The Smoke Ring BBQ — Restaurant in Ozark

Smoke Ring Barbecue Review: A Masterclass in Flavor, A Lesson in Operational Chaos

Let me start with the good—because wow, the food here is phenomenal. Smoke Ring Barbecue serves hands-down the best brisket I’ve ever tasted. Juicy, smoky, and perfectly tender, it’s the kind of barbecue that makes you close your eyes and savor every bite. If stars were awarded solely for flavor, this place would be a solid five.

But here’s the rub: the operational side of this restaurant feels like a cautionary tale. The owner clearly takes pride in his craft, but his insistence on personally handling every single task—from meal prep to order assembly—creates a glacial pace of service. During my visit, staff stood idle while he single-handedly juggled the chaos, leaving a line of hungry customers visibly frustrated. Even call-in and pre-orders aren’t spared; you’ll still wait endlessly as he methodically works through the backlog alone.

Inventory management is another Achilles’ heel. Running out of pork on Memorial Day—a barbecue holiday!—is borderline unthinkable. Add frequent shortages of sides like baked potatoes, and it feels like the kitchen is perpetually unprepared for demand. Combine this with recurring HVAC, plumbing, or cooling issues (the dining experience often swings between sauna-like and Arctic), and you’ve got a place that feels perpetually on the brink of breakdown.

The potential here is enormous, but the owner’s reluctance to delegate or systematize is holding Smoke Ring back. Hiring an operations manager with restaurant experience could transform this into a well-oiled machine. Until then, prepare for a maddeningly inconsistent experience.

2 stars—because the food is stellar enough to forgive a lot, but not this much. Come for the brisket, brace for the wait, and pray they’ve got AC (and pork) that day.

Update: Another Saturday with no baked potatoes and the same one man...

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this place. Most of the bad reviews were about them not being open or the prices. First off, this ain't a McDonald's. If you want a McRib you can drive a couple miles down the road and wait for them to put it back on the menu. As for them not being open, I believe they close down when they sell all the food. So if there selling out that much, that should say something about it. That being said, we drove by after church and the open sign was lit up. We stopped in and got a pulled pork plate. There was so much meat in the sandwich that we were able to make 2 more sandwiches for later. And there was enough pork n beans my wife & i could split it. So I figured we got at least 2 and 1/2 meals out of it. My wife and I split it for lunch and had 2 sandwiches for later. As for the taste, it was very good. It's definitely worth the price in every aspect. Now, while we were waiting on them to finish the order, the cook gave us some smoked turkey to try. I'm not talking about a little bite either. They were about the size of the palm of my hand. That was FREALING DELICIOUS!!! Definitely getting a plate of that next time I go. We got ours to go but while we were there the couple were very nice and friendly. I can not express enough how much you need to stop and try...

I’ve been here many times before but this time I wanted to share my experience…these are the best ribs I’ve ever had and this is not an exaggeration you can tell there was some patience and love put into the food here…the grill is in the back so the food is not shipped here and cooked it’s ALL FRESH! this is a family owned restaurant they always greet you with a smile the establishment is clean, plenty of room to sit and enjoy your meal.Small parking lot so just be mindful of that still you shouldn’t have a problem parking. I would definitely say get there early because people are there before it opens. Now there is a little bit of a wait because all the meat is hand cut when you order it so just have patience it’s worth it. The bbq chicken is also great and the fried chicken wings(many sauce flavors) are awesome!! I live 5 hours away from the restaurant and it’s near my hometown so anytime I come home I always make it a point to stop by and grab something to eat and yes I grab plenty to take back home with me lol check this place out when you’re in town I promise you won’t...