Time to hit the road and pay a visit to Big Al’s BBQ in Raleigh, NC. I can’t even begin to explain how we got there. My GPS took us in one way picking up Highway 64 off of I-95. We did several turns after that, but we made it. However, my same GPS took us back to I-95 somehow from Highway 401. So I strongly encourage you to map it out first. The surprise was that traffic was not horrible. We went on a Friday night going into Raleigh. It was a fun ride, which I’ll have to say that most of my rides are fun as long as I have Tammy riding shotgun with me. So let’s see what we found on this trip.
The Restaurant and Staff:
Big Al’s BBQ is located in a strip mall type row of shops. They are not huge on the inside. There are about 8 – 9 tables plus seating for another dozen or so at a couple of counters. I didn’t notice if there were outside seating. Since it was chilly and rainy we really weren’t looking for outside seats. Everyone was super friendly from the minute we walked in until the time we left. We walked in and went straight up to the counter to place our order and was greeted by James. He was great and had a really good personality. James helped us out with the menu and placing our order. He knew the food well. He was amazed that we had driven all the way from Suffolk, VA just to try out their bbq. We didn’t tell him why we came that far.
After placing your order you pick a seat. The fountain drinks and tea are at a counter for self-serve. They also had an army it seemed of sauces which I did not try any on this trip. Sorry about that one. None the less once our food was ready Jay or J brought it out to us. He also had a great personality. Jay was a hard worker also. He cleared the tables as people left and kept the dining room clean. He also went to check out the desert selection when we finished eating and reported back, along with his recommendations. These two guys were fantastic. So here we go with our choices.
Tammy’s Choices at Big Al’s BBQ:
Two Meat Platter with Sliced Brisket and Smoked Meatloaf.
Tammy ordered a 2 Meat Platter with Sliced Brisket and Smoked Meatloaf. Her sides were Baked Beans and Mac & Cheese. The Platters also came with Hushpuppies. Starting with the sides let me say that the baked beans were much like somewhere else we’ve visited in the sense that they just looked kind of plain. However, one taste and you’ll know that these are not ordinary baked beans. They had a wonderful flavor, well worth checking out. Her mac & cheese was really good also. It is creamy and cheesy and wonderful. And I don’t want to leave out the puppies. They were fried up just right and made a nice addition to the meal.
The brisket at Big Al’s BBQ was great. It had some really nice bark on the outside, good smoke flavor and a nice smoke ring. The brisket was also nice and moist and very tender. It had to be cooked low and slow. The meatloaf was exceptional also. You really get a good smoke flavor from the meat when you eat it. They did a wonderful job smoking the meatloaf.
My Choices at Big Al’s BBQ:
Two Meat Platter with Pulled Pork and Ribs.
Tonight I also chose a Two Meat Platter. Mine was with Ribs and Pulled Pork. For sides I went with the Baked Beans and Fried Okra. I did step mine up a little and added a cup of their Brunswick Stew. The fried okra was good. It didn’t have any type of special seasoning if that’s what you’re looking for. Even without that it was a really good side with my meal. I already told you about the baked beans so I’ll move on to the Brunswick Stew. I really liked the flavor of the stew at Big Al’s BBQ. It was not real thick with ingredients so you were able to really taste the broth and the ingredients. I’ll definitely get some more of that next time around.
The pulled pork was wonderful. I couldn’t bring myself to trying the sauces on it. Tammy asked if I were going to try any and I said no. Once she tried the pork she understood why. Great smoke flavor and smoke ring. They had just a touch of sauce added to help keep the moisture in. Everything blended very well. The ribs were a homerun too. Nice meaty ribs smoked just right with some caramelized sauce on them. I loved the ribs. Both of our platters rocked.
Desserts:
Once Jay came back and told me about the Peach Cobbler and they have Ice Cream too, I knew what I was getting. Also highly recommended was the Banana Pudding which Tammy ordered. Both were wonderful. It was a long ride home but well worth it. Save some room for these awesome treats.
Final Thoughts:
Peach Cobbler with Ice Cream and Banana Pudding.
Big Al’s BBQ.
I think you probably know how I feel about Big Al’s BBQ. But I also met Big Al. He was a really nice man. He loves to talk about the business and you can tell he takes pride in his restaurant. His employees also reflect those same feelings. We also overheard him talking about some of the charity work they do in the area. I just think this is an awesome business all the way around. Great food, wonderful people and community service all combined. It just doesn’t get any better than that. With many of the restaurants we try being so far away we often don’t get to go back like we’d like, Big Al’s BBQ will get another visit down the road from us. Thanks to all of you that made our visit great.
Now For Your Thoughts:
OK, so let’s hear it from the others out there. If you’ve been to Big Al’s BBQ let us know how your visit went. Did it go as good as ours did? I certainly hope so but fill us in on what you thought. Get some comments in and I’ll post them with this review.
What do you regulars think?
I’d love to hear from you that are so blessed as to be a regular at Big Al’s BBQ. Help the rest of the people out here understand why you go back and support this place on a regular basis. I know there are many items that we didn’t try. What did we miss? Drop some comments off and let everyone know about your restaurant. Tell them why it’s worth the trip to come to Raleigh.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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You can check out their website at: http://bigalsbbqandcatering.com/
You can also find them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Big-Als-BBQ-108698912494988/
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