Born and raised in Alabama, I've had my share of Alabama BBQ; and, after over 2 years in Texas, I feel like I've gotten to know Texas Q, too. Each is stellar, in its own right. Texas really knows beef, but Alabama really knows pork - not to say that you can't find great pork in Texas or great beef in Alabama, because you certainly can.
BBQ attention is commonly focused on Texas, Kansas City, Memphis, and North Carolina, but why don't more people talk about Alabama BBQ? Perhaps it's because they haven't had ribs at Archibald's (Northport), a BBQ baked potato with white sauce at Big Bob Gibson's (Decatur), an outside-cut pork sandwich at Kendall's (Georgiana), a half chicken with white sauce at Johnny's (Cullman), or pulled pork at Full Moon (Birmingham and elsewhere). Not to mention BBQ from the likes of Top Hat, Green Top, Dreamland, Golden Rule, Johnny Ray's, Jim 'N Nick's, Saw's, and on and on.
Within an hour of landing in Birmingham on Sunday, I was feasting on an enormous portion of Full Moon pulled pork (top picture below - taken with phone, so quality not the best); and, yesterday for lunch, I had my first meal at Moe's in Orange Beach (bottom pic). My pulled pork and turkey with red and white sauce were very good and great, respectively.
Is Alabama BBQ is good as I'm making it out to be, or am I being overly generous, now that I'm back in my old stomping grounds? Can Alabama really hang with Louie Mueller's beef ribs, with Opie's sweet-and-spicy baby backs, or with Snow's brisket? Can Birmingham's BBQ hold a candle to the best of the Lockhart, the Hill Country, or the Metroplex? Does it have any business stepping into the ring with The Salt Lick, City Market, Rudy's, Meyer's, or Mills County BBQ Company?
Surely there are plenty of people out there who've had both Texas and Alabama BBQ, so let's hear from you. Will Texas or Alabama be left standing??? Let's get it on!!!
17 comments:
BAMA!!! BAMA!!! BAMA!!! I made a batch of pulled pork this past weekend and brought it to work for my buddies. They were impressed with the Bama pork skills! So, that's a couple votes from NY!
Much respect for the Brisket tradition of Texas, but... In a squeaker, it goes to the squealers: pork from the South's less acclaimed, but most proudly passionate state of Alabama!
Uh-oh...2-0 Bama. Are you just gonna sit there and take that, Lone Star State?
Admittingly, I have never tried Alabama bbq. So I can not speak from personal experience. Therefore, I must rely on other facts at hand. Drew - you lived in 'Bama for approx. 22 years, surrounded by their bbq and never felt compelled to let the world know. You lived in Texas for only approx. a year before you felt it necessary to rally friends, travel the state, and blog about how great Texas bbq is! Enough said!
That's true, Bo, but Al Gore had barely invented the internet by the time I left, so I didn't really have the chance.
#1 Al never said he invented the internet.
#2 I side with my fellow Texan Bo. Never had the pleasure of bama bbq because its reputation does not proceed it (for a good reason? I don't know!)
#3 Get your head in the game Thornley, this is called Man Up TEXAS BBQ.
I call this (re-dic) blogpost tied: 2-2
First off, whether or not one's reputation "PRECEDES" it might prove misleading. Take as an example the average year of Texas football. One would assume, simply by its "reputation" of producing top recruiting classes every year, that Texas would have won at least three or four national titles in the past decade and a half. However, under Mack Brown they never seem to win the big one (with the exception of the obvious aberration under Vince Young). I am not insinuating Texas is not a top tier program, just that "reputations" do not always live up to the hype. That being said, I bet if you Texans actually tried BAMA B-B-Q you would be pleasantly surprised. I remember just three weeks ago, packing in that little 20x20 cinder-block room in Archibald's back yard. The smells were delicious and the tastes were even better. You simply can't beat his rib plate or even the pulled pork my wife got. I promise that Archibald's ribs would stand tall against anyone's, no matter what the location. Much like this season's BCS national champion, I think this question should be settled face to face... Texas vs. Alabama!
Oh, no, he didn't!!!
2 words: 1. SMACK. 2. DOWN.
Tell your friends. Rally your troops. In the words of Amir the Premier, BRING IT!
Whitt, Whitt, Whitt, you make a good argument. However, you assume two premises which lead to your conclusion: (1) the top recruits from Texas stay at UT, and (2) nat'l championships are the only way to measure success. Look at any Nat'l Championship team, and they have multiple starters from Texas. Second, Texas, from 2004-2008 has the highest winning percentage of any college football program. There is even a Texas vs. the nation game. That being said, I wholeheartedly agree the only way to settle this is face to face!
Bo, thank you for the football stats and general Texas pride.
Whit, my friend...
Drew-shay.
(And get your own blog.)
So what distinguishes Bama cue from North Carolina or Georgia? I'm assumiing its similar with an emphasis on pulled pork and sauce.
I've had cue in NC, GA and AL, but the best pulled pork I've had was in Round Rock, TX at Johnny T's. Moist, chunky and smokey...and didn't need an drip of sauce.
The pork I've had in the other states is typically, not that moist, shredded to the point of losing meaty texture, and NEEDED sauce to be really tastey. granted, I may have not had the 'best' in those other states.
Prize goes to TEXAS...brisket, ribs, sausage, and yes, even pulled pork seems to be better here.
I know I showed up late to this party, but ... what the hell is "white sauce?" Texas BBQ wins by a Texas mile.
Better late than never, Doug! Here you go: http://bbq.about.com/od/barbecuesaucerecipes/r/ble00114.htm & http://www.southernplate.com/2008/10/alabama-white-barbecue-sauce.html
Wow. No offense intended, but I think a guy'd get strung up for serving that with his barbecue in TX. Not judging; just saying.
Ha! Love it. Reminds me of those salsa commercials: "This stuff's made in New York City!"
I for one have had lots of experience with Tx, and Bama BBQ. I'm currently living in Al, and so far bama's pork isn't cutting the mustard. The mere thought of a chopped brisket sandwhich gets me salivating. I consider myself to be somewhat of a BBQ connoisseur, and bama let me down. Where does one find jalpeño cheese sausage in this whole state? Either way, Tx BBQ wins by a fatback.
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