Joseph’s Riverport Barbecue

Best sausage ever! Drive from Houston to Texarkana twice a year and this is a must stop for us! Brisket was good too. Half order of swamp fries fills this girl up! Ambiance and seating is a in low key. Exactly what is excepted from a bbq joint.

JG score of ⁸⁄₁₀ (+3 for food, +1 for atmosphere, +1 for price, +1 for fountain Diet Dr Pepper, 0 for typical service and +2 for looking forward to returning)
We have been here twice now 3 years apart and both times our food was excellent. The baby back ribs are our favorite ribs anywhere so far. Sausage has good taste and a good pop to it too when bitten. Hot water cornbread was excellent with crunchy outside and soft inside. Swamp fries were above average and fried okra was good too. We had peanuts before our meal and red velvet cake after which were both good too… Ribs and sausage some of our best barbecue we have tried anywhere.
Atmosphere is rustic and nice for barbecue.
Price is reasonable for the food.
They do have fountain Diet Dr Pepper.
Service was friendly but just typical.
We will certainly go back for the ribs and sausage and hot water cornbread.

Very, Very Good BBQ… Brisket on point. Bring your Wallet tho, you’re gonna need it

I have found a new favorite BBQ joint. It can get a little crowded but definitely worth it. Right or wrong, I always judge a BBQ place by their brisket. I feel that it is harder to get brisket right than ribs. JRB’s does not disappoint.
The brisket is tender, moist, and delicious with great bark and smoke ring. They put effort into the sides which is another sign that they care about the food. For something interesting, try the Swamp Fries. My wife usually gets it as a meal and brings some home for later.
Bottom line: Great barbecue at Joseph’s Riverport.

This is a great casual restaurant in the old part of town — right on the highway. Food is great — I agree with the other reviews. There is a lot of good Barbeque in East Texas and this is one of the best.

Who would have thought that out in the middle of East Texas that one could find an amazing Texas pit BBQ place? I certainly didn’t; in fact, most travel guides and best of Texas BBQ books typically don’t even mention this icon. You won’t even find Joseph’s Riverport BBQ as an honorable mention in «Follow the Smoke,» a tour of Texas BBQ book/​guide written by a local Houstonian. If you blink, you could easily miss this place situated on the main intersection of the old historic downtown part of Jefferson, and missing your opportunity for some truly outstanding food.
All the parking is on the street and unless you want to park a couple blocks away in one of the many open business lots, my suggestion is to go ahead and park when you see the first available parking space, as most spaces will turn over fairly quickly. The majority of cars are not parked for hours on end, so if you drive around and can’t find a parking spot, drive around again and magically you may find at least a couple spaces that opened up. The restaurant is easily located on the corner of the intersection, which gives it a lot of great natural light during the day… but then again, they typically sell out of BBQ long before night time arrives.
Joseph’s is family owned, locally operated, and staffed with some of the friendliest East Texas people you’ll ever meet. The owner is not what you would expect to see in a small town BBQ place with his shaved head, earrings, and tattoos, but his eclectic look is exactly what gives this place the character it needs to separate it from any other BBQ place. Décor is left to the walls with the unique plaques, memorabilia, Texas trashy tackiness, pictures, and photos, because they certainly didn’t invest in their seating. Plastic folding tables and chairs are what you will sit and eat on if you choose to dine in.
The menu isn’t all BBQ, but why else would you come for a burger in a great BBQ place? Either way, they do offer selections other than BBQ for dining, but the BBQ is amazing, so please don’t bother with ordering a burger. Ribs, brisket, sausage, smoked turkey, and pulled pork are the usual staples on the menu, but you’ll also find some interesting finds like the swamp fries and the daily meal deals. What are swamp fries? It’s like eating a combination of Mexican style fries with shredded brisket; the flavor is fantastic, but the only suggestion I have for the business is that they switch out the cold shredded cheese for hot melted queso.
Another recommendation is to stay away from the tea, fountain drinks and ice since the local water is pretty nasty. You should opt for a bottled water or anything that comes bottled from their cooler since a cold beer always goes nicely with BBQ. Most of the time they do offer the drink included with their daily specials, but ask for an upgrade to something that doesn’t require their local water being used.
I was fortunate enough to spend a little time in Jefferson and the surrounding areas this summer, but I probably won’t be back for some time. However, Jefferson is the unofficial B&B capital of Texas, with almost more B&B’s than residents, so I very well may be back soon for an overnight stay and another visit to this new favorite BBQ spot. Even if you’re only driving through the area, you absolutely must make a stop here to enjoy some amazing Texas style smoked BBQ.

