I haven't been here for awhile because I was not impressed with the BBQ meat. I understand they're known for their sauces, but I'm not a fan of BBQ sauce so I will not comment because I don't have enough experience to differentiate between good and bad sauces.
I decided to give Smoky Jon's another try with hopes that my previous experiences were not normal. I have to admit, it is still the same. The ribs are over cooked. I like tender fall-off-the-bone ribs but these were over cooked to the point my 1/2 slab of ribs seemed more like 1/2 slab of pulled pork. I want to be able to hold the rib with my hands and bite it off the bone. Every time I pulled a rib all I got was a bone with no meat on it. The fries and mac-n-cheese sides were both salty.
I'm not sure if they smoke their meats but I couldn't taste any wood smoke (may have been covered by the sauce). I always assumed that when you eat at a BBQ joint that smokes their meats, you would leave smelling like smoked meat. I didn't smell any wood smoke inside or outside.
If you like BBQ sauce, then this may be your spot. I'm still searching for good BBQ meat in Madison.