A Serendipitous Discovery in Bristol, VA
Every so often in life, while wandering along some unknown road and exploring, you come across something so interesting that you have to stop and examine it closely. When you do, you realize you’re not sure where it has been all your life. That unknown road suddenly becomes familiar because of the profound discovery you made there.
We had just such a discovery today while driving through a neighborhood we had only visited once before, and what we discovered wasn’t something we could have noticed the last time we drove that road.
As we cruised down Randolph Street in a charming little neighborhood of Bristol, VA, we saw all kinds of quaint churches, houses, and a small store called The Ballpark Corner Market, which, according to a friend, has amazing hot dogs (but this story isn’t about that). We found ourselves at the corner of Randolph and Vance Streets.
Beyond the Scent of Smoke: A Farm-to-Table Experience
The smell of hardwood smoke immediately takes us in, so we turn into the parking lot of Bristol Gardens & Grill at 285 Vance Street, Bristol, VA. This isn’t the first time we’ve discovered this place. Last year, we saw it and made a mental note to stop by when it was open. At my age, mental notes don’t last long, so I had forgotten about it; however, recently, as I researched Farm to Table Restaurants, I kept coming across this place again.
The reason is that they recently opened a new location in Bristol, TN, at the Bristol Sportsplex on 1315 Bluff City Highway. Another thing that automatically intrigued me is that this place isn’t just farm-to-table. It’s tables, at a farm. No, seriously, the tables are close enough to pick your produce.
Also, the Smokers and grills are right outside, and the wood they use to fire them is split and stacked right next to the greenhouse where they grow chilis for their various sauces and spices, which they make in-house.
So, what’s on the menu here at Bristol Gardens& Grill? BBQ and everything that goes with it! The menu is pretty extensive and includes the classics and even a few Appalachian Specialties.
They have a six-item Starters menu with two items I notice right off, Pork Bites, and Pimento Cheese and Chips. I noticed the Pork bites because I had seen them on their website, and they look to me to be similar to what I call meat candy, which is Burnt Ends. It’s what I will have next time I go there.
The other thing I noticed (being a Californian Transplant to the region) is the uniquely Appalachian Pimento Cheese and Chips. Pimento Cheese is a thing here.
Bristol Gardens & Grill has a wide variety of choices of sandwiches, including their Signature, The BGG, which is described as: “A mix of both sliced and pulled pork, piled high, tossed in our signature red BBQ sauce, topped with our regular or spicy homemade pickles.” Something you need to check out here are those pickles!
They have 15 Specialty Sandwiches on the menu. My wife, Kathy, ordered the Brisket Sandwich. That’s how I know about the pickles. Bristol Gardens & Grill also has their Blue Plate Special, which includes your choice of meat and two sides. I Gilded that Lilly with an extra meat choice for just a slight bit more money.
They also have a Premium version of the Blue Plate Special, which gives you 1/3 Rack of Ribs and Brisket. The menu also includes four salads and one of my all-time, ridiculously favorite things in Appalachia, Banana Pudding! That’s another big thing here, and I love it!
Taking the Flavor Home: Catering and Bulk Options
Now, here’s the best part: you can buy the meat in bulk. They sell it by the pound for you to take home for your hungry family or next party. They also offer catering. If you’re planning an event or gathering, consider having them create memorable, custom meals or choose from their catering menu.
Meeting the Pit Master and His Squad
When we came into the place to order, we were immediately impressed with the variety of pepper sauces they make from peppers grown on site. They also sell herb and pepper blends as seasoning.
Another thing that we were immediately impressed with was the very cheerful and upbeat young person behind the counter, Gracie Lambert, who was terrific to deal with. She answered our questions while we decided on our orders and accommodated my initial indecisiveness.
I went with the Blue Plate Special with Brisket and pulled pork, Cole Slaw, and smoked Mac & Cheese as sides. Just about the time we had placed our orders, the owner walked in, and I recognized him from the online research I had done. I introduced myself, and he introduced himself as Matt Shy, owner and Pit Master.
Matt took us on a tour while we waited for our food to come out, so I got to ask lots of questions. Now, I’m going to tell you that this interview was easy, because while his name may be Shy, he isn’t. He is deeply passionate and extremely friendly, considering we just popped in on him. We would soon learn about what that means to the products he makes, the people he employs, and the source he uses.
