Kenny’s Barbecue

Nice fine on the northeast side of town. While volunteering with Keep Columbus Clean earlier this year picking up litter and trash in the South Linden area, I smelled the distinctive smoke of bbq. Looking around I saw the white plume rising up on the corner of Joyce and 17^th Ave. So of course I have to stop to check it out.
The owner Kenny Madison has been cooking in this spot for seven years. He said that he used to be a tailor and after he retired he needed something else to do and bbq was it. Sounds like a plan to me.
I asked him was popular and he said that a lot of his customers would get the «Five Dollar Hollar» or ½ a chicken for $ 5. I wanted to try his rib tips as well so I got the combo which included ¼-​chicken.
He said he would take care of me and kept loading meat on my plate so I have no idea how much bbq I actually got but it was enough for lunch the next day as well. His BBQ has decent smoke flavor but could have use more sauce. The chicken was nice and moist and better than the rib tips. As I was leaving I saw that he had beef rib slabs as well. Definitely have to come back to try those.

This place has been here for a while, and I keep driving by but never made it in. Partly that’s because it’s in a sketchy area, and partly because Sweetie refuses to go here– her reasons include the area and suspicion about food from a tent near a corner market… It is in the lot of the Joyce Market, which I did not check out.
Well, I’m off and she was at work, and I was hungry so I stopped in. They were out of the tent since it was such a nice day, with the smoker and a work table out by the street. Prices are very reasonable, and I ended up with the rib tip dinner ($ 7 with two sides) and some sweet potato pie. Other options include ribs and wings; sides were the usual suspects: greens, baked beans, mac and cheese, I think cole slaw.
The rib tips were a bit overdone, but very tasty. The greens and mac and cheese were good; not Sweetie’s-mom good, but close to Ray Ray’s. The sweet potato pie was amazing warm, and still good cold (I got two pieces; I tempted Sweetie with some sweet potato pie, and she ended up trying everything.)
It’s take-​out only; there is a park across the way. The guys were friendly, and they are connected to Café on Long. I’ll be back sometime, and/​or go to the café to see what all they have there.