Over the past month, The Ledger has asked Polk County residents the question: Who has the best barbecue?
The foodie March Madness-style competition started March 11 as readers were asked to pick a Sweet & Savor 16 from a list of over 40 contenders, ranging from popular chains to over a dozen well-known local landmarks.
Four elimination rounds and tens of thousands of votes later, our final showdown came down to two multigenerational family landmarks: Peebles BBQ in Auburndale and The Red Top Pit Stop north of Lakeland.
Who won?
Bragging rights to lay claim to the title Polk’s best barbecue go to Peebles BBQ in Auburndale, which claimed a decisive victory.
“We were pretty surprised,” co-owner Jessica Knowles said. “We have a long-standing customer base and our customers are pretty faithful.”
Peebles BBQ, which is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, had over a dozen vehicles waiting in the shady spots of its parking lot by 10:30 a.m. on April 16.
They came lured by the mouth-watering smoke of burning oak wood and roasting meats. Honestly, keep a car window open as you drive by.
The smell grew a little stronger the minute you open the door and step inside the humble interior of Peebles. Dark wooden tables invite customers to take a seat and order a sandwich, a barbecue plate or some meat by the pound to go.
What sets Peebles apart? True, simple Florida barbecue that’s made by a labor of love, in a quaint, no frills building that looks like an old shack from the outside.
“We handmake everything, everything,” Knowles said.
“It’s man power, man hours and old-school,” added co-owner Erica Strickland. “We let the wood do the work.”
The sisters are the third generation of Peebles BBQ owners, as the restaurant was opened in 1947. It’s still the same tin-roof covered patio with screens along the exterior walls.
Strickland said each day starts at 4 a.m. to get the fires stoked and meats slow smoking. Whisps of light, white smoke drift up from the screening in area the smoker sits in with a cart chock full of wood parked alongside it.
“The only seasoning on the ribs is salt,” Knowles said. “The smoke provides all the flavor.”
Peebles BBQ still uses all the original recipes from its founders, Ellie and Gladys Peebles. Part of the second generation, Dale Strickland, still works there today, according to Erica Strickland, and her children are the fourth generation to help with the family business.
The menu’s expanded over time to include racks of ribs, chicken and smoked sausages. The side dishes originally were baked beans, potato salad and cole slaw with mac-and-cheese and collard greens added over time.
Brisket Fridays has started recently, Erica Strickland said, as a customer walked in teasing her looking for brisket and she quickly told him he was a day early.
A classic, longtime favorite can learn a few new tricks as Peebles BBQ is debuting a line of dirty sodas this week, sodas enhanced with additional flavored syrups and cream over ice. Flavors will include a Dirty Shirley, Dr. Pepper, a mango sparkler and cotton candy, the personal favorite of Strickland’s children.
Decisions are simple, a small plate will cost you from $6 to $8, depending on the meat, with larger dinner plates costing $10 to $12. There’s a 70-year special that allows you to try a sample dinner with a quarter pound of ribs, pork, beef, chopped chicken and sausage starting around $27, depending on how many sides you want.
There’s a choice of sauces. Erica Strickland said the top-secret original remains a customer favorite, but the newly added mustard sauce is gaining traction.
If you want to try Peebles BBQ, don’t wait too long. It closes in July and August, as the family takes off the hottest summer months.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Who has Polk’s best BBQ? Voters chose this simple, old-school favorite
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
