Here we are for our #16 stop on the 2025 Alabama BBQ Tour! Talladega County is our host for this visit.
Talladega County was established on December 18, 1832, from land ceded by the Creek Indians near the state's geographic center. The county seat was established at Talladega in 1834.
The name Talladega is derived from a Muscogee (Creek) Native American word Tvlvtēke, from the Muscogee etvlwa, meaning "town", and vtēke, or "border" – "Border Town" – a town indicating its location on the boundary between the lands of the Creek tribe and those of the Cherokee and Chickasaw.
The Jack Link's 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race is usually held in April or May. The 1997 event stands as the fastest NASCAR race to date ever run with an average speed of 188.354 miles per hour (303.126 km/h) and was the first race at Talladega Superspeedway that was not interrupted by a caution period.
Woo hoo!!! That's some speed isn't it? Now let's speed on over to these yummy food pictures and descriptions!
With a name like The Shack BBQ, you wouldn't expect a five star atmosphere with cloth napkins. But what you would expect is exactly what you get: old school bbq in a down home setting with great service that feels like you're a member of the family.
And here's the menu!
A few years ago, we visited The Shack and I remembered how much I enjoyed the lemonade. I knew that was a must for this visit.
We were warmly greeted and instructed to sit anywhere we'd like. Drink orders were taken immediately: Said lemonade for me and sweet tea for Sweet Harold. It's always nice to be able to sit down and order when you want time to check out the menu. We weren't rushed in the least and took our time making our selections. The lemonade was as delicious as I remembered.
After we received our meals (within minutes), it was obvious that we had chosen wisely.
There are three BBQ sauce options available. While each of the sauces were delicious in their own way, I found the sweet paired well with my ribs and the mild was perfect for the pulled pork. The hot? Well, it was a delicious dipping sauce for my onion rings!
Here's my combo pulled pork and rib plate with onion rings and fries.
First of all there was enough food on this plate to feed three people. Yes, I brought food home.
Let's start with those HUGE ribs.
No discernable dry rub or seasoning on the exterior of the ribs.
Of all the ribs we've had on the tour up to this point, these were far the largest and meatiest of the lot. These ribs look like ribs you'd have at your favorite neighbor's backyard feast. Now for that first bite test.
Perfect! These were juicy, smoky, tender smoked ribs. Thumbs up!
The serving size of the pulled pork was extremely generous. You can request it sliced or chopped. I had the chopped version with the sauce to be added at the table. The pork had a lightly smoked flavor and wasn't quite as tender as I expected it to be.
However, there were pieces of crunchy bark mixed in which always adds texture to the serving.
Now to the side dishes. The fries (thankfully) were served hot, but did need some seasoning at the table.
The onion rings were thick sliced and had a light(er) crust than some we've had recently. Decent onion ring.
Sweet Harold requested his usual smoked chicken, but was told they only smoke pork here at The Shack. So he decided it was time to try a bbq sandwich. His sides were beans and slaw.
Again, there's enough pork here for three sandwiches.
He raved about this sandwich and declared he would order it again.
The beans had a small amount of added pork to the mix. This is another "baked bean" which aren't technically baked, but rather heated through with a few add ins.
The slaw is the mayo based version and was fresh and crisp.
We were too full for desserts!
Standouts: Ribs, lemonade, pork sandwich, table service, real forks and glasses, wonderful service
Point Takeaways: Average sides
Our Score: 90
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