Smokin J’s Bbq

I’ve stopped in here a few times to grab a quick lunch. I really like the pulled pork sandwich he makes. The sauce he uses is tasty. I’d put it up there with most other BBQ places. Chips are available as a side.,.,.,
Not a bad place at all for a good sandwich. Don’t bring your date here… because…it’s at a Shell station.

So I’m sitting at the corner of Hwy 19 and Tampa Rd. and glanced over to a gas station sign with the gas price at the top and a whole list of signs going down it. At the very bottom I saw «Barbecue $ 5».
Hmmm, barbecue at a gas station? I’ve gotta check this out. I had to do some turning around to get to it, and before I did, my BBQ coonhound nose picked up the unmistakable scent of righteous smoky goodness which led me straight to a screened-​in rib shack at the back of the station’s parking lot. Next to it is a small food shack where you can order, and in front of it are 2 tall tables with 4 tall chairs surrounding each with an umbrella to get out of the sun. My guest and I chose to sit and enjoy the great breeze that was coming off the gulf that day.
Smokin J’s has been at this location since mid-​2011, and it appears things are going well. While we were there in early afternoon a good number of patrons stopped by to eat or takeout.
The menu is basic… ribs, pulled pork, sausage and a few other things. I ordered a plate of pulled pork, with mac ‘n cheese and baked beans for sides. The plate arrived quickly. The pork was a bit too moist for my taste, but easily remedied by tilting the box of food and blotting up the moisture with a napkin. They offered a selection of sauces including sweet and spicy. They gave me a taste test of spicy and it seemed ok for heat.
Our orders were served up quickly. We both ordered the pulled pork plate and sides, and the boxes they served were a huge quantity, with enough meat to make 3 sandwiches. They served the pork with a (perhaps too) liberal amount of sauce on the meat. The flavor of the pork was good, but I think next time I’d try to get the sauce on the side and add it myself to taste. I think I’ll try the sweet sauce as well. My sides of mac ‘n cheese and baked beans were bland, and I just ate a few bites. I finished about half the pork, and took the rest home.
The meal that day was very average (with the sides below average), but I was curious if it would taste the same the next day. Remarkably, everything the next day tasted far better, with the flavors of the meat, beans and mac ‘n cheese somehow melding together with flavor that definitely wasn’t there the previous day. Strange. While I’ve had good dishes taste better the next day when the flavors melded (e.g. a pot of chili or spaghetti sauce), I’ve never had average (to below average) dishes improve over night all to the level of good. Next time, I think I’ll just get my order to go, take it home and eat it the next day to confirm our results. I definitely want to try the ribs and smoked sausage too.
It’s tough to rate Smokin J’s because of the change in flavor overnight. For now I’ll rate it a bit conservatively until I can confirm the flavors again. My ratings on the outdoor BBQ shack scale:
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 4
Food: 3
Value: 4