I'm a native Texan and have had the pleasure of eating at some of the best BBQ joints out there. I haven't yet found a place in Madison that serves decent que and stumbled upon That BBQ Joint's high praise on Yelp. I decided to give That BBQ Joint a shot and ended up having one of the worst meals of my life.
I ordered a 1/2 rack of ribs, a pulled pork sandwich, and a 1/2 lb of brisket, hoping that one or more options would pan out.
The ribs: These were the worst ribs I've ever had. They had a sweet sauce that was palatable but were so tough and overcooked that they were virtually inedible. There was zero bark, no smoke ring, and not an ounce of meat that was tender. Very disappointing.
The brisket: I'm still dumbfounded by what I was served. The 1/2 lb of brisket was shaved deli thin and served in a plastic container. It had a gelatinous film on top which was an obvious indication that the brisket hadn't been smoked that day. The flavor was devoid of smoke, bark, and didn't really taste like beef. It was truly an insult to BBQ.
The pulled pork: This was the lone 'bright spot'. The pork was tender and the sauce pairings made the sandwich okay. Still no bark and very little smoke.
When you couple the complete disaster of a meal with the fact that the management placed signage in the restaurant that bragged about their electric smokers and made light of those that make BBQ the traditional way with stick burners, it's very evident to me that this group hasn't quite figured out what BBQ is and how to make it properly.
I think my biggest question is to the Yelpers who have given this place such high praise. Is it the chicken wings that make That BBQ Joint awesome? Or the mac and cheese balls? Because it definitely isn't the BBQ.