Southern Smoke Co's quiet menu update
Burnt ends back on Tuesdays. New pickles on the brisket roll. The pulled-pork sandwich is gone. The full update on the most consistent kitchen in the precinct.
Southern Smoke Co has been the most consistent thing on the Bowen Hills food scene since 2019. They smoke their meats overnight, they shut when they sell out, they have never once put up a website worth reading. So we are publishing the menu update for them, since they refuse to.
What is back on the menu
Burnt ends. They are back on Tuesdays. This is the headline. The burnt ends were on the original menu, came off in 2022 when the head chef left, came back briefly in 2023, vanished, and have now returned permanently as a Tuesday-only special. They sell out by 7pm. If you are reading this on a Tuesday afternoon, leave the office now.
The brisket roll. New pickles, made in-house instead of bought in. Sharper, less sweet, better cut through the fat. The roll is otherwise unchanged. The sauce is unchanged. The bread is unchanged.
Smoked wing platter. Now available as a half-platter. Previously the only option was a platter that fed four people. The half-platter is two and a half people, comfortably, and is the move if you are with someone on a date who does not eat with their hands well.
What is gone
The pulled pork sandwich is off the menu. The chef has explained, slightly wistfully, that he no longer has the bench space to portion it out properly during service. The pulled pork is still smoked. It is now only available in the Saturday platters and the catering option.
The mac and cheese has been replaced by a smoked-cheese gratin. We are reserving judgement. The gratin is good, but the mac and cheese was a comfort dish, and the gratin reads slightly more refined than what the rest of the menu wants.
What stays
Everything else. The brisket plate, the ribs, the slaw, the cornbread, the pickles, the housemade hot sauce that they keep in unlabelled bottles next to the cash register. The opening hours, which are still 4pm to "we sold out", typically between 8pm and 9.30pm depending on the day.
Bookings and timing
They do not take bookings. They have never taken bookings. The line moves quickly because the food is mostly pre-prepared and the staff have done this two thousand times. Walk in by 5.30pm if you want a guaranteed table.
Tuesdays are the day to come for the burnt ends but not the busiest. Friday and Saturday are mostly turning people away by 7.30pm. Sunday lunch is a quiet trade and the kitchen is at its most patient with a fussy order.
Cash and card both work. They tip a portion of cash tips to the kitchen, which is worth knowing.
Read next
For the broader rotating dining shortlist, head to Eat with us. Saturday food-truck options are on the food-truck roster, and the events worth booking out a night for are on what's on. Recommended local trades and small businesses live on The Local List.