Mobileâs best barbecue: Our top 5
If there’s a better way to start a fight than asking, “Where can you get the best barbecue around here?”, we have yet to find it. But let’s try to stay positive: There are some fine options in Mobile, and the more of them you try the happier you’ll be.
For this highly subjective ranking, we stuck to a couple of arbitrary limits: The entries are all independent places in Mobile proper. Dreamland and Moe’s are very popular and have all the character you’d want despite being chains. And if you venture outside the city limits, into Mobile and Baldwin counties, there are too many options to list. Feel free to speak up for any and all of them in our upcoming reader’s choice rankings.
And yeah, we know the first place many of you will want to bring up is The Brick Pit, even though it’s been closed for years. We miss it, too.
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Huntsville’s best barbecue: Our Top 5
Cotton State BBQ is just slightly off the beaten path in downtown Mobile, but barbecue fans know to seek it out.Lawrence Specker | [email protected]
5. Cotton State BBQ
101 N. Conception St
Hole-in-the wall barbecue joints don’t come much smaller than this spot, and it’s just far enough off the beaten path (i.e. Dauphin Street) to be somewhat obscure even among downtown diners. But it’s only a block off Bienville Square, and those who know, know. Mainly they know that it’s worth waiting for one of those few tables to open up.
The BBQ sandwiches are just fine but the loaded fries, nachos and potatoes are where it’s at. Also, you’ll want to keep your eye on the venue’s Facebook page for daily specials, such as the recently offered bacon beef ‘n’ cheddar sandwich and loaded Conecuh potato.
Order this: Get yourself a loaded potato topped with brisket.
RELATED: Slow-smoked brisket sandwich from Cotton State BBQ was The Best Thing I Ate Last Week
Bay Barbecue sits on Florida Street in midtown Mobile, near a couple other institutions: Butch Cassidy’s Cafe and Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe.Lawrence Specker | [email protected]
4. Bay Barbeque
59 N. Florida St.
You really want to get to Bay Barbeque early. We visited a little before 1 p.m. on a recent Friday. Big orders had wiped out the ribs and brisket, and literally all that was left was four chicken thighs. We grabbed them, with no human feeling whatsoever for the patrons coming in behind us. Meanwhile, pitmaster Arthur Green preached barbecue gospel: “It’s too much work that goes into this stuff to just throw sauce all over the top … the rule is around here that you’ve got to try the meat before you put sauce on it.”
Order this: If you can see something on a menu called “erotic ribs” and not order it, there’s something wrong with you. These are baby back ribs with a dry rub that has “a little kick to it.”
Rodgers Bar-B-Q in Mobile bills itself as “the best thing smoking since 1978.”Lawrence Specker | [email protected]
3. Rodgers Bar-B-Q
2350 St. Stephens Road
When you roll up to a barbecue joint in early June and there’s already a prominent banner out front saying that it’ll open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 4, it’s clear that the people inside know their business and don’t play at it. “The best thing smoking since 1978″ is takeout-only, so you’ll have to make plans to enjoy your meal somewhere else. It takes willpower to make it out of the parking lot before digging in.
Order this: Go straight for the ribs, which come lightly sauced but not drenched. Note that the smoked chicken also has legions of fans.
The smoked meat menu at Meat Boss in Mobile, Ala., features pork, chicken, brisket and ribs.(Haley Laurence/[email protected])
Meat Boss
5401 Cottage Hill Road
The late Benny Chinnis worked in construction and barbecued on the side prior to Hurricane Katrina. In the years afterward he turned pro, opening a tiny lunch spot that rapidly expanded into a thriving family-run breakfast and lunch spot. The lunch menu is heavy on customization. Pick a meat (Boston Butt, brisket, chicken, smoked turkey or ham, sliced pork loin), decide what you want it to sit on (bun, wrap, sliders, spud, salad), choose a sauce, add toppings, sides and a drink. Ribs and chicken salad also are offered, as well as the Boss Burger, with half a pound of brisket-chuck blend.
Order this: It’s all good but Saturdays are special thanks to breakfast options that include the “Hog in a Blanket:” Bacon, ham, patty sausage and Conecuh sausage wrapped in a gigantic pancake.
RELATED: Alabama’s Best BBQ Sandwich: 5 things to know about Meat Boss
Owner Elbert Winfield tends to business in the kitchen at Saucy-Q Bar B Q on Government Street in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Brantley/[email protected])Mike Brantley/AL.com
1. Saucy Q
1111 Government St.
It’s fair to say this is an institution. Elbert Wingfield and various family members have been serving up ribs and tasty sides since 1989, when they started in the parking lot of Mobile’s flea market. Saucy Q has changed locations several times over the years, growing considerably along the way: Back in 2015, Wingfield’s son Jarrett Wingfield told AL.com that the restaurant made and served 20 pounds of banana pudding every day. The ribs were included in a ranking of 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die. They say their recipe is “smoke, fire and love.” How can you go wrong?
Order this: Saucy Q is known for its ribs and you definitely should start there. But come back for the pulled pork sandwich.
RELATED: Saucy Q’s banana pudding was a fitting end to a great meal and The Best Thing I Ate Last Week
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