He explained his origin story and his values. As we walked out onto the property, we were immediately confronted by long greenhouses. The first was filled with plants growing, and it was explained that Matt’s friend grows those plants.
The next greenhouse we looked at was not full of plants but tables. Matt pointed to a screened-in patio with other tables and told us that while that was his fair-weather dining room, the greenhouse with the tables is the foul-weather dining room.
He had built it when he was hard on funds, so it was a bunch of wooden picnic tables set end to end. The greenhouse ceiling has some upgraded lighting fixtures for added dining ambiance. It was rustic and as organic as the plants they grow—a perfect venue for a party or event.
We moved on to the heart of the operation, the smokers and grill. It’s an outdoor kitchen, clearly set up to prepare large amounts of meat. In this space, we got a chance to look at his smoker design and discuss his business and philosophy, so we could fully understand his perspective.
A Maverick Approach to BBQ: The Smoker Design
It turns out that Matt Shy is the owner and has been in business since February 1st, 2017. He is not just passionate about the food he is making, but also about the way he is making it, and it all starts with his philosophy of not wasting anything.
He showed us a box of habanero peppers he had just picked. “These we picked yesterday,” he told us. “They’re destined to be dehydrated, and we’re gonna harvest the seed. The pulp that is solid, we will powder, and that will go in our OG crunch and also in our dry rubs. So multi-use, we waste nothing because we can’t afford to waste anything.”
We then moved on to the beating heart of his operation: the smokers and grill. It was immediately evident that these were not ordinary rigs. Matt had designed them himself, and his brother brought them to life.
He explained his design, which was created to solve two common issues with DIY smokers. The first, he said, is that “the meat drips fat into the fire, which causes flare-up issues, which can result in a poor ending for your product.”
The second is that the expandable metal grates are not cleaned and sanitized every day. “I feel like that’s very important.” He showed us the design of his hybrid rig, pointing out how the firebox in the front is his indirect fire pit, and a second fire that he keeps going all day is his direct fire. This dual-fire setup is unique compared with anything he has ever seen.
On the rig, he was preparing three pans of pork butts for a catering order the following day, as well as smoking onions and garlic to be puréed and infused into multiple recipes. As we looked at the rig, he had us step back to appreciate how the smoke wasn’t enveloping the meat.
He explained that “we took a little pin hammer and knocked two chimneys into the natural stack. We’ve cut holes in the steel so it’s a natural draft. This fire’s actually pushing the smoke out. So, this is not nearly as smoky as many rigs you see.” He told us that other smokers are designed to envelop the meat with smoke, making it very smoky. He designs his rigs so that the meat is not as smoky. “And you’ll notice I don’t season my meats because it’s an intense heat in here and I want you to taste the meat, not the smoke.”
Next to the Smokers is a giant pile of wood, which was being tended to by Keegan Anderson, one of Matt’s kids’ friends. I asked Matt about the wood, and he told me that they use Oak, Hickory, Cherry, and Apple, each of which has particular characteristics in terms of flavoring the meat. I was just as impressed when he told me how he sources the wood. Turns out, he gets dropped off by local tree services when they cut trees down in the area, another example of sourcing locally.
The Community Pit Master and a Family Affair
This philosophy, he told us, is why they smoke so many turkeys at Thanksgiving. He explained that they “smoke people’s turkeys for them” for just $20. “That way, they buy the size they want. I don’t have to fool with storing them. I smoke exactly what we need and no more.” He went on to say that last year they did 72 turkeys in two days.
Matt smiled when he told us his son turned 21 this year and asked if he could be the butcher. Matt laughed and said, “I said, Yes. You can be the butcher.” Matt was so appreciative of his son’s help, telling us that “having him take the butchery off my hands, it was a piece of cake. Yeah, that’s much better.”
From Greenhouse to Grill: Local Sourcing and a Positive Ethos
We continued our tour to the greenhouses, where we met a young woman named Addie Stinson, who was soaking wet. “This is hose water, not sweat,” she quickly assured us. Matt told us that this was his “little Zen Garden,” and the peppers we saw were what they use for the hot sauces and dry rubs.
