I really wanted this to be a 5-star experience, and a place for great BBQ in England near where I occasionally work. But it was not to be. That said, there is a lot of really exceptional things about this restaurant, not least is the wide range of music pumped through the speakers here -- not loud, just perfect in fact. I've been enjoying just sitting here listening to the blues / soul /country / eclectic / 60's / Amy Winehouse / etc. ... The sides were all awesome, something even some of the great BBQ places let slip. I was very happy with the grilled watermelon, the fries (skinny like the U.S.), and the creamed corn. You should be quite happy with any of those. Four-stars is still good, and as always, you may love what I go "meh" to. The atmosphere is funky and clean, with the right touches of kitsch, not overbearing. The menu is broad, and I'd definitely try the beef ribs next time; they sounded very good but I decided to stick with St. Louis style ribs to be able to compare apples with apples. (I usually sample pork ribs to compare BBQ places on the same dish.) They do not offer brisket, which may be understandable, as brisket can be difficult to get right. Service was pretty good, although it wasn't a full restaurant this Saturday afternoon. In short I enjoyed everything except the ribs, which were good, with the following opinions of how they could have been great. First off, the ribs were very meaty, and cannot be faulted for that at all! They seemed to be cooked right, although here is the first point of contention: Either the pork in the British Isles is not marbled like the great BBQ places in the U.S., or they cook the fat out of it. Judging from a previous experience I had in Dublin, I suspect that the pork is just very lean. For me, that equates to less flavor and a dryer texture. The other thing which I would love to see is a fearless addition of smoke to these ribs. To be honest, I couldn't taste it, and the "smoke ring" in the meat was barely denting the surface. I can't give a restaurant with "Smoke" as a predominant part of its name 5-stars unless the meat lives up to it. So if you like a simple but big chunk of meaty, lean pork, that's what you'll get here, and you may have a five-star experience.

Finally- somewhere to go in Oldham for lunch that is decent and a little more modern! Smoke yard has been open since last year, bringing smoked meats, burgers, ribs and fries to Oldham, as well as milkshakes and deserts. It is pretty much another 'dirty burger' restaurant, which seem to be doing really well at the moment. The menu has lots of different burgers from Mac and cheese variations, to buttermilk chicken and veggie options. Lots of pulled pork and bacon toppings too. I went for the Honey Bun- a grilled chicken burger with honey mustard and salad and applewood smoked cheese. I of course upgraded the fries to sweet potato fries too. The fries let the order down a little- very thin and not much actual potato in them. Still tasty, but Iv had better I guess! The burgers however are the selling point- the men who were with us said the beef pattys were really good quality meats, juicy and thick. I genuinely loved my grilled chicken burger; and the honey mustard sauce was incredible. So much good choice on the menu. One of our friends went for the ribs, which again looked amazing. Really wanted to have a dirty milkshake with all the toppings, waffles, biscuits, the lot. Managed to hold off though! Affordable prices and a nice change to see a modern burger place in Oldham