Nearly 30 Years of Classic Arkansas Barbecue at Jacksonville's Bar-B-Que Shack.

If you’re in Jacksonville and you know where the smoking cannon is, you also know how to find some pretty good classic barbecue. The Bar-B-Que Shack on the south side of town is worth your visit. 

Originally opened on West Main Street in 1997, then relocated to its current spot on South Highway 161, it was operated for a quarter century by Gary Green. In 2022 he retired, and the next year the operation came under the ownership of Adrian and Brittany Trevino. While the original restaurant more focused on hickory-smoked ribs and beef, the Trevinos lean harder into post oak smoke and black pepper in flavors.

That’s most evident in the smoked brisket, with its pepper-encrusted edges, smoked through but not so much that it falls apart. I enjoy this most in the stuffed baked potato, a splendid spud with an ample amount of barbecue - your choice of pork, chicken, or beef - stuffed down into a soft baked potato already loaded with cheese and butter, with sour cream, chives, and barbecue sauce on board. This is a full-meal potato that will leave you satisfied.

Bar-B-Q Shack offers ribs, in four bone, half racks and full racks; plus plates loaded with half a pound of brisket, sausage, pulled pork or pulled chicken. Slaw and sauce comes on the sandwich, old Arkansas-style, whichever meat you choose. Barbecue nachos and salads are also popular. The eatery also boasts a great plate of catfish, a good burger, and an excellent selection of sides including turnip greens and smoked mac and cheese.

I have to give a shout for the kids items. Yes, there are chicken nuggets as an option, but Bar-B-Q Shack also understands the joy a child gets from gnawing on a rib bone, with a two-rib plate. Pulled pork and pulled chicken are also available with one side for the young ones.

Dessert? Well, that’s another thing. Rather than being stuck with a singular dessert selection, the folks at Bar-B-Que Shack offer whatever they feel like, usually presented on the counter in clear boxes or wrapped in plastic, mostly sliced cake and brownies, with the occasional banana pudding. It’s packaged to go under the assumption you’ll fill up on those half pound plates! 

Dining in? You should know there are pool tables for your play and enjoyment. Teach your kids how to play pool and you’ll have hustlers for life. I’m just saying that because my mom taught me and my brother how, and my kid, too, and you never know when you’ll have the opportunity. This is neither here nor there - I’m just checking to see if you’re still reading.

The Bar-B-Que Shack is located at 1000 South Highway 161 in Jacksonville. Call ahead at (501) 982-1009 or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/p/Bar-B-Que-Shack-100071433311780/) for more information.