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The year was 1999.
Greenville and surrounding communities had been devastated by Hurricane
Floyd, East Carolina football had once again gained national exposure
after beating the University of Miami, the world was preparing for the
year 2000, and Uncle Yammy’s BBQ Sauce hit the shelves. Steve “Uncle
Yammy” Johnson introduced his now famous sauce to stores after instant
success among cookouts with family and friends. When Bar-B-Cutie closed
in Greenville ten years later, Johnson and daughter Haley decided to
open Uncle Yammy’s Rib Shack. “I knew the guy that ran the place” said
Johnson “when I found out the building was available, I figured I’d open
up a place.” Johnson is no stranger to feeding large crowds. “We have
been catering for some time now. We have catered fundraisers, golf
tournaments, and ECU Athletic events, among other things” explained
Johnson. With other restaurants serving the same style food, “Uncle
Yammy” is relying on brand name recognition to draw customers to the new
eatery. “We are relatively new, but our name recognition that reaches
from Virginia to Florida should give us a bit of a leg up.”
Located directly beside Moe’s Southwest Grill on Red Banks road, Uncle
Yammy’s is fairly pleasant from the outside. After walking passed the
outdoor dining area, and entering the building, I got a very homey
feeling from the décor. The layout is almost exactly as Bar-B-Cutie had
left it, but warm colors and friendly staff quickly put me at ease. Not
very long after being seated, a pleasant waitress came by to take my
order. Being that Uncle Yammy’s serves Eastern NC barbeque and southern
style fried chicken in addition to ribs, I had a tough time deciding on
what to have until I found that a combo option was available. As my
dining partner and I began yet another argument over the superiority of
ENC BBQ over all others, we were delivered complimentary hushpuppies.
The puppies were hot, fresh, light, and had a hint of sweetness.
After a short wait, our food arrived. Filled with Carolina favorites
such as Brunswick stew, collards, corn sticks, and of course the fried
chicken, ribs, and barbeque, my plate was daunting in size. Tasting the
barbeque first I was instantly disappointed. Though the pork itself was
tender and moist, it lacked the flavor I am accustomed to. I was told
that the sauce on the table was for those that required more flavor, but
I was not very happy about having to drown my food in vinegar to achieve
more than a hint of flavor. Moving to the ribs, I was again
disappointed, this time with texture. The ribs were very tough, and a
knife was required just to get a bite. Texture aside, the sauce the ribs
were coated with was absolutely delicious. A mix of sweet from brown
sugar and a kick from red pepper complimented the pork quite nicely.
Moving to the fried chicken, I seemed to be transported back to my
childhood in the first bite. Those who had the pleasure of fried chicken
after Sunday services at a southern church will quickly recognize the
flavors at work here. The Brunswick stew was fair, but on this subject,
I am horribly spoiled by my own family’s closely guarded recipe, a taste
that has no rival. Aside from my bias, I was delighted to see stew on
the menu, and happily dipped my corn sticks in it until I was again
without stew. I was also delighted to see collards were being served,
but I’m afraid the bowl I was served was far too pungent in flavor to
finish. Before leaving I did take time to sample a bit of banana
pudding, one of the classic southern desserts on the menu. To my
delight, the pudding also had a time traveling effect for me, taking me
back to family reunions where any number of aunts would arrive with
fresh homemade puddings.
Despite name recognition, Uncle Yammy’s has some fundamental problems to
overcome. Though the food is well priced some menu items outshine others
greatly. If the menu and cooking methods are tweaked just a bit, there
would be no reason for Uncle Yammy’s to someday stand next to the
legendary barbeque restaurants that share its region. Uncle Yammy’s Rib
Shack is located at 610-A Red Banks Road and is open 11am-9pm Sunday
through Thursday and 11am-10pm Friday and Saturday. More information can
be found at www.uncleyammys.com or 252-329-1227.
Location: B | Atmosphere: B | Service: B | Food
Quality: C+
Price Range: $3 - $18 per meal
Overall Grade: B-
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