BBQ Restaurants in Covington

The Yontz Family of Glenn's Bar-B-Que prepares its slow-cooked, hickory-smoked meats without sauce, using time-honored family recipes for superlative grilling. Antique street signs and farming tools rest atop the restaurant's large picture windows as pairs or quads of diners peruse Glenn's equally timeless menu, picking a basket of chicken fingers ($5.65), cheese stix ($6.25), or fried pickles ($5.85) to begin their repast. After flipping fried pickles airily into mouths, diners can lounge in elevated, cloth-backed booths and feast on dinner plates of smoked pork, chicken, or other meatstuffs, paired with sides such as homeade barbecue beans and cole slaw ($4.75/pt, $7.45/qt). A half-pound ($11.75) or full pound ($13.75) of ribs rests its framework upon large plates before feeding meat-loving fingertips and bibs their evening supper.

The mouthwatering menu at Smokey Bones stars a succulent spread of barbecued bliss, including hand-pulled pork that is hickory smoked for 11 hours each night ($10.99/platter) and a slow-smoked beef brisket that marinates for up to an entire day ($11.99/platter). Begin edible explorations with a sauce-proof map and a slice of skillet cornbread spread with honey-pecan butter ($5.99) before climbing a high-piled plate of smokehouse chicken––a fire-grilled, double chicken breast doused in bourbon-barbecue sauce with melted cheddar-jack cheese, peppered bacon slices, and crispy onion straws ($8.99). Like a forgetful butcher, the stacked baked potato uncovers meat in unlikely places, pilling pulled pork or beef brisket atop a loaded baked potato ($7.79), and baby-back ribs are fire-grilled to order and topped with a choice of brown-sugar glaze, original sauce, or Memphis-style dry rub ($17.99/half-rack, $20.98/whole).

After several years in the corporate world, Shane's Rib Shack's founder, Shane Thompson, exchanged his necktie for an apron slathered in barbecue sauce. The decision came after reflecting on his grandfather's advice to follow his heart. Along with this guidance, Dewey "Big Dad" Brown shared his secret barbecue-sauce recipe, which now cloaks beef, chicken, and pork at Shane's Rib Shack restaurants across the country. At each eatery, cooks slowly smoke meats and chop them by hand to craft dishes that have been featured on Better Morning Atlanta. Catering services tote supplies to parties, company picnics, and attempts to prove how flimsy a rival carpenter’s tables are.

In huge, bold red letters, a sign on the street-facing side of Miss Betty’s House of Ribs proclaims “BBQ.” It’s an old-fashioned invitation to sample some of the rib-shack recipes that rightfully hold a beloved position in the pantheon of southern cuisine. Inside, pit-masters slow roast hefty slabs of ribs and slather whole and half chickens in the restaurant’s signature sauce. The grills are kept in a screened-in porch so passersby can smell the flavorful smoke and hear chefs shout when the meat gets too delicious.