NoBull Smokehouse was recommended to us by someone who frequently visits Fargo, and I'm glad we…read moretook the recommendation. We ordered takeout and really enjoyed everything we got: brisket, pulled pork, a half rack of ribs (we chose the Sticky style), and mac and cheese. The food came out quickly, and the bar staff were very friendly and welcoming.
There was plenty of food for my wife and me, with enough left over for a full second meal--which made this a great value as well.
The ribs were fantastic. We chose the Sticky ribs, and they were exactly the fall-off-the-bone style I love: tender, juicy, and nicely coated with a flavorful, slightly sweet sauce.
The pulled pork was also excellent--very juicy and tender with plenty of flavor. I topped mine with their spicy BBQ sauce, which I really liked. It isn't overwhelmingly hot, but it has just enough zip to make things interesting. My wife thought the pulled pork was a little bland on its own, while I thought it was just right. Chalk that one up to different tastes! That's part of what makes barbecue fun.
The brisket was extremely tender, with a beautiful seared crust on the ends and slices cut at what I thought was the perfect thickness. My one reservation--and the reason I'm giving four stars rather than five--is that I found the brisket a little salty. I normally eat a very low-sodium diet, so I may simply be more sensitive to salt than most people. My wife didn't find it overly salty at all, so I wouldn't consider this a flaw in the brisket, just a difference in personal preference. For someone who enjoys a more generously seasoned brisket, this could easily be a five-star dish.
The mac and cheese was creamy, flavorful, and very satisfying. It also came topped with a couple of slices of smoked sausage. The sausage had a nicely spiced flavor and a firm, meaty texture that was a great complement to the creamy mac and cheese. Assuming if you ordered the sausage as part of the meal it would be the same so recommending you try that as well.
Overall, we were very happy with the meal. I'm giving NoBull four stars because I reserve five stars for those rare meals where absolutely everything is perfect *for me*. The food here was very good, and the one issue I had was really a matter of my personal sensitivity to salt. I could easily see someone else giving this place five stars.
If you're a local or just passing through Fargo, I'd definitely recommend giving NoBull Smokehouse a try. And if you're ordering takeout, I'd suggest asking for extra BBQ sauce. We received two small plastic containers, but we probably could have used four!
