I used to spend my summers back east in a small town in western Tennessee. There, near Reelfoot Lake was a family run shack of a barbecue restaurant that is still the greatest barbecue I have had to this day.
Dickey's comes awful close.
I got the daily special (a huge pulled pork sandwich with two sides, the classic barbecue beans and mac & cheese for me.) The pulled pork was great in flavor and consistency, there was no strings of fat - an instant turnoff and a problem with many other local barbecue places - and it was good enough to be eaten without sauce. But where's the fun in that when Dickey's offers three varieties.
I tried all three and have to say the spicy was the best. The sweet was a close second. The original was just that - original and kind of plain. The spicy has a bit of a kick, so be warned.
The barbecue beans were great - not too sweet and very smokey tasting. A guaranteed choice upon return.
The person I ate with tried one of their potatoes with pulled pork. Again, excellent, though the potato was a little dry. Slathering it with more spicy barbecue sauce did the trick, but be prepared for a lot of potato. The crispy cooked onions that go on the top were except and added texture. Overall pretty darn good.
Finally, we split their peach cobbler. As good as homemade? Pretty darn close. I eat a lot of cobbler spending time in the South. A good cobbler isn't chewy and gummy. This was excellent in consistency and taste. Free ice cream to add at your discretion was an added bonus.
I'm no self-professed barbecue expert, but I enjoyed Dickey's and will definitely be returning - Southern family in tow!