The Smoked Joint- for real this time

[aliwaks]

Ladies & Gentleman of the Foodie World

The Smoked Joint - Soon to be known as Philadelphia's finest Barbecue spot is actually opening!!

I've been taste testing with these guys for over a year and I gotta tell ypou their 'cue is the real thang.

We're talking smoked for up to 18 hours, then grilled, they cook collards in homemade smokey stock with ther own ham!! The Mac n Cheese redefines itself with all its creamy cheesey goodness ( wait till Oprah tastes this)

Just wanted to give y'all a heads up this is soooo not to be missed. (Seriously I have fallen in love with the brisket, nearly ashamed to admit that it is all I can do not to cram huges handfuls of it in to my mouth)

They are on locust btw broad & 15th as far as I know do not take reservations and have liquor license and a damn fine margarita.

And for any of you planning on running the marathon tomorrow, they will be awarding the last place winner an all you can eat & drink dinner for two

Edited November 21, 2004 by aliwaks (log)

[woodburner]

Thanks for the heads up on the preliminaries.

Can you let us know, as to which type of fuel source they are using in the meat cookers?

I sure hope they are using real wood.

woodburner

[aliwaks]

Thanks for the heads up on the preliminaries.

Can you let us know, as to which type of fuel source they are using in the meat cookers?

I sure hope they are using real wood. 

woodburner

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They absolutely are using real wood A mixture of Hickory and some thing else which they have sourced locally

[KatieLoeb]

It's almost five in the afternoon and I'm just now getting hungry for the first time after stopping at the Smoked Joint for their "friends & family" soft opening on Saturday evening.

Everything was delicious, although I confess a truly soft spot in my heart for the incredibly smoky brisket Ali mentioned, the smoked pastrami Reuben sandwich (needs to be on swirled or seeded rye bread though!) and the smoked salmon appetizer served with remoulade sauce and "dill-dough" . Drinks were excellent (I had a margarita that was tasty and friends tried the Jack Daniels spiked lemonade which is really great!) and the desserts I was too full to try (except for one bite of incredible Bourbon Pecan pie) got high marks from my niece and nephew. Service was pleasant and efficient.

This is the real deal folks. There's finally real 'cue in Philly! Woo-hoo! I think they're opening for dinner Monday and lunch soon thereafter. Run, do not walk to Smoked Joint if you're jonesing for barbecue. You'll be very happy that you did.

[Andrew Fenton]

This is the real deal folks.  There's finally real 'cue in Philly!

So, better than Sweet Lucy's, then? Because if so, that'd be pretty great.

What are prices like? Not that that'll stop me if it's good: just wondering...

[KatieLoeb]

This is the real deal folks.  There's finally real 'cue in Philly!

So, better than Sweet Lucy's, then? Because if so, that'd be pretty great.

What are prices like? Not that that'll stop me if it's good: just wondering...

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Andrew:

Somehow smokier and meatier than Sweet Lucy's with less tomato-ey sweet sauce. Somewhat more naked (at least the brisket) but very very good. Sweet Lucy's is still good, but this is closer to home and easier to sit down.

And I neglected to mention the macaroni and cheese which is incredibly cheesey and yummy! And the sweet potato fries were really good too.

Prices were very reasonable, with most appetizers in the $7-12 range and sandwiches and entrees in the $9-22 range. The ribs are probably the priciest thing on the menu.

[MarketStEl]

Andrew:

Somehow smokier and meatier than Sweet Lucy's with less tomato-ey sweet sauce.  Somewhat more naked (at least the brisket) but very very good.  Sweet Lucy's is still good, but this is closer to home and easier to sit down.

And I neglected to mention the macaroni and cheese which is incredibly cheesey and yummy!  And the sweet potato fries were really good too.

Prices were very reasonable, with most appetizers in the $7-12 range and sandwiches and entrees in the $9-22 range.  The ribs are probably the priciest thing on the menu.

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They usually are. $22 doesn't sound too far out of line for ribs, depending on how much they give you.

