The Shack, Colonial Heights, TN

After a long drive through Virginia today, Patrick and I checked into a motel and went in search of dinner. We were almost ready to settle for Perkins or Arby's when we spotted The Shack BBQ & Grill tucked in the back of a shopping center.

How could we miss it with a sign like this?

We decided to give it a shot. Somewhere between seeing the "Biker Night, Every Thursday" sign in the window and smelling the intoxicating aroma when we walked into the door, we knew we had made the right choice. After all, we should take a refresher course in American BBQ before our master class in asado.

We grabbed a couple seats at the bar and ordered two drafts while we looked at the menu. Everything sounded good, but we ended up agreeing to split a rack of ribs.

The service was friendly, and the room was fairly small but had plenty of character. You could imagine many a wild night being had here. Too bad it was a Tuesday.

The barbeque feast for two arrived: the ribs came with fries, coleslaw, baked beans and garlic toast. As you can see from the photo, the ribs had less barbeque sauce than I am used to. It didn't take me long to realize why. These ribs were the real deal. They didn't need the sauce. They had been cooked low and slow, exactly how they should be, the meat literally falling of the bone and absolutely delicious. Pat proclaimed them the best ribs he's had in a very long time.

This was more than either of us were planning on eating, but we couldn't resist. The fries were crisp, the coleslaw was creamy and the beans were deliciously rich and molasses-y. A beer was just the thing to wash it down. Another great find!