Black Powder Smokehouse

Located at 302 East Main Street in Jamestown, Black Powder Smokehouse serves BBQ for breakfast and lunch with dinner service scheduled to resume in the near future. Catering is available, and there are plans to add online ordering and live music.

A complete overhaul of an old gas station, this highly anticipated BBQ joint opened two weeks ago to much fanfare. How much fanfare? Black Powder was open for lunch and dinner during that time but sold out well before dinner every day. And while that is undoubtedly a source of consternation for many would-be patrons, the level of demand usually says something about the food quality.

It is, thankfully, not all hype. Black Powder has some of the best smoked meats in the Triad though enjoying them involves more than a little bit of luck. To wit: the restaurant opened at 11 a.m. this past Saturday, and my wife and I arrived just a few minutes thereafter to find a line to the door. Said line only grew longer as noon grew closer. Standing and waiting to order is a fact of life here.

At least you will be standing and waiting in style. The restaurant is handsomely appointed with a sleek bar area and a few long tables alongside more conventional seating. If the aesthetics don’t strike you as inviting, the wonderful smoky smell certainly will.

Black Powder’s compact menu is similarly appealing. The meats, available in quarter, half, pound, or sandwich portions, include pulled pork, chopped chicken, brisket, turkey breast, smoked salmon, and a rotating selection of sausages. Ribs and chicken quarters and halves round out the roster. They are joined by sides such as slaw (red or white), gouda mac n cheese, molasses baked beans, braised collard greens, Carolina caviar, pimento hushpuppies, and hot boiled peanuts (?!), all available in small or large portions.

Assuming the line doesn’t deter you, co-owner (a big, bearded guy from BBQ Pitmaster central casting) is an amiable presence at the carving station, and his staff are equally personable despite the constant influx of customers. Given the sheer volume, food wait times could be a whole lot worse.

For our early lunch visit, my wife and I split a quarter-pound each of pulled pork, brisket, and sausage, which we paired with gouda mac, white slaw, and pimento puppies. The plate looked amazing, a welcome relief to anyone who’s ever winced after glimpsing pre-sauced pork at Stamey’s. While the sides were smallish, we were able to cobble together a filling lunch for two for about $20, which was practically a steal.

The food was worth every penny and then some. The pork was a touch dry, but that was easily remedied by an application of one of the three sauces (Eastern, Western, and the far-superior BP Signature) available. The brisket – smoky and tender and fatty without being greasy – was outrageously good. We ended up with andouille as that day’s sausage, and it delivered both a spicy kick and a firm bite. The slaw was satisfyingly creamy and offered hints of carraway (?), and the pimento puppies were like the golden child of a hushpuppy and a jalapeno popper. The gouda mac delivered in the flavor department though it was rather thick.

Whether or not Black Powder Smokehouse becomes your new favorite Jamestown eatery/barbeque restaurant/converted gas station (apologies, Lindley Filling) or a colossal disappointment depends largely on the luck of the draw. Get in while the wait is manageable (ten-fifteen minutes) and the meats are in-stock, and it’s excellent. But catch them at the wrong time, and you may walk away jaded (if not also hungry).