Overall Rating and is it worth a visit: 8.75/10 and Yes. This was the second time we came here, following a nice morning hike with the dogs. They can be found right between Bear Creek Road and Bear Creek itself, with Switchback being a cozy little spot with indoor and outdoor picnic table seating, and a full bar available. As one of the only places serving up smoked duck as an option, I would recommend this place to anyone driving by, but would also say it’s worth making the short trip from Denver for a destination visit as well. Wide-ranging and non-traditional BBQ menu that includes items such as Montreal Brisket, which should please almost anyone in your group, with a dog-friendly patio that makes a great spot for a post-hike bite. Reasonably priced and with a super-friendly staff, I would recommend making a stop as they are easily a Top 10 BBQ location to visit in Colorado

Date Visited: 8/23/25

Address: 26220 Colorado 74 Frontage, Evergreen, CO 80439

Day of the Week: Saturday

Time of Day: 11:50 AM. Opens at 11:00 AM Thursday through Sunday

Owner: Darryl Swartz and his wife Rachel Sanford

Website: https://switchbacksmokehouse.com/

Number of Years in Business: Opened in 2012

Number of People in Line: 5 with 20 already sitting down and about 8 after us

Regional Style of BBQ: Multiple styles, but Montreal Style is called out for the brisket

Total Cost: $79.04 with tip. 1/4 lb of Montreal brisket, duck, elk jalapeno cheddar sausage, 1/4 lb of pulled pork, half rack of ribs, mac & cheese, and two 4-oz coleslaws with two beers

Type of Wood: Colorado fruit woods

Type of Smoker: Unsure, but I believe a wood-fired off-set of some kind

Type of Seasoning: Multiple different blends

Best Dish: Duck or the Elk Cheddar Jalapeno Sausage

Best Sauce: 4 different types. Root Beer BBQ, Mule, Catamount Gold, Standard

Best Side: Coleslaw

Interior Description: Small cozy interior with walk-up ordering, which has interior and exterior picnic tables for you to sit down and enjoy your BBQ at. Picturesque views along Bear Creek make this a fantastic spot to grab a tasty bite of BBQ

Pro Tip: Similar to my last review, the duck is a must-order, as it’s still one of the only BBQ places doing this along the Front Range. The same goes for the Elk Cheddar Jalapeno Sausage and the Montreal Brisket. Dogs are also welcome, so feel free to bring your furry friends along

Montreal Brisket

0/10 Ranking: 8.75/10

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, maybe mustard

Description: It looked cured like a pastrami, and was shaved thin, but tasted more like brisket than pastrami. Unique and not one I’ve seen before, would get again though, as it was really balanced and well smoked. Nice amount of smoke and saltiness, but could use more pepper to it. Closer to roast beef or pastrami texture than typical smoked brisket, but flavor comes through closer to the traditional brisket taste. Would recommend ordering for the table

Pork Spare Ribs 

0/10 Ranking: 8.75 to 9/10

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, maybe some others, but lightly seasoned and no sauce applied

Description: Fall off the bone tender, but with a nice bite to the texture. Really juicy and cooked almost perfectly with a light smokiness coming through each pull. Needs more salt, smoke, and seasoning to bump it to best in Denver, but the cooking technique is on point. Nice meat-to-fat ratio, would easily get again 

Pulled Pork

0/10 Ranking: Ordered it, but forgot to review

Elk Cheddar Jalapeno Sausage 

0/10 Ranking: 9.25/10

Description: Really nice snap to the casing and a perfect meat-to-fat blend that was juicy inside, especially for elk, but had some structure to it as well. Nice spiciness to it, especially with the cheddar to cut the heat. One of the best I’ve had in a while and would get again 

Duck

0/10 Ranking: 9/10

Seasoning:

Description:  Perfectly cooked and tender with a nice light smokiness to it. Had a nice, sweet flavor to it, but could use a little more smoke and seasoning as well. Would get again, however, would like a little crispness to the skin that was lacking, but really good overall , and a must order when stopping in

Sauces – Didn’t review

Description: 4 different types. Root Beer BBQ, Mule, Catamount Gold, Standard

Sides – Coleslaw

0/10 Ranking: 8.25 to 8.5/10

Description: Carrots and cabbage that’s mayo-based and creamy with some good seasoning in it, which also has a nice crunchiness to it. Little too watery/saucy, but nice mayo-to-acid ratio and would get again

Sides – Mac & Cheese

0/10 Ranking: 7.75 to 8/10

Basically, Velveta mac and cheese shells, maybe Annie’s. Creamy and well-cooked, but not a ton of flavor or uniqueness to them. Fine to share at the table, but not worth searching out in its own 

Interior & Menu Photos: