Dexter Bar-B-Que

Best brisket sandwich I have eaten in a long time — today at lunch. It was tender and juicy. Nice selection of beef and pork BBQ items, and side dishes too. Ribs are very popular. I have been here before, so they’re consistent in my experience.

I typically avoid chain restaurants but Dexter’s is one of my few exceptions to the rule. Whenever my wife and I are in Jackson, we always make our way to Dexter’s and we have yet to be disappointed with our entire experience — the food, the service and the overall appearance. The food is always cooked to perfection and delicious, the staff professional/​courteous and the restaurant is always super clean. I always get a half-​side of ribs with two sides and I’m never disappointed. I understand this is a chain so there’s not a lot of flexibility in the way the operation is run but I’m absolutely pleased with Dexter’s and I think you will be too.

I have a dog named Dexter. He is amazing, knows some tricks, loves to eat, and generally makes me happy.
The staff at Dexter BBQ didn’t really make me that happy. Rushed to order, even as we stated it as our first time. Forks on all the tables are inside of little silverware condoms (and wet inside these plastic sheaves to boot). Food delivered by a woman wearing a drive through headset (why is there a drive thru?) who essentially grunted our order back to us and walked away after setting it down. Oh yeah, don’t forget the hair stuck to the ketchup bottle, but hey, TVs with ball sports abound, so as long as you enjoy MO sports, you’ll be comfy.
The food was hit and miss. When I say miss, I mean baked beans that tasted like I was spooning brown sugar and molasses directly into my mouth. Way too sweet. When I say miss I mean iceberg lettuce with big ass croutons and an unidentifiable blend of shredded cheese mountain on top. But when I say hit… Wow the ribs were on point. The smoke flavor was incredible, I’m gonna need to shower to get it out of my beard! When I say hit I mean pulled pork that was easily smoked overnight that wasn’t full of un-​rendered fat pieces. The meat came fairly dry, I assume so that one may make use of Dexter’s four signature sauces like local (Southeastern Missouri) vinegar based BBQ sauce.
Bottom line, this might be the best restaurant in Jackson MO. It’s defiantly not the best if you include «Cape Gerrrarrdiuuuu.» These guys have been «smoking butts and taking names» since 1983, but they really should just stick to the meat.