Smokin J's BBQ — Restaurant in Poway

As they've continually disappointed me from each of my past few visits, sadly, I finally have to be honest and bring Smokin J's down from a 5 stars rating down to 4 now a 3.

Smokin J's BBQ was fantastic before they downgraded their menu. Today, they are inflexible as far as making any deviation from their listed menu. Which leaves you no other choice than ordering ala carte. Which will cost you triple.

The Mac n Cheese which was once one of my favorites, as well as the other sides have all become mediocre. I don't care for the coleslaw!

There are no more baby back ribs at Smokin J's They call them St. Louis style ribs now. They are not baby back ribs.

The chicken I just received was extremely over cooked and dry. Despite all of the claims from J'S on YouTube that the smoker saves the dried up chicken for himself. It's NOT TRUE! Don't believe it! All the BBQ sauce in the world can't make up for that dryness. Don't order chicken.

For 6+ years it was a very satisfying experience. Not anymore. They are actually very rude, arrogant and unfriendly. They think that because they are the only game in town that they can get away with it. But their food is overpriced and going downhill just like their service.

Now they've artsmarted themselves. Instead of sticking to what made them successful in the Poway market in the first place, now they are being creative. Changing everthing. From simple to complicated. After all, they know better than us as to what Poway's want. RIGHT?

A problem we've always had with Smokin J's is their small portions. Check the meat weight out for yourself when you get your order.

Smokin J's serves the worst breakfasts in Poway. Why would you go to a BBQ smokehouse for breakfast in the first place? There are many many better choices in Poway for breakfast and much better value than Smokin J's. There is only uncomfortable outdoor seating available to enjoy your disappointing investment there.

The chicken fried "brisket," (whatever it is, is to be avoided) it's disgusting! And all of the other likewise disappointing breakfast burritos are all not just overly priced, but they are all worthy to be ignored as well.

I encourage you to avoid those thems. Unluss you want to collect botulism. They love to undercook and serve raw eggs in their burritos at Smokin J's. Which leads to...what?

Hopefully with the growth in Poway it will bring in some authentic alternatives to these spongers at Smokin J's who claim to be anthropologist's. When in actuality (if you examine the history) they actually do nothing but sponge off of the local community, promote themselves, and pass the costs of their righteousness on to you the customer.

Please, will someone bring in some real smoke house BBQ to Poway? It's long overdue. I'm sure that that day is coming.

Why would you expect to get quality BBQ from a place that's going to serve your food on plastic plates with plastic eating utensils.? They will charge you extra...

So, the only other place in San Diego for " real " barbecue is Coops. Coop's is very good...usually. Phil's is not really barbecue, but the food is decent, if you know what to expect, which is why it's so popular. Smoking J's location is very close, and highly rated, so I had high expectations. I had a 3x3, which is a mixed meat plate with macaroni and cheese, beans, and coleslaw. My wife had a smoked chicken sandwich which was fairly decent. The pulled pork was decently cooked, but bland, and relied on barbecue sauce all over it for any kind of flavor. It had almost zero smokiness to it. The barbecue sauce is meh, and I can make much better myself, and so can you. The large piece of smoked chicken I received was hardly smoked. It was okay, but not terribly moist, and not terribly smoked, so why would I have it at a barbecue restaurant? Unless the chicken is very very good, there's no reason to have it at a barbecue restaurant. The brisket was well-cooked, but oddly moist; like really really wet, and a weird flavor. I really wanted to like it, but the flavor was just so off unless you added barbecue sauce, and I really wanted a better barbecue sauce to compliment it. They only supply one flavor barbecue sauce. The macaroni and cheese was like something you would get at Vons in their deli section, but not quite as good. Make a roux, add some good quality havarti or a good quality sharp cheddar, some cream and some pasta shells, and it will be instantly better than that. I kind of liked the coleslaw. It was different from what I've experienced elsewhere, but not bad. Oddly, the most smoked item on the menu was the barbecued beans. It was super heavy with smoke, and another unusual flavor profile. My wife did not like it at all; I found it somewhat interesting, but the overwhelming smoke flavor kind of killed the dish. I've had barbecue all over the US, and California still needs something to look forward to. Unfortunately,...

Rule #1 with BBQ if it doesn’t look right Don't serve it. They are experts and know what is good and what is not. I have cooked over 100 briskets and have family and friends that can attest to my backyard brisket, baby back ribs, and overall BBQ. I know what the bend test is, smoke flavor, bark, marbling, color, spices, and how should taste since I have ate at Franklins, Terry Blacks, and Salt Lick in Texas. Overall I felt the cashier lacked hospitality. I was a little lost when the cashier didn’t hand us our order number as I finished paying. I was aimlessly staring at her what to do next, and she stared at me. Awkward. We ordered 1/2 lb brisket and 1/2 lb burnt ends. Found a table outside and put out our order number on the stand. The brisket bark looked good but was salty, smoke flavor was weak internally for an offset smoker product, the smoke ring was minimal and not uniform. Last but not least the brisket was dry as a cracker. It did not pass the bend test and broke in the middle when I picked it up. The burnt ends were not as dry as expected since it’s the point/fatty end but overall dry and coated in bbq sauce. This threw me off trying to taste the real smoke flavor I was looking for. Minimal in the burnt ends. Their side BBQ sauce had dominant flavors of smoked paprika snd vinegar. Not sweet or tangy vinegar. It’s an acquired taste I guess. The pickles were well… pickles and the pickled onions were ok. If the star of the show is brisket and can’t be made to a certain standard I’m not going to try the sides or other menu items. My best guess is the meat is definitely not Wagyu or prime or select. It’s a choice due to the nonexistent marbling. Why was the brisket dry? There are 2 theories but this is review not how to teach anyone to cook. Did I enjoy my meal? No. Did anyone care if I did? No This was my experience...