Jinx’s Pit Stop Barbecue

This is the hole in the wall BBQ you’ve been looking for! What a great find. Excellent bbq, eclectic environment, and the guy who runs the place is awesome.

OK, it’s not the Ritz, so enough negativity said about the facility itself! Go to the bathroom in advance, close your eyes and just eat whatever the owner says Is on the menu for the day! Knowing that in advance, 4 of us ventured there from Baltimore this past Friday, at about 2 pm. My daughter and her boyfriend had previously eaten there, so my husband and myself were going with them based on their rave reviews.
There are no reservations, but the owner kindly preset and reserved a tabled for the four of us in advance, since there are only 2 tables and his hours vary depending on how fast he sells out! We wanted to make sure he was open since we were coming all the way from Baltimore (3.5 hours away!) just for this dining experience.
Once you have the courage to go inside, you’ll see an ecclectic array of memorabelia (not junk!) that covers every inch of the walls and countertops! «Jinx,“the owner, was actually sold out for the day and had closed up, but stuck around and had saved us a meal for 4.
We dined on a menu starting out with a Russian/​Polish soup, pulled pork b’bque sandwiches, falling-​off-​the-​bone ribs, cucumber salad, beer battered French fries, along with peach tea to wash it all down. Jinx is genuinely humble, hospitable and entertaining with his stories. Because he was sold out except for what he had saved us, he insisted on us returning on Saturday morning to pick up a bagged lunch of pulled pork Sammie’s for our long trip back to Baltimore. We did, and those Sammie’s never made it out of the parking lot! Jinx had been extremely busy with a large catering job on Saturday and he went out of his way to give us our fill of his b’bque. He is truly sincere, humble and is a gem of a host!
Now mind you, my roots are from N.C., so I’m a pork fed girl from the get-​go! I’m also a 20 year military brat, so I’ve eaten b’bque from all over the country. This is the closest to NC vinegar based b’bque as I’ve come across outside of NC. No sloppy sauce and just the right amount of kick!
Give Jinx a chance! Come for the food, not the ambiance. Be sure to call in advance to make sure he’s open and that he’s not sold out, especially if you’re venturing there from a long road trip like we did.
Thank you Jinx! We will be back. It was well worth our 3.5 hour trip from Baltimore!

Jinx was a great host on Sunday when a group of friends went in last Sunday after Look3 Festival of the Photograph. Fun place for authentic BBQ! Definitely has a «down home» and no frills feel.

I’ve nothing to add to the other reviews about the food, atmosphere or the owner.
I made the mistake of using the bathroom during my visit, I will say that it was the filthiest toilet I have ever seen, heard of or imagined. There can not be a health department in this city. The visit to the facility caused me to doubt the cleanliness of the plate, table and the owners hands.
To summarize my visit was ruined by too much quirkiness.

This is bar none the best BBQ in Charlottesville — do not miss it. The sandwiches are a bit small so the two of us ended up splitting three between us, but they are intensely flavorful even without slaw (which he will not serve) or added sauce. We had a tasty cup of peach iced tea with it. We also got a dollar off in honor of our first visit.
The hours are sporadic: we went on a Saturday and he told us he only opened because he had to throw out the trash that day. I think he generally has pulled pork but anything else (ribs, beef brisket) depends on the day or week.

This place is the dive of dives. Its charm stems from the fact that it really has no charm whatsoever. You think you like a good dive? Try Jinx. Exterior: Shack. Main entrance: Rickety screen door. Walk through a tiny «porch» area where various appliances and tools are stored. Interior: Vintage signs and decorations as expected, but… vegetables and ingredients sitting around, sauces in solo cups, food in a consumer refrigerator; old magazines and pieces of bread lying out. When you walk into Jinx’s the last thing you think you are in is someone’s business establishment.
Jinx’s is not a «dive barbecue joint.» It is not a «joint.» It is a shanty where a gentleman (Jinx) happens sell barbecue, ribs, and sides 11 AM — 3 PM Wednesdays-​Sundays (subject to change – call ahead). As my friend Johnny aptly put it, «if the food isn’t any good here, then this place is just a dump.»
The food. It’s great. Good barbecue needs not be adulterated by slatherings of spicy-​tangy-​sweet-​brown-​amber. The dearth of sauce here allows you to appreciate the wood, fire, and sweat that went into the meat itself. Jinx’s placard reminds you: He doesn’t sell BBQ. He sells barbecue. The barbecue sandwich is great and the barbecue ribs are absolutely fantastic – fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, smoky, savory, fatty, honest.
Stepping into Jinx’s, chatting with Jinx while he prepares your food, and tasting the barbecue he brings you… It’s experiencing another time and another life.
You are 9 years old. Your mother gives you $ 3. Pinching the bill in your palm, you excitedly run down the street to Mr. Jinx – the nice man who makes your favorite barbecue rib.

