The Smoke Shack

Get the sausage! It’s the real deal authentic Texas Hot Links. Brisket had good bark and smoke ring. Would have liked to have the option for sliced brisket instead of only chopped. I can see why it’s rated high in Tampa for BBQ. It’s the closest to Texas style BBQ I have found yet.

If you like bbq you must have it here. Best in Tampa for sure. Everything from the ribs to the brisket not to forget the sides. Excellent service. Friendly and helpful staff. I never write reviews but had to go this place. I promise you won’t be disappointed

Bomb! I visited this place based on the overwhelming number of positive reviews… they weren’t lying. I had the brisket, Mac n cheese, and collards, all of which were some of the best I’ve ever had. Husband had the sausage, pulled pork, Mac n cheese, and baked beans. Neither of us had a shred of anything left on our plates. So why a 4 star and not a 5 star review? They didn’t have sweet tea! I believe they do carry it because it’s on the menu, but they must have run out. That’s a no-​no at a bbq spot. Anywho, I’ll definitely be coming back, so I’m sure my review will be updated to 5 stars, if they have sweet tea.

Absolutely fantastic BBQ! Best hot links/​sausages I have EVER had in my entire life… including my time living in Texas and Carolina. Definitely worth a trip… multiple trips for that matter. We were in Tampa on vacation and had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners. His passion truly showed. I can’t wait to drop in again when the restaurant is open!

Great ribs, nearly perfect bark on the brisket, a fantabulous Carolina style vinegar BBQ sauce, and oh so tender pulled pork. Not sure there’s any room for improvement. If you love BBQ, this is a must try.

Great food for a great price! Try the truffle Mac and cheese, collard greens, and brisket. Even the baked beans are awesome, and I normally don’t even like them! Ask for a BBQ sundae. Secret item not on the menu! Make sure to use the KC and Carolina sauces too!

On a business trip in Tampa, my colleague and I decided to search out a BBQ joint, and we happened upon The Smoke Shack. The food was amazing and staff was as friendly and generous as they come.
We both went for the brisket platter and shared sides of the collard greens, mac ‘n cheese, baked beans, and the brunswick stew. Every piece of this meal was prepared fresh from scratch, and it was delicious. The tender, melt-​in-​your-​mouth brisket was outstanding on its own, but dipped in their homemade BBQ sauce made it really something special. Their house vinegar on the collard greens was delicious and their baked beans were the best I’ve ever had. The mac ‘n cheese was perfect, and their meaty and extremely flavorful brunswick stew can’t be beat — it would have been worth the trip just for the stew. Definitely check them out.

Excellent high quality food. They are very friendly
The smoked sausages are outstanding

I already ate but I was in the area and wanted to try the ‘shack. I split a sampler to try a few things, the nice owner also lets you try things, and was only going to have one rib but couldn’t stop. The meaty flavorful ribs.are.delish and the mix of sauces good. The truffle mac and cheese is flavorful. The sausage is very tasty. The brunswick stew is also very good. I was impressed. There are picnic tables and inside seating next door in what looked like a separate restaurant.

The smoke shack is my first review as a Unilocal ELITE … First of all I am not from this area but it has an urban feel to it. This is NOT a dine in restaurant. This is carry out only although they do have a few picnic tables behind an old abandoned building that sits behind the BBQ trailer. I felt as though if the sun was setting my life would be threatened by crack-​heads. That kind of neighborhood
I walked up and was served immediately. The guy working inside was very nice and polite.
I ordered the «two meat combo» (see the pictures i posted for menu) which comes with two sides.
I got ribs and brisket as my two meats with stew /​mac&cheese for the sides.
You have a choice of three sauces: (all I believe to be home made)
Carolina — compliments the ribs
Sweet — compliments the brisket well
Hot — compliments the garbage can … Holy yuck
Both meats were very tender. The brisket was delicious all by itself but was complimented well with the sweet BBQ sauce.
The ribs (3) were very tender/​juicy but had a strong garlic taste to them. Without the sauce I probably wouldn’t choose to eat the ribs by themselves.
The mac&cheese was made with large pasta shells and were very creamy with a sprinkle of some sort of crust on it. The taste was cheesy but a bit bland. I needed to add salt and pepper.
DISCLAIMER **** I am a self proclaimed Brunswick stew pro ! I eat a lot of BBQ and Brunswick stew from all over the country on a regular basis and have never seen stew like this before (see pictures posted)
It was meat, corn, cubed tomatoes, onions, Lima beans (?) floating in grease. It was disgusting.
I have never had any dish ever that was soaked in so much oil /​grease. After three bites I felt my heart dying and had to stop. The flavor was not so bad but also had a heavy garlic overtone to it.
The sliced bread was the same bread my mamma bought when we were broke as a kid. Kind of stale.
I paid $ 17.50 and got a lot of food and a bottle of water. Not a bad price for excellent BBQ but I find this to be average. Instead of returning to this location I wools definitely look for an alternative first.

