RIB-OFF! Critic’s tasting of the Pinellas eight from the Savory Sixteen

(Read all about the Rib-Off here.)

After tasting through the Savory Sixteen rib joints — chosen by voters in our Tournament of Ribs Readers’ Poll — I can only come to two possible conclusions. Either the east side of the Bay has a significantly better barbecue scene, or the Pinellas voters have no idea what constitutes good ribs. Even the least successful ribs on the Hillsborough side of the bracket beat out most of the Pinellas offerings, although there are a couple of standouts in St. Pete to give Tampa a run for its pork.

Here are my thoughts on Pinellas’ eight Savory Sixteen rib joints, in order of preference:

This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2010.