Big Jake’s BBQ

Amazing just amazing ! The staff was beyond precious and the food was beyond great! Large portions and fresh!

The second stop on our Texas road trip led us to Big Jakes BBQ, right off the interstate and smack dab in the middle of nowhere. As soon as you walk in you can smell that tangy smoky BBQ smell which is always a good sign. I ordered a junior plate with pulled pork, Mac and cheese, and coleslaw.
Maybe because we were only an hour away from Texas and it was 99 degrees out, my friend and I were expecting some dang good bbq. I would say the pulled pork was average, but was saved if you drowned it in the awesome smoky BBQ sauce they provide. The sides weren’t spectacular either, they both could of used a little more flavor or spice.
But all wasn’t lost because of two things. The people working there all had that southern charm and were so nice. And they had free unlimited pickles… always a plus in my book.

BBQ is all about timing.
I’m thinking the rumored Texas BBQ country starts west of Texarkana somewhere. I can’t find outstanding BBQ in Texarkana. I liked lunch today. Brian, the guy behind the cash register, was outstanding. The fries were home-​cut and friend twice the way they are supposed to be. But the pulled pork sandwich was only so-​so. It didn’t have enough smoke flavor and the sauces served condiment-​style – typical Texas BBQ – didn’t enhance the meat only made it taste like BBQ sauce. I bought a pound of brisket to bring home. It was dry and fell apart… not fall-​off-​the-​bone fell apart, just fell apart. I also ordered a fried blackberry pie. It was good but had no blackberries in it. I guess that’s why they don’t call it blackberries pie. It had the texture of blackberry juice and thickener.
I’m not disappointed, but I’m not enthusiastic. I see some really good reviews on the place, and I don’t doubt them. I think it’s all about timing.

Excellent brisket and several bbq sauces. Excellent customer service and atmosphere.

The BBQ is simply not that great. I expect a lot better out of the sauce and the meat in the South, and this did not deliver. The portions were generous, absolutely, and I was happy to have the fried pie, but I have to think there’s better in Texarkana. Everything else was good — the service, the value — just not the meat and the sauce, and those are the key ingredients.

Although I’m not a competition-​level BBQer, I smoke a reasonable amount of meat and I’ve read 20+ books on smoking meat. Thus Jake’s is a challenge in that they have good food yet not great BBQ.
I had the brisket and smoked sausage. Both were passing sold B– to C+. The sausage was tasty but really lacked any smoke flavor at all. The brisket was tender yet it felt like it had been rushed: Foiled via the «Texas crutch» as the experts say. :)
The brisket rub should have been much heavier and I was deeply missing any bark at all. It takes me 18 hours to smoke a big chunk of meat. The lack of deep smoke ring and bark at all says Jake’s is likely foiling and pushing meat out in eight.
I did walk around the building to check out the smokers; they have several mobile units and one large in-​house smoker. All appeared to be wood fired so that makes me deeply smile.
The bright spot was the amazingly awesome sweet potato fries. Dusting of powered sugar really unique and yummy.
While tasty, I would not make a repeat visit as I’d love more bark on the brisket.

I love this place so much and it might be because this is where I grew up & it reminds me of home, but nevertheless I still love it. Everytime I go home, I get the two meat plate (turkey and brisket), macaroni & cheese, and sweet potato fries. Never fails, like clockwork, it’s the first place I go and everyone is always so nice. Most real barbeque places are not sit down, waitress places so of course it’s not the prettiest place, but it’s good food with friendly people.

I’m not a BBQ expert, but this was pretty good to me. I got the 3 meat platter with pulled pork (good), beef brisket (better), ribs (great). also tried the sweet potato fries, they were OK. might be their thing but they put powdered sugar on them? the beans were OK, and the cole slaw was so-​so. the fried apple pie was OK, kinda bland. I’ll go back and stick with the brisket and the ribs

Not that bad really. I got the small chopped beef brisket sandwich plate with baked potato. The sandwich was dry, but just add some tasty bbq sauce and you’re all set. The beef itself was moist and tasty. You can get all sorts of toppings on the potato, i just got butter and chives. They give you plenty of butter though. There was also salt and pepper on the skin which was nice, though it was a bit too heavy on salt for me.
My friend got the sloppy joe, no complaints other than the sauce being too ketchup-​y. Mac and cheese and corn on the side made the meal a good deal for the price.
The staff were all super friendly and service was quick. All in all it was a good place to stop for a quick and tasty meal at a good price :)

I was passing through Texarkana and I was in the mood for BBQ so we stopped. My wife and I shared the 3 meat large plate, which was really enough for us. The ribs were very good but everything else was not. The Turkey was a little dry and I have had better hot links from my local Walmart. The side dishes including the beans and the macaroni and cheese were salty. I have had much better BBQ.

After everyone in the area said that this was the best BBQ in Texarkana, I decided to satisfy my bbq craving by trying Big Jake’s BBQ out. I was kind of expecting a sit down restaurant where the waitress would come by and take my order. What I found was a fast food BBQ joint. Now I don’t have a problem with fast food BBQ so I decided to give it a shot. The host was very friendly and I got the pick 3 meal so I chose brisket, hot links and bbq ribs. The brisket was a little tough. The hot links were a bit stale. But the BBQ ribs were very very good. Fall off the bone meat which melts in your mouth when you take a bite. If I ever go back, I am just going to get the bbq ribs.