Big Al's Smokehouse BBQ (Dallas, TX)

Visited Big Al's Smokehouse BBQ today. I've been meaning to try this place for years but would forget about it so never made it by. I think I used to receive coupons to this place back when there was the super saver coupon packet that would show up in the mail every week. It was that same packet that I'd get the BOGO rib plate dinner coupon to Spring Creek Barbecue. Haven't seen that coupon packet for a long, long time.

Anyway, about a week or so ago, I saw some advertisement that they extended a special from January to continue through February which is a Saturday-only Pork Rib Rack BOGO. That means two racks for the price of one which is priced at $28.00 before tax. With only two more Saturdays in February, I figured I could jump on it today since the snowpocalypse has passed and who knows what next week will bring.

The restaurant wasn't very busy I'm sure because of the weather just getting better but there were about 5 people in the socially-distanced order line and about 3 tables occupied and spread out across the dining area. So I got in and out within about 10 minutes.

The photo shows what I ordered: the ribs after I sliced a few from one rack, a pound of brisket, a pint of fried okra, a pint of potato salad, a pint of mac-n-cheese, and a side (pint?) of banana pudding. I got it to-go as I was taking it home to feed the family.

So, here's what I thought:

• Ribs were tender and tasted okay but mostly flavorless except for the slight bark on them.
• Brisket was tender enough, not too moist or too dry, but like the ribs were mostly flavorless, maybe less so, except for the bark on them.
• Fried okra wasn't as crispy as my family preferred. Now in its defense, I did have to drive about 15 minutes home while the okra was in a bag so there could have been moisture build up which may have been absorbed by the okra. I just can't be sure. However, I have driven for about the same time with okra in a container from other places and it was still crispy.
• Potato salad was tasty. It wasn't "mustardy" or "mayonaissey" but it did have a tint of sweetness. I'm not a huge potato salad person but I could eat this again.
• Mac-n-cheese was different, a good different. It was more of a dry mac-n-cheese versus the typical runny, cheesy kind. It was actually pretty good and I would order again.
• Banana pudding was pretty tasty. It wasn't full of a lot of wafer but the pudding flavoring was good. I would order again.

So that's my brief overview of my first visit to Big Al's.

FINAL VERDICT: I think it wasn't too bad but, for me, there are other barbecue places closer to me, better flavor and about the same cost or less. If it were not for the BOGO deal, I probably would not have ordered a rack of ribs as $28 is a little pricey to me. I mean it could be exactly what a per-pound charge would cost at other places but don't know for sure. Maybe the Meat Lovers Plate or Dinner Plate is a better deal to try this place out if they aren't running the BOGO rib deal. Again, the barbecue wasn't bad. Other people may find it to their liking. It just wasn't as flavorful as I prefer.