CalGal V.
Yelp
My husband and I consider ourselves pretty good judges of BBQ, no pun intended, but we're former certified BBQ judges. We've done BBQ crawls mostly through Memphis, Arkansas, Kansas City, and other points in the South, but mostly Texas.
SMKD is now our top pick for bbq in Vegas/Henderson. They had me at first glance when I saw that they have a big smoker just like my husband used to have right outside the restaurant (where Bell's used to be.) The owner happened to be outside so I asked him if they used whole logs in the smoker (yes) and what kind of wood (post oak, apple, cherry, and pecan. Okay, this place is the real deal and they know what they're doing. So many "BBQ restaurants, especially chains use wood pellets.)
Brisket... fantastic, we were very pleased when we were asked if we want fatty or lean, another sign they know their stuff. Ribs... also great. Mac & Cheese.... delicious. Beans.... great. Banana pudding.... yum. Very nice smoke ring and bark on the brisket and ribs. Would get all of them again and can't wait to go back and try other things on their menu. But OMG, fried kugel... not only genius, but delicious. I could eat a whole pan of that. For those who don't know what kugel is, just trust me and order it.
So sorry to the other fantastic BBQ place in Summerlin that we also love, but SMKD is just down the street from us so this is now our go-to.
Also want to mention that one of the owners and the wonderful young lady who works there came by our table several times to check on us and see if we needed or wanted anything else. Great customer service.