The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint - Gulfport, MS

A trip to the deep south requires a trip to get some good bbq.  As you all have seen my pictures here (maybe), but definitely on Facebook, you know my love for BBQ, and you know my love for smoking.  I love to smoke anything from meats, to nuts, to cheeses in my smoker at home, and I love BBQ even more when I don't have to make it.  So we took a trip to The Shed tonight, to see what it was all about.

From the outside, this looks like a classic BBQ joint.  The setting suits the theme, not fancy by any means, just a down and dirty BBQ joint.  You walk in, order at the counter, have a seat, and out it comes.

I ordered The Shed combo plate tonight, where you pick 2 meats, and 2 sides.  For my meats, I had to try the brisket, and for my second meat, the young lady taking my order talked me into the sausage instead of the pulled pork.  For my sides, I absolutely had to try the baked potato salad, and the mac and cheese.  I decided to wash this down with an ice cold Blue Moon, and I was off to find a table to sit down.

Out came my combo moments later, packed in styrofoam with a piece of aluminum foil on top.  The first thing I noticed was how cold the potato salad was.  Perfect!  There is nothing worse than warm potato salad, so I took a bite, and the flavors were awesome!  The binder for this was very nice, with great flavors, but the real flavor came from the baked potato.  The whole baked concept adds a nice element to this, and it was a joy.

The mac and cheese was good as well, but nothing to write home about.  While it was good, it really didn't put itself above any other mac and cheese I have had at another BBQ joint over the years.

As for the BBQ, the sausage had nice flavors, and was smoked nicely,  The flavors from the smoke worked well, but quite honestly, I think that the BBQ sauce that this was smothered in really took away from the sausage.  There was nothing at all wrong with the BBQ sauce, and it had good flavors, though like I said, it was just a bit overwhelming.  I would have preferred this with the sauce on the side.

The brisket, while juicy with nice flavors, really didn't do a ton for me.  If I didn't know what I ordered, this could have passed as pulled pork.  It was stringy like pulled pork, and even tasted quite a bit like pulled pork.  Maybe they do their brisket a little different down there, and slice it differently.  I am used to the nice, thick slices of brisket, and this was not the case here.

Even so, the flavors were still nice, and again, the smoke on the meat was nice.  But also again, this was smothered in BBQ sauce, and really took away from the flavors of the meat.  I couldn't tell what kind of flavors the meat got from the rub here, but no matter, it was still enjoyable.

In short, I can appreciate good BBQ, and this was good.  Would i go back there again next time I am in town?  Absolutely!  Is there better BBQ in the area?  I have no idea.  Have I had better BBQ in the past?   Yes, even here in New Jersey, but what can you do?

The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint
15094 Mills Road
North of 49 to 53 West 1 mile
Gulfport, MS 39503
http://theshedbbq.com/

Hours: Mon Closed, Tue-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-8pm