Blowin' Smoke

What makes Jack's Bar-B-Q Smokehouse (500 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-567-9595) different from all the other barbecue joints that have opened recently? The easy answer would be the drive-thru. Open Thursday-Sunday till 2 a.m., the don't-have-to-leave-the-car-and-risk-stumbling lane is the ideal option for those late-night folks who just can't...

By Jen Karetnick

May 9, 2002

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What makes Jack's Bar-B-Q Smokehouse (500 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-567-9595) different from all the other barbecue joints that have opened recently? The easy answer would be the drive-thru. Open Thursday-Sunday till 2 a.m., the don't-have-to-leave-the-car-and-risk-stumbling lane is the ideal option for those late-night folks who just can't bear another trip to Taco Smell, where the intercom just exacerbates slurring. But the more definitive answer just might lie in the pulled-pork sandwich, a hamburger bun stuffed with just-tangy, slightly vinegar-driven pieces of slow-cooked meat. The self-dubbed slogan "Smokehouse of the South" might be a little far-reaching, but based on the quality of meat alone, I can tell you that while Jack's might not be the only great shack in the entire region of -- what? seven states or so? -- it certainly ranks among the front-runners down around these here parts.

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Jen Karetnick is an award-winning dining critic, food-travel writer, and author of the books Ice Cube Tray Recipes, Mango, and The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami.

Contact: Jen Karetnick