Backyard By Name. Backyard By Nature.
A family-owned smokehouse off State Road 13, built on oak wood, patience, and a Datil sauce recipe worth the drive.
From A Backyard Smoker To A St. Augustine Staple
Woodpeckers Backyard BBQ is locally owned and operated by Lisa Marston, built on the idea that the best barbecue doesn't need a big-city address — just good wood, good meat, and enough time to do it right.
Tucked away on the back roads west of St. Augustine, our smokehouse has grown from a true backyard operation into a destination that draws lines before the doors open at 11am, without losing the picnic-table, string-light feel that started it all.
Low. Slow. Oak. No Shortcuts.
Three Pit Masters, One Standard
Every day we're open, three pit masters tend brisket, pork, turkey, chicken, sausage, and ribs — cooked low and slow, not rushed.
Oak Wood, Every Batch
We smoke with oak for a deep, clean smoke flavor that lets the meat — not the sauce — do the talking first.
The Datil Sauce
Our award-winning house Datil pepper sauce is a proud nod to St. Augustine's own Minorcan-heritage pepper — sweet heat that shows up in our beans, slaw, corn, and cornbread too.
We Close When We Run Out
Nothing here is made ahead and frozen. When the day's batch is gone, it's gone — that's how you know it was cooked fresh that morning.
Meet The Pit Team
The hands behind every plate — smoking, slicing, and saucing since sunrise.
Lisa Marston
Owner & OperatorThe Pit Team
Smoking Daily Since SunriseThe Kitchen Crew
Sides, Sauces & DessertsCome Sit A While.
Grab a picnic table, order at the window, and let the smoke do the rest.
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