Dead End BBQ
3621 Sutherland Ave
Knoxville, TN 37919
www.deadendbbq.com
https://www.facebook.com/DeadEndBBQ/

I’ve been to Dead End BBQ more times than I can remember. Is it the best in Knoxville you might wonder? No, but it is very good AND one of my favorites. Another bonus is that it stays open until 9PM; most of the others close at 7- o-r8PM. I typically arrive into Knoxville in the evening time and if I want good BBQ, then this is my option. Depending on where I stay there is another option that will come up in a future review.

Arriving at the hotel at 7:30 wasn’t going to leave me many options for eating. Since I want to get stuff up on the site for the various BBQ places, I thought about my options and Dead End was the logical choice because of time and location. I’ve had most of their meats, but I’ll just talk about what I had on this trip.

Also, arriving late I will cut them some slack on the meat. Ribs this late almost everywhere will not be their best.

The Sides

The Pimento Mac and Cheese – Do you like Mac and Cheese? Do you like Pimento Cheese? Just think how great it would be to combine the two. Well, they do it here. And man is it good! A side almost worthy of being a dessert. OK, I’m stretching it there. But it is a very nice offering. I like Mac and Cheese but I don’t often get it as a side item with Barbeque. However, this is one of the expectations.

Red, White and Blue Slaw – This is a bit different than what you’ll find in most barbeque places where you’ll get a white slaw, yellow slaw or a barbeque slaw. I think it’s hard to go over the top with slaw; Dead End BBQ may have done just that. If you aren’t into slaw because it’s so plain OR even if you like slaw, give this stuff a try. It’s a mixture of cabbage, blue cheese, Tomatoes and some bacon bits. Pretty creamy, and pretty tasty for slaw.

The Texas Toast – I will complain about this. Toast should be made when ordered. I passed on the other cornbread options for Toast. Maybe it was good I didn’t eat the toast considering my calorie counting I’m doing. but come on, this stuff was cold and even hard to chew.

The Ribs

I apologize for the picture; I was tired and hungry. On this trip to Dead End BBQ I decided to get ribs. I’ve been eating so much brisket lately that I wanted a break. I thought about burnt ends but then decided it was so late that I’d pass. Ribs would be a good option; I figured that if they were too dry I could hit them with some sauce.

When they came to the table I thought they looked great. It hit me to probably rip a bone apart and let you see the inside. They didn’t look like they were too dried out, and they weren’t. They were nice, with a good smoke hit to them. You can see a little of it in the picture. I promise to do better as I move forward. They were not falling off the bone which most times indicates over-cooked. But they also were not tough. I separated them by cutting at each bone; and could bite meat off. They would have passed most judges test for that part. They aren’t the best ribs I’ve had at Dead End, but they were still very good. I was pleased considering the time I arrived.

The Banana Pudding

Others should take note here. Dead End BBQ’s banana pudding isn’t “traditional banana pudding” in any sense. But I like it, a lot. They use a cookie, and it goes ok with the pudding. They make a great thicker pudding. I like that. They use whipped cream; most people use that or meringue.

But Dead BBQ does fail in one area. They almost always do not provide enough bananas. They put the bananas on top which is different. I was talking with other locals and their comment was that it doesn’t have enough bananas. On that I have to agree. Remember what this is, banana pudding.

That said, I’ll get their banana pudding every time I go. Because overall it’s still one of the better banana puddings around Knoxville.