Cutting straight to the chase here; would I recommend this place? I guess if you absolutely had to eat in town, and if my #1 choice was closed, and you didn’t pack a sandwich, I would.
In comparison to all the BBQ I’ve had around Texas, this is a 1 star place. If I am comparing this restaurant to all of your other choices here in Jefferson, it would get 2 ½ stars from me. This place is just meh. I found myself eating the sides more than the meat.
I ordered sliced lean brisket, smoked turkey, potato salad, bbq beans, & swamp fries. Brisket was dry, (and no, it’s not because I ordered it lean, bc I didn’t even get lean slices). Turkey was bland and didn’t have much smoked flavor, potato salad was average, bbq beans tasted more like ranch style beans, and the swamp fries had nice flavor, but it was too loaded with hunks and chunks of brisket fat, that I couldn’t enjoy it, and I ordered lean brisket on that too.
So, no, I prob will pass on going back. I’ll drive into Shreveport and visit the trailer on the bad part of town, order my bbq through his little window and carry it all the way back, before eating there again.

I’ve visited Jefferson many times, but never stopped at Joseph’s Riverport BBQ until I realized it was on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ spots list.
We made the trek to Jefferson on Saturday for lunch. We arrived to a mostly empty restaurant at 11:15 or so & walked right up to the counter to order. Very friendly service.
As we sat and waited for order, which was brought to our table, the line grew long & soon the restaurant was packed! The sign on the door said the day’s hours were «11am til sold out» — might not take long at this rate.
We had a 2-​meat plate, sampling delicious, flavorful, tender brisket & sausage that was also very good.
Upon advice of other Unilocalers, we also had to try the Swamp Fries. I’m so glad we did! I would never have ordered them otherwise — and they were delicious!
We will definitely return to try the ribs next time.

What can I say, except yummy food. I had the pulled pork with tater salad and cole slaw. Cleaned the plate!!!

EXCELLENT brisket and ribs! Yes, excellent! Do not leave without having the swamp fries! Friendly people. Pecan cobbler was delicious!

Brisket, potato salad, baked beans and other menu items were melt in your mouth good. Very friendly staff.

You must try the beans!!! Yes, the BBQ is great but if you get out of there without trying the beans, you’ll be missing out big time! They are smokey and I think they have bits of brisket in them. They are great! We bought a pint to take home, wished I’d bought a gallon!

Yesterday was one of those rare days when both my wife and I were off work. We had planned on some type of outdoor family adventure, but the rainy weather made us modify our plans. Plan B was to make a short trek to Texas for some delectable barbecue. I brought, Alli, my oldest daughter here last year when I started my journey to visit the TM Top 50 joints, so I already knew that we were going to get a respectable meal.
Alli and I asked for untrimmed fatty brisket – sliced. I’ll have to admit that there wasn’t much of a crust, but the perfectly rendered fat made up for it. The meat was a bit blandish, but it did have a nice flavor and was deliciously tender. Any joker can chop shoe leather and slather it in sauce, but it takes a certain level of expertise to smoke up a slab of fork tender meat. My wife, Heather, and I had a second dose of brisket in our swamp fries – a devilish concoction of hand cut fries smothered in brisket, jalapeños, onions, and cheese. Hand cut fries are the best and when they are paired with BBQ, they are phenomenal.
The spare ribs had a nice smoke ring. There wasn’t much rub induced flavor, but they were nice. They gave the perfect resistance when bitten. No mushy meat and it came clean from the bone.
The smoked sausage was forgettable. It gave a nice hint of fire as if they were hot links, but I should have passed on it to make room for some smoked turkey.
The barbecue beans were punched up baked beans from a can, but man, they were punched up. I really enjoyed them.
I also asked the pit master what he puts in the sauce that gives it its sweetness. He immediately responded with brown sugar. When I pressed him, he gave a bit of a sly smile but wouldn’t give it up. I detected a fruity note, perhaps cherry. Whatever he sneaks into his sauce works.
Aside from the lack of bark on these delectable morsels and the tired sausage, everything was perfect. I’m a bit surprised because my favorite from our smörgåsbord was the swamp fries. Incredible.
I’d rate this establishment a 3.5÷5. I’ll be back.