“This is the sixth year that we have grown from our own seed. So, we actually have heirloom status on all my peppers, which is unique and fun, but not really critical for me. I don’t care, but it’s fun.” He also showed us that the rows of peppers are planted in a progression, from mildest on the left to hottest on the right.
“When you get to the sixth row,” he said, “the one on your farthest right, just don’t do it. Just don’t do it. They’re just too hot, and it’s not their fault.” He also told us that this was the best crop of peppers he’s ever had and that Addie was a fantastic worker.
It was clear that Matt was not only passionate about his food but also about the people he works with and the positive environment he is creating. “We run a catering business, we run a restaurant, and we sell retail. We have another location over at the Sportsplex… and we smoke our own meats.”
His commitment to the community extends to his suppliers. He told us he sources his meat from Malcolm’s Meat Service, a business he said is “right down the road” and a true local partner, noting he “went to high school with one of the owners.” It turns out Malcolm’s Meat Service is a USDA-inspected facility located just a few blocks away, which explains how Matt gets such great meat.
Matt explained that he takes his “white truck to Malcolm’s every morning. Bring it back and stick it in the smoker. Back it right up beside the smoker. It never goes inside; it never goes into the restaurant.”
He laughed and said that, unlike a lot of other restaurants, his lack of storage space ensures that “the stuff I’m smoking today will be used in two to three days, tops, and usually it’s just by tomorrow. Here, there’s not enough storage space for it to get old.”
As for why he started the business, he said, “I’ve been in restauranting my whole life.” He started smoking meat at his father’s restaurant when he was only 13 years old. After running a chain of pizza restaurants, he looked up one day and saw that his wife was raising their four children while he was raising “two pizza joints.”
He realized that “wasn’t really the life choice that I wanted for my kids. So, I decided to buy this place because it was dirt cheap. It was a dog.” The greenhouses were already there, and he initially planned for his family to grow plants and have the farm “pay for itself that way.” But when he started “playing around,” he realized he could create his own unique restaurant concept.
“We pay the bills, all the family members. I’ve got three kids that work for me, plus myself.” He hires his kids’ best friends instead of putting ads in the paper. “So, you’re looking at a lot of my squad, who are just teenagers,” he said. “But I’m teaching them how to be responsible employees. And honestly, I don’t really want to send them out in the real world right now because I find the real world to be a little scary, a little disturbing, a little bothersome.”
He concluded by saying that this property is the “opposite of that. This is a whole lot of positive and a whole lot of good vibes.” It was a sentiment we could both feel and appreciate.
It was at that moment that Matt mentioned that our food was at the table and we should eat, so we happily took our seats and dug in. Remember, I ordered the Blue Plate with pulled pork and Brisket, and the two sides are Smoked Mac and Cheese and Cole Slaw. Kathy ordered the Brisket Sandwich.
The first thing we both observed was the flavor and texture of both of the meats. Both were incredibly tender, extremely juicy, and very flavorful due to the smoking process and the fact that Matt doesn’t use rubs or spices on the meat.
Kathy also pointed out that the smoke on the meat was very mild and not overpowering, unlike when I smoke meat. (I usually might take that as a dig, but I had to agree with her). The way Matt designed his smokers, he explained to us earlier, is the reason for that.
That same gentle smokiness was also evident in the smoked mac and cheese, and I have to tell you, I honestly don’t care what anyone says about carbs anymore after that. I will eat that any day. I wanted to take a bucket home with us.
Texturally, both the pork and the brisket were big winners, and I am convinced it’s because of the way they are finished. The pork is very finely pulled into tiny fibers. I feel like that helps to keep it juicy and tender. The Brisket is sliced very thinly compared to other BBQ places, and I know that factor made it even more tender.
Conclusion:
Bristol Gardens & Grill is everything you have always wanted in a BBQ Joint and a bunch of things you might not have known you wanted, but you do. The BBQ is spot on beautiful BBQ, but it is also unique in the way it’s done.
I might argue that it is the only one of its kind, which makes it worth eating. This place is a proud example of the very definition of farm-to-table eating and sets the bar for everyone else.
It truly lives up to the ethos and values of buying locally, which is always going to be a good thing. Still, the twist is also employing local, teaching a skill, and keeping young folks doing productive, positive, and happy work.
We cannot recommend this place enough. We wish them many years of success!
Update!
