For smoked barbecue and Southern cookin’ in Smyrna, visit Kinfolks Soulfood, BBQ & Catering, located on Hazelwood Drive in Smyrna just off of Old Nashville Highway (sharing a building with Tommy’s Bar and Grill).

A large smoker sits out back, pouring out smoke most days as it prepares various meats for hungry customers at Kinfolks, “a family barbecue joint with a soul food twist on all of their sides,” as one happy customer sums it up.

Find mainly smoked meats, an assortment of at least a dozen sides, and cakes on the Kinfoks menu. They also fry fish every day.

As a new customer enters the small eatery and approaches the counter to order, an employee suggests the brisket when asked about his favorite meat.

Many have complimented the welcoming team and praised the spot’s relaxed atmosphere.

And, customer Paul Jurkonis seconds the recommendation of the brisket.

“The other items are excellent too!” he said.

Another customer said he really liked the whiting fish, described as “well seasoned, with a soft but crispy batter.”

“The mac is cheesy and has great flavor,” Joseph D. posted to Yelp, adding “The chess pie was so good. If you are reading this . . . get this!”

The Yelper gave the Kinfolks sweet tea 10 out of 10 and the chess pie 30 out of 10.

Another local barbecue eater, Brian Norfleet, said he enjoys the smoked wings, smoked bologna and ribs.

“The sides are next level, real deal!” Norfleet added. “My buddy Jerry does it right.” That would be Jerry Britton, who co-owns and operates the restaurant along with his wife, Scharneitha.

Another visitor, though, said he found the smoked pork chops hard (overcooked, maybe).

“I’ve had jerky that had more moisture than this,” this individual commented regarding the pork chop. “It was seasoned well, just bone dry.

“But everything else was delicious,” he said.

Tracy Herdman reported that “everything was delicious and fresh” after a meal of barbecue pork, white beans and potato salad.

“I had the strawberry cake for dessert. Scrumptious!” she added.

Multiple customers have found that Kinfolks in general serves “generous portions for good prices.”

For those who want to eat all the meats, Kinfolks offers a huge sampler platter for $28.99 that includes ribs, wings, a pork chop, smoked sausage, pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket and smoked turkey, plus two sides and cornbread pancakes.

This makes quite a feast for two diners who can’t decide and want to try a little of it all.

“I definitely recommend the platter for $28,” Emily Audrey said. “It can easily feed three adults.”

After sampling all of the meats in this array, I liked the smoked pork chop! It could be a little more moist and tender maybe, but definitely good.

This carnivorous writer found the smoked turkey excellent—I would definitely order that again—the wings and sausage very good; the brisket a little lean and dry; the pulled chicken definitely not the best meat there; and the turnip greens: exceptional!

Folks are passionate about their barbecue, and probably no restaurant can really please everyone, as diners can differ strongly about their preferred taste in smoked meats. No matter how good it is, someone will usually have something to say: it’s overdone, it’s too smoky, it’s too fatty, too much seasoning, too little seasoning, too dry, too greasy, and so forth.

Kinfolks serves its ribs dry, no sauce. Wet vs. dry ribs may be the most divisive issue in the entire barbecue kingdom.

Maybe some of the criticisms directed towards the restaurant could stem from inconsistencies with meat from batch to batch on the smoker.

And, Kinfolks provides hot dog buns, not hamburger-style housing, for those who want buns, which seems to upset a few round-bun barbecue sandwich loyalists but probably does not make a big difference to most.

Kinfoks also has some very tasty hand-cut French fries; they may be a little soggy for some who like their fries a bit more crisp, but still, very tasty.

Overall, reports are very good and most who try it rave about the Southern sides.

“The ribs are tender and tasty, the smoked chicken wings are huge and flavorful,” another customer stated.

The restaurant also does quesadillas filled with smoked pork or chicken. And the sweet little cornbread pancakes are perfect for making a small barbecue taco, topped with some sauce and coleslaw!

If you find the meat dry, cover it with sauce. The sweet mild sauce and the hot barbecue sauce are both very flavorful in their own ways—one probably couldn’t go wrong pouring either generously on any of the meats.

Kinfolks does serve its selections in foam containers; it is not not a sit-down, full-service place with heavy-duty plates and silverware, to be clear. But that shouldn’t bother too many fans of family-run barbecue joints.

Beyond the barbecue, Kinfolks hosts fried chicken weekend once monthly, on the last weekend of each month. They also smoke corn on the cob during fried chicken weekend.

And every Thursday is ribeye steak night—only $14.99 for a steak plus two sides.

Stop in sometime and take a tour of the smoked meats yourself—and perhaps eat a piece of the delicious strawberry cake, topped with some thick, creamy sweet frosting—at Kinfolks, which will celebrate its tenth year at its Hazelwood location later in 2023.

“Down home people with some delicious down home food!” satisfied customer Terri Covington said.

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Kinfolks Soulfood, BBQ & Catering
1203 Hazelwood Dr., Smyrna
Wed.: 4–8 p.m.; Thurs.–Sat.: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sun.: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
615-267-0818
Pulled pork plate with two sides and cornbread: $10.29
Smoked bologna sandwich: $5.29; Sampler platter: $28.99
Slice of strawberry cake, chocolate cake or chess pie: $3.99
10 whole wings: $14
Whiting fish filet plate: $10.29
Full slab ribs: $26.99
kinfolksbbqsmyrna.com