first time hanging out here and so we did what I always do in a new city: find the best BBQ around.

I walked in and asked the owner what they were famous for, he proceeded to pull out a sausage and a whole brisket and started to slice up a few bites for us to try.

The sausage was very tasty, well seasoned; I confirmed with the owner that he does make the sausage himself.

The brisket had the most distinct, thick, outer layer he called ‘bark’ (see pictures). This outer layer was very thick and somewhere between crispy and crunchy but also quite tasty. The meat itself I’d consider to be a dry brisket and as dry briskets go, this is one of the best I’ve had ( I do prefer mine to be juicy). The sight alone of this brisket was extremely impressive.

We ordered a Texan sandwich which came with a pile of brisket and a whole sausage cut in half lengthwise and a brisket/rib combo meal which came with two sides (coleslaw and beans plus an extra order of potato salad).

The beans were the best side. Neither the coleslaw nor the potato salad were great but they weren’t bad either ‘nothing to write home about’ as my wife put it.

The star of the meal were actually the ribs. The meal came with two fall of the bone ribs - perfectly cooked and delicious.

They offered three Bbq sauces: spicy, sweet, and bourbon. Each were actually quite good and so I ate my meal using all three on different bites.

All told this locale met and exceeding any expectations I had for finding great Bbq in Omaha. The meats spoke for themselves but both the owners, who were both very friendly, and the sauces were icing on the cake. I’d put this place up against almosT any I’ve had in...

Tried this out for the first time recently meeting an ex Vietnam Vet buddy of mine for lunch.

I have to apologize up front for no photos, as I was a little preoccupied in conversation with my Bro, who I haven’t seen for quite some time.But I will say this very very good que.

The owner and his wife were so kind and bought our lunch, vet to vet. The inside is community seating, so if your shy and it’s busy, you may want to come on the off hour, although they close normally at 1400 hrs, except on Fridays.

You order at the counter from the wall menu and have the standard fare of Brisket, Sauage, Ribs and also Turkey. Sides include Beans, Coleslaw and Potato Salad. Beyond that, there is nothing standard about it.

We both had the Brisket & Sausage with Beans & Potato Salad. The Brisket was hand cut by the owner and a healthy portion (more than I have ever been served anywhere). Same with the Sausage. Both were delicious. The Brisket was so tender and juicy and the Sausage skin popped when cut and was hearty and smoky. The Potato Salad was very good and so were the beans, although I would have liked a little bigger portion with more burnt ends. I also opted for their trifecta of shaved white onion, jalapeños and pickles on the side.

There are three very good sauces, Sweet, Bourbon and Spicy. Now I am normally choose the spicy type, but after sampling all three, I kept going back to the Bourbon.

This is a nothing fancy place (reminded me of Arthur Bryant’s place in KC, but the que was second to none. Definitely going back for more of this delicious bbq and try the...