Smoked meat from The Smoking Jay. | The Smoking Jay The best barbecue is usually found in unassuming places. Portland’s great barbecue purveyors can be found behind gas station parking lots or on remote airport tarmacs. Across from Milwaukee’s last video store is a Cold War-style quonset hut with only a pair of hand-painted “beer” and “BBQ” signs hinting at the treasures within. The Smoking Jay is one of those rare places where with pretty much everything on the handwritten butcher paper menu is worth investigating. What to order The brisket. Don’t overthink this. Smoking Jay’s version is pink ringed, delicately striated, and glistening in all the right places. Great brisket shouldn’t even be in the same room with a knife, and that’s very much the case here: it’s right in the fork-tender sweet spot. Salads are rarely a highlight of straight barbecue joints, but the Ceasar here is an exception. The romaine is crisp, the dressing both bright and potent with anchovy, and the croutons soak it all in like a good panzanella. The interior decor skews rustic, and so is this immortal wisdom: save room for dessert. The key lime pie is almost punishingly tart, the crumbly graham cracker crust isn’t too crumbly, and the whole situation gets a drizzle from caramel that’s spent time in the smoker. The vibe The exterior gives “West German Air Force base,” but the interior is Grandma’s kitchen nook, with homey wooden chairs, fresh-cut flowers, and a healthy dose of country charm. Insider tip Don’t be surprised if you’re on a first-name basis with the owners by your second visit. And keep an eye out for rotating specials and “wait, you can smoke that?” culinary experiments like smoked wagyu meatloaf or pork belly burnt ends. ...read more read less