Posted By
Pam Mason on
January 15, 2012 9:52 PM
J.R.'s Ribshack was an epiphany for me. From the first whiff of deep, rich, pit-smoke scent, I knew that this would be a new eating experience. The staff are friendly and made us feel right at home. Dinner started with crisp and tasty onion rings and fried green tomatoes. The entrees were generously portioned and the flavours divine. The ribs are fall-off-bone tender and rich with smoky goodness. Dipping the moist shards in the restaurant's three sauces was a nice change from pre-sauced ribs. The sides we tried we all good, but the MUST HAVE is the homemade Brunswick stew. It was my first experience with thid dish, and I can't imagine having it better anywhere else. It is a lovely concoction of soft lima beans, shards of tender pork and a rich spicy tomato sauce. So good that if I ever have a chance to go back, I will make it the main focus of at least one meal. We finished with the creamy-good homemade banana pudding, the perfect sweet counter to the savory flavors of dinner. This restaurant is worth a trip :)
Overall Rating
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Brunswick Stew
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Banana Pudding
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Pit-Smoked Rib Platter
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Onion Ring Basket
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Baked Beans
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Fried Green Tomatoes
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While you enjoy the sun on Florida's "Forgotten Coast," your stomach starts to rumble, and the only thing that will satisfy it is BBQ. Well, J.R.'s Ribshack is just the place to stop that rumbling.
The first thing you notice as you pull into the parking lot (besides the heavenly aroma of smoked meats) is that the locals know about this place and they beat you here. You walk into the small dining room and are immediately greeted by the wonderful scent of pit-smoked meats; it welcomes you and lets you know you made the right choice.
Seat yourself at an open table if you can find one, but better be quick about it for someone might steal you table first. The decor in the dining room just cries out "SMALL TOWN" and "FAMILY"; all around on the walls are certificates of appreciation from the Little League, Soccer League, and local dirt track racers. Other walls are decorated with colored drawings from the smallest of J.R.'s customers and, yes, J.R.'s Southern pride shows through with the mounted heads of deer and wild boar. The menu is straightforward and easy to read, but not so easy as to make your decision simple.
The pit-smoked BBQ pork shows its pink smoke ring and is tender and smokey. The quarter or half smoked chicken is truly a work of art: skin well-smoked, the white with just a tinge of smoke ring, the meat is juicy and easily comes apart from the bone. The ribs too have a nice smoke ring; the meat just comes off the bone with the slightest of tugs.
The meats do not need BBQ sauce, but for those who feel they must, J.R.'s has three different sauces to choose from. The first: a Tennessee sweet red sauce, thick and smokey sweet. The second: mild, a mixture of sweet and vinegar, somewhat thinner than the first, but it goes great with the chicken. The third sauce: XXX(hot), this sauce will make you sweat. It is based on the first sauce but with red pepper flakes and some serious heat.
The waitstaff is very attentive and quick to refill your half-empty glass of tea, or whatever you may be drinking. Their iced tea (unsweetened) is clear and tastes great, and helps quench the fire from the XXX sauce.
The dessert menu has brownie delight, banana pudding, and peach or apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream. I asked for peach cobbler, but I was too late, so I chose my all-time favorite: banana pudding. I was not disappointed. The pudding was fresh, dense, and full of banana chunks, while the Nilla wafers disappeared into the creaminess. This is some seriously good banana pudding.
J.R.'s also offers AYCE pit-smoked meat plates, pit-smoked meat by the pound and Picnic Specials. J.R.'s tabletops have their secret ingredient listed on them... "Good Old Fashioned Southern Pride."
Overall Rating
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Pit-Smoked Chicken and Pork Dinner
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Pit-Smoked BBQ Pork Sandwich
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Brunswick Stew
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1/2 Pit-Smoked Chicken Dinner
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Pit-Smoked Chicken and Rib Platter
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Banana Pudding
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Pit-Smoked Meat Combo Basket
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Potato Salad
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Pit-Smoked Turkey Sandwich
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5 out of 5 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
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