On the quest for great BBQ in Alexandria

Continuing my quest for great BBQ; today I ordered some lunch from SMOKING KOW BBQ located at 3250 Duke Street in Alexandria. I have been talking about checking out SMOKING KOW BBQ for the past few weeks and today was finally the day. Just some quick history, they are following in the footsteps of MEGGROLLS as SMOKING KOW BBQ started with food trucks and now opened a brick and mortar restaurant. Love to see this type of food expansion within Alexandria.

It is a small restaurant with a few picnic tables inside for communal eating, enough for a few groups but not enough room in the place for a large party. Reality check, I was not there for the ambiance; I was there to eat some BBQ. My wife and I ordered a few platters; turkey, lean brisket (yeah, I know fatty is better but trying to be somewhat heart healthy), jalapeno cheddar sausage and some sides … will get to that in a second. The turkey was on point and pretty tender and had good smoke, the lean brisket was tasty but a little dry, which I expected. I really enjoyed the jalapeno cheddar sausage! SMOKING KOW BBQ offers five different flavors of BBQ sauce (original, chipotle, Carolina gold, Carolina vinegar and mambo). For the sides, we went with both types of mac and cheese (garlic jalapeno and plain). Both were exactly what we expected, cheesy goodness. I really enjoyed the coleslaw that had a mix of vinegar and mayonnaise; still had a good crunch and one of the better BBQ coleslaws around. Additionally, we tried Texas caviar (corn and black beans) that was on par with others. I was sort of disappointed with the cornbread, it was a bit greasy and I only tasted butter. I will give them a pass as overall the food was pretty much on point.

Normally, I would rather walk to lunch or dinner but if you are in the mood get in the car for a quick drive west on Duke Street, I would recommend checking out SMOKING KOW BBQ. The parking lot is small but you do have a few other options. We parked on Quaker Lane but you can also park across the street in the retail lot.

Old Town and Alexandra in general continues to provide some great BBQ options, SMOKING KOW BBQ is another reliable addition!