Restaurant review-JB's Smoke Shack

Just back from a trip to the Lowcountry. This trip was dedicated to sampling Lowcountry foods.

First stop-JB’s Smoke Shack, 3406 Maybank Hwy, John’s Island.

I confess. We’ve driven by this place for years without so much as blinking. The non-descript building does not draw much attention. Once inside the restaurant, I thought I’d made a huge mistake (it was my idea to stop, not my husband’s). Mismatched chairs, vinyl gingham –clothed tables, paper plates and napkins, and plastic utensils were all I saw. No grandmother’s china or silver here.

I knew folks had been visiting JB’s Smoke Shack for years just for the $7.98 buffet! After surveying the buffet which had smoked bbq, chicken, and all the southern sides and desserts, we opted to order from the menu. My hubby decided on the combo plate choosing ribs, brisket, and bbq pork with a side of green beans and a side of collard greens. Knowing I had a week of “diet reprieve”, I settled on a small pork bbq sandwich topped with slaw and a side of collard greens.

While we waited for our food, I had a chance to check out the customers. What an eclectic group of diners! There were construction workers, a young couple and a single ‘business suit” type gentleman. Once our food arrived, I understood why these other folks were here—the portions were huge and the price was right.

All the meats come “dry”, unlike some restaurants where you get a lot of sauce with your meat. JB’s Smoke Shack believes in the flavor being in the meat and the sauce on the side. If you want sauce, there are at least four different kinds to choose. I picked a spicy tomato based sauce for my pork sandwich. Next time I’ll probably skip the slaw as it was a little dry for my taste. I like my bbq sandwiches dripping in sauce and slaw.

The collard greens were cooked to perfection. I was convinced I was officially out of diet mode until later in the day I found out, JB’s does not cook their vegetables in bacon grease or fatback. I’m still trying to figure out how they got those collard greens so tender.

My hubby tried to wolf down all his ribs, pork and brisket. The two plates of food were too much for him. He barely had room to sample his veggies.

After we pushed ourselves from the table and slowly walked back to the car, we added JB’s Smoke Shack to our restaurant repertoire. We’ll be back.