Road snack! Pit stop for BBQ right off the highway. Wish I could be more enthused…read more We pulled in around lunch time, there were a couple of people seated. To the left of the door was a window opening to the back with a woman standing there with a baby on her hip, we were looking around to see where to go and she let us know to head to the second window to the back. Upon arriving at the second window, there was a young man standing there. He didn't greet us, didn't smile, just stood there. I indicated it was our first time in and asked a question about the menu, he responded with the answer and then just continued to stand there. I was very uncomfortable so just ordered a sampler with nothing else. For the three options, i chose pulled pork, brisket, and 2 ribs. The food came out right away but no comments or anything. We saw the BBQ sauce area and I took a couple of options in condiment cups with no lids available. grabbed some napkins as we would continue our road trip and eat in the car. I am never a big fan of pulled pork; I have my favorite and compare all to it. This had more flavor than most I have had but it was really dry for being ordered early in the day. The brisket was tender and the fat attached gave flavor. The ribs were fine, also dry. This was a pit stop on our road trip because we love BBQ, this just wasn't for us.

Championship barbecue for sure! Loved it!!!!!!!…read more Off of Ina whether you're heading to St. Louis or you're heading to Florida try it

Great food. Great price…read more Just passing through on a road trip and took a chance. Well worth the few minutes off the interstate. Chicken was cooked perfectly, seasoned just right and perfectly moist. Burger was thick and had a great smoked favor. Would stop here again when we're passing through.

Fresh food with large portions! The ribs were cooked perfectly can get them with bbq sauce on them…read moreor on the side. The chicken was juicy with just the right amount of crisp.

We have been to a lot of BBQ restaurants. This one is very good. Waited in line for 1/2 hour on a…read moreFriday evening memorial weekend. Took about 15 minutes after we ordered. Some tables inside and a big pavilion outside. The menu has a lot of options and they have great specials. I feel the price was good. All of the meats were great! So flavorful and tender. The jalapeño sausage was also very good. The sides were not the plain old salads and I assume made in-house. The potato salad sweet and creamy. The slaw has apple slivers in it to give it a sweet crunch. The beans had a little spice to them. The bread pudding is good with no shortage on sweetness.

Picked up a little carry-out BBQ from Blazing Trails Texas BBQ in West Frankfort. We ordered the…read morePit Master - 1lb ribs, 1lb brisket, 1lb pulled pork, potato salad, BBQ baked beans and buns. We added 1/2lb of burnt ends. It was absolutely delicious. The ribs and brisket were as tender, juicy and tasty as one could possibly hope for. The potato salad and beans made nice contrasting sides. Best of all, we have plenty of leftovers to eat all weekend.

We go here every couple of weeks it seems. Friday all you can eat fish is pretty darn good. If we…read morego on a Saturday I usually get a steak or pulled pork. Steak is usually good. Once in a while it's not cooked as ordered but tolerable. The pulled pork sandwich is very tasty and piled high. They have a small but very adequate salad bar that's fresh and cold. I get takeout once in a while. The brisket is usually very very good. Only once I've been disappointed as it was dry and bland but I drove 30 minutes. I definitely recommend this place. They work hard and the kitchen as you walk in is spotless.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed Smoked to the Bone before. I have two big problems with this…read moreplace - it's only open Fri., Sat., Sun. and there are too many things I like here. I usually settle in with one favorite item at restaurants we frequent. Here it's always a dilemma. Today the special was a ribeye steak with two sides. The steak was massive. It was smoked and had a great flavor. My wife got the fish. It is a Friday AYCE special but is available any day. Sundays they have AYCE fried chicken. You can also order a 4 piece meal for a lesser price and I've never been able to finish that. My "usual" is a 2 meat combo. I usually go for ribs and a sausage, but the pulled pork and brisket are both good. I didn't care for the turkey and have tried bbq chicken. For sides, I like the baked beans and fried potatoes the best. Had a baked potato today and it was cooked through. There is usually a soup special - the ham and beans is my favorite. Note that it is usually packed on Sundays at lunch. It is much better to go Friday or Saturday at lunch. I've never seen a line then, but then you won't be able to get the fried chicken! We eat here about twice a month and I highly recommend it. It's the best bbq in a wide area around here.

My family was in McLeansboro last week for my grandparents memorial. It wasn't the easiest trip but…read moreDeep South added a little extra warmth to our stay. We ordered several sandwiches to pick up for dinner and the restaurant called a few minutes later to let us know they were out of the particular kind of meat we ordered and asked us if there was anything else we would like. When we got there to pick up the order, the lady told us the sandwiches were on the house and refused to take our money. Thank you for your hospitality and generosity Deep South!! The food was delicious!! I highly recommend this restaurant. You will not be disappointed.

1 Star because when we first started coming here--the food and service were EXCELLENT. Anymore when…read morewe come it's a "hit or miss". Tonight we had to wipe our own table because our waitress was distracted and couldn't stay on task. I get that Fish Fry Friday is a busy night, but there was plenty of staff standing around that could have jumped in and helped! Our corn nuggets were raw in the middle, fries were cold and I'm pretty sure I pee hotter than our fish was. It's just sad that there aren't many choices in our area and when there's a good one the food and staff ruin it

Passing through and found this place on Yelp. It was a little hard to find as our maps app said we…read morewere there and we couldn't see it. Then we first smelled and spotted the smoker and figured out how to get around to the entrance. It's in a big warehousey type building and everything looks brand new inside. I had the brisket sandwich. So tender and loaded with meat. The loaded potato salad was really nice. I think it had pulled pork in it, something smokey, but not bacon. My friend had the brisket nachos. She got the half order and barely made a dent in it. Service was very fast and it's right off the interstate.

