Southern Smoke BBQ

Great BBQ and ribs! BBQ is great even without any additional sauce. You can’t beat the price of a sandwich combo or bbq tray with a drink.

Had opportunity to try this place out finally! Well worth the drive. Ribs and sauce were outstanding. Good smoke ring, perfect texture, hot and tasty! Pulled pork (tried with no sauce on top) was excellent southern style. Beans were sweet and tasty. Cornbread was moist and delicious. Got the ham and biscuit pudding to go…tbd on that! Check it out!

Excellent service and food. The bbq and all the sides are phenomenal. The BBQ is among the best I’ve had, easily top five in the state. Just make sure to get there early before they sell out! They also have other meats like chicken which I didn’t try.

ALERT: TOP TEN ENTRY FOR MAC 'N CHEESE NATIONWIDE. This was our 346th 'cue stop in a journey spanning 35 states, and our 23rd in the Carolinas, where there are quite a few BBQ joints that fly under the radar because they are located in small towns well removed from the interstate. This is one of them. There is no seating inside the building, but take your meal and walk around to the back. Here you will find a truly unique picnic seating (see photos). The price point here is superb. $26 bought two trays-- chopped pork with sides of coleslaw and mac 'n cheese, a rib plate (4 bones) with sides of baked and green beans, a sausage link, and two cans of diet Pepsi. The mac 'n cheese, which is an in-house recipe, is one of the ten best that we have so far found in BBQ circles nationwide. The coleslaw is neutral, making it ideal to cleanse the palate as you move between different meats. We also liked the beans, especially the green beans. The sausage link had good snap and flavor. and the in-house vinegar sauce really brought the pork to life, but our meat of choice here would be the ribs. Beautifully prepared, with a clean bite and a tasty rub and light sauce, they are simply delicious. So, we strongly recommend that you make the effort to get here ... but go early! We were eighth in line at the opening, and worried that we might miss out because, as is always the case in the universe of small town American BBQ, when it's sold out, they are done for the day.

Ribs are out of this world, better than what I have had in the big cities in Texas. BBQ sauce is not too sweet. They have rotating sides, I have had Brisket Chili, Mac, Cornbread and all are phenomenal. Owner is really friendly. Get here early! They sell out incredibly quick.

The bbq was good. Lightly sauced! Which is a good thing being I’m not a fan of sauce running out of the plate. The potato salad was different than what I’m used to but I liked it. The cornbread had a sweet taste to it. I wasn’t impressed with the tea by no means. I suggest water or a soda. The ribs & chicken were sold by the time I arrived at noon. So you’ll probably have to get there at 11am to get them. The bbq plate was reasonably priced.

Some of the best BBQ I've ever had. Perfectly smoked BBQ and Ribs. The pulled pork was not chopped beyond recognition or overly sauced, as is common from other places. The ribs were tender and meaty, with a beautiful smoke ring, and a balanced rub that enhanced the flavor of the smoky meat, not super saucy, though there is sauce available. The sides, especially the cornbread, coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni & cheese, and okra & tomatoes, were all tasty, above average, and obviously freshly made. And the price is very reasonable for the size of the serving. $7-8 for a plate, including sides and a drink. I ate there for lunch, went back to pickup dinner for my family, and I'll probably drive the 40 minutes to go back for lunch tomorrow. 200% recommended!

Amazing BBQ. Great value. Cornbread, beans, potato salad, and pulled pork. All of it was amazing.

In the Carolinas, there are quite a few BBQ joints that fly under the radar because they are located in small towns well removed from the interstate. This is one of them. There is no seating inside the building, but take your meal and walk around to the back. Here you will find a truly unique picnic seating. The price point here is superb. $26 bought two trays-- chopped pork with sides of coleslaw and mac 'n cheese, a rib plate (4 bones) with sides of baked and green beans, a sausage link, and two cans of diet Pepsi. The mac 'n cheese, which is an in-house recipe, is one of the ten best that we have so far found in BBQ circles nationwide (346 stops in 35 states) . The coleslaw is neutral, making it ideal to cleanse the palate as you move between different meats. We also liked the beans, especially the green beans. The sausage link had good snap and flavor. and the in-house vinegar sauce really brought the pork to life, but our meat of choice here would be the ribs. Beautifully prepared, with a clean bite and a tasty rub and light sauce, they are simply delicious. So, we strongly recommend that you make the effort to get here ... but go early! We were eighth in line at the opening, and worried that we might miss out because, as is always the case in the universe of small town American BBQ, when it's sold out, they are done for the day.

I had heard and read great reviews of Southern Smoke, unfortunately I could never seem to hook up with their food truck when it came to town. So I was excited to be passing through Garland NC on one of the two days a week their restaurant is open. I ordered a pulled pork and Pepsi to go. The first negative was that the drink wasn't cold, it was room temperature. Not a big issue I had a cup of ice in the car. The sandwich itself had a generous helping of steaming pork on a good quality bun. The pork was moist and lean but lacking in flavor, The expected smoky taste and aroma just wasn't there. The side of slaw was pretty bland also. I should have doused both sandwich and slaw in vinegar sauce before leaving. Overall a disappointing experience, but will try their food truck someday.