As of now, the best 'cue I've had came from a hole in the wall at 55th and Baltimore (the name "Belmont" for some reason sticks in my head) that used a Carolina-style, vinegar-based barbecue sauce. I have a friend who raves constantly about the Rib Crib on Germantown, but have yet to try that place. There was another joint near Belmont and Lancaster that was pretty decent; its name escapes me too.

Actually, a colleague of mine asked me what sort of restaurant I'd open at Penn if I had my druthers for a story he did for The Pennsylvania Gazette back in April 1997. Here's what I said, along with answers from other Penn people. Since I can easily route my trip home through the 1400 block of Locust, I can see whether this place meets the criteria.

[rlibkind]

Nothing much on the Smoked Joint's website yet. Though, I gotta say, their smoke house illustration looks more like an outhouse.

[john b]

Can anyone fill me in the beer (and wine, although I'm not a wine with Q person) selections?

[KatieLoeb]

Can anyone fill me in the beer (and wine, although I'm not a wine with Q person) selections?

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John:

There was definitely Yeungling Lager, Stella Artois and something else I can't remember ON DRAUGHT. The wines weren't there yet for the soft opening but the list looked like there were mostly failry inexpensive to moderate selections. I think the by-the-glass wines looked ho-hum.

[grumbling under her breath as she slinks away]

I told them to call me for help, but does anyone listen to me. Nooooo! Of course not...

[/grumbling under her breath as she slinks away]

[Andrew Fenton]

Though, I gotta say, their smoke house illustration looks more like an outhouse.

Then what's that gas escaping from the roof? Eek!

[mrbigjas]

As of now, the best 'cue I've had came from a hole in the wall at 55th and Baltimore (the name "Belmont" for some reason sticks in my head) that used a Carolina-style, vinegar-based barbecue sauce.  I have a friend who raves constantly about the Rib Crib on Germantown, but have yet to try that place.  There was another joint near Belmont and Lancaster that was pretty decent; its name escapes me too.

sandy, have you tried tommy gunn's yet?

[Holly Moore]

I made it to the Smoked Joint for a late lunch/early dinner. Had the combo - chose the ribs and brisket.

Two sides: root beer baked beans and collard greens.

The sides were fantastic. The root beer baked beans deep and rich, a kick of bbq sauce. Excellent collards cooked with ham.

The brisket had the requisite ring around the edge and a good taste of smoke. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. Maybe a tad too fall-off-the-bone tender for my taste. I prefer ribs that have a bit of chew. Good sauce. Tried both meats with and without the sauce and preferred them with the sauce.

My only real complaint. No bread. There's just something in me that wants bread with my ribs. Maybe even wimpy supermarket white bread. That's what I'm used to with ribs. Or corn bread. There's corn bread on the menu, but it's a $5 hit for a skillet full. They bake it to order, so it's gonna be good. But if I'm laying down over $15 for a plate of BBQ I'm thinking I deserve a square or wedge of corn bread thrown in. Mentioned it to one of the owners, but got the feeling I wasn't all that persuasive. As I was leaving I heard the couple at the table next to me voice the same desire to their waiter.

My only other suggestion. Mac and Cheese is on the menu as an entree. I'd like to see it also as one of the side options.

Overall I liked the Smoked Joint alot. A welcome and needed addition to Center City.

[MarketStEl]

My only real complaint.  No bread.  There's just something in me that wants bread with my ribs.  Maybe even wimpy supermarket white bread.

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Maybe???

On the whole, I prefer real bread, but there are times when only that spongy, air-filled white stuff will do.

Sopping up the sauce that spilled off your 'cue is one of those times.

--Sandy, jonesin' for Gates' sauce as he types this

[vigna]

Had the pulled pork sandwich last night -- very good! It was served without much sauce, but the meat was juicy and very tasty. Only complaint was that it was served in a pita and I prefer bread (as others above have also stated). For $9.00 you get a sandwich and a side (BBQ beans, greens, or cornbread, etc.). I opted for the garden salad ($2.00 more), which was fresh and had a good dressing. With a large glass of Stella Artois I was completely satisfied and I will be back to try other items on the menu.

