the barbeque exchange

great bbq spot to stop for lunch. very well-kept little restaurant in a quaint small-town setting. the menu has lots of options all good. pulled pork, brisket sliced or chopped, and chicken. were what we tried. you can get sandwiches or plates. thesandwichbuns are small or large but not too big so easy to add sides. we enjoyed the cole slaw, french fries collard greens, and broccoli salad along with our sandwiches. the meat was so flavorful but we had to try a few of the barbecue sauces -they had 6 different kinds! i definitely recommend a stop here for a delicious meal. they even have a front porch if you want to eat outside!!

once great, now below par.. i have had good meals here before, but something has changed. upon arriving, the first thing i noticed that was different is that the smokers weren't being used. i thought perhaps they had smoked the meats for the day. no problem. but when we entered the restaurant, there was also zero smoky bbq aroma. even if the meats had already been smoked for the day, the aroma should come back out of them when reheated. we ordered a pulled porksandwichwith fries and slaw, and a platter with 3 ribs, brisket, beans, slaw, and cornbread. we had sweet tea to drink.

the server attempted to give me the last of the drippings and bits in the bottom of the tray, but i asked for new slices if possible. they were brought to my table after we received everything else and sat down. the portion was small, just 3 small slices, but as the platter is only 11.99, i was ok with it. one third of each slice was fat. right away, this told me that the brisket had not been smoked for any amount of time, because if properly cooked, this fat should render away to a nice crispy layer. there was no smoky flavor at all. the meat was tender and tasted ok, it just didn't have that bbq flavor.

when i picked the ribs up out of the serving tray, i noticed that there was at least a teaspoon of oil left in the tray and the ribs had an oily coating. they tasted ok, and although very tender and falling off the bone, were the only meat we had that had a smoky flavor at all.

the pulled pork was dry and bland with no smoke.

the beans most likely came from a can labeled van camps, as they were the same unnatural orange color. they had added something to them, perhaps mustard and vinegar, but they didn't contain any chipped, smoked meat like i've had at every other bbq house i've ever been to.

the slaw and fries were standard. nothing special.

the meats and beans were all lukewarm. definitely not up to health department regulated temperatures.

on a positive note, the tea was excellent, the service was great, and the atmosphere is very pleasant.

i like to support local restaurants instead of chains any time i can, but it will be difficult for me to try it again. hopefully someone will read this and take constructive criticism and fix the problems. we'll give it a month and try again. i will update my review at that point and hope to post more positive results.

this post was deleted from google reviews within 48 hours of being posted, and i'm sure it will be deleted again.

best barbeque in virginia and north carolina. barbeque is an art, and chef hartman's establishment exhibits the greatness of his craft. i frequently travel along eastern north carolina, and try a bbq joint whenever i see one in a town. the one thing those establishments lack, is hardwood cooking (most use gas.) i was amazed to finally find the barbeque exchange which produces pulled pork the way it should be done, slow on hardwood coals. when you first walk in, the subtle sweet smell of hickory wood is evident. the pulled porksandwichis served on a fresh bakery roll. at the tables, six unique sauces, ranging from vinegar carolina (eastern), to molasses base sauce are available. the complexity of flavors on the pork were so good i didn't feel the need to put any sauce on the sandwich. the next day, my wife and i went back to pick some for a later date. service was great, chef hartman even took the time to explain to us the process to freeze the pork during the busy lunch hour.

great service and awesome bbq. i prefer their meat combo with pork bbq and brisket. they also serve pork belly if you are into that. there are about 6 types of sauces you can choose from, i usually stick with the eastern carolina style. great place to grab a greatsandwichand beer. worth the drive from louisa.