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The Rib Ranch has a drive-through, but I headed inside. The
paneled walls are covered with pig art, both professional and homemade. Each
table has some Trivial Pursuit cards and over by the register sit shelves of
used books. Buy one and the cash goes to the local SPCA.
I could hear the sound of chopping from the kitchen, a good
sign that the barbecue is going to be fresh from the smoker. You can even
request that your sandwich be chopped from an outside or inside cut, meaning
you’ll get more or less of those wonderful, chewy browned bits.
Dish: If you’ve never had Brunswick stew ($4.99), it’s a sweet, tomato-based vegetable soup,
cooked until thick and brown. Even the diced potatoes and corn kernels turn
dark. Traditional versions use rabbit or squirrel meat, though chicken, beef
and pork are common too. BBQ Rib Ranch’s twist is to lay smoked, chopped pork
over the top. Adding the meat at the last minute adds texture and complexity
that Brunswick stew usually lacks. White cornbread comes on the side.
Full dinners with corn bread and two side orders run between
nine and eleven dollars, but I’m still sworn to find food for fewer than five
bucks, so we’re sticking to soup and sandwiches.
The sauces themselves are not smoky because all of that
comes from the meat, rough-chopped to create a mix of flavors. Some bits are
tender and some are crunchy. Some sharp and chewy, some fatty and rich. The
beef is a little drier than the pork, but it's also leaner.
The bone-in rib sandwich ($5.25) is a good choice for
folks like me who like pork ribs, but don't always have the cash for a full
slab. Be warned: this isn't a McRib, a boneless pressed slab of processed pork.
About a rib-and-a-half is chopped into large chunks and served in a white bun.
Yes, you have to gnaw on and around the bone, but rib lovers are used to
that. Again, you get that mix of flavors
and textures. Some bites are almost bacony.
The side of mac and cheese ($1.99) was the only real
disappointment. It was just like mom used to make – which she did by opening a
box of Kraft.
Damage: Though you might want to break the $5 budget and get
a full-on dinner, you can chase off the hunger pangs with a pork
sandwich and still have enough cash left over for a musty romance novel.
