J's BBQ — Restaurant in Ripon

J's BBQ has a pretty good brisket. I ordered the 1/4# brisket, chopped, on a brioche bun. It seems everything costs extra.I also ordered a double side of mac-n-cheese and a side of corn bread. My bride ordered a 1/4# pork with a double order fried okra and corn bread. If you have not been here before, you must get in line to order from someone behind a plexiglass shield due to Covid. Walk in and sit at a table and you will sit forever wondering if someone will wait on you. I was only aware of what to do by someone who was familiar with the set up. The menu is on the wall and online. Perhaps there was a QR Code at the table. Approach the person behind the protective shield, order what you want, try to listen to what the order taker says, pay your bill (tipping is suggested at this time - well before you even know if the service was acceptable), and then go sit down and when your order is ready, someone will walk around with your food yelling out the name you provided. They were actually pretty quick.

My party of 7 did not have to wait very long despite how busy J's appeared to be.. My bride and I received our food as did another couple that was with us. I noticed I was missing my cornbread. When a server delivered the other couple's order, I let them know about my missing cornbread and waved my receipt. Upon his return to deliver member of my party's meal,, he delivered my cornbread on the top of the lid of what appeared to be the same type clear lid of a round take out container.

Looking forward to trying the cornbread, I picked it up and ..... wait, why is it so cold??? It was taken straight from the refrigerator and delivered to me. My bride received a nice warm piece from her order. I took a bite anyway and it tasted bland, likely from being so cold. I am sure it would have tasted better if it was warm and had a tab of butter on it but I was not afforded the opportunity...for which I paid for. I was very disappointed and I am not easily disappointed.

Moving on, the chopped brisket would have been a lot better without paying for the bread to make it a sandwich. Do not waste your time or money. Get it plain. The generous 1/4# of meat does not stay in the sandwiched bread and you will end up using a fork anyway.

The fried okra was pretty good and I had no complaints. The "world famous" mac-n-cheese was far from worthy to be called world famous. It is definitely better than the boxed kind but similar to that served in most BBQ restaurants.

Overall, the staff was friendly and did their best to take care of the mad rush of people that had descended on this small town for the Christmas "pre-Thanksgiving" season of shopping.

Unfortunately, at least one staff member thought corn bread should be served ice cold and thought the clear plastic top of a take out container is adequate as a serving plate.

I generally do not give less than 4 stars when I have enjoyed most of my meal and service. However, J's BBQ left me feeling disappointed. I am originally from Georgia and corn bread is an important part of a BBQ plate and it is NEVER served ice box cold! I should never have tipped 20% before receiving my order. My rating should probably be a 3.5 or 4 but I was really looking forward to something special.

My advice....do not tip when you order. Wait until you have properly been served and then reward the staff using the tip jar at the order station.

Will I return? This was my first time stopping in Ripon and was a seasonal visit. Should I find myself back again, I am willing to give J’s another try. I have no pictures to share this time and for that I apologize. I hope you have a better experience than I had, just skip the cold cornbread and everything...

The B B Q tasted like it had been baked or boiled.No Flavor unless you dip it in BBQ sauce.BBQ is supposed to have a nice smoked flavor.The meat should taste so good you should not have to have sauce to give it flavor. I can bake a brisket and chicken and it will taste better than what I paid 24.00 for.I am from the south.if you want good BBQ you should take some notes from Marlowes in Memphis, Bob Sykes in Bessemer, AL. or even Dreamland In B'ham , Al. The brisket should have had a 1/4 inch smoke ring .I looked at it as he was cutting it, It was the greasiest and messiest meat I have seen. No smoke ring what so ever. The chicken was very plain no flavor. It tasted like it had been soaked in water. The pork shoulder was greasy and had a lot of water in it. I know BBQ, you do not use water in the meat. You smoke a brisket for a long time according to how many pounds you are cooking. Chicken is best smoked for about a good 2 to 3 hours. It was sad , every since I moved to Wisconsin I have been looking for a great BBQ restaurant to eat at. After going there tonight. I am totally dissappointed. Great atmosphere courteous service other than standing in line for over thirty minutes to place my order. I believe if the meat had been truly BBQ'd thus the name I would have been astounded. But dissappointment only. I'm not sure how Texas does it ,but I can guarantee it's not that way. I can bring my Weber grill and put him out of business, so I guess I will keep looking for a true southern style BBQ .maybe I will just have to go back down south to find it. Or Cook it on my own grill. I guess that is why I have seen so Many BBQ joints go out of business up north. People need to learn how to cook it. People do not let your friends...

I love a good BBQ joint and J's set up is what I look for. They have specials and these massive Meat and side combo dishes that remind of those famous bowls at KFC, but far larger. They sell their meat by the pound, and I say family style is the way to go.

Oddly, my favorite thing, might of been the Haddock. Friend perfect, served hot. Very tasty. Loved the wings, I believe they are smoked, then fried up. Really good.

I like their brisket. Should of gotten point cut, or wet. Some pieces of the flat were a bit dry, which tends to happen. It's not in the league of some the famous Texas places I've been to, but it's good. They have a spice blend that makes a nice bark that is a bit sweet. It's a nice unique feature.

I got a slab of baby backs that were on special. They were a bit dried out, and I didn't get a lot of wood seasoning. I know baby-backs are more popular, but a St. Louis Spare in my opinion is much better smoked as opposed to baby-backs. Spares are much more forgiving and take more smoke without drying out.

Had a bunch of sides... all fantastic. All had a lot of elements, nothing phoned in. They aren't just selling you baked beans from a can and restaurant distributor Coleslaw. The cornbread is amazing! highly recommended.

Overall the BBQ is a solid B. The Value is a A+, You could feed a family of 4 a nice slow smoked BBQ Dinner for $40-$60. Overall I really like J's and I highly recommend it. And think about it for your Fish Fry Fridays! the...