Arkansas Barbecue Trail

06/20/2024

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Spicy, sweet and savor all together - that's the Hawaiian at Stumpy's BackYard BBQ in Marion. This big pork sandwich with slaw and sweet heat sauce is served with a pile of pickled jalapenos for the extra bite you crave.

06/20/2024

06/19/2024

Sliced beef, chopped into squares, tossed in a hot and spicy barbecue sauce with rich tones, topped with a smattering of coleslaw and served on a bun - this is the masterpiece you'll find from Dee's BBQ at Southland Convenience Deli and Diner in Lexa. This spot, off the beaten path, is housed in an old building preserved through time with just a handful of quick-take items. The sandwich takes a few minutes to procure, but it's absolutely worth it. You'll want to take the proffered fork - the sheer amount of meat and sauce quickly obliterates the bottom bun. Messy and delightful.

06/18/2024

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Mick's BBQ along MacArthur Drive in North Little Rock tends to get overlooked by non-locals. It's a walk-up window with a drive thru offering pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, catfish and even fried pies for its constituents. Its black pepper seasoned brisket is an unheralded jewel that doesn't really need that thicker sauce (but it makes a prettier picture) to really satisfy.

06/18/2024

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Hello, we are McClard's Bar-B-Q here in
beautiful Hot Springs, AR.
Established in 1928.
Come visit us.
McClard's...Where you don't just see history...YOU CAN TASTE IT!

06/18/2024

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06/18/2024

I had the privilege Friday morning of sitting in with James Harold Jones, the 80 year old proprietor of Jones Barbecue Diner, chatting and watching him make sandwich after sandwich for folks coming in to visit the James Beard America's Classic winner. Mr. Jones has been part of the running of the establishment since 1964, a restaurant that dates back to 1910 and which serves just one item - smoked pork barbecue - on white bread with or without slaw or by the pound, with a method and sauce recipe that date back to at least right after the Civil War. Folks have come from as far as Japan, Brazil, and Yemen to this modest diner in Marianna.

06/16/2024

Smokin' Rick's is a little weird first time you go - you need to park in the back unless you're getting pick-up, because that's where the massive dining room is. By time I got from Little Rock to Nashville, I was hankering for hearty eats and I got them in the form of this oversized pulled chicken sandwich. The regular sauce is thin and savory, and the hot sauce has some excellent black pepper notes, both of which goes well with this meat. Get you a banana puddin' for dessert.

06/14/2024

My partner Grav says the pulled pork - the barbecue on the menu at Ironhorse BBQ and Steak House in Paragould - is the way to go there. I remember back when Couch's first expanded its barbecue operation northward from Jonesboro, and have fond memories of breakfast there. Ironhorse is the next iteration, and while it retains the barbecue and the breakfasts, it also has become a full-blown steakhouse. That means in addition to beans, potato salad, and coleslaw, you have a host of other side options, including sauteed peppers and onions and baked potatoes - which is now the combo Grav plans to get from here on out. You'll find it on US Highway 49 on the Jonesboro side of town.

06/11/2024

Shout out to Rex Nelson - for one of his favorite barbecue places in the Arkansas Delta (and maybe the world). Here's the regular sized pork barbecue sandwich at Cypress Corner Bar-B-Q, a spot in the road between Marianna and Lexa on Arkansas Highway 1, part of Crowley's Ridge Parkway. Cypress Corner's menu is small - and it starts with pork barbecue jumbo or small, then sliced barbecue, jumbo or small - all pork. You can also get a pork plate or a burger (good burgers!) but if you don't put it in your GPS you might fly by because the famed pig sign out front is nowhere to be seen. Set yourself down inside this old general store under a wood-clad ceiling and walls and sit a spell.

06/09/2024

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I was delightfully surprised to dive into this chopped beef sandwich from Boss Hog's BBQ, an old food trailer that was, at the time, in the parking lot of the Family Dollar Tree at Redmond Road and the old Jacksonville highway. Handed a slice of beef just before the rest was chopped, I admired its beautiful color and tremendous flavor. Sadly, though I was able to enjoy a few bites, as soon as I got home and let my kid have a try, the entirety of this sandwich disappeared with no trace. A return visit is required. Can you imagine, a barbecue so tasty that a teenager subjected to sandwiches of varying quality over the course of months found it immediately in need of consumption? So good.

06/08/2024

The original B&B BBQ opened just downhill from the Fayetteville Square in 1960. Years later, Penguin Ed's would move in with its signature tangy sauce and smoked meats. You can't order with the red phone any more, but you can enjoy the hot and mild (I prefer the hot) sauce on pulled pork or chicken, brisket or ribs. The potato salad is fine-cut and silky, the batter-dipped crinkle cut fries are meant to be dragged through sauce, and the Texas toast comes buttered and griddled for your sandwiches.