[MarketStEl]

As of now, the best 'cue I've had came from a hole in the wall at 55th and Baltimore[...]

sandy, have you tried tommy gunn's yet?

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Not yet. Did see the place when I last passed through Wissahickon Transfer on the way to King of Prussia, but that's as close as I've gotten so far.

Are you offering an excursion?

[Andrew Fenton]

Went to the Smoked Joint last night. A good idea, the night before Thanksgiving? Maybe not, but such is my devotion to barbecue. Also, my momma insisted; and you know I'm not going to argue with her when barbecue is on the line.

Among the meats, ribs, I thought, were the star: tender, flavorful. I'm normally only a half-hearted rib eater, but I liked these a lot. Brisket was pretty good, as was the pork. The chicken wasn't so great, but then, I'm not convinced it's even possible to do good BBQ chicken. I'm not crazy about their sauce (too sweet for me) but the meat is good enough that you can do without it. I might sneak in a bottle of nice mustard sauce to put on the pork, next time I go.

There are also lots of untraditional entrees and sides (grilled pizza, baba ganouj) all of which benefit from the sweet kiss of smoke. My sister, the quasi-veg, had the pizza, and it was pretty good. I kind of wanted to order baba, but decided that that would be too weird-- and we had more than enough to eat as it was.

The sides are really where TSJ stands out, especially the mac and the greens, both of which are as good as I've had anywhere. Cornbread is really good, too: it's pimped up with jalapeño for that little special something. (They also seem to be working out some issues with portion size among the sides: a small scoop of beans vs. a huge tray of sweet potato fries. There's plenty of food, it's just weird, is all.)

It's pretty expensive for barbecue. Maybe that's because I'm not used to paying city prices for barbecue, but $18 for a decent-sized-but-not-gargantuan plate of ribs + brisket seems like a lot. You're paying for location, I guess, and it's worth it to eat in the comfort of Center City, rather than schlep up to NE Phila... or down to Cackalacka, for that matter. Anyway, it's as good 'cue as you'll find in the city, and worth a trip.

[rlibkind]

Is the Smoked Joint located at Academy House? That restaurant space hasn't had any success since Marabella's more than 20 years ago. Everything else has died there. I'm not even sure how Marabella's did there, although it was busy the couple of times I went there.

[MarketStEl]

Is the Smoked Joint located at Academy House? That restaurant space hasn't had any success since Marabella's more than 20 years ago. Everything else has died there. I'm not even sure how Marabella's did there, although it was busy the couple of times I went there.

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Marabella's had the longest run of any restaurant in that space--about seven years, IIRC. For a while, it was the hot "new Italian" restaurant in town, and a fair number of celebs could be spotted dining there. It went downhill after Gabe Marabella lost control of the place.

Wonder how the smell of wood smoke will go over with the residents of the apartment building above?

[mrbigjas]

As of now, the best 'cue I've had came from a hole in the wall at 55th and Baltimore[...]

sandy, have you tried tommy gunn's yet?

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Not yet. Did see the place when I last passed through Wissahickon Transfer on the way to King of Prussia, but that's as close as I've gotten so far.

Are you offering an excursion?

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well i do have a car now, so in theory we could do it pretty much any time... lemme work on it.

[rlibkind]

Four of us stopped by tonight. Two ordered the pulled pork on pita. two the 1/4 slab or ribs. Both were quite fine. (We ordered relatively lightly because we were going to see 'The Big River' at the Acadmey afterwards.)

I avoided the sauce but found the ribs suitably smoky and succulent. The ladies enjoyed the pulled pork, but it sure seems weird to see it on pita. We ordered the corn bread to share; fairly light and not as "corn mealy" as I like it, although the jalapeno punch was welcome. The "root beer" beans were good, too, although my portion seemed to have more than its fair share of meat -- perversely, it had almost as much meat as beans, and I'd rather have beans with my beans.

