Big Ernie's Rib Shack

3445½ E Valley Pkwy
Escondido, CA 92027
(760) 432-9553

Big Ernie's Rib Shack

Rocket's Roadhouse Review

There is nothing better than barbecue from beat up, old shack... except maybe barbecue from Big Ernie's Rib Shack, a spotless cedar cabin and mobile contraption that can pump out up to 108 slabs of ribs, 30 10-pound whole briskets, 32 8-pound Boston butts, or 54 whole chickens!

Big Ernie's mobile rig has taken up weekend residence in front of The Stand, a produce stand located on East Valley Parkway in Escondido, just south of Lake Wohlford Road. The shack is eye-catching, and the enormous barbecue is hard to miss. Custom-built in Indiana by Southern Yankee B-B-Q, this rig rocks!

Big Ernie Kinsey hails from New Orleans. Raised in a Southern family with five kids, cooking was mandatory in the Kinsey home. "You want to eat? You got to cook," claims Ernie. "Growing up, that's just how it was."

Cooked over oak, the ribs (both pork and beef) are a shack specialty, available as a slab, half-slab, dinner, or sandwich. The hefty portions are grilled with an unusual rub, made with cracked pepper and whole mustard seeds, and served with a side of tangy homemade sauce. Chicken, tender and smoky, is available as a whole, half, dinner, or sandwich. Brisket and hot links are also available.

All of the sandwiches are served with the appropriate plain white bread. Dinners come with two sides (all homemade): cole slaw, baked beans, macaroni salad, potato salad, or corn on the cob.

Call ahead for take-out orders or come hungry and eat at the road-side tables. If you eat on-site, be prepared to speak up over the dull roar of the generator that powers the rotisserie. Even so, this food is worth a shout.

Note: Big Ernie's actual mailing address is 3942 Foxley Dr, Escondido, CA 92027, but the address listed above should direct you to the physical location of his shack.