Guest BBQ Joint Review: The Shed in Ocean Springs, MS

Today I’d like to introduce another author to you who you may or may not be familiar with and publish a topic in a different category – let me know what you think!  Wayne and I cross paths on Twitter a lot and have been involved in reviewing some of the same BBQ sauces.  We don’t always agree on the end results, but the guy has a great sense of humor and seems to love BBQ sauce like me – so he’s good in my book.  We were also involved on a great BBQ sauce special podcast on Brian & Marilyn Meagers HotSauceWeekly Podcast here.  And he’s good buddies with my buddy Prince of Q (aka Jay Prince). A good friend of Jay’s is a good friend of mine.   Here’s his review and check him out directly if you like his style, I’m sure you will.   Thanks, Brian

Gettin’ Fed at The Shed with Big Wayner

Guest Post by Wayne Brown, Big Wayner’s BBQ Blog
http://www.bigwaynerbbq.com
bigwaynerbbq@gmail.com

My journey into the world of BBQ has been full of awe.  Ever since I’ve delved deep into the world of BBQ, I have read of BBQ joints where my response has been, “I’ve gotta check this place out!”  One of these places is in my home state of Mississippi and is a little hole in the wall that many of you may be familiar with.

Let’s go check out the original location of The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint in Ocean Springs, MS…

Most people are familiar with the faces of The Shed – Brad Orrison and his sister Brooke, so I will not write much about that.  I have to admit that we were not really prepared for what we saw when we drove up.  This place truly is a joint, and they are proud of that fact!

The joint started out as a 300 square foot area made specifically for take-out, and the components were made from dumpster diving findings.  As The Shed grew in popularity with its customers, they all contributed to expanding the place by (and I quote directly from the page on The Shed’s website about their story) “bringing in more junk to spruce up the place”.  It grew and morphed and evolved, and what started as a 300 square foot take-out area turned into a 9,570 square foot eatery and entertainment venue.  Seating capacity is 120 inside and an additional 450 outside.

Looking at the décor, you can definitely say that this place is crowd-sourced!  I think the feel of the place took my dad for surprise.  This is tailor-made for a party atmosphere!

Once you enter The Shed, you order your meal at the counter then go grab a seat where one of the Shed Sweethearts or Shed Guys brings your order out to you.  I couldn’t decide on just one thing, so I order the Shed Sampler Platter with beans, slaw, and potato salad.  (Pardon the bad picture, I couldn’t get a good shot of everything).

I know you are all wondering what I thought about the meal.  I’ll start with the sides first…

  • Slaw – a classic slaw.  Very nice flavor and texture.  Not overly creamy, but just right.
  • Beans (not picture above) – honestly, not very noteworthy.  Not a lot of bold flavor.   Kinda plain.
  • Potato salad – like manna from Heaven!  Creamy, mayonnaise-based, and full of yummy goodness!

And now for the meats…

  • Ribs (both baby backs and spares) – meat and sauce had good flavor.  But overcooked.  A bit of a mushy texture.
  • Sausage – good and solid.  Nothing exotic or out of the ordinary.  A good choice.
  • Chicken (served in the form of wings) – like the sausage, good and solid.  Enjoyed the sauce used here.
  • Brisket – served pulled.  Really disappointing.  Completely bone-dry.
  • Pork – AMAZING!!  Perfect smoke and flavor.  Very moist.  Award-winning!

I can now cross off The Shed (at its original location) off of my BBQ bucket list.  Some items were great, and some were left wanting.  I definitely want to go again, but my next visit will be on a weekend to take in all of the atmosphere and ambiance!

The Ocean Springs location of The Shed is located at 7501 Highway 57, Ocean Springs, MS 39565.  Their website is located at http://www.theshedbbq.com, and you can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Wayne knows a lot of folks in the BBQ Competition Community so he’s yet another good person to send your sauces to if you are looking to get something on the web about your product!

Wayne Brown, Big Wayner’s BBQ Blog
http://www.bigwaynerbbq.com
bigwaynerbbq@gmail.com

Site Editor, BBQ Sauce Lover, Family Guy, Hi Tech Marketer by Day. He recently wrote the Ebook “How to Market Your BBQ Sauce” which can be purchased on this site.

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Comments

  1. Thanks for the opportunity to do a blog post on here! I look forward to more of the same in the future.

  2. Great blog post as always Wayne! Hope to check The Shed out some day and this review makes me want to even more!

    Jay

  3. Thank you for the great review on the site.

    I’m always looking for great writers such as yourself who love BBQ to share their experiences on the site.

    The pictures are really cool and add a lot of character to the place.

    Brian

  4. skinny cook says

    i ate at the north gulfport store. Great atmosphere and service butttt the worst beans and brisket i have ever been served ! Brisket was pulled, stringy, and floating in sauce. I felt sorry for the cow.

  5. Awesome review, Wayne! Jay and Brian, thanks for giving Wayne this platform – we need to see more of his stuff here! 🙂

  6. Great Review Big Wayner. This place has been on my bucket list as well. They came and cooked in Greenville, SC last year at the NBBQA annual convention. I didnt realize it until it was to late to take off for it. But I did go and got my KCBS CBJ at the convention and got to see The Sheds cool mobile setup.

    Funny how BBQ works. I met Wayne then met Jay through Wayne and now follow Brian and his BBQ Sauce Reviews because of Jay.

    • All roads lead to BBQ Sauce Reviews – LOL. Just kiddin man, thanks a lot for hanging out on the site and especially for leaving a comment.

      B

  7. The Mac Salad is awesome! I hate you didn’t sample that.

  8. OceanSpringsGal says

    I never really considered The Shed’s beans much, but you are right, not a very bold flavor. They really are kind of hit and miss for me, but I must say I usually only enjoy their baby-back ribs. I don’t go there much, but I am always impressed with the way Brad always donates to non-profits.

    As a Southern woman, I love BBQ. I have recently discovered AnJac’s in Gulfport, MS. You should check it out. I just had chicken tenders that I dipped in their BBQ, but I have been wanting to try it again. Plus, they serve fried corn on the cob!

    • The baby backs for me had good flavor, but were overcooked. Out of all the proteins, the pork was the star. It was perfectly moist and flavorful and had a good smokey profile!

      I have no idea when I’m travelling back to MS, but thanks for the recommendation on AnJac’s!

  9. First taste of of The Shed Original Southern Sweet bottled sauce. Brown sugar, molasses and heavy liquid smoke. They really ought to be ashamed of themselves. Nasty nasty.
    I’ve seen Brad and crew on tv many times and I expected better. That’ll learn me! LOL

  10. Deborah Ojala says

    Don’t bother! ! Terrible service! Mediocre food for the price ! And again BAD SERVICE!! Didn’t get what we ordered and they never fixed it. Terrible staff!!

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