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I've had most of the ones from the north of those I like Top Hat and Bunyan's.
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There are few bbq places on the list that'd remain in business if they were located in Memphis.
I recognize the Big Bob Gibson really knows their stuff when it comes to contests, but it's not seen in their every day barbeque in the restaurant.
What's sad is that many southern restaurants know how to barbeque. They just don't know how to run a restaurant and be successful. They may have good meat, but their beans and slaw is not good.
I want one of those kick you in the seat of the pants places, like the old Gridleys in Memphis when they put 3" of meat on every sandwich and you couldn't even get it in your mouth. Now, that was good.
Originally Posted by Bamaman1:
There are few bbq places on the list that'd remain in business if they were located in Memphis.
I recognize the Big Bob Gibson really knows their stuff when it comes to contests, but it's not seen in their every day barbeque in the restaurant.
What's sad is that many southern restaurants know how to barbeque. They just don't know how to run a restaurant and be successful. They may have good meat, but their beans and slaw is not good.
I want one of those kick you in the seat of the pants places, like the old Gridleys in Memphis when they put 3" of meat on every sandwich and you couldn't even get it in your mouth. Now, that was good.
I have to agree Bamaman. Overall the quality of sides in most BBQ joints is pretty poor. Baked beans usually just pork and beans and sorry excuses for slaw. When I lived in B'ham i thought there was a lot of good que there. I liked Golden Rule, Johnny Ray's and Full Moon. A lot of BBQ joints around these parts just aren't that good.
The closer you get to Memphis, the better the BBQ (However Unk Gus cooks some kickass BBQ)
I have tried Right Side on Huntsville road a few times. My husband is a big fan of the brisket. The pork sandwich has a large portion of meat. The fried pickles are the best I have ever eaten. Large portions of good food with reasonable prices.
Yes, Golden Rule's BBQ is very good and what is equally impressive is their speed with take-outs. I have patronized the one in Vestavia Hills extensively and it its amazing how fast they can deliver a take-out, even at lunch time, when the place is full of customers. Also, they have designated parking near the front door for take-out patrons, something almost never seen any more.,Their speedy take-out service makes many so-called "fast food" places seem sluggish by comparison.
The people running barbeque places across the board are just used to working hard. There's nothing easy about working in such a restaurant.
And there's something about cooking barbeque that keeps the cooks there. Leonard's in Memphis had the original cook from the 1940's up until the 1990's, and he was a master at what he did.
Most restaurants have switched over to natural gas cookers that use wood just for smoke. They can cook in 8 1/2 hours what used to take 12-15 hours, and they don't have to move massive amounts of fire wood. That saves quite a bit of labor, and cuts down on cooking time.
My hats off the the good people that take such pride in what they do, and how they do it.
Originally Posted by Bamaman1:
The people running barbeque places across the board are just used to working hard. There's nothing easy about working in such a restaurant.
And there's something about cooking barbeque that keeps the cooks there. Leonard's in Memphis had the original cook from the 1940's up until the 1990's, and he was a master at what he did.
Most restaurants have switched over to natural gas cookers that use wood just for smoke. They can cook in 8 1/2 hours what used to take 12-15 hours, and they don't have to move massive amounts of fire wood. That saves quite a bit of labor, and cuts down on cooking time.
My hats off the the good people that take such pride in what they do, and how they do it.
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AMEN, Bamaman!
Some of the hardest-working folks in the world are the people who run restaurants. And one of the primary reasons why many restaurants fail is because those who ran them had no idea how much hard work was involved in such an enterprise.
Cooking those ribs and shoulders with natural gas,using wood for smoke, can produce BBQ every bit as good as the wood-only or wood-charcoal methods. It is not so much the fuel as it is the expertise of the cook.
I like **** Howell's BBQ. Their slaw is not as "runny" as Bunyan's. Both places are good.
Originally Posted by canade:
I like **** Howell's BBQ. Their slaw is not as "runny" as Bunyan's. Both places are good.
Really TD? D i c k Howell's. 
Guess I should have used the proper name of Richard.
In Alabama, there's Dreamland, Archibald's, and Golden Rule. And maybe a few in Wiregrass Country.
Places in the North that use that mayonnaise-based crap are automatically disqualified as not loving the LORD or Southeastern Conference football!
I find it odd that they left out the good places!
Originally Posted by canade:
Originally Posted by canade:
I like **** Howell's BBQ. Their slaw is not as "runny" as Bunyan's. Both places are good.
Really TD? D i c k Howell's. Guess I should have used the proper name of Richard.
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Where is d i c k howell's now? A couple of years ago we tried to find a d i c k howells and were told they were gone but some other place had bought his recipes, we found that place, can not for the life of me remember the name, anyway, it was awful. Nothing even resembling the d ic k howells of old.
D ick Howell's is at the same place it has always been. It caught fire and burned not too many years ago, but has been rebuilt and is bigger than ever.