Smokin M’s

Solid bbq — perfect for takeout. The spicy bbq sauce is phenomenal, and the fries are a hit at my house.

Picked up some tips and greens last night, both were outstanding. I love rib tips and I cannot lie. Smokin’ M’s are the best around. Service was outstanding. Pretty sure the owner was rocking the counter on a busy Saturday night. He apologized a few times for the wait, which really wasn’t anything terrible. Maybe 10 minutes for some of the best rib tips and greens in Cook County. I thought it was really nice he acknowledged things were a little backed up and they were working hard to get everyone their fine bbq. This is a business owner who really values his customers. What a refreshing change. As he thanked each customer, it was genuine and heartfelt. Again, that’s rare today. Keep up the great work! Love this place.

I’m Chicago born & breed and have traveled all over the country on business. So I’ve had the opportunity to try bbq in hot spots such as Kansas City, Dallas & Fort Worth, TX, and North Carolina. I work near Smokin M’s and have tried their food on at least 6 occasions since they opened. I have to say, unfortunately, they rank at the absolute bottom of my list. From the sauce that tastes like Kraft, to consistently overdone pulled pork and bone in chicken, I’m actually surprised at the positive reviews here and at the fact they’ve managed to stay in business!

If you’re looking for legitimate BBQ and you’re on the West Side, this is your place. The sauces are homemade and just right, the meats are smoked on site with a giant aquarium smoker, and I’ve never had a bad experience. From hot links to brisket everything is great. The pecan pie is something you shouldn’t pass up.

I’m a REALLY tough cookie on BBQ joints!
My grandparents owned Butler’s Bbq & Grill in Wheaton for 5yrs (2007 – 2012), I’ve assisted in smoking meat (brisket, links, ribs, tips, pulled pork, etc) in a wood burning pit for years and it’s hard to get ANYTHING that’s not bbq’d over on me!
My husband ordered the food, I ate it as takeout and indulged when we got home. We ordered the Lg tip & link combo w/​an extra fry. The fries were fresh cut, to me they were a 3.5. To hubby a 1. They weren’t fresh out the grease or they weren’t fresh. The tips tasted boiled or baked and the seasoning added afterwards. There was no smoke flavor or charcoil flavor even. The hotlink was spicy and I could eat it again. I didn’t like the sauce either, it was a tad bit sweet & sour 2 me as well.
Take out took about 12mins, but the food wasn’t what I thought it’d be. I’d go bk for links and to try the chicken. I’d NEVER eat the ribs again. Too Famous Dave’sish 4 me!

Its legit the best barbecue. If you want bbq come here. But dont get the macaroni, its nasty.

Everything we ordered was phenomenal, the dishes were cooked fresh from the corn bread to the collard greens. The small catfish dinner was big enough to bring home leftovers, generous portions on everything including the sides. Everything was great and we will be back

It seems they updated a few things like adding fish, stand alone sauce and shrimp to the menu and how they pack the take out.
The taste is still good but sweeter (??)
I recommend the large rib tip dinner with sauce on the fries.

Excellent customer service. Ah-​mazing sweet potato pie, fresh cut fries were delish. Beef brisket a bit dry and the beans were lukewarm. Will definitely try o th her items on my next visit.

Kind of stopped in on a whim, saw it and the bbq crave sort of just hit me.
I dunno, it was okay… but honestly just not anything to write home about…(yes, the irony as I write about it isn’t lost on me)…
the ribs were average to me, not quite the texture and flavor i was hoping for, and the brisket sandwich was chopped and just didn’t inspire… also they sauce a little to heavily, i think its better to leave it on the side to let customers decide.

Just moved from the area. I’ll sorely miss Smokin M’s. Large tip/​link combo is awesome. Greens are delicious. Next bbq, I’ll drive back to just get a couple orders of greens to go. Superior to other bbq joints in the Forest Park/​Oak Park area.
Slaw is weak. So is cornbread. But who cares.

They have great BBQ. This is not a fancy place, it is your typical hole in the wall, but damn, they hit all of the right spots. You can’t get better BBQ around in my opinion. Keep it up guys… you are doing a great job!

