Mama Jean's Has the Best Ribs in Virginia

This week’s guest article is written by John Tanner, founder of John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog. John is based in Washington, D.C., and has been writing about barbecue joints, events, and notable people in BBQ since 2015.

I recently traveled out to Roanoke, Virginia, to try Mama Jean’s. I’d been champing at the bit to give it a taste ever since my friend and Senior Correspondent Chris Heim posted a review.

Later, Robert Moss named Mama Jean’s one of the 50 best barbecue places in the South. Alas, it’s down in Roanoke, an inconvenient distance (240 miles) from my home in Washington, D.C. I made a point of fitting it into the homeward leg of a trip.

I actually had been able to stop by Mama Jean’s at the close of my 2025 Best of VA, NC, and SC Tour. At that point, my palate was pretty jaded, and two substandard biscuit sandwiches on the drive up from Greensboro hadn’t helped. When I arrived to join a long line of customers, I found that indoor dining wasn’t yet available on that cold and quite windy day. Still, I was impressed by the pork and boudin, but didn’t write it up. I was happy to get another chance at it.

The building is now open and sits on a large lot on a busy street. There’s ample parking and plenty of room for picnic tables for outside dining. The interior is welcoming.

You order at one of two stations at the counter, where the staff is relaxed, friendly, and endlessly patient with customers who have no earthly idea what they want to eat. Mama Jean’s is immensely popular, and the demand for inside seating far outstrips the indoor supply. There’s a bar off to the side that was packed with customers watching the game.

Relying on the kindness of strangers, I insinuated myself at a table for six with a local couple who were enjoying the double smash burgers that Robert Moss had praised.

As usual at the end of a barbecue tour, I was watching my weight, so I skipped the boudin and boudin balls and ordered only small portions of pork, brisket, and ribs, with a side of collards. It arrived after a short wait, along with that banana pudding at the top of the photo. I told the server that I hadn’t ordered it, but she said not to worry about it, so I didn’t. It was good.

Let’s go around the tray. The pork was very tasty, freshly plated, and moist and smoky with some outside meat mixed in.

The brisket slices were nice and thick but came from the lean end, and as you can see below, they lacked the succulence and tenderness I love. I should have specified the moist end. The brisket did show great promise, however. The meat was smoky, and the bark was peppery and flavorful.

There’s no need to zoom in on the collards, as the leaves were almost large enough to have been seen from Artemis II. They tasted fine, but were awkward to eat and really needed to be chopped.

Now let’s focus on the ribs that Robert Moss had praised so highly.

Robert was right. Just look at them. Those are fine ribs, easily the best ribs I’ve had in Virginia so far. They’re big, meaty, succulent, and smoky with just the right amount of adhesion to the bone.

On my way out, I gave them the Campaign for Real Barbecue certification, which says they cook exclusively with wood and coals — look for the window sticker when you go.

They’re one of a growing number of all-wood places in Virginia. And there’s a lot more to Mama Jean’s. As the boudin signals, they have an ever-changing card of regional American specials, including SC hash (!), pork jowl tacos, all manner of sausages, and who knows what else.

I can foresee many visits to Mama Jean’s as I travel to and from the Carolinas. You should head to Roanoke and Mama Jean’s. Get some ribs, boudin, and some pork, and please send me a photo of some moist-end brisket so I can add it to this review.

John Tanner
Founder, John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog