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Ridgewood Barbecue

900 Elizabethtown Highway, Bluff City, TN - (423) 538-7543
Posted By Angela Gray on 9/25/2011 2:07:00 PM
Ridgewood Barbecue is a legend in my part of town. It is known for being the best BBQ place in the world. You can't miss the smell of Ridgewood but you could easily miss the actual restaurant. Settled in the middle of the mountains of east Tennessee, it is not the easiest place in the world to find, but it's so worth the hunt.

I would definitely not say that Ridgewood is the place for charm or luxury but who cares, this is the best damn BBQ you will ever put in your mouth! The pork or beef BBQ sandwiches are the size of your head and are fork-tender and smoky. Then there are the baked beans, with their little pieces of BBQ throughout, and the golden brown, fresh-cut French fries.

If this isn't the best BBQ that you have ever eaten then you must be a Yankee or have an unsophisticated palate. Oh, I almost forgot to mention Ridgewoods famous country ham platter. It, too, is fantastic (and is smoked and cured on the premises).

All of their food is handmade, not dumped out of a can or carton. Mrs. Proffit would roll over in her grave if anyone even tried it!

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Scorecard

5 - Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace
Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace
Country Ham Platter
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


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


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


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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