The day we visited Mo's Pit BBQ & Cowboy Cuisine, a woman came in for lunch and decided to try the brisket.

Her reaction, according to our waitress: "Oh my lord, this is tender."

Mo's clearly knows how to cook meat. Everything we tried came apart so easily that we had no need for knives. But we wished the meat had more flavor -- something to really make it sing. Plus, we had to work around some pretty substantial pockets of fat to get to the good stuff. Homemade sides were a hit, ranging from good to spectacular.

Mo's is billed as "an authentic roadhouse BBQ," and it certainly looks the part. Located on Bennett Road in Camillus, it's a brown-paneled building that also houses Ed's Auto Sales. Mo's unpretentious dining room has about a dozen tables and seating for 40 or so. When we visited on a Wednesday night, there were six other people eating, with music playing at a comfortable level.

There is a small selection of starters that includes chicken tenders and three kinds of french fries. We opted for a dozen of Mo's smoky wings ($7.99), which are smoked, then fried. They come hot, XX hot or BBQ. We went with the BBQ, which so heavily cloaked the chicken that we could barely make out what kind of meat we were eating. The wings did have wonderfully crispy skin.

Mo's offers chicken done two ways for dinner. The first, Mo's BBQ 1/2 chicken ($10.99) is brined, smoked and finished with Mo's BBQ sauce. We ordered the Cornell chicken ($10.99), which is marinated in a recipe developed at Cornell University and touted as "like the firemen cook."

Like the wings, the Cornell chicken had beautifully crisped skin. The meat was moist and juicy. But the dish still came up a little short. The Cornell marinade is, by nature, mild. Ideally, though, it gives the chicken a little bit of a jolt from its cider vinegar. At Mo's, the marinade didn't reach beyond the skin, so when that was gone, the chicken pretty much lost its appeal.

Mo's was offering a sampler the night we visited, and we took advantage so we could try three kinds of meat: the brisket, pulled pork and ribs, each of which can be ordered individually.

The brisket was as tender as advertised and had the most natural flavor of the bunch. It had only a dash of barbecue sauce that didn't do much to liven it up.

The pulled pork, meanwhile, isn't sauced, instead served with three bottles so customers can choose sweet, spicy or mild sauce. Our waitress accidentally brought three mild bottles, but she quickly replaced two with the spicy and sweet varieties. We went with the spicy, and it was so mild that we thought we too had grabbed the wrong bottle. It was nearly impossible to detect, adding nothing. The meat was tender and juicy, although it was mixed with a fair amount of fat.

Fat was also an issue with the ribs, but the meat we did pull off was very good. Slathered in the sweet sauce, the ribs had a nice little kick and there was plenty of meat. Owner Kevin "Mo" Morris says on his website that everyone claims to have award-winning ribs. His haven't won anything ... yet, he notes. They definitely have potential.

Dinners are served with two sides, which are $2.95 when ordered individually. We enjoyed all four sides, starting with the french fries, which were hot and crispy. Salt potatoes had just the right amount of salt and came with a generous pool of melted butter. Mac and cheese was impressive, managing to be not too heavy despite a generous amount of cheese. The applesauce was the night's big winner -- if it was socially acceptable, we would have licked the bowl thanks to the chunks of apple and swirls of cinnamon.

Our friendly waitress stopped by often and was happy to chat. While she recommended the ribs and brisket, barbecue isn't all Mo's has to offer. Pizzas are served on a homemade sour dough crest, and the smell of a pie that passed our table was tempting.

Diners can create their own starting at $7.99 for a 12-inch pie, with toppings costing $1.99. Specialty pizzas are also available, including BBQ beef (slow smoked beef, pizza sauce and mozzarella; $12.99 for 12 inches) and the Godfather (pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, sauce and mozzarella; $14.99 for 12 inches). There are also burgers and sandwiches on the menu, along with haddock.

Kevin,
The deep fried turkey that you prepared for us was outstanding! It was a hit!
I hope that you and your family had a good holiday and thank you again for the wonderful turkey.

For those who prefer to let someone else do the cooking, a southern-style barbecue joint is just around the corner. On the rise overlooking Cayuga Lake, next to a decrepit wooden barn where swallows swoop and nest, Mo's Pit BBQ and Cowboy Cuisine in Cayuga looks like two double-wide trailers with an add on, painted red. the parking lot is crushed gravel and two blackened iron smokers pump the sweet apple and hickory smoke into the air, drawing diners inside for what their noses tells them will be delicious.

More concerned with authentic food than fancy decor, owner Kevin Morrissey has left the place refreshingly humble, with a formica counter and half a dozen tables covered with plastic tablecloths. The result is worth the ride.

Mo's roasts its meat for 12 hours in a rotisserie wood-fired smoker, then slices and pulls them into hearty sandwiches served on soft white rolls to soak up the homemade sauce. Labeled simply as No. 1 and No. 2 sauce, Mo's two levels of barbecue sauce are made from jalapenos grown out front and smoked out back. Homemade baked beans with smoked tomatoes, homemade lemonade and a chocolate Texas sheet cake round out the meal with flavors that complement the main event.

And from the crispy smoky skin on the ribs to the roll of paper towels on the table, Mo's delivers the experience that barbecue embodies and a true grill master can achieve: uncomplicated food, a relaxed atmosphere and the taste and smell of summer.