Boss Hogg’s BBQ Shack: An Honest Review

Going whole hog in a locally historic culinary location

Barbecue in the Smokies has become something of a cottage industry. BBQ joints – or joints that also sell BBQ – are everywhere. I haven’t done a full survey, but I think BBQ is now more omnipresent in the mountains than even the fabled pancake, upon which the region’s culinary traditions are built.

The problem? To be honest, there isn’t any real problem. A lot of the mountain BBQ places are good; many are very good. If you’re a visitor to the mountains and want a good barbecue meal, chances are you’re going to find one. But, if your job is to rank or to compare? Should it be recommended? Then sorting out the many BBQ places of the Smoky Mountains is a Herculean task.

Somewhere among the best BBQ joints in the Smokies – No. 1, No. 5, or No. 10? – is Boss Hogg’s BBQ Shack. It’s located in a historic culinary location and offers smoked pork, ribs, brisket, and sausage. The question of where it ranks in the area’s BBQ hierarchy is for another day. Today, we just want to know if it is worth it.

A historic culinary location

First of all, I root for Boss Hogg’s. Why? A long time ago – in an era they called the 90s – the spot was home to Chef Jock’s Tastebud’s Café, one of the first real “foodie” joints in the area. I loved the Café – though we always just called it Chef Jock’s. They served the best bow-tie pasta I’ve ever had in my life. Giacomo Lijoi – Chef Jock to his fans – was a rising star in the region. The eatery changed the idea of what we could do from a culinary standpoint in the mountains. Five Star ideas in a place that would later be referred to as a BBQ Shack.

I never really knew Chef Jock. I met him once, briefly. But I followed his career as he built himself into a regional personality. Felt like we were watching a star on the rise. But Lijoi was in a horrible car crash in 2001. As a result, he was left a quadriplegic and died in 2010.

The BBQ Shack – as far as I know – has no connection whatsoever to Chef Jock, but I root for it, nonetheless. That spot should be serving good food to the masses. And we truly enjoyed the food.

About Boss Hogg’s BBQ Shack

First of all, it’s a pretty typical local BBQ joint. There’s a small dining room indoors, and a nice outdoor patio that is perfectly charming when the weather is nice. You order from the counter and they bring the food to your table.

And what about the menu? It’s pulled pork, brisket, ribs and smoked sausage. Each table has a pair of house-made sauces, one very East Tennessee and tangy and the other a little sweeter. There’s a sweet chicken, a half chicken and some down home staples including country fried steak and chicken and dumplings.

Sides include the staples like mac and cheese, collards, green beans and baked beans, which have a delicious tangy, chili flavor that really works well. I could see myself ordering a large serving of the beans on a cold day and being completely happy.

The barbecue is delicious, but doesn’t hold quite as much of the smoky flavor as some others in the region. It works very well with the sauces however, which don’t override the barbecue so much as pair well with it. The sweeter sauce goes well with the smoked sausage sandwich.

The sides are all exactly what you’d hope for in a barbecue place. But, the baked beans, in my option, stood out.

The surprise star of the show

Chicken and dumplings was one of my grandmother’s signature dishes and I tend to grade a little harsher in such cases. Way too often, chicken and dumplings served in down home restaurants are bland, skimping on the flavor and, frankly, the chicken. However, at Boss Hogg’s, they had a nice peppery kick, and the gravy was flavorful as you’d want. Having recently come off a cold, they turned out to be the perfect comfort food to help open up the sinuses and chest and make you feel like a human being again.

Maybe I shouldn’t be going on and on about the chicken and dumplings in a review of a barbecue restaurant. But you expect the barbecue to be good, so it’s nice to find something that pleasantly surprised you.

Located on 119 Wears Valley Road on what must be the outskirts of Pigeon Forge, the Shack is just out of the way enough to offer a chance to escape the crowds. On our most recent visit, traffic was busy in Pigeon Forge but not insane. Still, many of the restaurants on the strip showed signs of being full and even overflowing. However, when we got to the relatively tiny shack, there was plenty of room inside and a little space out on the deck. No waiting. I can’t promise that will always be the case, and they don’t take reservations, but it’s certainly worth a shot when other places are loaded up.

The chicken tenders, by the way, are large and fresh and crispy and moist. If you’ve got somebody in your party who does not worship at the altar of good barbecue, these may be among the best tenders in town. Now THAT would be a hard list of rankings.

Is Boss Hogg’s worth it?

Yeah. It’s $15 for a sandwich thick with meat and two delicious sides. Plates are about the same price. Also, you should consider this an option if you’re heading over to Metcalf Bottoms or the Cove for a family picnic. The Family Pork Meal comes in at $35 or you can get individual meals to go. A picnic in the majestic mountains featuring Boss Hogg’s BBQ? Yes, please. Just don’t forget the napkins.

Have you eaten at Boss Hogg’s BBQ Shack? Let us know what you think in the comments and on the socials!