If you’re looking for legit barbecue and aren’t afraid of a divey atmosphere, this place is for you.
Fried mac n cheese is #1. Fries are good too, and portions large. I’ve had the pulled pork sandwich there and was not disappointed.

What are you looking for? A good ol’ plate of BBQ ribs, maybe a hot link, slathered in some zingy sauce, served up with a slice of white bread? Well, this is a really good version that. If you’re looking for a top-​notch, super authentic BBQ spot, something like Smoque or Green St, this maybe isn’t for you.
Back to what works here. The meat is somewhat smoky, comes in good portions, sauce slathered on, and the price is right. We’re talking a huge pile of meat for $ 15 (sharing recommended). And everything come with perfect fresh hand-​cut french fries.
This place is really good for what it is. But it is what it is.

I think the BBQ is great. Giving it 4 stars. I had the ribs, rib tips, and pulled pork. Did not care for the cole slaw or the beans I guess the beans were ok. The fries need a little work and the hot links could use a little more care. Dont know if its on the menu or not but some good corn bread would be great.
The Rush on Roosevelt

Love this place. Been coming here since my son was little now he is 18. We both love to come here for some rib tips. Very meaty and cooked perfect.
Very friendly workers who always greet you with a smile. I haven’t had anything else besides the rib.
Great place to bring the family to enjoy a night out.

I’ve been going here over the years for the rib tips and hot links combo. Generally, the tips-​link is consistently good. Sometimes they’re just okay and sometimes really great. If you get a taste for rib tips with a nice smoky flavor from an aquarium smoker, then this is a good spot in the west burbs. Fries that come with the tips are hand cut and crispy.

Disclaimer: I know good BBQ. I’ve grown up in OK for 26 years, live in Austin, TX, sampled Oklahoma Joes, and numerous NC BBQ. It’s a high bar with many varieties. I don’t care how you dress it, the meat is the same across the board.
After having met a few people from the South that suggested this place was good we had to give it a try. I have learned that BBQ in the North is a crapshoot.
The good stuff:
This place is easily accessible on Roosevelt with parking on the west side and the back. Most all of the orders are takeout so you’ll have no trouble. This place was incredibly busy with a dozen people waiting on orders and calling in. I recommend calling your order in ahead of time since most fried items are cooked as ordered. A good thing.
The smoker has a real fire. A REAL WOOD FIRE. It’s not an electric thing with some hickory stuffed inside. This got me excited, though that quickly waned.
The bad stuff:
We ordered pulled pork sandwich, fried mac and cheese, and the ½ rack ribs and ½ chicken combo. Took about 15 minutes to serve up. I can only imagine it was the fried mac and cheese that took so long since I saw them churning out fries and the BBQ was obviously already cooked.
The ribs. Wow that was tough. Looked good on the outside, nice smoky char, but wow I had to exercise some effort to chew through it. They cut the ribs apart for you which is perhaps the only way you could separate them.
The chicken. The dark meat was quite juicy and tender. The sole bright spot on this meal. Not crazy about the flavoring on the skin, but this was well made dark chicken. The white meat was dried out and flavorless. This should not surprise anyone since they cooked the chicken whole to a doneness for the legs.
The pulled pork sandwich. Well first since it was chopped and not pulled and tasted little of pork we don’t even know if it was pork or brisket. Yeah it was that ambiguous. Bread was great though. As if that matters.
I guess I’ll review the fries as well. Dark, very dark. As in old oil. Also, very oily, as in the oil was too cold to fry anything. I’m not surprised. They have many fryers but they fry everything in all the fryers, and the volume was quite high at the time. There’s not much more to do aside from CHANGE THE OIL to help with low oil temps unless you delay orders. I’d rather have crisp cleanly fried food and wait a couple minutes more.
Finally, The sauce was very very much ok. It tastes like they bought it in bulk from Costco. If the sauce isn’t great, don’t smother your food with it. Duh.

I had a chance to eat at smokin m’s I must say it was great. The next and it still great. My hat is off to them.
The rib tips were absolutely great and the hot links also, they have a great attitude as well.

I love this place. It helps that it’s close to our apartment, but I think I’d still go out of my way to visit here. Their hot link sausage is one of my favorites and their catfish is some of the best I’ve ever had. They also give you huge portions and a ton of fries with the orders. This is definitely my favorite BBQ in the area.