The Wood Pit Barbecue

Best BBQ in NJ!!! I love this place. I’ve never had a bad meal from here, but my favorite is the WINGS. Perfect smokey flavor, not too greasy and flash fried to perfection. Nice sized portions, friendly service and the BBQ sauce is amazing. Be sure to get extra because you’ll be mad if you don’t. You can tell the freshness and amazing wings of joy from the first bite.

First time at The Wood Pit.
Let’s talk about the food first.
I had a full rack of ribs and they were juicy and tender and 100% delicious.
I like the choice of both sauces as well. I ate the full rack and I was stuffed!
The cornbread was a bit dry and didn’t have too much flavor. The mac and cheese was cold and didn’t taste like it had any cheese in it at all, but like I said earlier, I came for the ribs and they were A+.
Now let’s talk about the décor and overall ambience.
I know this is primarily a take-​out place, but since there are tables and chairs in there they need to add some indoor lighting to the place because it was dark. Also, it isn’t a very cheerful room. They need someone to come in and update their décor. Also they should try getting rid of the tv by the entrance or at least turn down the volume because it was loud.

Third time I have been here. First time with a to go order. Everything was ready at the requested time. I chose 3pm pick to avoid busy time on holiday weekend. Tables were full anyway. They had the order to go and upon getting home and tasting it, it was excellent as usual. Love this place, and I lived in the south for 15 years.

Ribs are great! Fall of the bone with a nice smokey bark! Sides are a little on the small side. Bbq sauce is awesome, but expected a little more kick to the hot version.

The food was great. I never had smoked chicken wings before. They cooked them right on the spot. You have to understand you cannot make everybody happy but for me as a person who drives the distance for good food this is one of my favorite places

The food was great. I am from North Carolina and I felt like I was home having BBQ. I traveled 30 minutes for the food it was well worth it. My kids have never eaten so much.

I went yesterday as a treat from my gf that had a hankering for BBQ. To me, it looked like the stereotypical country BBQ spot that you normally see on TV. I ordered the big rib dinner. The food portions were AMAZING. I had mac and cheese and green beans as sides. The chef was very friendly and chatted us up for a bit.
The environment was quaint, the food was delicious, and I definitely will be coming back again when I am in the mood for BBQ. I NEVER knew ribs could be that good. The dining area is a tad cool, so bring a light jacket.
I highly recommend this place!

Had «The Sampler» with sides of Mac and Cheese and Green Beans. The food was great and the service was friendly– a lot of smiles.
It was the best BBQ I have had in NJ hands down. I know BBQ having traveled extensively throughout Tennessee and Memphis in particular.

Went there after reading some of the reviews. I got the BBQ sampler with 2 sides. My sides were collard greens and macaroni and cheese. The collard greens had absolutely no flavor, whatsoever. I have never had greens that were so bland in my entire life. That Mac and cheese was just ok. Nothing to brag about. The chicken wings are AMAZING! Five stars for those! They were barbecued to where the skin was crisp, but they were still very juicy. The brisket was fall apart tender, but also bland. I loved the texture though. The Ribs were really good as well. I would go here again and probably just get a wing platter with different sides.

This place is for real. The second you walk in you have no doubts they put love into their food, because the décor isn’t what keeps you coming back. The food is delicious. Bring a jacket and gloves in the winter, there’s a little chill in the dining area. Oh, and they get down to some good tunes. Boogie and BBQ

This is the best BBQ in the area by far. For all the people saying that «this isn’t Texas BBQ blah blah blah…», they do not advertise their BBQ as «Texas Style» expand your horizons and if you really can’t deal with it, waddle your wide behind back below the mason dixon line.

THE best. yam is delicious. soup is delicious. brisket to die for. the sauce is on point, beans on point. ice tea on deck. southern style. these people know bar b q.

Was excited to go here after trying to find a good bbq place in NJ that isn’t a chain. My wife and I tried the ribs, brisket, chopped pork and wings. No real observable smoke ring/​flavor… the rub on the ribs were definitely their highlight. The brisket was a little bit of a letdown to me but I could have just caught them on an off night. The chopped pork and wings were good.
A stand out to me was their Hot BBQ sauce! Although in my opinion good bbq doesn’t need sauce. Guess we could consider that an added bonus.
Wife said the collard greens were very bitter and not as good as her grandmother’s.
Have to respect what they are trying to do here and I will be back even though its a half hour ride for me.

