Because every restaurant is more than just what’s on the plate.

• Type: Barbecue
• Price: $$
• Location: 7201 Infinity Dr, Summerset, SD 57718
• Hours: Wed through Sat, 11a to 7:30 or Sold Out

Settling In

Good barbecue reminds me of good whiskey. (You should listen to my podcast “Whiskey@Work“. I didn’t mean to include a shameless plug, but here we are.) It comes down to time, and to knowing the exact moment the time is up. A barrel sits in the rickhouse until it’s ready. A brisket sits in the smoke until it’s ready. You can taste when somebody pulled it too early or left it too long, and there’s a real art to getting that call right. JR’s understands the assignment, and their grade is an “A”.

I’ve been here more times than I can count, so this isn’t one visit talking. It’s a whole stack of them. This time we went with two of the two-meat platters, which run $23 each and come with two sides and bread.

The Little Stuff

The smell gets to you before your eyes do, and to me that’s exactly how a barbecue joint should work. If the first thing you notice is the décor, then the smoke hasn’t done its job.

Once you do look around, there’s plenty to see. Tombstone memorabilia on the walls. A wall of awards they’ve earned. A western streak running through the whole place. It looks like a barbecue joint should look, but none of it gets to your nose first.

While we’re talking about the smaller pleasures, the green chili jack mac deserves a word. I don’t know whose idea it was to add spice to mac and cheese, but they deserve cool pillows at night and no traffic on their commute.

For sides this time we spread out across the smokehouse beans, the coleslaw, the cucumber and onion salad, and the cornbread. Everything was excellent except the cornbread. The crust wasn’t quite there across the top, and for me personally the cornmeal flavor didn’t come through the way I wanted. It’s the one thing on the table we picked at instead of finishing.

The Reason You’re There

I went with the pulled pork and turkey. It’s, in my opinion, some of the best pulled pork I’ve ever had. Anywhere. It pulls apart with the lightest pressure, and the strands actually hold their shape. It’s tender, it’s juicy, and it tastes great with no sauce at all. When pork is doing that on its own, you stop reaching for the bottle.

The smoked turkey pulls off something a lot of places miss. It still tastes like turkey. The smoke gets in there and lifts it, and you walk away remembering you ate turkey, not smoke.

Victoria took the ribs and the hot link. The hot link brings the heat and snap you’d hope for, but the pork ribs might be the showpiece. They’re almost photogenic, if a rib can be that. The meat pulls away clean and still hangs onto the bone the way you want it to. You get everything in a single bite. Smoke, juice, chew, seasoning.

The focus shows. According to the about page, the owner picked up Texas-style barbecue while he was at Texas A&M down in College Station, and the place has run on quality meat and simple ingredients since 2013. You can tell.

What Sticks With You

It all comes out the way barbecue should. Meats on butcher paper, sides in their own cups, a couple slices of soft white bread to round it out. Nothing fancy, which is the whole idea.

They’re open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 to 7:30, or until they sell out. That last part isn’t a gimmick. They’ll lock the door early before they’ll serve you something that’s been sitting too long.

Victoria’s Taste

“I almost always get the pork ribs, and I say the same thing every single time. These are the best ribs I have ever ordered. I don’t even look at the rest of the menu anymore. Why would I, when it’s already this good?”

Final Bite

Like a good pour of whiskey, or a great podcast episode from Whiskey@Work (dang it, did it again, sorry), JR’s runs on time and a steady hand that knows when to stop. The smell pulls you in, the room feels right, and the meat does the rest. JR’s will make you understand Texas-style BBQ all the way up here in South Dakota. 

Taste the Room pays for every meal we review. We don’t accept comped food, and restaurants aren’t notified of our visit in advance. It’s how we keep our reviews honest and independent.