Double S BBQ moved from Cambridge, Wis., to Monroe Street a few months ago, and unfortunately the Madison Plan Commission isn’t allowing an outdoor smoker on premise. As a result, food is cooked off-premise, and because of that, I felt some of the menu items weren’t as good as they could have been.
You can still get a decent meal, though; I recommend you start with the Texas Sausage Dog ($9.25). The giant, delicious link reminded me a bit of a salumi-Chinese sausage hybrid. It’s very filling, too.
The ribs ($13.50 as a one-meat plate, $23.99 as a whole rack) are tender (but not fall-off-the-bone tender) and have a nice, mild-smoky flavor. You can easily eat these ribs as they are (without sauce), though I couldn’t get enough of the regular and spicy BBQ sauces here.
I thought the brisket tamales ($3 each), served on Thursdays, were creative and generous with meat. Unfortunately, my tamale was really dry, and my plastic fork couldn’t cut into it. At least the side of Sriracha sauce helped.
Speaking of dry, the Chuckwagon cornbread ($1.75 for a slice, $12.99 for a pan of eight) was missing the warmth and moistness of what I would consider good cornbread. Other sides on the menu include smoked bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers ($2 each) and cowboy pinto beans ($2.25).
You also can find a selection of baked potatoes on the menu, including the Texas Two Step ($12.99), which has butter, sour cream, cheese, brisket, beans, corn and hot sauce on top.
Double S BBQ is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.
