This Mississippi Smokehouse Serves A Mixed Grill Platter So Massive It Barely Fits On The Table

Some meals arrive on a plate. This one arrives on a platter that has you moving the drinks, the napkins, and possibly the whole conversation to make room.

A family-run smokehouse in Mississippi has been building goodwill on that approach for more than four decades. Ribs, brisket, and portions that quietly suggest you should have brought a second person, which regulars figured out a long time ago and now plan for.

Nothing here is trying to be clever about it either. The pit does its work, the platter comes out heavy, and the rest of your afternoon adjusts accordingly. If barbecue that treats hungry people like honored guests sounds right, this one earns a spot on the short list.

A Smokehouse That Turns Lunch Into An Event

Barbecue in the South carries a certain weight, and here that weight is literal. The mixed grill platter comes stacked with ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, and chicken, and the table starts to feel crowded fast.

Regulars know the drill. You order for two, you plan for four, and you still walk out with a box under your arm. Sides pile up beside the meat like a second course that refused to wait its turn.

What keeps people coming back is the balance. Smoke does the heavy lifting, seasoning stays restrained, and the meat gets room to speak for itself. Ribs hold a slight chew instead of falling apart into mush, which is exactly how pitmasters prefer them.

Service moves quickly, too. Orders go in at the counter, plates land within minutes, and nobody rushes you out the door once the eating begins.

Mississippi has plenty of barbecue joints, but few build a reputation on generosity the way this one does. Four decades of steady smoke will do that. Bring an appetite, bring a friend, and bring patience for the inevitable food coma afterward.

Meet Strick’s Bar-B-Q On West 4th Street

Say hello to Strick’s Bar-B-Q & Catering, the Hattiesburg smokehouse that turned an impulse into an institution. You will find it at 3802 W 4th St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, with parking out front and the promise of smoke inside.

The origin story is a good one. Back in 1980, J.S. Strickland opened a convenience store and gas station on the property.

During a busy holiday stretch, he tossed extra ribs and chicken on the grill, sold them to eager customers, and accidentally launched a barbecue business.

Forty plus years later, the family still runs the show. Dustin Strickland took over in 2012 and added Strick’s Specialty Meats next door, handling premium cuts and custom wild game processing.

Hours run Tuesday through Saturday, opening at 11 AM. Tuesday and Wednesday wrap up at 6 PM, while Thursday through Saturday stretch to 8 PM. Sunday and Monday stay quiet.

A quick call to 601-264-2502 settles any questions about catering or large orders. Come early on weekends. Word travels fast when the ribs are running right.

Ribs Worth Driving Across Two Counties For

Ask around Hattiesburg about ribs and the conversation narrows quickly. These come off the smoker with a firm bark, a tender bite, and just enough resistance to remind you they were once bones with a job.

Seasoning stays light on purpose. The rub supports rather than shouts, which lets the pork and the smoke share the spotlight. Sauce becomes optional, and plenty of folks skip it entirely on the first few bites.

Barbecue competition judges have ranked these ribs among the best they have tasted, which is high praise from people who eat pork for sport. The consistency is the real trick. Smoking meat well once is luck. Doing it for four decades is craft.

Order a rib plate and you get a stack that looks slightly unreasonable next to your sides. Nobody complains about that.

Here is a tip worth remembering. Try one rib plain before reaching for sauce. You will learn more about the pit in that single bite than any menu description could tell you.

Then sauce the rest and enjoy the ride.

Brisket With A Bark You Will Remember

Beef gets its due here, and brisket is the headline act for a good portion of the crowd. Slices arrive with a dark, crusted edge and a fat cap trimmed with care, which matters more than most people realize.

Trimming is where brisket lives or falls. Leave too much and it turns greasy. Take too much and it dries out.

The kitchen threads that needle often enough that brisket sits among the most mentioned dishes in town.

You can order it sliced or chopped. Sliced shows off the bark and the texture, while chopped works beautifully piled onto a bun with a spoon of slaw riding along.

Sandwiches here come loaded to the point of near comedy. Two hands required, and even then you may need to relocate a few slices onto the plate before biting down.

Beef brisket also anchors the larger family platters, sharing space with ribs, pulled pork, and half chickens. If your group cannot agree on one meat, that is precisely the point of ordering four.

Smoked Chicken That Stays Genuinely Juicy

Chicken rarely gets top billing at a smokehouse, which makes the version here a pleasant surprise. Half birds come out bronzed, the breast meat holding moisture that most kitchens lose somewhere around minute forty.

