Review: The Pit Stop

For three hours on the hottest day of the year, we found a little bit of small town Alabama within a relatively short drive from D.C. Driving down route 50, among old civil war battlefield markers, not far past the Dulles Airport, is The Pit Stop. It's just that...a small family run side of the road BBQ joint that screams old school and authentic. The BBQ reminded us of the style we hold near and dear to our hearts. The Pit Stop style of BBQ is not found very often in this region and its hard to compare it to the typical style of BBQ one finds at places like Mr. P's or KBQ.

It was both old school and authentic, and not even the oppressive heat could dampen our spirits as we pulled up. If you fancy something else there are also a few other folks set up on the corner selling boat fresh Maine lobster, farm fresh fruits, etc. But if you are like us, you are here for the real thing....good barbecue. The owner, Ron, is always running around hard at work ensuring that his ribs and chicken are ready for the steady stream of folks that stop by to get their BBQ fix.

We got a half slab each and had a side of potato salad and coleslaw. Both the sides are very homemade and tasty. The ribs are very well smoked using hickory and Ron provides the ribs with no sauce or as much sauce as you would like. While we are usually fans of dry ribs....the sauce here is worth putting on a nice coating. Sweet and vinegary, but not overwhelming the sauce reminds us of home....true to some of the sauces we are familiar with in West Alabama. Ron mops the ribs twice, once on each side, during the cooking process with the sauce....which he refers to as "black gold". The pricing is very reasonable with a half rack running us $13. Ron also gave us a taste of his delicious smoke chicken salad, worth getting some to go.

What made the experience even better was enjoying our time with the owner, Ron, as well as the owner of the Maine lobster joint, Christian, and Jay who owns a few bars/restaurants (Sullys & Jaxx) in the area. We had a good 'ol time....traded stories, told jokes, talked about football, woman, politics and generally forgot we were sitting on the side of a highway when it was well over 100 degrees outside.

Presentation/Visual: 8
Tenderness: 8
Taste/Smoke Flavor: 9
Sauce: 10
Overall Impression: 9

Recommendation: The Pit Stop is in Aldie, VA (about 30 miles outside of DC) and is well worth the scenic drive to enjoy this special place on the outskirts of our fair city. Ron only cooks Saturday and Sunday 11am-4pm. Keep in mind he cooks everything he brings and when he is out he is out. We recommend you get to The Pit Stop on the earlier side of their working hours. We'll be going back and we hope we can enjoy some of this delicious 'Q with you, albeit in better weather.

Gilbert's Corner
Intersection of Route 15 and Route 50
Aldie, VA