I wanted to give 2.5 stars. The food was pretty good, definitely better than average for Madison BBQ. There were a few disappointments that have been mentioned by a few other reviews, such as the Sweet Baby Ray's sauce instead of homemade variations. The beef brisket, although tender, was a little on the dry side and lacked flavor. The pulled pork and ribs were much better. Oddly enough, the cole slaw comes with the dressing on the side. With most salads, this is what I prefer, but cole slaw needs time for the dressing to marinate cabbage, a green that's not made to just be eaten raw without some kind of major seasoning. The Mexican street corn was delicious and unique to Madison. The bread that came with the dinners had an odd flavor, like it had been deep fried in old oil. If they could kick up the quality of the sides, I think the food could be really really good. All in all, I'd have given the food 3.5-4 stars.
What brought the score down was the odd service and the setting. The folks that take your order seem to be pretty disorganized and slow, whether it's the man that rang up my order incorrectly and kept asking me personal questions (not the owner Pete), or the young 10 year-old girl, who although cute, reminds me a little of child labor. The place itself is a huge warehouse with a random, eery cowboy statue at the checkout counter.
I can see this place being really good if they can kick up the food a little and get a better-trained staff. Right now I still prefer Smoky Jon's BBQ on the East side.