06/03/2024

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Reginald Cunningham's side hustle is one of the best barbecue joints in the River Valley. He gets up way early to tend the smoker on Saturdays so there's plenty of pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, and such ready to go for the one day of the week this Atkins sweet spot is open. His whole family's there, making the sides and desserts. The sandwiches are great. the Mess looks crazy good with all its meat and beans and slaw, and the potato salad is marvelously... marvelous. Singular. So good.

06/01/2024

Delta Q changed its business model during the pandemic, and is currently just a deli open for lunch. But bits of its original barbecue menu remain, such as the pulled pork sandwich and these barbecue eggrolls, packed with pulled pork and slaw and served with a bright and tangy barbecue sauce.

05/31/2024

05/30/2024

The thick-cut brisket at Sheridan's Blue Pig Kraft Barbecue is succulent and really good, especially with the shop's sweet sauce. I prefer using the hot version of the sauce for the chips that come with it. One way or another, the unique vinegary slaw makes this substantial sandwich stand out. Oh, you're going to need a fork for this.

05/30/2024

Barbecue isn't just pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket. In West Memphis, most barbecue joints have some version of this sandwich, a smoked bologna sandwich. Sauce and slaw are the usual dressing for these sandwiches, and at William's Bar-B-Q, the hot sauce is a splendid choice. Try the smoked beef sausage, too.

05/29/2024

05/28/2024

I want you to look at these onion rings. JUST LOOK AT THEM. They're the part of this incredible meal that folks don't talk about, but should, because lunch at Three Sams BBQ in Mabelvale is full of epic decisions like this scene, a fantastic brisket barbecue sandwich, those onion rings, and that peanut butter pie. A home run with all the bases loaded.

05/27/2024

Remember what we’re celebrating on Memorial Day.
Over the years, I think many people just think it’s another day off from work. Really think if you would face the fear and knowing you’re sacrificing your life to defend our freedoms.

05/27/2024

Hometown Grill in West Memphis has been open just three years, but it's settled in to offering a great number of dishes, including pulled pork dinner and sandwiches like this one. Plus, there are always great desserts like cakes and banana pudding.

05/25/2024

Robertson's Smokehouse is a relatively new and much welcomed addition to Warren's small restaurant scene. It offers brisket, smoked chicken legs, pulled pork, ribs, and sausage - the last of which Grav found expertly smoked and seasoned for an ample and delectable sandwich.

05/25/2024

Getting your beef from the source is laudable. Being the source for your beef is incredible. C&C Packing Company uses its own farm-raised cows to create the excellent, full-flavor brisket it serves by the plate, by the pound, or on a sandwich. The accompanying sauce has heavy tomato notes. Pick up your ground beef, lunchmeat, bacon, or even smoked cheese when you drop in.

05/25/2024

So, I could have missed out on Prime Country Meat Market, had I chosen another route to Foreman the day I was down in that neck of woods researching barbecue. But the scent of this place from passing by brought me back, and I even went back the next day, just to try smoked brisket and this - smoked prime rib. Walt and his family process their own meat. Two years ago they opened the meat market, and last year they started serving barbecue on the weekend. Boy, this is good - expertly smoked prime rib, quite a feat to keep it both juicy and tender while applying the necessary smoke! Walt makes his own sauces too, not only a couple of barbecue sauces but an excellent, sharp yet comforting horseradish sauce that will have you licking the container. Weekends only for now - find them in the town of Horatio, and also on Facebook.

05/24/2024

Betty B's Smokehouse BBQ is housed in a tiny house structure along Forrest City's section of US Highway 70. For such a tiny spot without a single table inside, it offers marvelous sandwiches and dinners, including this smoked chicken sandwich with beautifully roasted chicken and a clingy sauce. Don't skip the cake.

05/24/2024

Outlaw BBQ is a big barbecue powerhouse in a tiny white food trailer in De Queen, serving up pork, chicken and beef dinners and sandwiches. Grav was splendidly satiated with the pulled pork here, with its great flavor and bark bits throughout, not really needing any sauce at all. I dug the brisket, which similarly maintains a great flavor throughout. Catch the eatery's page for daily specials and locations.

05/24/2024

When it comes to barbecue, Wright's Ranch House in Sheridan may be overlooked. With two other great barbecue joints in town, folks coming through might miss out on stopping in for sopping moist, flavorful, well-constructed, hickory smoked barbecue beef sandwiches with coleslaw at this two story, wood-clad family restaurant. The cornbread salad is a different, locally popular side to try.

11/21/2020

Celebrity chef and grillmaster Moe Cason brings the Taste of the Outdoors right to you. Join Moe for the first episode in our series for a hunting and grilli...

11/17/2020

If you’re ever in Rison try Big Red’s Food Trough.