Smokey's BBQ - Wytheville VA

We made our second trip to Smokey's yesterday. A group of us who like good BBQ get together from time to time to share good food and good company.

Smokey's is not a big place, but the food is very good. Very simple and inexpensive menu (see on their website, smokeysbbq.com. They do pork, beef and chicken in the smoker along with sausage. I got their combo platter (choice of 3 meats, two sides, roll and bag of chips), which I shared with my 6 year old son. My son almost ate all of the breast/wing I got, which he smothered in their regular sauce. I like to mix their regular sauce with their spicy vinegary sauce. I got a double cole slaw for my sides. Not too sweet, not too vinegary, just right. My companions got the baked beans which they thought were very good. They also tried the Brunswick Stew, which they said was a very good vegetable soup.

If you are traveling on I-77 or I-81 in Southwest Virginia, stop for a good meal.

I wish I'd known about that place. The only place I've ever stopped in Wytheville is the Waffle House. Not that that's a bad thing.

Hey jimcfs1,
Welcome to RF! And great first post, I reckon.
Thanks!

Wytheville, the truck stop capital of the world.

quote:

Originally posted by Robearjr

Wytheville, the truck stop capital of the world.

and the closest popeye's for those in my part of the world


i see these folks have a place in marion....might be a lunch trip very soon. some que and a dippin dog sounds like a plan.

The wife and I hit the Marion location for lunch today. Pretty easy off and on 81 and I would say it is worth a stop if you;re traveling through the area. My thoughts...

We ordered the combo plate which came with slaw, beans, bread, and your choice of chicken, chopped pork, sliced brisket, or sausage. I chose pork, brisket, and sausage and then ordered a half slab of ribs on the side. The combo plate was $7.80 and overall was a very good value. The ribs were an additional $7.

The slaw was nothing special and needed some onions and kick to make it worth eating. Unfortunately it was so bland that when tossed on a roll with some que it added nothing to the sandwich. The beans were pretty good with a slight smoky sweetness.

The pork was dry (and a little smoky) so I'm guessing it was shoulder. I'd rate the que a 5. The brisket was 3 very generous slices of smoky meat with a hint of a dry rub and just enough fat to make it interesting. I think it should have cooked for another hour or two but I'd say a solid 6.5-7. The sausage was your typical run of the mill smoked sausage..nothing special but not such a cheap selection that you didn't want to eat it all. It was flavorful and..well, just fine.

The ribs, naked and smoked, again could have cooked for another hour or two and probably would have been a solid 8. In spite of that they did a nice job with the rack. Just the right amount of smokey aroma and flavor with no sauce to bury the taste. I'd call them a 7 and would eat them again if passing through the area.

Larry, I don't know who runs the Marion location, but the Wytheville one is run by the owner himself. I wonder if that makes a difference or not. The website's pictures are of their Wytheville location.

He also told us that Saturdays are not their busiest days, they close after lunch and usually only do catering on Saturdays. Again, I wonder if that made a difference.

I don't know where you're from, Larry, but another place we've tried is The Galax Smokehouse, http://www.thegalaxsmokehouse.com] in Galax, VA. A little more upscale (like a corner bar and grill), but good and relatively inexpensive food.

As one of the guys in our BBQ group says, there's really no such thing as bad BBQ, just some are better than others.

Hi jimcfs1, well it was a guy and (I'm guessing) his daughter at this location. My opinions posted above are positive and I recommend people try the place so I hope the post comes across that way. Very little bbq is a 10 especially measured against the product that you can make at home but the control over home made is so much greater that I don't go expecting a 10. 7 is a place worth going back to in my book.

The tip you provided was appreciated and it's always nice to find good que. Next time I'm in wytheville to pick up some chicken I'll certainly stop by the main store and give it a go but I wouldn't hesitate to eat at the Marion store again.

quote:

Originally posted by jimcfs1


As one of the guys in our BBQ group says, there's really no such thing as bad BBQ, just some are better than others.

well, i'm with you up to that one..i've had some bad que and a lot of que that was "just food".

good pork bbq is getting harder to find these days imo. between healthy hogs and over trimming (and the absence of whole hog que), it's almost gotten to a point where you can't eat chopped or sliced pork without sauce or a big glass of water to get it down.


haven't tried galax but will keep it in my register for any future trips in that direction.

As a Texan who loves his Central Texas BBQ, I have to say, that Virginia BBQ looks mighty good.