Oak & Smoke BBQ Company

My fiance and I love this place! We come here all the time since we discovered this a few months ago. I’m pretty sure the owner recognizes us at this point. We always bring our dog, who loves riding along for the treats they give him ♥️

But the food is wonderful. Seasoned and juicy with a unique spin. Best wings I’ve ever had. The skin is light and crispy, the chicken tender. I love the burnt ends Mac and cheese! We usually end up coming once a week because they have a weekly special that always slaps 👏 we’ve had the burnt end tacos, smoked lamb tacos, chicken korma, Jamaican jerk chicken, the list goes on 😅

Best BBQ in the Baton Rouge area. Best brisket I’ve had outside of Texas and could hold its own with any in the Lone Start state. Ribs were really good and do not sleep on the pork belly burnt ends, they are fantastic.

This is THE hidden gem. Some of the best BBQ you could ask for. Pitmaster is a mad scientist with his creations, and they are perfect every time. Get anything on the menu, and you'll love it. Look out for the weekly specials that they create, they are always something to crave. As long as those lights stay on, I'll be a regular.

The pork belly burnt ends are my new favorite food. Tender and delicious, they pair perfectly with the sweet sauce here. The ribs fall off the bone and have a nice smoke flavor that comes through the spice rub. The brisket is at its best when it is moist and really fatty, but even the less fatty pieces remain tender and juicy. I wanted more flavor from the slaw, but the Tasso potato salad is excellent. Corn is great as well and makes for a nice cooling bite after the more spicy flavors. Overall, this is a local winner! Hope they get lots of support and open more days each week.

For my first visit I got the 2-meat plate which comes with 2 sides, pickles, onions, BBQ sauce, & toast for $17.50 plus tax ($19.24 total). For my meats, I got the brisket and pork belly burnt ends. For the sides, I got the green chile mac & cheese and the honey pepper slaw.

THE MEATS:
The pork belly was amazing! Crispy on the outside, warm & juicy on the inside, it was the absolute highlight of the meal. The brisket, while lean & tender, was dry & required dipping in their sweet barbeque sauce to help out with the dryness. Maybe it's because I've had beef BBQ in Texas so often, but a less sweet, slightly spicier, smokier sauce would work better with the brisket.

THE SIDES:
The sides had a couple of issues & were the low point of the meal. The green chile mac & cheese was wonderfully tasty, creamy, with perfectly cooked pasta, but it was cold; not refrigerator cold, but barely above room temperature cold. Yes, I did a drive-thru, but it was only a 7 minute drive home and the meats were much hotter than the mac & cheese, as was the toast. Still, I'd order it again because it was so good, I just hope it's hot next time.

The "honey pepper" slaw tasted nothing of honey or pepper. All it tasted like was cabbage & carrots mixed with plain mayonnaise. It wasn't disgusting, but it wasn't anything to get excited about or that would make me want to order it again. In fact, I'll probably never try the slaw again unless there was a huge mistake in today's (8/25/23) batch of slaw. It was the blandest slaw I've ever eaten.

SAUCE ETC:
The barbeque sauce was very good, and very sweet, but I like a sweet sauce with my pork; I would prefer something less sweet with a little spice for beef, but that's just a personal preference. The toast was crispy & buttery & warm, which again made the cold mac & cheese seem even stranger. I hate to keep going back to it, but it's like someone forgot to heat the mac & cheese up.

THE REST:
The portion sizes aren't exactly generous, either. I paid $19 for just 3 slices of dry brisket, 4 pieces of pork belly, & some very underwhelming sides plus toast. The sides were plentiful enough, I just feel they're a little tight with the meat, but go by & judge for yourself.

The service was very fast and very friendly! I hope they will address the shortcomings I experienced on my first and only visit to Oak & Smoke. I'll definitely be back to see if my first experience is a typical one or if I just tried them on a bad day. Considering the portion-vs-price imbalance my next visit will need to be stellar for me to continue patronizing this business.

-Food Grades-
Pork belly burnt ends: A+
Brisket: B-
Green chile mac & cheese: B- (Would be A+ if hot)
Honey pepper slaw: D- (Cabbage & mayo were all I could taste)