Light seasoning again does the work. Smoke settles into the skin, the meat pulls cleanly from the bone, and no sauce is needed to rescue anything.

Wings deserve their own mention. They arrive noticeably large and carry the same restrained seasoning, which makes them dangerous in the best way. One order rarely satisfies a table of two.

Pair chicken with fried okra and jalapeño cornbread for a plate that tastes like a Sunday afternoon in south Mississippi. The okra comes out crisp and golden rather than limp, which is a small victory worth celebrating.

Chicken also shows up on the big family meals, sitting alongside ribs and brisket for groups of five or ten. Ordering for a crowd is where this kitchen truly flexes.

If you have written off barbecue chicken elsewhere, give this one a fair shake. It might change your mind entirely.

Sides That Refuse To Play Backup

Great sides can carry a barbecue meal, and the lineup here runs deep. Potato salad earns the loudest applause, with a creamy texture and seasoning that keeps forks returning long after the meat is gone.

Baked beans lean sweet and hearty. Crinkle cut fries arrive hot and seasoned, and there are enough of them to share whether you planned to or not. Housemade potato chips add crunch to any order.

Turnip greens, coleslaw, mac and cheese, and fried okra round out the classics. Each one tastes like it came from a recipe somebody’s grandmother guarded closely.

Then there are the surprises. Bourbon pecan Brussels sprouts have quietly become a favorite, offering a nutty, caramelized bite that plays beautifully against smoky pork. Marinated cucumbers and onions bring cool, sharp relief between rich mouthfuls.

Jalapeño cornbread carries a gentle kick and works as a spoon for beans and greens alike.

Best strategy for a first visit? Pick one comfort classic, one green vegetable, and one wild card. Your plate will thank you for the variety.

Nine Sauces And A Secret Weapon

Sauce here is not an afterthought poured from a jug. The house made lineup covers serious ground, giving every meat on your platter a proper dance partner.

Start with the original, a dependable classic. Move to the smoky bold version for deeper flavor, or the honey option for gentle sweetness. Tangy mustard brings brightness that pairs well with pulled pork.

Adventurous eaters have plenty to explore. A white mayo based sauce leans creamy and peppery, the vinegar option cuts sharp and clean, and the hot version delivers a real kick. There is also a black label sweet tang spice for those who want complexity.

The honey barbecue has earned something close to legend status. Staff have called it their secret weapon, and that reputation holds up once you taste it on smoked chicken.

A practical suggestion. Grab several small cups, line them up, and taste them side by side before committing. Sauce flights are free entertainment and a genuinely fun way to figure out your preferences.

Sweet tea rounds out the meal like a handshake from the whole state.

Thursday Through Saturday Brings Gulf Flavor

Not everyone at your table wants smoked meat, and this kitchen planned for that. Golden fried catfish holds a permanent spot on the menu, crisp outside and flaky within, exactly as a Mississippi fish fry demands.

Late week brings more from the water. Thursday through Saturday, a special seafood menu appears featuring Gulf shrimp, shrimp poboys, seafood gumbo, and swamp nachos.

Gumbo in south Mississippi carries expectations, and a proper dark roux makes all the difference. Pair a cup with a rib or two and you have covered two great regional traditions in one sitting.

Swamp nachos are worth ordering purely for the name, though the loaded reality earns the attention on its own. Crawfish also make appearances that regulars watch for closely.

Timing matters if seafood is your goal. Those later hours run until 8 PM Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, giving you a wider window than the early week close.

Bringing a group with split loyalties between land and sea? Weekend visits solve that debate without a single argument at the counter.

Banana Pudding, Pecan Pie, And Sweet Endings

Dessert after a platter that big sounds impossible. Somehow, room appears anyway.

Homemade banana pudding is the signature finish, layered with vanilla wafers and a cool, creamy body that settles smoke and spice right down. It comes included with the larger family meals, which feels like a thoughtful gesture toward everyone at the table.

Pecan pie is the other heavyweight. Sweet, nutty, and rich enough to slow the room down, it has convinced more than a few visitors to return the following week for a second slice.

Strawberry white cake also makes the rounds for those who prefer fruit and frosting over syrup and nuts.

Here is a practical move. Order dessert at the counter with your meal, then let it wait. By the time the boxes are packed and the sauces are wiped up, that pudding will taste like the reward it is.

Sharing is encouraged, though nobody will judge you for guarding your own bowl. Some sweets simply do not divide well, and banana pudding sits firmly in that category.