Good, Bad & Ugly…
I’m from Texas, born and raised. Wood Pit is SO far from good bbq.
Good —
ribs: i don’t like dry ribs but these were good in flavor.
BAD —
mac: dry, no flavor; try adding velveta and you’d elevate this. gross
greens: no flavor. my wife does better greens with a few dollars of stuff from shoperite. don’t believe me text me and come for dinner in wayne, nj.
cornbread: dry, lacking flavor. too sweet, too dry.
brisket: fatty, not enough smoke, no smoke rings, over cooked, tasted reheated.
sauce: the hot was too hot, no tx nc st louis etc sause goes that direction. the regular was just like tomato sauce. who bases any bbq sauce off tomatoes? that’s what this website says they aim for. gross.
1 lbs brisket
1 rack ribs
1 side greens
1 side mac
2 pieces of cornbread
$ 57

I had high hopes for this little hole in the wall. A couple people from work told me about it. Being from Texas I’m always looking for a taste of home.
I called in the order & was told 15 min so I drove on over & waited an additional 45 min. There was apparently a new hire. The wait didn’t effect my rating of the food but it wasn’t fun to breathe that much smoke for so long at 6 months pregnant.
The food: I loved the cornbread! I like sweet cornbread so it was perfect to me. The Mac & cheese needed a little salt & pepper but was just ok. The collards also need a bit more flavor but I loved how they weren’t mushy. Good texture. The biggest problem was the sauce. The meat we got wasn’t top notch. It was ok, don’t get me wrong! But it just needed a little sauce. The flavor of the sauce, to me, was pretty inedible :(which made the meat just blah.
Better luck next time

It’s BBQ what’s there not to like about it. And it’s very well priced. Enough to feed some really hungry ppl and keep them satisfied. Their spicy BBQ sauce is amazing on all their meats. Come hungry leave happy

Overall inconsistent… ribs and brisket were both good but chicken wings were dry, cornbread was so dry as to be inedible and mac & cheese had no evidence of cheese.
In future I would order the meats for takeout and make my own sides.

This place was so horrible. The mac and cheese tasted like plain boiled noodles and lacked Cheese! The meat was cooked wonderfully but had no taste what so ever! When you think BBQ you think big bold flavors and they absolutely lacked in it! The beans tasted like a cup of melted brown sugar, too sweet! Over all my experience here was horrible! Never again!

We ordered takeout on Saturday night, September 12, 2015. I’ve wanted to taste the food for a while now and I sure appreciated this delicious food!
We ordered: half smoked chicken with 2 sides; chopped/​pulled pork and sliced brisket with 2 sides and cornbread; and chopped/​pulled pork sandwich with one side. Everything had a smoky deliciousness about its taste. All were perfectly cooked and moist! The serving of cornbread was more than generous — generous is an understatement.
I’ll try to remember all of the sides … Cole slaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, and candied yams. By far the mac and cheese and the candied yams were outstanding! The candied yams tasted like dessert and we all fought over them! We regretted not trying the collards but no worries — we will be back

My quest for decent ribs in NJ has finally ended here at the Wood Pit… Dry rub bones packed with perfect smoke flavor and tender enough to pull from the bone; but still a nice meaty texture. Generous helpings too… Rib platter I believe comes with 4 thick meaty bones. 2 sides and the best damn corn bread around. A thick cut of moist corn bread with little bits of corn. The Mac and cheese has good cheesy flavor and solid baked consistency and is not overly greasy. The candied yams are a must have! Clearly a family owned establishment and the staff are extremely friendly and attentive. Overall the place is a home run in terms of authentic southern cue, my only complaint is that I would love to see some NC vinegar sauce available. Their sauces which comes mild, hot, and super hot are a little thick and tangy for my liking. I prefer the vinegar and pepper based sauces of NC.

Placed a catering order — we got the pork ribs, brisket, chopped pork, collard greens, and baked beans. Everything was super yummy — especially the brisket — perfectly fatty and tender. Collard greens were very good as well. As a warning — the beans have a little kick to them (some of the kids were saying they were «spicy»).
Their catering service was very good — like 45 minutes before when they were supposed to deliver everything, I called them and asked if they had any extra meat /​sides (we had more people than we originally planned for). Lawrence was able to accommodate the last minute request.
I’d definitely order from them again

Found this little gem while craving bbq on Unilocal… Great food especially there brisket, also they have a good homemade bbq sauce.

