Fox Smokehouse BBQ

Fox Smokehouse BBQ is a fun-times townie favorite, often missed by sightseers on their way to Hoover Dam because it’s off the main road. It is run by competition BBQers who take pride in Texas style ‘cue. However, the further we strayed from Texan specialties on the menu, the happier we were.

What to eat at Fox Smokehouse BBQ

Both brisket and pulled pork sandwiches come on appropriate breads, white toast, and a soft bun respectively. The amount of meat is generous, but we rate it as good, not great. We prefer ours with lingering smoke flavor and some bark mixed in to the chopped meat. Here you get meat that is more about the meat itself. Quibbles aside, the bread, dressing, and meat taste good. Bottom line: We like our sandwiches more as meat sandwiches than as BBQ.

Forget sauce. It is advertised as “so good you don’t need sauce.” It would seem that the strategy is to make the sauce so unappealingly ketchupy that you won’t want to bother with it.

Thumbs-up to chicken wings. Smoked, then crisped up in the deep frier without breading, they boast dark, tight skin that holds in juices and subtle smoke flavor. Given the mediocre BBQ sauce, we suggest getting them “dry.” Buffalo sauce is a good option, but really, they are so good on their own that they don’t need sauce at all.

Onion rings are excellent, some of the best we can remember. They have a nice thick piece of onion that you could bite right through, and the buttermilk batter stays crisp on the outside. “Fry sauce,” which is BBQ sauce and mayonnaise, goes well with the onion rings.

Cowboy beans contain generous chunks of brisket. Although too sweet for us, they are enjoyable. Mac & cheese, on the other hand, is wildly delicious and somewhat spicy. Is the cheese pepper jack?

Fox Smokehouse is a locals’ favorite, but if you are traveling through, consider a detour just for the mac & cheese and the wings.