I did not have the pleasure of visiting this restaurant in person but got to try their food at Flytrap Brewing's 5 year anniversary event. Southern Smoke BBQ provided free food to the first 500 people, so I can imagine how much work they did to prepare the food. The pulled pork was the best North Carolina barbecue I have had so far. It was so moist, flavorful, and well-shredded. It had enough flavor that did not require additional sauce. However, their bottled vinegar sauce did add an extra oopmh, that I would still recommend adding. Their mac and cheese made with penne pasta was also very good. The pasta was a little overcooked to my taste but I still enjoyed it. It was creamy and packed with cheese. I could eat this every day. The coleslaw was good too, more on the sweeter side, but not overly sweet. Will need to stop by the restaurant next time I'm in the area!

I was hesitant to try the collard chowder listed as one of the sides on the board. I went against my instincts and oh so glad I did. Even though it was seasoned with ham it was not too salty. The broth was not thick and steamy hot. Give it a try. They change there sides frequently. The barbecued ribs were tender and just the amount of smoke for me. It is way out in the country, but if you get down the way in eastern NC, worth it.There is no place to eat inside bur a wonderful area out back that has an old car made into an eating area.

Participated in the Southern Roots Dinner Series at Southern Smoke this evening. A wonderful outdoor dining experience that offers a unique spin on the traditional Southern dishes. The dishes included local farm to table meats and vegetables. We have been wanting to attend one of these dinners for sometime and the experience did not disappoint. Everything was creative and great tasting. An extra benefit is that the fellowship was great. See the pictures attached. A really cool evening that we hope to repeat

Had lunch today at the Southern Smoke BBQ in Garland, NC. The pork was moist and had a subtle smokiness. The chicken was tender and had a more noticeable smoke. I enjoyed it very much and will certainly return.

I have heard great things about this place for several years, and have tried to check it out multiple times, but they are only open 2 days per week, and when open tend to run out of food before they run out of day...... I was excited a couple weeks ago to be near Garland on a Friday at about 11:30 am, just as they were opening for the day. We called ahead and spoke with the owner, a very friendly gentleman that took our order... Sadly he informed us they were not serving ribs since his cost had skyrocketed so high that he opted to remove them from the menu as opposed to having to gouge his customers to cover the exorbanate cost..... While we were bummed out, we respected his position. We ordered the 2 meats available that day, a lb. of pulled pork and 6 pieces of fried chicken along with 3 small sides, The slaw, Mac and Cheese and Louisiana style Rice.... The total bill coming just short of $40. While I thought this was a bit pricey, I was expecting a premium product due to what I had heard about the place so I was initially nonplussed. Unfortunately the food just didn't seem to live up to what we had heard.... The pulled pork was virtually tasteless... I detected no smoke flavor, nor any flavor from spices or even sauce..... They offered no sauce to go with it.... The fried chicken was incredibly greasy... to the point that we really had no desire to eat it.... The slaw was home made and appeared to be fresh, but was totally bland and non-descript... The Mac and Cheese which I had heard several people rave about was also pretty much generic tasting.... and the cheese was somewhat granular..... The Louisiana Rice was the only dish that actually had flavor... it was spiced and contained chunks of andouille sausage. Unfortunately the sausage really did not compliment the rice and gave it very funky flavor..... I ended up picking out the chunks of sausage and at the rice without it which actually was tasty..... The sausage, by itself was tasty as well...... I hope to give Southern Smoke another try when they start serving ribs again, but at this point I cannot say I am a fan......

Make the trip to Garland! Opens at 11:30 am Thursday's and Friday's. Be sure to check their Facebook page for the daily specials, but get there early and wait in line, they sell out quickly. The pulled pork BBQ has a great smoky flavor. The mac'n cheese is OMG good and the ribs have great flavor as well. It's all good!!

Best BBQ in town! We had the ribs, sausage and brisket platter with fried okra (delicious) smoked beans with collard greens. Everything was delicious and the price is very reasonable for the quality of the food. Staff was very friendly. I strongly suggest you don't leave without trying their banana pudding!

Sweet molasses! The ribs the barbecue and the sauce are fantastic. The sides including the pimento cheese grits were fantastic as well. Highly recommend stopping by pass through tiny Garland

This place is on point. I've been searching for a good SE-NC style BBQ for a while and this place delivered. We left Wilmington (home base) and got to Southern Smoke 20 minutes after they opened. Cars were parked everywhere and there was line literally out the door. We attempted to get ribs and they were sold out immediately (mind you we got there 20 min after opening. They also do pre orders for the ribs). We got the BBQ try which was pork with a side (mac and cheese) and corn bread for way under $10. As for the pork... it was the best I've had since moving here! Worth the drive!!

Great find. I heard about this place in a local newspaper. They do a really good barbecue. Their honey roasted potatoes are also outstanding. My husband had the ribs and they were delicious as well. Just make sure you get there early because they only stay open as long as they have food on Thursday and Friday. Our back they gave a really unique patio to sit on and cool off with a bar built around an antique car.

Solid chopped BBQ sandwich. Slow cooked like it should be. Look forward to trying not their ribs on my next visit. Only open for lunch Thursday and Friday's. Only seating is outdoors, but worth a shot for a covered table out back if it's hot or raining.

After playing golf at Vineyards Golf Club in White Lake, we traveled to Garland for some BBQ at Southern Smoke. This was our first visit there. It will not be out past. The BBQ sandwich was better than anything I have had in a long time. Tender and tasty with the right amount of fresh slaw on a litely buttered warm bun. My Golf pardner had a small plate and it was more than enough for him. He said the BBQ sauce was not too sweet and did not over power the meat.