* Review from a southern girl *
I would give this place more stars but I ordered the same thing two nights in a row (didn’t feel like cooking) and got MUCH smaller sides the second time. That’s not fair. Be consistent… check out he pics to see the difference. I called to complain and they basically said «oh well»…two stars for the inconsistency
WHAT WE ORDERED: Ribs, chicken wings, brisket, collard greens, Mac & cheese
PROS: This place is GOOD. Everything was delicious. Sooooo tender, juicy, flavorful, perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, good BBQ sauce, good Mac & cheese (and I’m a tough Mac & cheese critic), good collard greens. So glad to have found a good southern BBQ /​soul food spot! You can even order online and set up delivery. 5 stars from a southern girl? Keep up the good work guys!
CONS: none
WOULD WE GO BACK: 100% Yes

I was having a lazy Friday night at home; the TV was on in the background– displaying a bleached blonde, troll like figure; who was sampling some barbecue at various spots around the country. Not that he sampled any from The Wood Pit Barbecue, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t. I tried to place an order for delivery but was told that I had to use
…okay? I proceeded to sign up on the site and ordered a large rib dinner with 2 sides (fries and coleslaw, i chose the hot bbq as my side sauce option). The menu didn’t really provide much of a description on
or The Wood Pit’s website so I played it safe and over ordered.
About just over an hour had past since I ordered (I live about 5 – 7 min away from the restaurant) and I decided to call
to see what was going on. The rep told me that there was an issue at the restaurant; they were out of ribs but insteading of 86’ing them and calling me to say they were out when the order was placed, they decided to make a new batch and simply have me wait. Anyway another half-​hour plus passed and my food had arrived.
The dinner provided me with a full rack of ribs (dry rubbed by default), an order of french fries (frozen «steak fry» variety), coleslaw, and a side the bbq sauce. The ribs were awesome, just tender enough and NOT fall off the bone like the crappy ones you would get at any chain restaurant in the area (overcooked and bathed in sauce). The dry rub had some good heat and sweetness to it, also wasn’t overly salty. The fries and coleslaw were disappointing; I was kind of surprised that the obvious care and preparation they must put into the ribs and I imagine other barbecue items didn’t translate to either of the sides. The corn bread that came alongside the dinner was good but I didn’t eat much of it because I wanted to eat more of the ribs. The hot barbecue sauce was good too; vinegary and spicy. I think next time I will try the extra spicy version they offer.
I’d give them 5 stars for the ribs and I’m sure their other barbecue items are just as good. I’m going to have to give them another try but I’m hesitant to do delivery again… but for now 3 stars.

There comes a time when you find the best places when you least expect to… this my friends is the place to be. Southern Comfort in heart of Northern New Jersey, that’s Love.
Feels like home. Now how many times can you say that about a restaurant, let’s repeat that «feels like home». Furthermore, how many times do you hear people eat with their families at a restaurant and all you hear is «it’s pretty good»
Well it’s time for you to find out yourself. Your perception is about to change and the warm ambience will wheel you back and over and over agin to this place.
See, most of the people here seem to have memorized the menu; not just that, their kids who eat well «behavingly» see to know what to get.
It’s smoky, spicy, sweet, honey, easy going grandma’s kitchen open to the public. This will not be our last time here: seems to be our first, but the imprint on this first impression will last a lifetime.
God Bless
DennisandLilian

One of the best BBQ I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating in the North East!
I recently returned from two trips to North and South Carolina. The BBQ here at the Wood Pit made me feel like I was back in the South!
Absolutely delicious. I arrived plus one. We shared a BBQ sampler platter that came with two sides– collard greens and BBQ baked beans plus the meat was tender, rich brisket with just the right amount of savory fat on it, two healthy size chicken wings, and three pork ribs! They don’t drench their BBQ with sauce in order to get the flavor. This place knows it ALL ABOUT THE RUB! Their rub is just like I’ve had in the south.
We like it so much we ordered a second platter and ate it right away, this one
included sides mac-​n-​cheese and corn bread. The MAC was cheesy, not runny, and crispy! YUM! The corn bread, sweet and light.
The interior was smokey due to the cooking is held indoor and my plus one’s hair smelled of BBQ for the remainder of the day !
I would recommend getting a strong vacuum to pull some of the smoke inside out of the establishment. They have a craft tea in their fridge which was pretty tasty.
This is a new favorite of mine and will def be sharing with family and friends. If you like BBQ then you will no doubt love WPB.

Nice small place. It’s cold in here
if eaten in the cold is not for you. Wait for the weather to break.
I enjoyed the quarter dark chicken with Cole slaw and baked beans. Also got side of collard greens and Mac and cheese just to try them. Tasty food but not something I would find myself craving to have. I like my bbq sauce cooked in the meat. They give it to you on the side. Mild or hot are your choices.
Nice for a walk in last minute before catching a movie at the Claridge theater up the street.