Jimbo's Pit Bar B Q - Tampa Florida

I've lived in Tampa for three years. During that time I've been searching for "real" bbq ribs with little luck. Linda and I finally found them Saturday at Jimbo's Pit Bar B Q.

Lots of restaurants serve bbq pork ribs, but many are overcooked, over tender, and candied.  Jimbo's ribs are just the way I like them.  They still taste like pork and the meat doesn't fall off the bone. It tears off  and leaves bite marks.

Located in Tampa on West Kennedy near the Fox 13 studios, Jimbo's is a barbecue location. It's not some fancy upscale foo foo restaurant masquerading as a wannabe bbq joint. It's the real deal. After 33 years in Tampa, Jimbo's is still going strong.  The atmosphere is casual. The tables and chairs are rustic. Even the exterior is painted a plain, flat, brown color.  There's no stucco or fancy brick work at Jimbo's.  It's a "bbq joint" - plain and simple.  

The smoker is located out back and they cook with real wood.  I think it's an Oyler, but I haven't been able to verify that for sure.  I know Jimbo's in Lakeland definitely uses an Oyler Pit manufactured by J & R Manufacturing.  If you're not familar with an Oyler Pit here's a quick run down.  The pit is wood fired, NSF and UL listed.

Linda had the chopped pork sandwich and I had the combo platter with pork ribs and sliced beef.  The sauce is served warm. I hadn't seen that before, but I liked it. 

Both pork entrees were very good. The sliced beef, made from Beef Round according to the menu, wasn't the brisket I had expected and it needed a little more sauce than I usually like, but I enjoyed trying something different.