Whatâs your favorite Alabama barbecue restaurant? Chefs tell us their picks

Here in Alabama, we love our barbecue.

And we love to argue about who makes the best barbecue even more.

Behind college football, in fact, fussing about barbecue is our second favorite spectator sport.

So, as part of our continuing “Ask an Alabama Chef” series, we put the question to chefs, pitmasters and restaurateurs from around the state:

“What is your favorite Alabama barbecue restaurant, and what do you order when you go there?”

Read on to hear what they had to say.

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Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q has been a Florence favorite ever since John Bunyan Cole opened his barbecue joint in 1972.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])

Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur

Big Bob Gibson’s Chris Lilly is barbecue royalty — the head chef and pitmaster at one of the oldest and most revered barbecue restaurants in Alabama, if not America — so when he talks barbecue, we listen.

And when he’s not eating at Big Bob Gibson, Lilly has three or four favorite Alabama barbecue joints — depending on what he’s in the mood for.

“I grew up on Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q in Florence, with that fantastic hot slaw,” Lilly says. “For ribs, I crave Archibald’s and Dreamland in Tuscaloosa. I’ll also grab an occasional smoked turkey sandwich at Whitt’s in Athens and Decatur.”

Archie's Bar-B-Q & Burgers in Hoover, Ala. — Archie’s Bar-B-Q & Burgers in Hoover changed its name after more than 45 years as a Golden Rule Bar-B-Q, but it is still owned and operated by Nick Manakides and his son, Michael.(Photo courtesy of Archie’s BBQ & Burgers)

Van Sykes of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q in Bessemer

Like Lilly, Van Sykes of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q is an Alabama barbecue legend.

And other than his own barbecue, Sykes has a couple of go-to favorites: Archie’s Bar-B-Q & Burgers in Hoover and Rusty’s Bar-B-Q in Leeds.

“I have some friends, and we go to Archie’s,” Sykes says. “They do what I call pit barbecue, but like a lot of people, what I like over there, is their hamburger. Their hamburger is really good.

“I also really like Rusty’s,” Sykes adds. “Rusty’s side items and desserts — you just can’t make a bad choice.”

Archibald's BBQ in Northport, Ala. — Archibald’s BBQ, which George and Betty Archibald opened in this small, cinderblock building in Northport in 1962, is an Alabama barbecue instition. (Bob Carlton/[email protected])

Linda Smelley of The Historic Waysider Restaurant in Tuscaloosa

Linda Smelley, who owns Tuscaloosa’s iconic Waysider Restaurant, is a longtime fan of another legendary Tuscaloosa-area business, Archibald’s BBQ, in neighboring Northport.

Smelley has been going to Archibald’s since at least the 1970s, she says.

“We get the ribs,” she says. “And I love their sauce. They also have really good pulled pork, but I don’t get that much because I would rather have the ribs.”

Pork 'n' greens at Saw's Soul Kitchen in Birmingham, Ala. — The pork ‘n’ greens at SAW’s Soul Kitchen is the signature dish at the beloved Birmingham barbecue joint. (Birmingham News file/Hal Yeager)

Crystal Peterson of Yo’ Mama’s Restaurant in Birmingham

Crystal Peterson, who co-owns Yo’ Mama’s Restaurant with her mother, Denise Peterson, is a fan of SAW’s Soul Kitchen in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood.

Specifically, Peterson loves SAW’s famous pork ‘n’ greens — a mash-up of creamy cheese grits, spicy collard greens and slow-cooked pork barbecue, all crowned with crispy fried onions.

“I like all the different textures it gives you,” she says. “It has the grits. It has the greens. It has the pork. And it has those fried onions on top. All of those together just make a good dish.”

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Ala. — Decatur’s Big Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q goes back to 1925, when Bob Gibson, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound railroad man, started selling barbecue that he cooked in a pit in his back yard.(Matt Wake/[email protected])

Angela Ozbolt of Good Company Café in Huntsville

Angela Ozbolt — who owns and operates Good Company Café, a popular breakfast-and-lunch spot in the Rocket City — doesn’t get to Decatur as often as she would like, but when she does, she and her family go to Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.

“We’ll usually split one of those big, shareable trays that they do with like half a rack of ribs, half a chicken, pulled pork and all the sides,” Ozbolt says. “We don’t go out there very often, so, when we go, we get it all.”

Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Ain’t nothing like ’em nowhere: A plate of hickory-fired ribs slathered in sauce at Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa.(Ben Flanagan/[email protected])

Brian Mooney of Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen in Hoover

Brian Mooney — who co-owns the Italian inspired Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen with his wife, Erin — is a Dreamland Bar-B-Que man.

“I’m a ribs guy,” Mooney says. “I love their ribs.”

Mooney also has a close Dreamland connection. Back when he was the executive chef at a Birmingham-area country club, Mooney hired Roscoe Hall, the grandson of Dreamland founder John “Big Daddy” Bishop, to work with him. Hall has since gone on to have quite a culinary career himself.

“Roscoe and I have become super close and good friends,” Mooney says. “I’ve met the whole family, and I’ve gotten to go over to Tuscaloosa and eat at the original (Dreamland) — sitting there with Roscoe and his mom and getting to experience the whole family tradition of what Alabama barbecue is really about.”

Moe's Original Bar-B-Que — The “Bama-style” pulled pork sandwich at Moe’s Original BBQ is served with barbecue sauce, white sauce, pickles and slaw. (AL.com file photo)

Brody Olive of Voyagers in Orange Beach

Orange Beach chef Brody Olive, the reigning Great American Seafood Cook-Off champion, is loyal to Moe’s Original BBQ, a national chain with strong Alabama roots.

Moe’s has about 20 locations around Alabama, including one near Olive in Orange Beach.

“They’re our closest, easy to get in and out of, and (they have) just a solid, consistent product,” Olive says. “Their pulled pork sandwich — ‘Bama-style’ with the coleslaw on top and pickles — is my go-to.”

NOTE: Our “Ask an Alabama Chef” series appears periodically on AL.com. To suggest a question or recommend a chef, email [email protected].