We visited Dixie Barbeque on a recent Friday evening as a result of receiving a gift certificate. My wife had a half slab of dry-rubbed ribs and I had a small pulled pork plate. Our sides were potatoes and onions, slaw, beans and seasoned fries.
There are several sauces from which to choose. We sampled the Texas/Oklahoma sauce, the North Carolina vinegar sauce, and the East Tennessee sauce. There were a couple of sauces we didn't try, a white Alabama-style and a mustard based Carolina-style. Order the pulled pork or beef "plain" if you want to try them all. If you don't specify, it comes with the East Tennessee sauce.
The service was good and the waitress was always around to supply more iced tea. Unfortunately, I cannot rate the food highly at all. The ribs, though supposedly smoked for 12 hours, were tough and chewy, and nearly flavorless. I usually prefer just a dry rub on ribs, but these were so lacking in flavor that we used the sauces to boost the taste. The pulled pork was edible but, like the ribs, bland. There was little if any smokiness.
The Texas-style sauce was my favorite. It had a little heat, and a tangy flavor. The vinegar sauce was forgettable, and the East Tennessee sauce was sweet, with a strong taste of molasses that my wife enjoyed. The sides were all fine. The beans reminded me more of cowboy beans than barbequed or baked beans.
We will not be going back. There are better barbeque choices available.
