The Smoke Shop Somerville

The Smoke Shop in Assembly Row in Somerville is the third location and was opened recently. The man behind the restaurants is Andy Husband, a well-known Boston Restaurateur. Formerly, he worked with Chris Schlesinger at the legendary East Coast Grill. But even more significantly, he is one of the founding members of IQUE, the first New England team to ever win the Jack Daniel's World Championship BBQ Invitational in 2009.

There is free on street parking but not in abundance. I forgot to check if there are any parking garages nearby.

The inside is very nice with a big bar up front and a large dining room in the back. Yes, it smells of BBQ.

I went with the Pit Boss ($26) "Choice of Three Meats & Three Sides". I went with the Ribs, Brisket and Pork Belly Burnt Ends. The pork belly doesn't show up on the online menu. My sides are Pimento Mac & Cheese, Bacon Collards and Pit Beans. There was also pickled jalapenos and pickles in the middle. The mac & cheese was very tasty but wasn't creamy at all. The collard greens were also tasty but lacked vinegar. The pit beans were excellent and not as sweet as on my previous visit. They also had a hint of heat. The ribs were outstandingly good and NOT fall off the bone. They still had a good tug left. The PB burnt ends were very tasty. The brisket was very soft with a very nice and tasty bark. Brisket is the hardest thing to get right when you do BBQ, and this was very good. It was also a very ample serving.

Three sauces are on the table. The hot was hot, and so was the gold. Both were very tasty. The service was very friendly, and my leftover was expertly packed. No, I didn't do it ;-).

Address: 325 Assembly Row, Somerville, MA 02145 Phone: (617) 623-7427