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Ridgewood Barbecue

900 Elizabethtown Highway, Bluff City, TN - (423) 538-7543
Posted By Robert Carver on 12/13/2008 9:27:00 PM
I live in New Orleans, a place well-known for its excellent and eclectic mix of food. The major weakness of the greater New Orleans area is the quality of the barbecue. We have a few decent choices. So when I drive the nearly 800 miles to visit family in upper East Tennessee, I always take one day to work my way down a curvy back road to find Ridgewood. While Ridgewood is worth driving off the beaten path, with a fairly new four-lane highway running from Elizabethton between Johnson City and Bristol, Ridgewood isn't nearly as isolated as it once was back in the day.

The barbecue there is simply perfect and served in generous portions. Some say the best part of the visit comes in eating the baked beans but I never order any side items as I want to savor the barbecue sandwich in its totality. The barbecue arrives on your plate with the meat overflowing the bun. The taste is smoky but it doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the meat. The tangy sauce is bliss but thankfully stops short of being overly spicy.

I just order the sandwich but if you have the room you can get the plate which will come with two sides, including the highly regarded baked beans. This barbecue will stay with you all day, so don't eat too much at breakfast.

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Scorecard

5 - Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace
Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace
Rate this place
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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