SMOKING JAY'S BBQ
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★
District: Downtown Omaha
Old-School BBQ
Perfect For: Lunch; Casual Dining; Takeout
Standout Dishes: Brisket
A few years ago, Smoking Jay’s BBQ was a real standout on the Omaha barbecue scene. But in the ever-shifting restaurant landscape, several new contenders have entered and pushed it down the rankings.
That’s not to say that Smoking Jay’s is bad, by any means. It’s quite good, actually. But where I used to recommend it among Omaha’s best spots for smoked meats, I no longer find it among the upper echelon.
The Brisket is the highlight. It’s not quite as tender as I’d prefer, but it delivers plenty of smoky flavor and is very visually pleasing. It has just the right amount of fat: enough to provide sufficient taste, but not to the point where it makes you feel gross.
The brisket unfortunately suffers a problem I’ve encountered with just about every meat in my visits to Smoking Jay’s: it’s just too dry. The flavor is there, but the meat simply needs to be more moist.
I don’t know if I’ve just been unlucky on my visits, but every meat—ribs, pork, brisket, chicken—would be so much better with just a little more moisture. The meats are just a bit dried out and chewy for my liking.
The sides are just blah. The Cornbread is heavy and has little sweetness, the beans are run-of-the-mill, and the toast is just buttered bread. Thy’re not bad, but they don’t add anything to the meal.
I don’t want to come across as too negative on Smoking Jay’s. It’s a homey local establishment, the type of hole in the wall it’s fun to discover and bring friends back to.
The owner frequently works the front counter and is friendly as can be—he’s even given me samples of different meats for free upon occasion. There is a lot to like about this restaurant.
But as Omaha continues to add more legit barbecue restaurants, it’s hard to recommend Jay’s above them.
