Keith M.
Yelp
TLDR: Some of the most solid bbq in Knoxville at completely reasonable prices. The sauces were very good, with the hot actually being hot. The hours are not so great (close at 7 and closed on Sunday). Bbq nachos, brisket, pork, and ribs were all good, but the ribs needed more seasoning. They have a sampler plate not listed on the menu.
Full Review:
We came for lunch a few Saturdays ago. The restaurant is on scenic Maryville Pike much closer to Knoxville than Sweet P's. The building is a converted gas station with picnic tables and the smokers under the roof where the pumps used to be. There is ample parking. The place is pretty homey feeling on the inside despite the sterile light from the fluorescents.
The kitchen and the dining area are separated by a counter where you place your order. We were greeted by the couple that owns the place and they were the only two working that day. The website dubs the husband as Boss Hog. Both were friendly. Our table of four gave our orders which consisted of a brisket plate, two rib plates, a bbq sandwich, and bbq nachos. For sides we got slaw, fries, beans, and potato salad. I was disappointed by the lack of greens on the menu. Each plate came with hush puppies which I had heard were good.
Drinks are a little stingy here. If you get lemonade or tea you are only allowed one refill. If you get soda, juice, or milk you get no free refills. The ubiquitous soda fountain is not present in the dining room. You are given a cup of ice when you order and can fill up on tea or lemonade. My better half thought the lemonade was quite nice. Given the amount of food we ordered, I thought the prices were pretty reasonable (somewhere around 28.00 for half rack plate, brisket plate, nachos all-the-way, and one drink). After we ordered and got drinks we sat down and waited for the food.
The sauces were up at the counter. They had three types, mild, hot, and smokin hot. I'll get to those later.
Our intention was to have the bbq nachos as an app and then eat the rest. This was not really possible because the plates and bbq sandwich came out almost immediately with the bbq nachos coming out later. If you go in and intend to have something as a starter, you probably need to let them know that before ordering anything.
The half slabs of ribs were a good size, much bigger than what I usually get at Sweet P's. As far as smoke flavor and texture, these were unequaled in Knoxville. They were very tender and you could taste the smoke throughout the meat. The chef's skill at smoking meat was immediately apparent. My problem was with flavor. The ribs needed minimally some seasoning, but ideally a good dry rub or mop. Other than the smoke flavor, they were pretty bland.
The brisket was also extremely tender and had a good amount of fat on it. Boss Hog came by while I was cutting into it and said he leaves the fat on to keep it tender. I told him I wasn't complaining bc I love the fat. Like I said, the brisket was extremely tender, but this time I thought it was a little less smoky than I would like. This is where the sauce came in. I tried both the hot and the smokin hot. All the sauces seemed to be tomato-based, but not too much tomato. Both the hot and smokin hot actually had heat, though I didn't think the smokin hot lived up to its name. Both had good flavor and were not hot for hot's sake alone. They were an excellent addition to the brisket, the pork, and the ribs.
The bbq nachos were pretty good too. The bbq pork was tender and flavorful. Not the best pork I've had but some of the best I've had in Knoxville. We got our nachos all-the-way, which I recommend, and they were a huge plate for 5.50.
The sides were ok. The slaw was pretty good, but the wife didn't care for it. Same with the potato salad. Neither blew me away though. The beans were similar. They were good, but not much more than that. The hush puppies, which I had heard about, were pretty solidly bad. They had good texture, were crispy on the outside, soft but not mushy on the inside. Unfortunately someone stubbed their toe when adding the salt. My wife loves salty food but she couldn't palate more than one of these puppies. I'd try them again, though, because maybe they just messed up on the batter this time.
They had some strawberry cake on the counter. We had too much food to try it, but it looked damn good. Also on certain weeknights they have banana pudding they make with nutter butters instead of vanilla wafers. I want some of that. The only problem is they are open only until 7PM so on weeknights it's hard to get out here.
All in all our experience was a good one. I will certainly be back. This food at this price was better overall than any other bbq restaurant I've had in Knoxville. Also, the owners were friendly and checked on us several times. Now we'll see if they can keep it up through multiple experiences.
