That wood fired oven place in KC missed the whole point

Stopped by a spot called Smoke & Stone last weekend, they advertised 'true pitmaster BBQ' but everything came out of a gas assisted rotisserie and the brisket had zero smoke ring. Charged $32 for a two meat plate that tasted like an oven roast. Why even call it a pit if you're not gonna use the fire, anyone else run into places faking the craft like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

martinez.kim5d ago

Gotta disagree with you there. I've eaten at Smoke & Stone a few times now, and yeah the setup is gas assisted, but the bark on their ribs is legit and the flavor holds up. A smoke ring isn't the only sign of good BBQ, some places cheat it with liquid smoke and still get one. The brisket I had was juicy, not dry like an oven roast. Maybe you caught them on an off day, but I'd give it another shot.

the_jessica4d ago

Whoa, wait, nobody's talking about the actual wood they're burning. Gas assist is one thing, but I peeked behind their pit area last time and saw a stack of hickory that was straight up green, not seasoned. You can get a perfect smoke ring and bark on a gas rig if you know what you're doing, but green wood gives that bitter, acrid aftertaste that lingers in your mouth for hours. That's probably why some folks swear by it and others get a bad batch. It's not an off day, it's a wood supply problem.