At 5 p.m. when we arrived the place was pretty empty and service was good; if too many different servers stopped by the table in rapid succession to ask how we were doing, well, that's a sin I can live with when compared to not enough attention.

All four concurred it would be worth a return visit.

[philadining]

Hit the Joint tonight and had a nice cross-section of the menu, and liked it all.

Flying Fish ESB on tap for my buddy, but I couldn't stop drinking the Jack Daniels Lemonaide... these could be dangerous...

We actually broke down and ordered the baba ganoush, just because it was so weird to see at a 'cue joint. It was really good: very smoky, which would be bizarre except in this context, but still nice and smooth and lemony. They served it with pita crisps that were a bit oily, I would have preferred regular pita.

A quarter rack of ribs was plenty of food, and among the best ribs I've had in a long time. They were very tender, smoky, with some spice, but not overpowering.

A combo platter of brisket and pulled pork brought a huge pile of slightly dry, but tasty shredded pork, and two slices of brisket. The brisket had a wonderful flavor and melting tenderness. It didn't quite displace the brisket at Ruby's in Austin, TX as my personal standard of perfection, but it's up there...

Baked Beans, Greens, Cornbread and Slaw were all great.

And I'm with Holly, in no other circumstances do I crave squishy white bread, but I wanted some here. Maybe it's just imprinting from that place on 40th street near Sansom back in the 80s - what was that called? It started with an A, didn't it? Of course you needed the bread to dam-up the rivers of sauce, that was a wet barbecue. And i always feel I need that insipid bread to keep from immolating my tongue when I'm out west and get ribs from Flint's in Oakland.

Anyway, really good food, they just need some bread other than pita.

[Rich Pawlak]

Hit the Joint tonight and had a nice cross-section of the menu, and liked it all.

Flying Fish ESB on tap for my buddy, but I couldn't stop drinking the Jack Daniels Lemonaide... these could be dangerous...

We actually broke down and ordered the baba ganoush, just because it was so weird to see  at a 'cue joint. It was really good: very smoky, which would be bizarre except in this context, but still nice and smooth and lemony.  They served it with pita crisps that were a bit oily, I would have preferred regular pita.

A quarter rack of ribs was plenty of food, and among the best ribs I've had in a long time.  They were very tender, smoky, with some spice, but not overpowering.

A combo platter of brisket and pulled pork brought a huge pile of slightly dry, but tasty shredded pork, and two slices of brisket. The brisket had a wonderful flavor and melting tenderness. It didn't quite displace the brisket at Ruby's in Austin, TX as my personal standard of perfection, but it's up there...

Baked Beans, Greens, Cornbread and Slaw were all great.

And I'm with Holly, in no other circumstances do I crave squishy white bread, but I wanted some here.  Maybe it's just imprinting from that place on 40th street near Sansom back in the 80s - what was that called? It started with an A, didn't it? Of course you needed the bread to dam-up the rivers of sauce, that was a wet barbecue.  And i always feel I need that insipid bread to keep from immolating my tongue when I'm out west and get ribs from Flint's in Oakland.

Anyway, really good food, they just need some bread other than pita.

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That place on 40th near Sansom was Audrey's. One of the best off-campus Penn places ever. God, I miss that place.

[philadining]

That place on 40th near Sansom was Audrey's.  One of the best off-campus Penn places ever. God, I miss that place.

Thanks Rich, not being able to recall that name has been been driving me crazy for quite a while now! And yeah, I miss it too, I think that was the first really good barbecue I ever had.

[mrbigjas]

man oh man, i miss audrey's too. the entire block of 40th between walnut and chestnut smelled like a giant bbq pit from that place. it closed my scond year there.

so here's what i'm thinkin re the smoked joint: how do you think they'd react if, when they brought you your meal, you reached into your pocket and pulled out a sandwich baggie with a couple slices of wonder bread? would you be hurriedly escorted from the premises? or would it be like that commercial where the guy has burger king on the plane, and people would offer you large sums of money for it?

i'm totally taking some bread when i go. byob indeed.