Dennis BBQ | “Where the Good Food Is” | Augusta GA

A Tip From Chickenplucker

Roadfood.com contributor Chickenplucker (Keith McLendon) knows more than anyone about good eats in the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area). So when he recommended Dennis BBQ, I was on my way. Bingo; it’s a Roadfood prize. Who can resist a restaurant where the motto is, “If you want good food then come to where the good food is”?

How Good Is It?

A combination of wood and coal in the pit produces four-star pork, pork ribs, and chicken infused with vivid smoke flavor.

Sauceless, the chicken would be magnificent, its skin crisp as bacon, its meat glowing with spice. Dennis offers the option of jerk chicken, and I have to wonder if some of that jerk seasoning finds its way into the regular chicken. It is that intense. Or is its glow simply the pizazz induced by hours of smoke? To adorn the chicken Dennis provides sauce with a mustard twang and sweet undertone. It comes Regular, which is moderately hot, and Hot, which sneaks up and sets a tongue on fire. For sauce dubbed Very Hot, you need an asbestos palate.

The sauce is an ideal halo for big ribs that are knock-out smoky as well as for chopped pork in which the smoke flavor is more diffuse. Dennis’ chopped beef also benefits from the sauce, but it lacks the flavor nuances of pork. Hash on rice, which is the de rigueur complement to barbecue in this part of the world, is pungent with a sweet & sour nature. It makes you think less about the meat and more about its exclamatory seasoning. Atop a bed of fluffy rice, this hash becomes something elegant. Yes, Dennis’ motto is right: this is where the good food is!

Out-Of-The-Way Roadfood Find

Just off Tobacco road in Hephzibah, Dennis is a 15-minute drive from the Augusta Regional Airport. It is a tiny place where most business is take-out. Five tables with molded plastic bench seats are available for on-premises dining. Note: Not far from Dennis, you’ll find Come N Get It Grill, a Roadfood favorite for burgers, hot dogs, and quick-eats sandwiches.