The second reason I knew it was going to be good was because they didn't spend a lot of money on a restaurant kit to give it a certain tone or theme, or appeal. It wasn't professionally unprofessional like Burn Co with their industrial "we're trying to make the place look rustic by adding rusted corrugated tin and cement floors with metal ductwork hanging from the ceiling" vibe. No, Leon's place was simple with its red and white padded seats around four or five tables, a bar with stools reminiscent of the '50's burger scene, and a lot of old model cars everywhere to round out the themeless decor. This was no kit. It was legit. You knew it before coming in when you had to walk past the smoker. Legit.
Whereas Burn Co. was run by a bunch of young, good-looking, indifferent college kids in their professional outfits to round out the theme, Leon's was a family joint. When we walked in, we were greeted by a large man with a deep voice like Barry White, and a smile that could cure cancer. He was genuinely happy we were there. He let us choose which unwiped table we wanted, and within thirty seconds we were sipping on sweet lemonade. The place had a genuine Southern feel that made me think I was back in Georgia. It was wonderful.
Since Leon's wasn't known for anything in particular like Burn Co's "The Fatty", we decided to get a little bit of everything. That's what the platter was called: A Little Bit of Everything. And it was a little bit of everything that could be smoked: pulled pork, chopped brisket, chicken breast, spare ribs, and thick-sliced bologna. The meal came with four slices of bread and we ordered beans and potato salad. Oh yeah, I forgot about the sausage!
Holy cow good! The sausage--which was a type that he told me by name, and curse myself, I can't remember what it's called--it was amazing. Great smokey flavor, juicy with a little spice kick on the back side, I had to stop myself from eating it all and ruining my appetite for the rest of the meal. The bologna was homemade. I'm not a bologna fan, but this was definitely something to write about! Thick cut and smokey, melt in your mouth goodness. I decided to grade the sausage and bologna together. 8 for appearance, 8.5 for taste, and 8 for tenderness for a total score of 24.5 out of 27, or a school report card score of 89%. Considering I don't even enjoy eating bologna, this is an unreal and slightly unfair score from a hard ass who should have just given it straight up 9's.
The pulled pork was next. At Leon's they chop it, almost shredded, which was fine with me. They left some of the bark on, so you would get little black flecks of goodness in every bite. That's brilliant. I must start chopping my pork from now on to achieve the same effect. I graded it down on appearance (a 6) because it looked like a scoop of mashed potatoes on the tray, but again, I'm being a little unfair since this is no-frills BBQ. The taste and tenderness both came in at an above average 7, for a total score of 20 out of 27, or a 74%. Looking back on this, I would probably increase each category by .5-1, but the pork was solid any way you cut it. Get it? Sorry.
Next was the ribs. I love good ribs. These were decently good ribs. The first thing I noticed was that they were closer to baby back than spare ribs in size. At Leon's they don't do ribs wet. They have a dry rub that is simple, slightly tangy, and not overseasoned. Even though they looked dry from the outside, on the inside they were very moist, which is a secret BBQ people know and keep to themselves. My guess was apple juice, but it's only a guess. 6 for appearance, 7 for taste, and 7 for tenderness for a solid 20 out of 27, or another 74%. Like the pulled pork, good enough to get again on the next visit if it wasn't for other items...
Andrew was a big fan of the chicken. Again, I thought it was small and dry looking, and unlike the ribs, it was not tender and juicy. Rubbery was closer to the word I would use. With the same dry rub that the ribs had, this chicken was good enough that Andrew was reluctant to share. I gave it a 5 for appearance, 6 for taste, and 5 for tenderness for a total of 16 out of 27, or 59%. Since Andrew and I couldn't be more different, it's no surprise that we had completely different takes on the chicken.
I started with the sausage because it was the best item on our tray, so I will finish with the second best item, the brisket. Chopped like the pork, each bite had a little touch of bark, which was nice. The brisket had a great smokey flavor and was seasoned perfectly. Moist and melting in your mouth, this would have been the real winner of the night if it hadn't been for the sausage. Again, in scoop format, it only received a 6 out of 9 for appearance, but the taste and tenderness were both 8's. The brisket received a score of 22 out of 27 for a very solid 82%. I wonder how good those last two scores would have been if the brisket had been sliced. I really don't know.
The potato salad and beans were solid sides. The potato salad was sweet with just a very small hint of onion. Nothing makes potato salad worse than by adding raw chunks of overpowering onion, so here, Leon's did it right. The beans on the other hand were very interesting, and in a good way. Unlike Burn Co., Leon's puts pulled pork in their beans. It's a small, but very important thing. What made the beans interesting was that they tasted like sweet potato pie! Did I mention I felt like I was in the South when I went to Leon's? Both the beans and potato salad: 7/9 (78%) but in retrospect, I should have scored the beans at 8 or 8.5. They were that good.
The atmosphere was very nice, the place a little dusty and dirty, as any serious BBQ joint should be. I scored the atmosphere at a very respectable 7.5 out of 9, or 83%. The one missing ingredient was the barbeque sauce. They had it for .50 cents a little tub-bowl thing. It's a small thing, but a very important thing. Does their sauce really cost so much to produce that they won't give it out with every paid meal? I found that odd to say the least and this was my only true criticism of Leon's Smoke Shack BBQ.
At $25 for A Little Bit of Everything, you just feel like you're getting a deal, which you are. Value: 8 out of 9. Well done, Leon's. After the Burn Co. billfold bust, you are my new hero.
Overall grade: 84.9%. If you're curious, Andrew gave 9's across the board. He can't wait to go back. The Scoop: Drop $25 for A Little Bit of Everything, and then come back again for your favorites. Or better yet, order over the phone and pick it up for the game.
P.S. If you're curious about Part III: Oklahoma Joes, we were still so stuffed this morning when we woke up that we couldn't bear the thought of more barbeque. Maybe next year!
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