77SQUARE
Let's Eat for $7.70: Smoky Jon's slathered with awards for ribs
Susan Troller
March 4, 2009
The award-winning, mouth-watering barbecue sandwiches at Smoky Jon's #1 BBQ come with two sides. - Mike DeVries/The Capital Times
Step aside, Kansas
City and Austin.
Thanks to the aptly named Smoky Jon's #1 BBQ, Madison has, once again, earned
its barbecue bragging rights.
For the fifth consecutive year, hometown grillmeister Jon Olson of Smoky Jon's,
2310 Packers Ave., beat 300 to 400 competitors at the National Barbecue
Association Convention held Feb. 17-21 in Austin, Texas.
Olson and his savory ribs won a first-place Award of Excellence in the spicy
vinegar-based sauce category, second place in the mild vinegar barbecue sauce
category and third place for his gourmet all-purpose seasoning.
Last November, Smoky Jon's took top honors in Douglas, Ga., at the National
Barbecue Festival, an invitation-only competition.
Not shy, Olson points out these are just the latest honors in a long list, going
back almost 40 years. Unlike many Southern cities, Madison doesn't have much of
a barbecue tradition, but that hasn't held Smoky Jon's back.
Olson spent about seven years on the professional barbecue competition trail.
Now, he only competes as time away from his business allows.
"It's great to go out once in a while and still have the fire to compete, and to
win. That passion never dies," he said.
The jumbo sandwiches -- an accurate description -- include smoked chopped pork
shoulder, sliced beef brisket (cooked "low and slow with the right seasonings
for 19 hours -- it's a beautiful product," he said), a smoked sliced turkey
breast and spicy marinated chicken.
For $7.50, diners can choose from more than a half-dozen sandwich platters,
which include Smoky Jon's award-winning sauce, plus two side dishes. Spicy
buttered corn, baked beans, coleslaw, sugar-fried biscuits and several kinds of
potatoes are the tempting options.
"We pride ourselves on very high quality for a reasonable price," Olson said.
Olson, a lifelong Madisonian whose father worked at Oscar Mayer and whose
parents both encouraged him to cook, has been in the catering business for 35
years locally. He has operated his popular barbecue specialty restaurant and
takeout kitchen since 1985, first at Troy Drive and then at the Packers Avenue
location for the last 14 years.
How much barbecue has he dished up over the years?
"Oh, God, I don't know. It's oceans and oceans of sauce, and acres and acres of
ribs," he said, grinning and shaking his head.
Smoky Jon’s #1 BBQ
Address: 2310 Packers Ave.
Phone: 249-RIBS (7427)
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday -Sunday (closed Monday)
Notes: Dining room closes at 8:30 p.m. takeout, catering available