Uncle Fred’s BBQ Smoke Shack located at 147 North Loudoun St.
Contact Phone: (540) 665-9555

My first visit….

The other day while bee-bopping around Winchester or more specific while strolling thru the Apple Blossom’s mid-way on the Loudoun St walking mall to take in the crowds and to find something maybe good to eat when it struck me that I’d heard of a NEW locally owned “rib place” and decided that I’d passed by ALL the funnel cake, Polish Sausage and deep fried food stands filling the air with their specifically wonderful aroma and try a sit down with local owner…

I walked in and smelled “promise”…I looked around and felt I might be at home…but then the pulled pork
sandwich I ordered showed up and I think disappointment and despair MIGHT be the first words that comes to mind…only to be followed pretty quickly by, dry…dry.… (Coughing) DRY !!!

Maybe it was the day I posted ? What with all the excitement downtown or maybe it was that fact that it
was 2:00pm I the afternoon and all the “good stuff” had gone….but what ever the reason, the next word that comes to my mind for the potential 2nd visit is courage !

Round Two- My second visit….

So believing that the perfect rib exists and that it should be found in Winchester…and further hoping beyond pale that Uncle Fred’s IS the place for many, many reasons one would find such a rib I have returned and write today to report that YES Virginia there is good BBQ here and that it’s just a hare’s breath from being perfect!!

On Saturday last an old friend of mine hit town early enough for the two of us to take in Winchesters night life… While on our trek from one end to the other end of the walking mall we past Uncle Fred’s who was still open at 12:00pm… Pushing thru the glass door and the few folks just finishing up there we made our way to the counter and placed a rib order with the man himself…10 minutes later we where back out the door and up to our elbows on the provided out door patio furniture in BBQ… mmmm, yuuuummm, and man that’s pretty damn good…the meat just fell from the bone….just slid away…and the big thick pieces of white bread added to the order was right on time to soak up the left over sauce…

Now, now BEFORE ya all go racing ahead, remember I said “almost” heaven, “almost” a home run and nearly
a perfect experience…maybe it was the night I visited, but the ribs Uncle Fred hooked me with that evening was the kinda rib ya get at a Chinese Restaurant…you know the kind with that little bit of gristly gristle junk at the end…?

Yuk and eeeewwww never been a fan of that cut of meat for a rib and hope it’s just all he could get that day…and if ya can get past that, then baby your home free…the sauce was just the right amount of everything and the tenderness of the meat perfect…now Fred DID tell us of a few OTHER things that he’s planning for the spring and summer of 2009;

1. Open till early morning for the night crowds and a breakfast he’s still putt’n together
2. An outdoor front side BBQ pit that he’s planning to man on the weekends…

Uncle Fred thank you…I’d pick your place over all others for BBQ in Winchester Va and I can’t say
enough about how much I appreciate you’re wanting to serve the public really good food…

I’d say it shows….