Dead End BBQ Knoxville

I didn't know where to go this weekend, but I was craving BBQ and the recent episode of Man v. Food on the Travel Channel showcased a couple of establishments in Knoxville, however, I opted to try a different place I heard about...Dead End BBQ http://www.deadendbbq.com/

It's called Dead End for a couple of reasons, one because it is the last place you should go for BBQ (maybe)...2nd the is where it was born.  I thought maybe because of where it was, there is a dead end street close by. 

Located at 3621 Sutherland Ave. in Knoxville, TN...Dead End BBQ appears to be an old gas station, or at least that's what I think. 

They have won East Tennessee's Best BBQ.  The inside is modern, spacious and inviting.  Because it was so hot when I went I opted to dine inside instead of their outdoor patio.  I would assume, at some point, they may decide to offer live music.

I noticed they offered drink specials, and have a Happy Hour Special every day.  Now on to the important portion...the food.  Of course I had to order the sweet tea to drink, which was fresh brewed (or seemed to be) and it was ok, not the best, but passed my standards.  I was torn on what to get.  To me the true test of a BBQ joint is the Beef Brisket.  If you can make a good beef brisket, then you can work wonders with the other meats.  So, I decided on the combo (2 meats, I got the beef brisket and the pulled pork), then there was the decision on the 2 sides...the waiter suggested the Red, White and Bleu Slaw and Macaroni and Pimento Cheese.  Since I have been having difficulty perfecting my Mac N Cheese recipe I thought I would give theirs a shot.  I almost went with one of their bean dishes, but said I like Bleu Cheese that I went with the slaw.  And then there was the choice of bread (Texas Toast, Jalapeno Cornbread or Southern Style Cornbread)...I chose Southern Style Cornbread. 

I will say this...the sides were not desirable.  I do not like pimento cheese, so I should have known better, so that was my fault.  The slaw was ok...not my favorite, but slaw is difficult to make.  This was different, and if you like Bleu cheese I would say give it a shot.  The cornbread wasn't like I expected it.  I would have prefered a Hoe Cake or a small pone of cornbread, and this one they gave me tasted like the Jiffy mix cornbread, but it was ok...needed butter. 

The meats...I was impressed...the beef brisket and pulled pork were very good.  Didn't need BBQ sauce, but I do drown my meat in sauce...However, I was not impressed with their sauces.  They need work.  They offer 3 choices, Regular, Mild and Hot.  I did try all 3, and went with the regular, I think it needed to be sweeter. 

I also sampled the chicken...it too was excellent.  The moisture of the meats were perfect...most of the time it's either dry or too moist, this was just right, and there was also not the smokey taste you would normally find.  In all I would highly recommened checking this establishment out.  Let me know your thoughts and experiences. 

Being I was there at 3pm, there wasn't a crowd, and it was during shift change so I couldn't really evaluate the staff.  I did have to wait a while on drink refills.