Cool place but hard to find like others have said. Very clean, colorfully decorated, and very…read morefriendly staff. Host actually came to our table to describe the menu and take our order. Food came out quickly and nicely packaged. Brisket was tasty and stayed together, which was hopeful in the sandwiches. Loaded, baked potato salad was delicious. French fry nachos were new to us and tasty. Patrons are able to get and refill their own drinks. We enjoyed our time and would come again.

Was craving bbq, but it was a Sunday and all of the longstanding bbq places in Marion were closed…read moreand it was a blessing in disguise. This places is the best bbq in town! Never had oxtails before, but so glad we tried them based on other reviews because they are delicious. The sides are generous. The brisket was great and the fried catfish was probably the cleanest tasting I've ever had and spiced to perfection.

Food very good. Slightly higher than some for BBQ, but portions were enough for two buns. I got the…read morepulled pork combo. Husband got brisket over mac he said it was really good. I wanted the jambalaya but wasn't willing to pay $18 for it but after eating there it's probably worth it. Service was super friendly you order at the window. They asked us if we wanted a paper menu so we could sit and decide. I thought that was considerate since I was using a walker and they brought the food out to us even though there's a pick up window. I like the decor so much better than chain restaurants. Place was steady busy. We will return

The BBQ was amazing (we tried baby backs, brisket, burnt ends), prices reasonable, and staff very…read morefriendly and helpful!

We enjoyed the fall off the bone ribs and smoked chicken! We got delivery and had excellent serviceread more

Just your little home in the wall with great service and amazing food. BBQ was fantastic!!!read more

This place was cozy. We chose to sit in the bar area so it was like visiting the local watering…read morehole and I say that with affection. My wife had an Italian beef sandwich and said it was delicious. I had a brisket sandwich and it was excellent. Both dishes came with regular kettle cooked chips. That was fine because I really like those and I had a lot of french fries on this trip. Definitely worth stopping in because the price is a reasonable and the food is good and the service was quick.

Popped in for Thurs lunch favoring Pat's with fewer but better ratings and less expensive option in…read moreMurphysboro. First time...so went withh the sampler at $18 and most of their meats are included except the pork steak (makes sense to me since that's usually a separate feature in these parts along with Kentucky). It was three of us and we were given the heads up that the sampler can feed two. Figured we could start with that and order more. The order was a very generous helping of two large rib tips, two pork rib bones, two wing pieces, and pulled chicken, pork, and chopped brisket. Our choice of two sides were slaw and mac & cheese. Three buns were thrown in given the three of us in the party (thanks for the flex). Local bottled Big Muddy root beer is the same $1.50 as the can sodas in the case and it is made with honey and cane sugar. Of the things I tried, I thought the rib tips were excellent - smoked pink and moist - got a meaty piece with only a small piece of cartilage. The chopped brisket isn't my thing - I prefer sliced. My daughter said the ribs were great (figured would be as good as the tips). The wings I believe were smoked too rather than grilled and the taste from the rub/marinade wasn't something I was familiar with. Tender and not dry. Pulled pork and chicken were solid. We still had leftovers - so I'll get my chance to try the ribs and focus on the flavor of the wing. Will have to get the pork steak next time and order plates next time focusing on our faves. Roomy dining area with some tables near the windows. It was getting warm out there so having plenty of indoor seating on a quieter Thursday lunch was welcome over overflow seating outside at the covered picnic tables.

I live in the Midwest, in a small city. Our BBQ places are easy to find: look for a big, shouty…read moresign; the owner's $120,000 extended F250 taking up a space right in front of the door; and an ambiance that includes corrugated steel walls, self-consciously Texas-y lamps over closely huddled booths, and servers all wearing the same hat and shirt. Oh - and the food is usually fine, except no fried okra. Pat's is not in a city. It's outside a small southern Illinois town. Pretty far outside, in fact, which is where true BBQ is supposed to be located. The parking lot is gravel. The only pickups there belong to customers, and their worth is more in the range of $12,000, except to their owners, who use them as trucks. And the sign is a sign. It tells you where you are. Oh, wait - there are BBQ competition trophies in the entryway. Stand and marvel. There are more inside. Marvel more. Because other than these and some pics of family and locals and celebrities I didn't recognize on the walls, that's about it for decoration. Stare at the menu, menu board and signs. Pay attention to the happy person behind the counter when she tells you what they're out of, because the best BBQ places are out of something you want. Note the teasing banter between local customers and the kitchen staff, because everyone knows someone back there. And order. We got the pulled pork plate. My sister got potato salad and green beans. I got the fries. I got the local(?) root beer. They don't do fried okra, but this IS the Midwest. It all came to our table in a reasonable amount of time. The BBQ sauce came in a cup on the side. Ketchup was brought to us. So why only four stars? Everything was perfect, right? And prizewinning? Yeah, but BBQ is personal. Everyone has an opinion. I lived in northern Alabama, which styles itself as BBQ Country. As does Texas and Kansas City and Memphis and everywhere. Pat's, much beloved by regulars for its mild smokiness, juicy juicy soft texture and other features, seemed a bit too mild and even soggy to me. I know - I have no taste. And it was good. Just not five stars great. And not enough sauce in the container, though I could have gotten up to ask for more. And the potato salad was fine and the fries a little too starchy, but only a little. That said, the beans were the wonderful dark green juicy soft salty ones that are too ... wonderful. Get those. The root beer, brewed with honey, y'all, was the best ever. Get that, too. The dessert was what they were out of, dang it! Overall the experience was just great. Someplace to go back to. And you should go there.