Triple Crown BBQ — Restaurant in Luray

Let me tell you about this barbeque really quickly... Firstly; you should eat here. This is not ambiguous, contraversial, or debateable advicd. Eat food here. It will improve the quality of your life. I came here after our morning at Luray Caverns where we worked up a powerful hunger. I searched for food in the area and found Triple Crown BBQ with 4.9 stars. When we got there my surprise was that a 4.9 star location was a food truck. When we left my surprise was that this food truck is not rated 5 stars. I can only assume someone was writing a review while slipping into a meat-induced food coma and their thumbs slipped, causing them to rate it only 4 stars. They should be flayed in public. The food here was phenomenal. I don't use the word phenomenal here as a synonym for good, as is often the case. I use phenomenal in its actual context; the food here is a phenomenon.... It cannot be explained. There is no rational explanation for how good the food is. I ordered the sampler, which essentially amounted to a container full of various types of meat. The beef brisket was served cold and was delicious, the chicken was crisp and tender and mouth watering, the pork was brutally delicious and I would have given the place a five star rating based solely on these meats and the fantastic homemade BBQ sauces they provided (the sweet heart was a narrow favorite)... But then I had the ribs. Let me tell you about the ribs.... The meat didn't 'fall off the bone'... The meat was as tender as melted butter. It was like they had carved the meat off the ribd, tenderised it with a baseball bat for nine innings, and then reattached it with pork fat for glue. They were impossibly delicious. They made me find my faith again. They rekindled my belief in the inherent goodness of mankind. I saw angels. These ribs were made from unicorn.. My girlfriend loved them. My girlfriend is a vegetarian. I cannot reccomend this joint highly enough. I almost shouldn't have to. Recommending this place is akin to recommending that someone breath oxygen; obvious to the point of futility. Eating here is a bucket list item. Eating here will bring us all closer to world peace. Eat here for your own good.

Also the corn muffins...

A Mixed Bag with a lot of Sauce and Seasonings.

I tried the pulled pork, BBQ chicken, and sausage. All were decent if you just wanted some BBQ flavor but nothing that had the mastery of incredible BBQ.

The pulled pork had a strong vinegar undertone (a bit too strong for my liking). The BBQ sauce was good, so they definitely helped balance it out.

The chicken was certainly brined for a long time and was fall-off-the-bone tender with a healthy dose of pepper but somehow was missing a more complex flavor that you can achieve with a slow smoke and the right process. There was also a slightly odd texture with the chicken I'm not sure if it was over-brined but there was an tenderness with an almost dryness. The balance of texture and flavor was not perfectly synced up.

The sausage was fine but nothing that that would be memorable.

I can't quite pinpoint it but overall there is a depth and complexity in the way a rub and a long smoke time with the right manipulation elevates a meat to a memorable BBQ experience that was missing in the pulled pork and chicken.

On a final note, there was a lower quality taste of the overall ingredients I.E. CAFO meat that seemed to bring down the flavor and quality of the food.

So in summary, this seems like a popular place to get decent BBQ but may not be what you're looking for if you want some really top tier quality stuff.

The 4% credit card charge is hard to swallow (no pun intended) so do bring cash if you can't...

Traveled to the area about 2 weeks from PA for a short vacation to the Luray area. In a moment of intense hunger we googled places to eat in the area and found this spot. I said let's grab some BBQ "it's gotta be halfway decent since there is a line". What we ended up finding was the absolute most delicious pulled pork I have had in memory.

The pork was perfectly smoked and tender. Their base is what I would consider a north Carolina style (light vinegar flavor) and the BBQ based sauces you can add on how you like. Their classic was a sweeter sauce that wasn't too sweet and their spicey sauce had a cinnamon element with a perfect cayenne hit. We ended up mixing them 50/50 and it was amazing. We got the Cole slaw amd the baked beans with it and both were equally perfect for the meal.

What made it even more special was how incredibly friendly the staff was. We ended up having a short conversation with the owners (came up to us and asked how we enjoyed our food) who actually seemed touched at how much we enjoyed it all. I mean genuinely happy that they were doing what they loved for people who enjoyed what they created.

My fiance and I have been home for almost 2 weeks now and we have said at least 3 times that we were gonna get in the car and drive back just for the BBQ. Like seriously, you folks gotta try this.

I smoke in my back yard a bit during the summer but this is another level...