Hands Down probably the Best BBQ in the area! Awesome ribs with meat that falls off the bone, amazing brisket that can be cut with a plastic fork. Great potato salad and beans as sides. And get an order of Swamp Fries to share — you’ll be glad you did!

Best BBQ in east Texas and its not even close. Their brisket and ribs always hit the spot. Also try their burgers and swamp fries if you don’t feel like BBQ. Nothing in Longview or Marshall compares.

Love love love the Swamp Fries!!!

Absolutely the best brisket I ever had. And the sloppy Joe was outstanding. Kettle chips: outstanding. Okra: outstanding.

Some of the best brisket ever! Very moist with a nice crust. Delicious and a bargain too! The baked beans were amazing! Great flavor!

Jefferson is a tourist town, and restaurants tend to come and go here. Some are average and don’t last, and some — like Riverport Barbecue — are destined for success.
I stopped in here with two colleagues as we were heading out of town after concluding our business in East Texas. We found the place with our noses, once we were within a couple of blocks — the tantalizing smell of smoke and brisket was more effective than any sign.
Riverport was running a lunch special that day that consisted of a two meat plate with two sides for $ 10. That’s a smokin’ price (pun intended) since the rising cost of beef has driven barbecue prices up to ridiculous new highs at a lot of places.
The brisket was sliced about ¾″ thick, and was moist, smoky, and flavorful with a beautiful bark. The sausage was so-​so, but not bad. I had the coleslaw and barbecue beans with it, and the only thing I’d have probably changed is to order the pinto beans instead, as the barbecue beans were a little too sticky-​sweet from brown sugar and molasses.
The guy running the place was out working the floor, talking to customers, checking on their food, and greeting folks as they walked in the door. Definitely an excellent addition to the dining choices in Jefferson.

It’s roughly 300 miles and 5 hours of driving to make it on US-​59 from Houston to Texarkana, and Joseph’s Riverport Barbecue is the only place along that stretch to make Texas Monthly’s recent Top 50 BBQ joints list. And so it was bookmarked.
The small town of Jefferson, Texas is just a hop skip off of 59, and made for an easy detour. The drag where the storefront is located appears enviably charming, with that small-​town glow that makes for fictitious-​friendly places like Dillon, TX.
The barbecue place itself, whether intentional or not, exuded a «we don’t like your kind here» vibe from both the patrons and staff. That’s fine; I’m sure this place isn’t as accustomed to being a tourist pit stop like Lockhart or Snow’s in Lexington. Still, I felt just a tad safer ordering to go and eating while driving.
According to its pub, Joseph’s actually rebuilt after a nasty fire a while back, meaning its new storefront looked very new with all the traditionalist BBQ décor. Ordering is counter or via drive-​through, again very small-​town feel.
We ordered a brisket sandwich as well as smoked turkey, along with a side of potato salad. The brisket was very well-​done, the sandwich stuffed with six hearty slices. I appreciated the thick cut, as well as the two fatty-​end pieces snuggled on the bottom. Really good bark accompanied a nice smoke ring and juicy interior, though the lean cuts were just dry enough that the tangy BBQ sauce helped along bites of sandwich.
The turkey was very moist and tender, and is not a bad alternative for the non-​beef eaters. Potato salad was of the mashed variety and mustard based.
I don’t recommend driving all the way through east Texas, but if you have to, dining choices are basically limited to chain fast food and local joints like Joseph’s. Sure, that Whataburger looked mighty tempting the sixth time we saw one, but I’d never had BBQ in east Texas and likely never will have again, cockeyes be darned.