Tried this place for the first time yesterday. Had high hopes and expectations based on prior ratings and awards. I ordered a two meat plate with two sides. The brisket meat came with two slices that were extremely fatty. Really not much meat on it. The sides are average and sausage ok. I now realize that I had an option of ordering fatty or lean meat but wasn't made aware of it when ordering. The owner, Junior, was nice enough to respond to my original write-up and he wanted to make my next visit right. I'm all about second chances and good BBQ and appreciate his feedback. Ill try Up and Smoke again sometime. read more

This is the absolute best BBQ and the service is fabulous!!!

This is my second time to ask Junior to cater an event for me. The first one was a large open house and grand opening, he brought the big trailer and cooked for us on the spot. This one was just as outstanding. We only had about 20 of us at a clients office in Midland, so he brought everything we needed and set it up for us. We had sliced brisket, sausage and chicken with his special beans, cole slaw and the fixin's. that brisket is very tender, and has an awesome "accordion" feel to it just the way I like it. The sausage is very good and has just a hint of heat that keeps you going back for more. Finally his BBQ chicken is so good that you almost forget about the beef...not quite though. The beans he makes are so good with onions, peppers and lots of good spices for a wonderful flavor. Finally, I don't know how he makes his slaw, but it goes so well with all his perfect proteins that you want to keep piling it on your plate. To me, he is the only BBQ place I would EVER have cater an event, so thank you and Hats off to Junior and his entire team for an outstanding meal that you would only get from fresh cooking, smokin' and BBQ'ing!! read more

The owner Junior is awesome and the food is the best smoked BBQ in Midland. If you find a better smoked BBQ joint in Midland, please let me know. I've tried nearly all of them and they do not compare to Up in Smoke. The sliced brisket is simply amazing; hard to get this type of juicy brisket anywhere in Texas let alone Midland and is right up there with the big boys of Lockhart, TX. I have made this a place I frequent often when they are open, of which, at this time they are only open Friday and Saturday from 11:00am - 2:00pm. Some special things I've seen while eating there has been a tube of "Free" iced bottled waters for the customers on extremely hot days. "Free" smoked stuffed bacon wrapped quail that was handed out to customers as a way to see how the public likes it before placing it on the menu. Junior, PUT THAT QUAIL ON THE MENU! It's simply delicious. If you have the privilege of being in the area while Up in Smoke is open, there should be no question of where you should be eating for lunch. read more

Junior makes the best brisket I've ever had. I had the chopped brisket sandwich and it was so amazing. The sauce was the perfect complement, it didn't over power the smokey flavor of the brisket and I loved every last bite! read more

Great food!! We had brisket, chicken (which was probably the best BBQ chicken I've ever had,) potato salad (different but not bad, it's got a good flavor I just thought it was a little heavy on the eggs,) coleslaw is a vinegar based type, beans were AWESOME, BBQ sauce was fabulous, rolls and peach cobler for desert. My grandmother was extremely impressed with the dessert saying it rivaled her mother's which is a HUGE compliment!! I would definitely eat from up in smoke again. read more

Had a BBQ sandwich that was absolutely amazing. Came with a ton of meat and great bread. This place lives up to the hype.

YALL SERIOUSLY! This place is awesome. I have been wanting to try this place for a while because Junior and Jennifer are so sweet. We had chicken, brisket, and pork and beef ribs. Everything was great! In addition Junior had fixed some tenderloin stuffed with cream cheese and jalapeños, wrapped in bacon. Holy cow!!! I'm not a tenderloin person but I'd seriously order that again. We also really enjoyed the condiments (pickled cucumber, onions, and peppers). They were fantastic. I'm super cheap and the $18 a plate initially really hurt my feelings. However, this was the best bbq I've ever eaten anywhere. I would pay that again and again for the quality food that they provide. Better than any restaurant food you can get. Go see them and you won't be disappointed. read more

Hands down the best BBQ we have had in a seriously long time!! Hubby resists "food from a truck" but he will tell you straight up he was delighted!! We got the double meat plate and bought our friend a the pulled pork sandwich plate. Hubby got double brisket and I got brisket and sausage. Junior gave us a sample chicken thigh/leg to test. Our friend said her pulled pork was outstanding! The brisket was flavorful and cooked perfectly. Right amounts of smokey taste and just plain mouth watering good. The sausage was spicy but excellent flavors! For the record his BBQ rub is just great ..just the right amount so that the meat flavor is not swallowed up. The sauce is excellent as well! Perfect pairing. The chicken was juicy and full of flavor! I'm not a chicken person so that says a LOT!! The meal came with potato salad, beans and a roll. The beans were so good!! They had little pieces of sausage in there to add to the flavor. The meal also came with a drink. We got cherry cobblers which hit the spot!! A little pricey but not really for what you get. Certainly not more than other BBQ places!! It's also huge portions. I just chopped the leftover brisket and made sandwiches for three people!! From just the leftovers!! I STILL have leftovers!! Besides the deliciousness ..this man is awesome!! he is talented and so polite and nice !! His service was excellent! Midland is lucky to have this young man cooking up THE BEST BBQ ever!! I highly recommend you follow his website in case he comes to your area!!! read more

This BBQ is the best in town! We have ate at several events over the years where they catered the food and we have never been disappointed. The chicken, ribs and brisket are always cooked and seasoned just right! All the trimming are always delicious. We highly recommend using them for your next catering event!!! read more

Lord. BEST BRISKET EVER. Skip all the other BBQ in town when Junior is open! Also, his catering service is first rate.

