original q shack

the ribs were actually quite good. the original qshackserves spare ribs, pre-cut and lightly glazed. they were cooked almost perfectly – tender but not falling off the bone, with a good combination of sauce and a dry rub taste. this is the meat i would recommend and would have if i ever find myself back.

chilies seasoning over used. based on the reviews my wife and i recently drove over 45 minutes one-way to give the original qshacka try for lunch. the place was hopping - finding a parking space was a challenge. inside it was so loud that we had a hard time ordering because we couldn't communicate with the staff. there was no inside seating available due to the number of customers, but we did find a picnic table out on the partially enclosed patio.

the food was all piping hot and fresh. i had the brisket sandwich my wife ordered the pulled chicken sandwich. we both had the baked beans. the brisket was excellent. the problem is that they use a particular blend of chilies and everything has that blend used in abundance. the baked beans were so strongly flavored with chilies seasoning i could hardly eat them. my wife could not eat them. the chilies blend used to season everything was not excessively hot - it was just that the flavor was not appealing to us.

won't matter to some, but for soft drinks they serve only pepsi products.

apparently the blend of chilies seasoning they use in everything is popular with some folks, but not us and we won't be back.

dropped in when i was in the neighborhood today and was really happy i did. being located in the nc bbq dmz, durham is in the headwaters of eastern style, an hour east of lexington and far from the thick tomato western style, i had no clue what to expect.

ordered a combo plate of brisket, ribs, and smoked sausage along with sides of creamed spinach and mac and cheese. just offering sausage is almost a novelty in nc, but to learn that it is straight outta texas and not available at a big box stores was a real treat. i highly recommend it! the brisket was smoked well and had a little rub on it, well done for a restaurant. but the star of the meat show were the ribs. while overdone by my standards, they were the cliche fall off the bone perfection that most people want. the combination of the rub, sauce and hickory smoke were about the best ribs i've had at a restaurant. the weatern-ish sauce is very well done, sweet and savory. the sides were a little unconventional, but very well done. the m&c is certainly homemade, was perfectly done and super cheesy and had an abundance of black pepper, which i really enjoyed, however some may not. the creamed spinach was excellent although certainly non traditional in a bbq joint.

lastly the hush puppies were very good and when combined with the western sauce almost evaporated once they were uncovered.

i recognize that i am raving about a bbqshackin nc and didnt try any pulled pork, but to my defense, when the other meat is so well done, maybe next time i will try one of the many other protein treats, but i can assure you the ribs and sausage will be on my plate.

the qshackhas been around for many years, serving both pork and beef barbecue that has been smoked and slowly cooked. the outside features a picture of a pig. the building looks like an old southern home with picnic tables strewn around outside. inside is very cute and friendly, with a bunch of sports hats on the wall and a large blackboard displays the menu choices.

best q!. i started my affair with qshackin raleigh on hillsborough street, circa 2003, and then rediscovered the attraction when i moved to durham for work.

pork butt sandwich was always a very filling lunch for good value, with a side of delicious fresh red cabbage cole slaw. love their jack creamed spinach, sweet potato tots, onion rings, and perfect onion flavor and moist consistency hush puppies that come with every meal. their q cobb salad is heavy and filling also, so don't order it thinking you're going for a lighter option. love the smokey turkey, beef, and avocado they throw onto it!

every now and then i indulge in one of their cobblers or a tasty brewsky, and am never disappointed.

last, but not least, their service is difficult to beat. whether with a few gals from lunch, dining alone on the patio, or picking up take out, the q sets a great customer service standard. friendly guys taking my order, efficiently and cleanly prepping my plate, and informing me ahead of time that fresh fries, rings, or puppies are in the fryer if i'm okay waiting.... sure thing!

the restaurant is always clean, paper towels galore for messy saucy fingers, spotless bathroom with autographed walls, and love the heated patio in winter, and misty conditioning in summer.

thanks for being you q shack!!

there's better, especially the pork. came here for the pork barbecue, which is identified as smoked pork butt - hum, a hint, perhaps the aforementioned smoked pork butt is shredded, not chopped - falling into the definition of pulled pork, or in this case - pulled smoked pork butt.

it comes out of the kitchen very lightly sauced, close to dry, and with out the pork barbecue taste that i favor. there is a hint of smokiness, which i guess comes from a combination of hickory and mesquite wood that is used here. the vinegar based sauce helped some, but to me this is just ordinary pork barbecue, and is not a version i would seek out again. sandwich, with 3 or 4 hush puppies and a side, goes for $5.95

the slaw was more like a salad than the slaw normally associated with pork barbecue, at least in north carolina - a touch sweet, not to my liking. the fries here might be quite good, but my order was under done. the hush puppies were nice. the brisket was very good, but the plate is a little pricey at $10.95 - regular brisket plate at smokey's bbqshackin morrisville is $8.89 with hush puppies and 2 sides. ribs were also just ok.

botom line, nothing really special here, at least not for my taste. it seems that most barbecue joints that offer multiple smoked meat choices rarely offer a good chopped pork product.

converted skeptic. when i came to town, qshackwas one of the first places mentioned as a must eat. i wasn't in a hurry to try this place as it struck the wrong vibe with me; maybe because places festooned with "the original" have always sucked in my experience. the presentation of this q seems faux down-home. the menu is a little less focused than other bbqs i've been to recently. it's very clean and i couldn't smell even a whiff of smoke inside or out. not good signs. the food, however, makes up for all this. the traditional nc bbq is among the best i've tried, meaty and tender and just the perfect consistency. the brisket is yummy and equally well-made. the sides are homemade and don't fall to the weaknesses of many other bbqs. overall, this is the best i've had so far, and i'm already plotting my return. way to go q shack.