Shiver's BBQ

Shiver's is an institution — that's what they call you when you've been in business for 57 years. The requisite weathered, log cabin/picnic table-and-bench decor remains in place, with obligatory cattle horns and horseshoes on the walls. Chicken, pork, and beef go into two hickory-fueled smokers (some of the meats for up to 12 hours) and come out fully imbued with real barbecue flavor. Ribs are clearly Shiver's strong suit, so the best bet for first-timers might be the rib sampler, with heaping helpings of beef, pork, baby backs, and two sides. Squirt any of a quintet of scintillating sauces on top: red-hot; a chunkier, smokier red-hot; sweet, brown molasses-based; mildly spicy mustard-based; and hickory-heavy "Shiver's sauce." Sides include black-eyed peas, fried okra, and a couple of items you don't often see pulled from a fryer — like mac 'n' cheese nuggets and corn on the cob. Some might say the most important accompaniment to barbecue is beer, and you can get a pitcher of Bud for cheap (if you want that fancy imported stuff the city folk prefer, Corona, Heineken, Amstel, and the like are available). Housemade peach cobbler is the only worthy dessert.