Hands down, best BBQ from the nicest people! Junior's going to put some folks out of business when his permanent location opens next year!

You MUST try the BBQ sauce. I forgot to grab some the other day and the brisket isn't the same without it!!!

Up In Smoke catered my company's Christmas party this past Saturday and they were awesome as always! Brisket was falling apart, it was so tender. Ribs were big, meaty and loaded with Junior's Rub for Grub (which is so yummy) and my fav, the chicken legs were delicious. Portions are huge (unlike some places, where one person is allotted 2 ribs) and their sides are great! Not one compliant about them and that's saying a ton, since I had to feed 90 folks. If you're looking for a professional, top-notch caterer who will provide excellent food for your company event, give these guys a call. Jennifer, the ops manager, is wonderful to work with. read more

We had this catered at work about a week ago! It was very good! So much better than the Jason's Deli or McCallister's that is usually catered! If I need catering in the future for personal use I will probably hire them!! read more

My company uses them for catering to send out to the rigs. And now I get requests every week to bring more out. Some of the best brisket I have ever had and I've had barbecue all over the US. The potato salad is incredible. And from what I hear at thanksgiving their turkeys are absolutely amazing if you cater I highly recommend up in smoke read more

Some of the best brisket in town, I have yet to try everything else but I definitely will this year.

Great BBQ. Nice portions and priced right.

I have never been much of a Texas BBQ lover and I don't think I ever will be, but this place is super close to converting me to saying I love BBQ. My friend suggested it seeing all the positive reviews on Yelp and we definitely didn't regret it! It was from a truck but near the owner's house I believe. One of the downsides is their limited time of business. They're only opened two days out of the week but it is on Fridays and Saturdays during lunch so most people are off then. I guess another benefit would be since they have limited business hours, the line isn't too bad! They have a set up with chairs and tables for people to sit. We got our order to-go and ordered by the pound or pieces. We got a pound of brisket, two links of sausage with pepper jack cheese and a 1/4 rack of ribs. My favorite was the sausage! It was so good and the cheese melted in between made it even better. The sauce that came with it was a bit different. It was a bit liquid-y to my liking but still good. Had a hint of spice to it that made every bite savory. The brisket was good too. It was just the right soft and tenderness. Nothing was too dry and I definitely am a fan! The price wasn't bad either for what we got. We were able to make about two meals out of it. I'll definitely come back and tell my friends about this hidden gem in Midland. read more

Up In Smoke serves up the best BBQ I've ever had, and I've tried a ton of spots in Midland, Dallas, Tennessee, and elsewhere. The brisket is to die for - sliced perfectly, moist but not fatty, and incredibly flavorful. The jalapeño cheese sausage was cooked perfectly, and the potato salad was a great match for my meat fiesta! read more

5 star reviews should be simple and elegant. Let me start by thanking the cow that gave her life to become a perfectly cooked brisket. First, the smell gets in to your nose, and you feel as if your nose took a bite of a smoky piece of meat. Then you think to your self should I just use my hands or use a fork and knife. Just go for it, you don't need anything but your fingers. The brisket is tender no need for forks. Then you take a bite. As you take a bite you close your eyes and imagine a field of cows that are in line to be cooked to perfection. The meat tells your tongue, more, more and you listen, because you know it's good for you. The flavor goes all the way down your esophagus into your large intestine. Your whole body is in an ecstasy because it has just tasted the best brisket in Texas. Then you take another bite and your dream has being fulfilled. You have now tasted the best brisket, no need to worry. You'll be fine. read more

This was my first time here and it definitely did not disappoint. I got the brisket and ribs which came with beans and potato salad. The brisket is one of the best I've ever had, it was juicy and fell apart and it has a good fat content. The ribs were delicious even without the sauce. I've always been picky about potato salad, it's rare for me to like any but I actually enjoyed this one. The beans were delicous and I loved that they had sausage in them. It is pricy and I was hesitant but once I actually tasted it, it was well worth it. I will definitely be back! read more

Tender, fall off the bone ribs. Fantastic brisket. The absolute best bbq in the Permian Basin run by friendly people.

The best we've had...the brisket and chicken were really good, as were the beans and potato salad. Will be calling on them again. Our family loved it all! read more

The bbq brisket was tender and very flavorful without any sauce added (though the sauce is delicious, but a tad too spicy for us). My 2 little girls could not stop eating the bbq chicken - the 2 of them ate at least 4 pieces of chicken each! These girls are 10 and 4 years old! We also really liked the flavorful beans and the potato salad. Everything we have eaten was the yummiest of any bbq restaurant around! We have recommended your bbq to several of our friends. read more