1 / 2

Waitress Haley Curtis stands with a plateful of Tommy's famous wings at Tommy's BBQ and Grill in Provo Tuesday, July 10, 2012. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald

2 / 2

Tommy's award winning Carolina style pulled pork sandwich and sweet potato wedges at Tommy's BBQ and Grill in Provo Tuesday, July 10, 2012. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Utah County may not be located anywhere near the Mason-Dixon line, but there seems to be no shortage of Southern-style barbecue joints that have opened up here in the past year or so.

All it took was one recent visit to establish Tommy’s BBQ & Grill as one of our go-to favorites when we’re in the mood to slather on some sauces and get in touch with our inner carnivore.

The restaurant, located at 1122 S. University Ave. in Provo, has a fairly large dining room sporting an Americana, home-on-the-range decor — including aluminum siding on the lower walls throughout, giving it a cool, unique feel.

The food wasn’t the only thing with a Southern influence as the hospitality and service was incredibly friendly as well. After entering the restaurant, we found ourselves standing in front of a giant board featuring a seemingly endless supply of options. It was a bit much to take in and perhaps even a tad intimidating to first-time visitors who want to try a variety of specialties. An employee came and met us at the board, however, and walked us through some of the favorite items and patiently answered all our questions.

As we moved to the counter and began placing our order, the cashier asked if we wanted a child’s meal for our 5-year-old son. We initially said no, but changed our minds when she informed us that kids meals were free for children under 10 with a paying adult. That proved to be a welcome bonus. The cashier also handed me a customer appreciation card with a couple meals already punched out and said with a smile, “Because I know you’ll be back!”

We’re guessing she knew that because she’s well acquainted with the food — which was, in a word, outstanding. It was love at first taste with just about everything we tried. We ordered a three-meat combo meal with kielbasa sausage, wet brisket and ribs. All three were utterly delicious. We were off to a great start.

Next up was a Country Stacked Sandwich, which is served with your choice of meat and two sides. We opted for pulled pork on a cracked pepper with Parmesan bun and thoroughly enjoyed that as well.

We sampled three different kinds of wings and really liked the mild and BBQ styles with ranch dressing. The great thing here is you can order as many different sauces as you want with each order. So, with an order of 10 wings, you could literally try each of the nine offered styles. — if you so desired.

Tommy’s offers three different barbecue sauces, which are available in squirt bottles at your table. There’s The Calf Roper (which is mild), The Wrangler (which is medium) and The Roasted Jalapeño (hot). Usually we are not fans of the spicier sauces, but we found The Wrangler much to our liking. The Calf Roper was also quite savory, and helped add even more flavor to all the meats on our plate.

What helped really set Tommy’s apart were some really superb sides. Every side we sampled was over-the-top good. The onion rings were not only deliciously puffy, but were actually juicy to boot. The sweet potato wedges were good on their own, but they also came with a dipping container filled with caramel. Wow — that combo was great. We also tried the baked beans and garlic mashed potatoes and were equally pleased with them. A person could have a great meal at Tommy’s just with the sides.

We had our hearts set on trying the Fried Banana with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream for dessert but were told they were all out. That’s the closest we came to disappointment during our visit to Tommy’s. Of course, the Coconut Cream Pie helped make up for it and finish things off with aplomb.

We highly recommend Tommy’s BBQ & Grill when you’re in the mood for barbecue. Like the cashier said, we know you’ll be back.

Where: 1122 S. University Ave., Provo

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday

Prices: $3.99-$22.59, with higher prices for family meal deals

Info: (801) 373-0355