The first thing you notice walking into Sacred Ground Barbecue isn’t the longhorn art on the walls or the Western touches of decor scattered throughout the dining room. It’s the woody, smoky smell drifting from behind the front counter, where a knife cuts through the steaming bark of a freshly smoked prime brisket.
Outside, ceiling fans turn above picnic tables filled with diners, from groups of friends to families to lone customers ducking in on their lunch hour. Nobody seems to be in too much of a hurry aside from children racing to climb a slide set off to the side.
That easy going pace, coupled with thoughtfully smoked meats, is the appeal of Sacred Ground, a barbecue joint located in Pocahontas that earned the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand distinction last year recognizing exceptional food sold for a reasonable price.
Opened in 2024 by Chef Derek Emerson and Jennifer Emerson, the restaurant is heavily inspired by Texas barbecue. Jennifer said that influence stems from years of traveling the state with their daughter, an equestrian who rode with a group out of Austin, Texas, and exploring the barbecue scene.
Sacred Ground mirrors the Texas tradition, complete with staples such as metal trays lined with butcher paper and slices of white bread, but the restaurant brings its own personality in both its food and atmosphere.
Outside of the main building, where customers order food and enjoy the air conditioning, covered patios offer diners a place to linger. The goal, Jennifer said, is an approachable, family-friendly atmosphere.
“Who dictates where you go to dinner or lunch when you have a family?” she said. “Your children do.”
But the main draw of Sacred Ground lies in the barbecue itself. While the menu offers everything from fully loaded baked potatoes to Kun Pao pork belly burnt ends to burgers, Michelin recommends the “excellent meats” sold by the half-pound.
Among the standouts are the pineapple jalapeno smoked sausage, which pair a subtle heat with complementary sweetness. The original smoked sausage, on the other hand, leans into a more traditional profile, delivering the classic straightforward taste barbecue fans know and love.
Thick slices of prime brisket carry a dark, well-seasoned bark and a rich seam of fat that seems to season the meat as it melts. The pulled pork, dense and deeply flavored, pair best with the gold, mustard-based Carolina sauce.
Sacred Ground’s St. Louis style ribs easily packed the most flavor among the meats, with a subtle heat building in each tangy bite.
Sides prove just as memorable as meats at Sacred Ground, with collard greens and braised pinto-brisket beans being the top picks. The greens are fresh, tender and lightly peppered, not too far off from those that sit on a southern grandmother’s stove on a Sunday afternoon.
The pinto beans, meanwhile, lean firmly Texas, with a smoky flavor and gentle heat reminiscent of the ranch-style beans common across the state’s barbecue scene.
For an appetizer, the double smoked jalapenos are a rich opening act. Stuffed with brisket and three cheese, wrapped in bacon and wood smoked, the peppers are savory and rich, enough so that the three-pepper serving feels more than enough.
The meal captures what Sacred Ground does best: Texas-style barbecue served without the rush that often surrounds it. The restaurant delivers the flavors of a serious smokehouse while maintaining the relaxed feel of a backyard cookout.
Jennifer said foot traffic at Sacred Ground has picked up since the Bib Gourmand distinction, an honor that came with the announcement of the Michelin Guide’s first North American regional edition focused on the American South. Customers come from as close as Oxford to as far as Germany, she said.
“We were really shocked about it, and to get the distinction that we got, being one of two that got the highest distinction in the state,” Jennifer said.
No such thing as a bad day at Elvie’s
For diners from the Golden Triangle, the recognition means two Michelin-recognized restaurants now sit only a couple hours away in Jackson, including a dining experience that offers a very different atmosphere from the backyard charm of Sacred Ground BBQ.
Housed inside a renovated home in Jackson’s historic Belhaven neighborhood, Elvie’s blends the understated elegance of a French cafe with the feeling of a family kitchen, in keeping with its roots.
Cody McCain and Chef Hunter Evans opened Elvie’s in 2020, naming the restaurant for Evans’ grandmother, May Elvieretta Good, whose kitchen in New Orleans made a lasting impression on him.
The restaurant reflects that inspiration, pairing French influences with ingredients sourced directly from farmers and fishermen in Mississippi and other Southeastern states. The result is a menu that feels both deeply refined and intimately familiar.
While Elvie’s offers options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the dinner service is slightly more upscale.
Diners can’t go wrong with the Oysters Elveretta when it comes to appetizers. Half a dozen oysters, sourced off the coast by Ocean Springs-based French Hermit Oyster Company, are baked beneath a parmesan artichoke cream sauce with bacon and garnished with a warm, buttered loaf of French bread.
When it comes to entrees, Elvie’s signature dish – redfish almondine – highlights the restaurant’s ingredient-driven style. The fish arrives topped with almonds, capers and brown butter sourced from Georgia. Beneath it, a bed of buttered lettuce adds a fresh balance that complements the sharper flavor of the capers and almonds.
This signature dish, McCain said, “encompassess the best things about Elvie’s.”
A pan-seared mackerel special offered a slightly richer option. Served skin-on over greens in a creamy crawfish sauce, the dish delivered deep flavor without becoming overwhelming, with the sauce providing the star element.
Dessert arrived in the form of a citron soufflé, garnished with delicate pansies. Light and airy, the lemon-forward dessert provided a bright, refreshing finish to the meal.
Altogether, dinner at Elvie’s feels elegant without being heavy – a meal built on fresh ingredients, balanced flavors and a sense of hospitality rooted in family tradition.
Like Sacred Ground, Elvie’s has seen increased interest since receiving Michelin recognition.
“We definitely get more out-of-town visitors who use the Michelin guide as solid recommendations (for) where (to) go,” McCain said.
Story and Photos by
Emma McRae