Smokemade Meats + Eats — Restaurant in Orlando

This place is AMAZING. I'm lazy, and I hit the shift key to capitalize those letters so you know it's good. I'm obese and I don't have any plans to change that soon so I tried as much as my overworked tummy could handle. I ordered pounds of ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. I got mounds of mac and cheese, cheese grits, and collard greens. I threw in some kolaches, banana pudding, and butter cake. I spoke of a fictitious party I was having and scurried away shamefully to enjoy my spoils alone.

I've been to the Carolinas, the midwest (not by choice, mind you; it's never by choice), and Texas. This is the most FLAVORFUL meat I've ever eaten. Barbecue sauce was provided, but I felt dirty for even thinking of using it. It felt like adding A1 sauce to filet mignon. I'm typically not a fan of brisket because it's lean and has all the flavor of wet cardboard. This was just the right amount of fat content (oddly enough, that's how I describe myself) and it melted in my mouth. The pork was in for deja vu because I couldn't be bothered with a fork; I pulled it with my bare hands as nature intended. The slightest criticism was that the ribs were a tad salty. I even hesitate to mention it because that could be the byproduct of eating 12 of them.

The sides are usually the stars of the show for me. The meat was too perfect to allow that, but they were Oscar-worthy understudies. The mac-and-cheese delivered what most places only promise: cheesy goodness. This wasn't just a milky sauce thrown on noodles, it was consummation of cheese, pasta, and flavor. One of the few macs I've ever truly enjoyed at a restaurant. The cheese grits had just enough of a red pepper kick to remind my tastebuds that they were from Texas and complimented the flavors perfectly. Creamy and delicious is an understatement. It would be remiss of me not to mention the collard greens here. The flavor was unique, somehow meatier than what I'm used to, but no less delicious. The problem is that they were quite a bit undercooked for me. I don't mind stems, but they need to be tender if they are included. Unfortunately, these could have used a while longer on the pot, which is unfortunate because I really could have used a vegetable in my meal at this point.

The kolaches were great as expected. It's a genius marriage of smoked meat and dough softer than a Cabbage Patch bottom. I tried one of the brisket kolaches and one of the sausage kolaches. They were so good I wanted to slap my mama (plane tickets purchased, I'll let you know how that goes). The sausage was a treat because I've never tasted so much smoke flavor in a sausage before. I cannot overstate how flavorful it was.

To finish off, I had the butter cake and the banana pudding. You'll want to have your insulin handy and you may need to count your toes after, but lawd almighty were they both heavenly. The cake is like a blondie made of butter and if that doesn't sound good to you, one bite will change your mind. There are so many notes in the banana pudding (where is that caramelized flavor coming from???) that I gave up trying to identify them all. It tasted like someone in the back had a ouija board and my grandma's ghost in the kitchen (please don't tell her I plan to slap my mama).

There were also onions, pickles, and white bread that made the meal feel like an elevated at home backyard barbecue. They were delicious in their own right and added just enough of their own element to accent the food.

I'm hoping that once they get past the soft opening that they'll add sweet tea and corn bread (fingers crossed).

In summary, the food is excellent. If your mouth hasn't done anything particularly heinous to you, like bite your cheek excessively, then it deserves to be rewarded with the best barbecue you'll ever have in Florida. The line is long, but absolutely worth it, and I can't...

Today, I decided to drive 40 minutes out of my way for what I thought would be a divine BBQ experience. I ordered a variety of items: collards, mac and cheese, pinto beans, potato salad, hash and rice, brisket cheesesteak, and ALSO banana pudding.

Let’s start with the collards. The texture was off tough and full of stems. I’m talking full-on tree trunks, not just the little stems you can tolerate. I get it, collards are supposed to have a bite, but this was something else. Please, for the love of all things green, pull the collards off the stems before serving. They were so bad, they ended up as an instant spit-out.

Next, the mac and cheese. The smell immediately reminded me of those little snack packs with the crack-shaped breadsticks you dip in cheese. Surprisingly, it wasn’t horrible. But honestly, it wasn’t anything to write home about either. The texture was strange extremely soupy yet creamy thick, like it couldn't decide if it wanted to be soup or pasta.

The potato salad was a letdown too. At first glance, it looked amazing, all creamy and comforting. But when I took a bite, I realized the potatoes were brittle and the whole salad was dry. It tasted overwhelmingly like mayo with a ridiculous amount of dill and celery. I love a good potato salad, but this one missed the mark too not much mayo, not enough flavor balance.

Now, hash and rice... I’ve never tried it before today, and after this, I’m honestly not sure I ever will again. It was like sour pork over rice, and I can’t even describe it any better. I don’t want to taste it again, so I’ll leave it at that. Definitely not my thing.

The banana pudding had great flavor, but they really skimped on the essentials. There were only 4 cookies in the whole thing, and wait for it no bananas! If you’re someone who’s used to a real Southern banana pudding, like the kind Paula Deen makes with Chessmen cookies, this one will probably disappoint you. It’s just not the same.

Now, let’s talk about the winners:

The pinto beans were surprisingly good. I wasn’t expecting much, honestly. I thought they’d be the standard, slightly sweet, baked bean type. But no, these had a savory, smoky flavor that I wasn't prepared for. Im going to put them over rice after tasting them.

And now, the true MVP of this meal, the brisket cheesesteak. Y’all. LISTENNNNNNN. This sandwich is an absolute must-have. It’s packed with so much tender, juicy meat that it bursts out the sides with every bite. The first bite hit me so hard I almost fell back in my chair. My hands shot up in the air, and I was literally praising the most high. If I ever go back, this will be my order, no questions asked. Throw in some fries and a sweet tea from Joe’s, and I’m good to go. This is the type of dish you dream about. No pics of the sandwhich, I deep throated it like Shaggy from scooby doo.

Overrall 2/5, because of that BOMB CHEESESTEAK. I lowkey want my money back for these sides. I forgot to mention. One more thing my lid for the collard greens wasn’t sealed properly, and the leak caused my bag to break. My food dropped like...

I’m leaving this review extremely upset about this whole situation. The food being good is the only reason I’m leaving a 2 Star. I called in to this establishment @ 12:17PM to inquire about what time they closed and if I’d be able to place an order for a later pickup. She said yes it can be done online, I asked about the options that are online if those are the only things that can be ordered online in which she responds to yes. I placed my order @ 12:42PM says to be ready for pickup @ 2:45PM in which I will provide pictures and timestamps for everything. My order consisted of a 1lb of turkey, 1lb of brisket, 2lbs of ribs, Large Mac, & Medium Salad. Which was going to be food for a meeting at my company. Thinking everything’s still normal I start heading over there to receive a call @ 2:32 notifying me the items I ordered are sold out. 13 minutes before my order is supposed to be ready. To let me know they only have the sides and 1 1/2lbs of ribs. Absolutely ridiculous to not be able to notify me two hours prior that my order couldn’t be fulfilled. If your products are listed available online and when I called and asked what’s available I’m told the options that appear on the website. Then how is it possible to sell out? When the order was placed two hours ago. I had no option but to just grab whatever was available that I assume they couldn’t sell out of cause they closed in 15 minutes. I was reimbursed for my items not available (they still kept the tip) and left with no explanation on how this issue could’ve been avoided for a next time.

As a business owner, I know the importance of communication when giving a service. It’s such a shame that a simple phone call couldn’t have been made to notify us that our order couldn’t be fulfilled. Instead of a call 13 minutes before the order was supposed to be ready.

The food here is great, which is why it’s such a disappointment that a mistake that could’ve been easily avoided has ruined my experience with this...