Since this is a Unilocal consensus top-​tier BBQ purveyor, I finally dropped in for a try. Regrettably they were out of sausage on a Sunday afternoon, but the 2 meat platter was wonderful with brisket, pork, truffled mac ‘n cheese and beans. The brisket and mac were the best in my opinion, with beans and pork very good. Excellent selection of home-​made sauces, including thin NC style vinegar-​based.
Conveniently located on S. Dale Mabry, just north of the flood zone and open good hours, including Sunday. Food was served quickly and with friendly demeanor and we went on our way for a happy dinner. New time will try the greens, brunswick stew and sausage.

I can’t say enough how AMAZING this place is!
Whenever I get Barbecue I always rank it on a scale compared to what I’ve had in Texas. And this place is probably the closest I’ve ever had to to barbecue food there.
The owners are so friendly and charismatic. They really know how to treat customers.
So more about the food!!! I went with a group of people and we all got different things so we were able to really sample the menu, and everything I tried was incredible. Everything is made fresh and you can really taste that in every bite.
This is by far the best barbecue place I’ve been to in Tampa, and I’ll be back soon!!!

This place is definitely a good to spot to go to. Daryl was very friendly and serious about his meats. You can tell that the food cooked here is made with love. I had the pulled pork and brisket with coleslaw and truffle Mac and cheese. The pork was very succulent and juicy, I highly recommend. The brisket was a little tough, but when paired with the East «Meats» West sauce, it was an explosion of flavors. Now, the coup de grace was the truffle Mac and cheese. Big macaroni shells, with a generous helping of truffle cheese. Actually, the brisket in the cheese was damn good too. Holy crap, this is a must go to place to satisfy your bbq cravings. Much love from Jacksonville. Keep that smoke shack smokin!
JP and Shauna

The Good:
They use large macaroni shells in their Truffle Mac n’ Cheese and tastes pretty good. The sausage was juicy and packed with flavor. Best thing I enjoyed eating here: their sauce. And, I am usually not a sauce person. But I heard such good things about it that I had to try them all. All three of the sauces I tried were excellent, especially the Kansas City one.
The Bad:
The Angus brisket was pretty dry. It was also shredded into small strips, not large slices, like it was pulled pork. Additionally, meat-​wise, you don’t get that much. The beans was decent but much sweeter than i would have liked.
The Ugly:
Judging from previous reviews, many people are unaware that there is an actual seating area. It’s located in the back. They don’t make it obvious and should either make a sign stating where it is or move the seating area to the front, near the food truck, so that people can see it. Plus it would be a little brighter. The seating area in the back is sorta dark and doesn’t feel like an appealing place to eat food in.
Overall:
The Smoke Shack excels at presentation. This food truck sports original bad-​ass graphics on the outside and an inside so clean, it looks like you could eat food off the floor in there. When it comes to style, the owner knew what he was doing — he runs a pretty tight ship.
Now, onto the actual food. Well, um, hum…
I’ve written and re-​written this review 10+ times. I don’t want to imply that the food was bad. I also do not want to imply that I was amazed. So, I’ll say that I thought the food was average. Would I eat here again? Yes. Would I go out of my way to eat here again? No.

I was here to pick up lunch and had the greatest experience. The couple who worked here were incredible, really helpful and friendly, and it was clear that they had regulars that they greeted by name and knew the orders of.
For seven people (who were not very hungry), we ordered a full rack of ribs, a pound of brisket, and a pint each of the macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and collard greens, as well as four buns. It came with a full selection of three sauces, and they gave us a huge sample of the stew.
If I were to go again, I would definitely get the ribs again, but I would probably pass on the brisket. I didn’t try the sides, but the coleslaw and macaroni and cheese were both very well received. We didn’t touch the buns, and probably shouldn’t have gotten them.

The outdoor BBQ joint is quick and easy for the south Tampa resident. They have slow cook BBQ brisket that I like. It has the local unique flavor and technique.
It is hot to eat here during lunch time because the Florida sun is hot and humid in summer. I am sweated just to make my order. However, the food here is great. The meat must be over the flame for many hours. The brisket is chop with the outside marinated coating make the taste better.
We got the Brunswick soup. They are cook with brisket, corn, bean and tomatoes in sweet base soup. I like this soup because they are simple and good.
The brisket is about $ 8 a pound. It is the regular price in the market without cooking. I think they are very good deal. They also have some outdoor sitting at the back of building if you want to eat there.

