The name is a little misleading because the Tasty Rib Shack isn’t a shack at all but is actually a trailer that’s set up like a food truck. The owner sets up in a vacant gravel parking lot on Highway 29 just north of Madras, Georgia, opens around lunchtime and stays open until he sells out or business slacks off enough that he decides that it’s time to close for the day. We see him there every Saturday and I believe we’ve seen him there some Sundays.
We’ve intended to stop by the Tasty Rib Shack and give it a try since we first noticed it in the parking lot of a former local fruit and vegetable stand a few months back. As I was leaving the house yesterday morning to go run a few errands I told ConnieLou to think about what she wanted for lunch and I’d stop and pick something up on my way home. As I was waiting for my mechanic to finish up the oil change and turn signal bulb replacement on my truck I remembered that it was Saturday and the Tasty Rib Shack should be in its usual spot and open so I sent ConnieLou a text and suggested that we give it a try.
I found a copy of the menu that someone had posted to our subdivision’s Facebook page and forwarded it to ConnieLou. The Tasty Rib Shack has a surprisingly good selection for a food truck/trailer. There’s ribs, chopped pork, chicken, burgers, dogs, wings and Brunswick stew among a few other items.
Since the turn signal replacement was taking a while to complete and ConnieLou had some errands to run herself she suggested that she run on down and pick up some barbeque sandwiches and some Brunswick stew and if she had to leave before I got home she’d put mine in the microwave to keep warm until I got back. As it turned out I got home a few minutes before she did so we were able to sit down and have lunch together.
I tried the stew first. As I opened the container I could see that the consistency was just the way I like my stew, thick and not soupy and everything was cooked down fine with no large chunks of anything, especially tomatoes. I was happy to discover that it tasted as good as it looked and I didn’t feel the need to add a splash of barbeque sauce or hot sauce to it as I often do. ConnieLou said it was a little on the spicy side for her but I noticed that it disappeared anyway. Next the barbeque sandwiches. Each sandwich came with a generous portion of meat on a bun. The meat was moist and nicely smoky. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the type of wood or charcoal that they might have used but it was quite tasty just the same. Now for their barbeque sauce. The sauce was a little different and almost looked more like a rib glaze than typical barbeque sauce. It was a little sweet, a little tangy and had just a little bit of a kick to it. I normally don’t care for sweet sauces but this one worked well for me.
So how did the Tasty Rib Shack fare on the Thumbs Scale. Definitely 4 out of a possible four…and for only $15 for three chopped pork sandwiches and three sides of stew, it’s a pretty good value too. I hope he stays set up on that little patch of gravel, we might just become regulars.