BBQ in Portland: Pine Shed Ribs

When most people of think of barbecue, the south and midwest come to mind. But Portland has a few of its own prime bbq spots. One of my favorite BBQ in Portland eateries is Pine Shed Ribs.

My childhood was full of barbecues. Lots of family, tons of friends, and even more piles and piles of food. Chicken, ribs, macaroni salad, coleslaw, rice (Filipino BBQs, y’all, are the best!).

But just as important as the food, was the atmosphere and the people. The food was always AMAZING, but the vibe was super chill, attire was casual, you could use utensils or the utensils you were born with (your hands, friends!), and the conversations were unfiltered and full of hearty laughs.

Recently, I had the chance to dine at Pine Shed Ribs, and felt that same family-filled, casual, happy, comfortable vibe that I experienced at all of my childhood barbecues. Matt Ramey and his crew truly make you feel at home, whether your are ordering to go or dining in their outdoor area or indoor cozy dining room.

Jump to:

• Pine Shed Ribs
• All the meats
• Side dishes
• Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas prime rib
• Pine Shed Ribs hours

Pine Shed Ribs

Since 2001, Matt Ramey has been serving up his Northwest interpretation of Santa Maria-style trip-tip barbecue in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a suburb immediately south of Portland. And as a now-westside resident, I can’t thank him (and other westside chefs and restaurateurs) enough for opening up top notch eateries like Pine Shed Ribs.

At Pine Shed Ribds, come as you are, and come hungry.

And, thirsty.

Pine Shed Ribs offers a great selection of beer and wine. I highly recommend the beer sampler, which gives you five tasters for just $7.

All the meats

While you can definitely find vegetarian options here, Pine Shed Ribs is a meat lover’s paradise.

I suggest trying the barbecue family dinner, in which you get your choice of two meats plus cornbread and two side orders for just $20-23, depending on whether you choose tri-tip, beef back ribs, smoked chicken, pork spare ribs, pork shoulder, or smoked pork links.

You can also order barbecue plates, sandwiches, pork or beef ribs, tri-tip, or whole Draper Valley chickens. The meat is delicately smoked for up to five hours over oak wood. I absolutely loved their pork ribs, but was also pleasantly surprised by their beef ribs: they were so much meatier and flavorful than most other beef ribs I have had in town.

They also offer up meatloaf on Mondays and pastrami on Fridays. How fun is that?

Side dishes

One of the things I admire about Pine Shed Ribs, is that they put as much care and finesse into their side dishes as they do into their main entrees. I also love that they offer small and large sizes of their side dishes.

Pine Shed Ribs makes a delicious cornbread ($2 for small, $5 for large) with stoneground cornmeal, cake batter, sugars, and various spices including cumin. Their cornbread side dishes have a fantastic texture: slightly crunchy on top with slight grit from the cornmeal and moist density from the cake mix. So good. 

Pine Shed Ribs also offers other traditional barbecue sides such as coleslaw, red potato salad, and beans. But by far, Matt says their most popular side dish is their bacon cheddar mac. One look, and you will understand why. One bite, and you will be hoarding this dish like it’s the last bit of food on earth. Nobody touches my Bacon Mac & Cheese! And I’m even dairy-free! But, I couldn’t resist trying a bite of this Bacon Mac & Cheese…and then another…and maybe one more. . .

Seriously: look at that bacon. It’s beautiful. And, oh so delicious with their mac and cheese.

And if you are still hungry for more, Pine Shed Ribs whips up some mighty fine desserts. For $1.50 to $5, you can choose from these AMAZING cookies, pies, cakes, and cobblers.   

These chocolate chip cookies. Oh my. I am still thinking about them. And after my kids saw the photos, they were asking when I would be taking them to Pine Shed Ribs too!

When it comes to BBQ in Portland, Pine Shed Ribs is a very family-friendly spot, and I think that kids would absolutely love the food. More than that, it’s such a warm, comfortable atmosphere that kids can just sit back and relax –and enjoy some excellent barbecue. If you are concerned about spicy foods just be sure to ask about individual dishes. I’m a spice wimp, and didn’t find any of their menu items too spicy.

Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas prime rib

One awesome thing that Pine Shed Ribs offers each year is a special pre-ordered Thanksgiving smoked turkey and a Christmas prime rib. Because let’s be honest: no matter how great we are at home cooking, nothing will match an Oregon-grown turkey with Matt’s secret spice blend,  smoked in the restaurant’s fancy hand-forged smoker over oak wood.  You can pre-order your turkey, ranging from 13-16 pounds, for $70. Pine Shed Ribs smokes fifty turkeys that are ready to pick up on Thanksgiving Day.

For Christmas, consider pre-ordering one of their Snake River Farm smoked prime ribs, which are ready to be picked up on Christmas Eve day.  Christmas prime rib orders are sold at $35 per rib or 7-ribs for $30 per rib.  You also get some mighty tasty tangy house-made horseradish sauce comes with your order.

Holiday orders are now accepted via the restaurant’s online order form at www.pineshedribs.com, or by calling (503) 635-7427.  The restaurant will be open from noon to 2:00 p.m. on both Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve for order pick-up. Perfect for those of us who already have SO much going on and want to serve memorable holiday meals without worrying about a massive mess or kitchen mishaps!

Pine Shed Ribs hours

I love this place and can’t wait to go back with my whole family. It’s also a great place to go for a fun, casual date night, and a lively double date spot.

HOURS:
Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm (or sold out)
Sun: Closed
(503) 635-7427
17730 Pilkington Rd, Lake Oswego, OR 97035
pineshedribs@gmail.com
www.PineShedRibs.com

The meal in this particular post was part of a media event. Thanks to Pine Shed Ribs for hosting us! All photos and opinions are, as always, my own.