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Ridgewood Barbecue

900 Elizabethtown Highway, Bluff City, TN - (423) 538-7543
Posted By Jim Jones on 9/16/2008 10:43:00 PM
I feel so sorry for CarolinaBill, as his tongue has obviously been destroyed from years of abuse by eating the vinegar-based turpentine they call Carolina Q. RIDGEWOOD ROCKS.

I grew up in East Tennessee, and ate at Ridgewood as a youngster. Later, I moved to North Carolina where the Q has a vinegar base, and I longed for home for the next 20 years. During that time, my travels have taken me to lower South Carolina with their yellow mustard sauce, and that Carolina Q is just as bad. I then married a Texan, and their Q comes from COWS. We all know that real Q comes from a pig. (I must admit the Texas brisket is quite good, BUT IT AIN'T Q unless it is pork.)

Today, I had Ridgewood for the first time in 25 years, and it is just as awesome as I remember. It is not, however, the best: it ranks #2 to my own. Carolina Q doesn't even enter in the realm of consideration.

5 out of 8 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

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Scorecard

Mostly what you see are French fries -- delicious, hot-from-the-kettle fries -- but beneath them is a heap of smoky pork slices bathed in tongue-tingling sauce.
"Mostly what you see are French fries -- delicious, hot-from-the-kettle fries -- but beneath them is a heap of smoky pork slices bathed in tongue-tingling sauce. "
Michael Stern





Smoky, sweet, and laced with meat, Ridgewood's beans are a must-eat side dish.
"Smoky, sweet, and laced with meat, Ridgewood's beans are a must-eat side dish."
Michael Stern


The sandwiches are huge and definitely sharable. Order one plate of fries for every 2-3 people.
"The sandwiches are huge and definitely sharable. Order one plate of fries for every 2-3 people."
Rae Augenstein


This is the view from a booth near the kitchen:  a beef sandwich and a pork plate, just assembled by the cook and ready to be carried to a table -- OUR table, we pray!
"This is the view from a booth near the kitchen: a beef sandwich and a pork plate, just assembled by the cook and ready to be carried to a table -- OUR table, we pray!"
Michael Stern


Just north of the restaurant is this smoky building where hams are slow-smoked over hickory wood for hours.
"Just north of the restaurant is this smoky building where hams are slow-smoked over hickory wood for hours."
Michael Stern


Although it is far off the beaten path, the Ridgwood is almost always crowded.  Expect to wait at peak mealtimes.
"Although it is far off the beaten path, the Ridgwood is almost always crowded. Expect to wait at peak mealtimes."
Michael Stern



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