Ridgewood Brothers BBQ — Restaurant in Russellville

Robert Earl Keen's fine ballad "Barbeque" should be required listening as you arrive at Ridgewood Brothers.

"Barbeque sliced beef and bread Ribs and sausage and a cold Big Red Barbeque makes old ones feel young Barbeque makes everybody someone If you're feelin' puny and you don't know what to do Treat yourself to some meat eat some barbeque"

At my recent visit, I arrived to find a completely full parking lot (a very good sign) and the fantastic scent of post oak smoke (a truly excellent sign). There was a line curving around the inside of the place. I hit the lot at noon on a Friday so such things are to be expected. While we waited, one of the owners emerged with samples of turkey for those of us in line. Pro tip-- do not sleep on the turkey. This needs to be a must when you order. Juicy, tender, incredible flavor, spot-on seasoning. As I arrived at the counter to order, I was first impressed by the friendliness and sincere dedication of the employee taking orders. Front-of-house in food service is not for the meek. The young woman who served me was a wonderful representative. Seeing the menu as a challenge, I went all in, putting together a self-made sampler. My provisions included several slices of well-marbled brisket, a jalapeño cheddar sausage link, a pork spare rib, bacon burnt ends, cream corn, and an ice cold Lone Star longneck. I grabbed a seat, looking at the folks who had gathered in the dining area. At one table, a pair of businessmen talked shop. At another, a group of linemen from a utility company forked food in with the hunger borne of hard physical labor. At another table sat the president of Arkansas Tech University along with one of the Deans. Young, old, white collar, blue collar. The food was fantastic. I'm a back yard barbeque hack. I own four smokers (no pellet smokers- mine are all "stick burners") so I'd like to think I have a decent sense of good versus poor in the world of smoked meats. The brisket was the best I've had since moving up from Texas in the mid-1990's. The house-made smoked sausage was killer. Getting the grind, the meat/fat ratio, and seasoning right is tricky. These guys have it down. The pork rib was darned good. The pork belly burnt ends were delightful, made doubly so by the special sauce (optional but you need to say yes). And the cream corn far exceeded my expectations. Richness from some heavy cream and spicy from a great mix of seasoning, it was great. Following my meal, I asked one of the owners if I could look around at their operation. He was more than happy to guide me through the heart of the cooking area. Mind you I was hitting them at peak time on a busy weekday but you would have thought he had nothing else to do but show me the custom smokers, the various cuts of meat slow cooking over post oak coals, and generally talking through their process. He even led me back into the kitchen space and the walk-in. Having worked in restaurant kitchens, I was extremely impressed by the cleanliness and organization. Truly A+ from a sanitary/cleanliness point of view.

Cooking is a passion. It has to be, otherwise you have no business owning and operating a restaurant. It is very clear that the owners at Ridgewood Brothers are dedicated and passionate about their craft. No corners are cut. Meat is expensive. Labor is pricey. Utilities and custom-welded smokers are costly. But these guys care. They want to do it right. They take pride in doing it right and it shows in the product on your plate. Ridgewood Brothers is a gem. Follow the sage advice of REK-- "Treat yourself to some meat, eat...

We heard about this place. All good so we thought we would try it out. We live 4hr away but distance has never been an issue for us. We love a good road trip. That being said, our experience was not what we expected. The place was busy, which we expected. The atmosphere was great and everything looked clean. The bathrooms weren't much the be desired but...The menu looked good so we had high hopes. I ordered the duck and my husband and my son both had stakes. A T-bone and a prime rib ( no price shown. Says market value) The duck tasted amazing but DO NOT ORDER IT AS A MAIN. They offer it as an appetizer and a main. The amout of duck you get as a main will fit in the middle of your palm and the price is not worth it ( 35.00). I even thought there was a mix up. So I asked when my plate was placed. You would have thought I insulted our server by the look I received and her reply. I had the rice pilaf with that seeing as I cant eat certain meats. It came with sausage in it. No where on the menu did it say it had any kind of meat in it. So, I apologized and ask for the fries. They didn't reach the table till everyone was almost done eating. My time was mostly spent watching my family eat. The stakes were THICK and the cook temp was perfect. Unfortunately, both my husband and my son said the samething. There wasn't much seasoning on the meat and the juices, "rue" was salty but they ate almost all of them anyway. When our server came by and asked if we needed boxes, She asked how it was. They had mentioned the saltiness. Again with the insulted look then proceeds to tell us that she has worked there 11yr and never once has she heard anyone with that complaint (along with the attitudish tone in her voice) We all just looked at her, then she proceeds with "I'll say something". Us knowing that wasn't going to happen.

We have been looking for a good stake place and well, this wasnt it for us. Unfortunately, we had a very disappointing 4hr drive home. You would have thought, for the prices, the food would have been on point and the service would have been better. The guys had sweet tea and I had 2 glasses of wine. Between the 3 of us, the bill...

I've had authentic Memphis BBQ from The Rendezvous, I've eaten ribs in Kansas City at all the little BBQ hot spots there, and nothing compares to the quality of Ridgewood Brothers! The owner is super nice and is always working hard and helping his employees serve up the best possible experiences to those who choose to eat here. Honestly, the place seems too good for little ol' Russvegas. All of the employees are happy and seem to really enjoy working there, which is a huge green flag in any place of business! The decor could use a little bit of growth, (it'd be really cool to have some kind of entertainment while waiting in long lines on busier nights. Maybe another TV showing some pop-culture trivia questions?) But as someone who's been dining here since the place first opened, the decor is slowly and nicely coming together. The music they play on the speakers will have you quietly jamming out and humming those classic melodies while you wait to get your tray. As far as the food here goes, you'll want to try EVERYTHING! They put so much care and hard work into their recipes that something you may not usually like, (for me, it was grits) could easily become the staple of your entire meal whenever you visit! Ridgewood Brothers BBQ is a 11/10 establishment that I couldn't recommend enough! Sure to become a cornerstone of the future of...