My dining companion jokingly said that restaurant group, Dining Concepts, should change its name to Meat Concepts, he has a point. Lately each restaurant that the group opens has been meat centric, for example BLT Steak, BLT Burger, and Bistecca. The group's most recent opening is Blue Smoke Bar-B-Que, perhaps the most meaty restaurant yet, with a focus on ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and whole animals, all smoked in the restaurant's massive red smoker.

On the Friday night we visited the restaurant was packed, and it had attracted several parties of rowdy men (and their babes) all intent on chowing down on some MEAT before going off to get plastered...you could almost hear them silently chanting..."meat, meat, we cavemen need our meat". The restaurant has also attracted a regular clientele of more discerning diners who already have their favourite must-have dishes.

Deep South

With a menu inspired by BBQ joints in the "Deep South" of the US don't expect dishes of culinary refinement or even healthy choices, instead there is lots of smoked meat and hearty or heart-stopping dishes. For example our appetiser, Jalapeno Peppers Stuffed with Cheese and Bacon. Some of the peppers had absolutely no heat, while others were so hot my dining companion's head almost exploded making this a lucky-dip style dish. Even though the bacon was not discernible and the sauce was over-seasoned and tasted like it came from a bottle, we enjoyed these fried bullets of spicy, cheesy goodness.

To balance out our choices of USDA Baby Back Ribs (1/2 slab), and Half Lb. Thickly Sliced USDA Prime Beef Brisket, we also ordered the Grilled King Prawns; there are two non-meat dishes and four vegetarian chopped salads. The prawns were the first of the three mains to arrive. Three extra large prawns were served on a sizzling platter with a sweet sauce, and accompanied by homemade BBQ sauce in a beer bottle. For us the dish's sauce didn't work with the prawns and neither did the BBQ sauce, although the BBQ sauce is good and has captured that smoky BBQ smell in its taste. 

Meaty Mains

The confusing and inconsistent moment of the night was the arrival of the brisket, which according to the menu was "Texas" style smoked for 12 hours. Two sizeable pieces (portions are generous) arrived, one so blackened and hard on the outside that it could have doubled as a percussion instrument, obviously overcooked to the point of being burnt, sat next to a piece that was cooked medium. One thing that sticks in my mind from watching countless episodes of Hell's Kitchen is that you don't serve two such contrastingly cooked meats together on the same plate. Admittedly the restaurant was slammed with orders and mistakes happen, but this mistake was so obvious it left me confused. When we brought this to the attention of the staff they apologised and brought us a new serving, which was a lot better, but not great. The brisket had a woodgrain-like internal appearance that one associates with brisket, but one piece was similar to eating wood, dry.  A shame, as the other piece was fatty and tender with a decadently rich flavour.

The highlight of the meal were the ribs, which had been finished on the grill and slathered with the restaurant's signature BBQ sauce. They were extremely tender and tasty with the meat easily coming away from the bone, and the sauce was delicious. The one dish that I would order again if I returned.

It was a pity that we were two and not part of a group (6-10) as we could have ordered the Whole Pit BBQ Turkey, Whole Suckling Pig, the Whole Boneless Australian Lamb, or the Whole Australian Wagyu Prime Rib - the last three I had tried and enjoyed, especially the exquisite beef, at the opening party for media several weeks earlier. For these dishes the restaurant needs at least 8 hours advance notice.

Dude Food

The dishes do not come with anything so for flavour and textural variety I recommend ordering some side dishes. We had the Collard Greens, which must have been off that night as we were served choi sum with garlic - the same plant family but not what we had expected. There are 11 sides including French Fries, Creamed Spinach, BBQ Baked Beans, Crispy Mac n Cheese, and Jambalaya Rice.

For dessert Chocolate Pecan Pie, and homemade Lemon Sorbet were our choices. We enjoyed both desserts for different reasons. The chocolate and nuts in the pie seemed a fitting end to a big meal and was comforting like a warm hug, although more nuts would have been nice...while the light sorbet was a fresh end note for the palate.

My dining partner thought overall the food at Blue Smoke is Dude Food - masses of meat combined with fried food and beer. He is right on some levels. It is definitely more a place for casual, large group dining than intimate meals for two, as demonstrated by the unimpressed look on the face of one woman on a date. Food wise, the ribs were excellent and I hear the baked beans are pretty good too, but other than that for me it was a largely forgettable meal.

Ambience, Service, Price

The restaurant features a rustic ambience with large tables, booth seating, and lots of timber, all designed to recreate the atmosphere of the "Deep South" with construction materials salvaged from Tennessee factories and dilapidated farmhouses. Adding to the feel is a vintage jukebox featuring classic blues, rock and soul music.

According to the menu the restaurant serves traditional "slow and low" smokehouse cuisine, with meats given a spicy dry rub, smoked over hickory wood coals..."producing a richly caramelised crust with slightly pink meat that barely clings to the bone".

The restaurant also serves a variety of bourbons to add to the Deep South feel and we enjoyed a glass of the Papa Van Winkle, which was a nice after dinner tipple.

Given how busy it was the service was efficient and friendly, although some forthcoming recommendations, especially regarding wines, would have been nice.

Prices for the dishes we had were, in order of above, $88, $288, $178, $128, $28, $48, $28.