TJ Ribs

Baton Rouge, Louisiana


The home of the 1959 Heisman Trophy and some great BBQ. This, is TJ Ribs. If you're an LSU fan, this is just the place for you. TJ Ribs is loaded with TV's all around broadcasting any LSU game if it's on air, or a wide variety of sporting events if not. This place is just what every college town needs. Good food, entertainment, alcohol and RIBS. I've even ran into a handful of Texans that said this place has better ribs than anywhere they've tried. Now that's saying something! This night, I dined with my brother and we were hungrier than ever. We tend to only come here on special occasions.

Well, we got greeted in a friendly manner as always and got seated right next to the Heisman Trophy. Ironically the University of Georgia Baseball team walks in right after we did and gets seated pretty close to us (read the sign above). My brother and I order the same thing every time. We always get an order of Ballpark Nachos to start off. These nachos are loaded with their chili, cheese, black olives, tomatoes, jalapenos with sour cream and guacamole on the side. Their tortilla chips are also homemade.

This plate of nachos is pretty massive and very delicious. It has a generous amount of chili underneath the shield of melted cheese and toppings. A very simple dish but definitely worth a try while waiting for your entrees. I used their spicy BBQ sauce to top off some of them for an added kick.

I love babyback ribs more than anything. So, that's exactly what I ordered. The babyback ribs and my choice of two sides. I got the red beans and rice and their famous MOJO's. My brother on the other hand is a bit more ambitious than I am. He always goes for TJ's BBQ Platter. Exactly why is this choice ambitious? Probably because it's enough meat to feed three people! It comes with select ribs, beef ribs, chicken wings, grilled sausage, chopped pork, sliced brisket and 1/4 of a BBQ chicken. Oh yeah... you also get a choice of two sides.

TJ's babyback ribs are marinated for 24 hours in their secret seasoning, then slow cooked in their special oven. After the slow cook, they're finished on the grill with a glaze of their BBQ sauce. What I love about their ribs are that they taste the same every time I come back. Absolutely delicious. These things are fall off the bone tender, and really juicy. They give you an option to choose either their regular BBQ sauce or spicy BBQ sauce to add. I go with the spicy every time. The red beans and rice come on the heavy side. It's pretty thick and full of flavor. I'd probably save it for last just so you can make it through your ribs. The MOJO's are chunks of potato goodness. They are cubed and deep fried potatoes but don't get soggy no matter how long you let them sit in front of you.

The bastion of meat that comes on TJ's BBQ Platter is beyond crazy. Well where do I start... The beef ribs are about identical to the babyback ribs when it comes to tenderness and equally as great in flavor. The grilled sausage is butterflied down the center and has a great smoky flavor. All of the chicken is very juicy, it comes with pieces of dark meat. The chopped pork is pretty different than any other place that would serve pork. You would usually find it in the pulled form but not here. You pretty much have to eat it with a fork. It would still be pretty great on a sandwich. The brisket is very tender but came a little bit on the dry side. Still, tasted fine nonetheless. The two sides that came with this meal were the spicy green beans and mashed potatoes. The spice that comes with the green beans sneaks up on you. You don't really feel the heat until they actually go down your throat. An alarming but pleasant surprise. The mashed potatoes were certainly above average, but still just mashed potatoes. Speaking of potatoes... it's hard to see but under this mountain of carnivore deliciousness is a bed of french fries, just for some lagniappe.

Did we finish everything? No. Way. Were we satisfied? Absolutely. If you ever want some good BBQ in Baton Rouge, I strongly suggest that you come here.

TJ Ribs - 2324 South Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
http://www.tjribs.com/