This is a funky, one trick pony of a dive that looks like it need a bath inside and out with a wire brush and a large can of industrial cleanser. The seating is tiny, maybe 6, 8 people max. The plateware is third world, old school. There is clutter inside and out. The parking is on the street, and can be daunting. And to make it completely irresistable to a foodie, it is run by a most colorful character who seems to love what he does.
The one trick pony is the barbecue, and only the barbecue. People who venture inside here should understand what this place is, and more importantly what it is not — it is not about ambiance, it is not about dining (fine or otherwise), it is not about sanitation ratings, or where the bathroom is located, or even if there is such a facility — it is about a two sided pork chow down — the chopped variety and the ribs.
The chopped sandwich is served on toasted white bread (Texas Toast, to some) rather than a bun, and it can get a little sloppy if you add sauce — they do not sauce the barbecue in the kitchen. The pork is tender, and loaded with smoke — a growing rareity in the world of pork barbecue. The sauce provided is a vinegar, pepper sauce, more North Carolina than Virginia.
The ribs are nice, smokey, and tender. Not always available, but try them if they are. The only items on the menu are the ribs, chopped pork sandwich, slaw, cucumber salad, and baked beans. This is very good barbecue, served in a simple manner, in a total dive, by a colorful individual — as I said, a foodie’s dream of a road trip.
Even funk can be modern, they do have a website, but probably not WiFi — yet.

Not my thing.
Okay, when people say «don’t come here for the cleanliness,» they mean there’ll be old TVs and refrigerators out front, bags full of junk in the entryway and sketchy plates that look like they haven’t been cleaned in years. Does the health department ever come here?
Interior is dingy with stuff all over the walls and stuff piled everywhere. I call myself a clutter queen and this place makes me look like a neat freak.
The menu: when you walk in, the owner pretty much tells you what he’s got and you get that or nothing. We were both really thirsty and asked what there was to drink. Well, there was apple cider in 8-​ounce styrofoam cup or nothing. Yeah, the cider was good, but not exactly thirst-​quenching.
The owner told us he had pork sandwiches, fries, onion rings and slaw, so we each got a pork sandwich with fries. He opened the freezer, got out some of those frozen rippled fries your mom probably made you as a kid, and put them in the fryer. He then got some generic white bread from a bag and topped it with sliced pork and a teeny tiny bit of sauce. All of this came to our table on two grimy plates that looked in dire need of a thorough cleaning.
As we were waiting for our food, we listened to the owner obnoxiously brag about his barbecue and put down other local joints to another couple who were eating there.
The pulled pork tasted fine and smokey, not nearly as impressive as the other people mentioned on here, and also not like barbecue. I don’t need a lot of sauce, but I need some more flavor than pork and smoke.
As I was eating the mushy white bread and pork, I looked at the grime on my plate and began to feel nauseated, but I felt like I had to stomach down enough that the owner wouldn’t ask me why I didn’t eat it. So, we each forced down about half our meals, threw some cash his way and ran for the door.
I’m happy to venture into many hole-​in-​the-​wall joints, but this place was just gross. So, when people describe it as a «cool dive,» beware.

A previous Unilocaler described Jinxs as quirky, I think I’ll just leave it at that! On to the BBQ. It’s served on white bread that has been laying on the grill. Jinxs grabbed some bbq that was in the fridge, and placed it in the microwave. He also opened a can of beans and dumped them in a dish and placed them in the microwave. The bbq actually had a pretty good taste, but served on toasted white bread?! Oh well, different strokes for different folks. Got a side of slaw and it was okay. Overall, I was dissapointed with my meal at Jinxs.