Terrific first experience.
Not simply because of the food quality, but because Darin and the rest of the guys made me feel very welcome and appreciated.
Their Brunswick Stew is excellent. That alone was the reason I went out of my way to visit them today and my taste buds received a major-​league payoff. It is a little lighter in terms of the broth than I’m used to, but I love how it complimented all of the hearty ingredients.
Also had pulled pork with sides of slaw and baked beans and found everything very fresh, full of flavor and… this sounds odd… surprisingly NOT messy at all.
For a food truck and BBQ, the presentation and plating is extremely good. The pulled pork is pulled very fine, which makes it really easy to eat in small bites to enjoy it longer.
Chipotle sauce had more kick than a World Cup. Didn’t see that coming, but doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.
Guys, I’ll be back for about a gallon of the Brunswick Stew. If you need me to bring my own container, just let me know. Just charge me by the ounce?
And thanks for the Sweet Tea and great golf conversation while I waited for my food. Next time you need a fourth for 18 holes, you know how to reach me.

I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with mac and cheese and sweet tea to wash it down. The pork had decent flavor, a little on the dry side though and chunky. I prefer a little more pulled/​chopped. The mac and cheese was OK. I wasn’t keen on the crusty top part of the mac and cheese. The portions were substantial.
The owner (?) also gave me a sample of the beef to try. Always a nice way to introduce new customers to your product so that was appreciated. However, there was nowhere to sit down and enjoy my meal. So I ate in my car and took bites when I hit a stoplight. Ho-​Hum!

WOW! Where do I begin? I am so glad I found this place!
My boyfriend and I were just at Ballast Point Park checking out the pier, and were getting a little hungry. I did a quick Unilocal search of of the area, and we wanted something «local.» (We’re visiting from Hawaii, something we can’t really get in the islands)
We got in the car and found the little corner that the food truck was parked on, and at first looks, I was a little confused. There was no one in line, at the window, but we parked our car behind the (what we know now) restaurant-​to-​be and took a look at the menu.
While browsing, the owner gave us a taste of the stew they had prepared for the day, and soon after tasting it, we knew we found the right place to fill our stomachs.
We decided on the sampler platter which came with ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, white toast, a choice of 3 sides (we got collared greens, coleslaw, and truffle mac and cheese). I really wanted to try his beans, so he gave me a sample of that, too!!!
Absolutely EVERYTHING was delicious!
I cannot stress that enough. Even though the sausage wasn’t something they made, they definitely smoked it right, and all the flavors were great. His BBQ sauces were tasty, also.
The owner came out and talked to me and my boyfriend while we were eating. My boyfriend is not a very good multi-​tasker, so i used that time to scarf down most of the ribs, which was my FAVORITE thing on the plate. WIN!!!
Overall, an amazing experience from beginning to end. Totally am coming back to this spot when back in the Tampa area.

Very good, but not spectacular BBQ, though the potential is there. Two really nice guys putting out a fine product that just may be some of the better Q in the area but it’s not quite on par with some of the better BBQ I’ve had.
Brisket-​a touch over smoked and a little dry. It reconstituted nicely with their vinegar based sauce, though overall, I’d have liked a little more seasoning in the bark. In addition, I prefer the flat sliced and the point pulled, but they opted just to chop it up entirely, which in my opinion added a bit to the lack of moisture. A decent rendition, but truly great brisket doesn’t need sauce – even if the sauce is good.
Ribs– while I prefer St. Louis to baby backs, these ribs were on the money, with a nice smoke ring, just the right pull off the bone and a spot on bark. Again, I’d have preferred a bit more emphasis on seasoning in the rub, but they seem content on letting the sauce add the flavor to their Q. That being said, these ribs are a winner and definitely the highlight of our order.
Sausage– nice smoke taste and a good snap, these were a fine rendition. Nice speckles of pepper in the casing, they had a nice flavor.
Sides:
Baked beans– definitely the best side. Delicious smoke flavor with just the right consistency and texture in the beans. Nice sweet – but not too sweet – sauce, these made a delicious accompaniment to the meats.
Slaw-​a nice vinegar based slaw that really helped to cut through the fat. I prefer this style to a mayo base, so I was pleased with this version. Once again a fine texture, as it was not wilted or drowned in liquid.
Collared greens-​a true disappointment. Lacking in flavor with zero charisma or pizzazz, they simply added nothing to the meal. They needed some vinegar or mixed in meat or something. They just didn’t cut it at all. I wouldn’t give them a second ordering.
Brunswick stew-​I simply wanted to try it. It’s just ok. Like a BBQ soup. A simple broth, some corn and veggies and a bit of mish mosh BBQ meat simmered in. Neither good nor bad. Might be a nice winter dish…
The prices are certainly reasonable. They are also working on turning their joint into an actual restaurant. They certainly have potential, especially if they tweak a few things. I look forward to trying it again on my next visit to Tampa/​St Pete.