Alabama
7 old Alabama barbecue restaurants we miss the most
Alabama’s barbecue history goes all the way back to 1891, when the original Golden Rule Bar-B-Q opened east of Birmingham in Irondale.
Later, other iconic barbecue restaurants opened around the state — including Big Bob Gibson Bar B-Q, which began in Decatur in 1925, and Brenda’s Bar-B-Q Pit, which started in Montgomery in 1942 – and have stood the test of time.
But while those have lasted generations, many old Alabama joints that we thought would be here forever are no longer around, either because of a devasting fire or a downturn in the economy or simply because their owners finally decided to hang up their aprons.
We know there are dozens of others, but here are seven of those old Alabama barbecue restaurants that we miss the most.
The Brick Pit operated out of this old house in Mobile, Ala., for more than 20 years until closed in 2017.(AL.com file/Mike Brantley)
The Brick Pit in Mobile
Best known for its pecan-smoked ribs — which longtime pit boss Jerry Edwards cooked “low and slow” for up to 12 hours — The Brick Pit was a beacon to barbecue lovers on Mobile’s Old Shell Road for more than 20 years. Outside, the old white house with the bright red trim has framed by Spanish moss, and inside, the walls and ceiling were covered with graffiti from customers who signed their names and left personal notes commemorating their visits. Founder Bill Armbrecht – whose friends started calling him “Brick” in high school – acknowledged in early 2017 that he was struggled to keep his business afloat and finally closed for good later that same year.
A brief history of The Brick Pit
Gibson’s Bar-B-Q opened in Huntsville in 1956, and following a fire in 2022, the restaurant never reopened. (AL.com file photo/Bob Gathany)
Gibson’s Bar-B-Q in Huntsville
An extension of the legendary “Big Bob” Gibson barbecue family tree, Gibson’s Bar-B-Q started in Huntsville in 1956, when Gibson’s daughter, Velma, and her husband, Paul Hampton, branched out to open a place of their own. In addition to pulled pork, smoked chicken, smoked turkey and ribs, Gibson’s also serves barbecue stuffed potatoes, barbecue salads and Brunswick stew. More recently, Paula Mabry and her cousin Art Sanford — great-grandchildren of “Big Bob” – continued the Gibson’s Bar-B-Q tradition for nearly 20 years until an electrical fire in April 2022 gutted the kitchen and caused smoke and water damage throughout the restaurant. The Memorial Parkway landmark never reopened and was demolished earlier this year.
The history behind Huntsville’s Gibson’s Bar-B-Q
Goal Post Bar-B-Q is long gone, but the iconic sign has been relocated to this location outside Betty’s Bar-B-Q on South Quintard Avenue in Anniston.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
Goal Post Bar-B-Q in Anniston
Along Anniston’s Quintard Avenue, the neon placekicker always put the pigskin through the uprights outside Goal Post Bar-B-Q, a landmark in the Model City for a half-century. The barbecue and smoked hams were dead-on, too. S.A. Pruett opened the Goal Post in the early 1960s, and, according to The Anniston Star, he hired an Anniston sign company to design his iconic sign, which pointed the way to his restaurant. Over the years, a few Alabama football legends dined at the Goal Post, too, including Paul “Bear” Bryant and Joe Namath. The Goal Post closed in 2013 and the building was later demolished, but the neon sign was salvaged and now occupies a prominent spot outside another longtime Anniston barbecue institution, Betty’s Bar-B-Q.
Johnny Ray’s, which began in Birmingham in 1953, at various times had multiple barbecue restaurants in the Birmingham metro area. This was the Pelham location.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
Johnny Ray’s in Birmingham
Johnny Ray opened the original location of his eponymous barbecue restaurant in Birmingham’s Roebuck area in the early 1950s, and at various times, Johnny Ray’s operated multiple locations in the Birmingham metro area, including Homewood, Hueytown, Pelham and Vestavia Hills. Johnny Ray’s was equally beloved for its banana, chocolate, lemon and coconut cream pies – from recipes by Ray’s wife, Honey Ray – as it was its ribs and pulled pork. The last Johnny Rays’s, located in The Shops of the Colonnade off U.S. 280, closed in May 2022.
Ollie McClung Sr. stands underneath the famous Ollie’s “World’s Best” Bar-B-Q sign on University Boulevard in Birmingham.(Birmingham News file/Ed Jones)
Ollie’s Bar-B-Q in Birmingham
While some places boasted of serving “Birmingham’s Best” barbecue or the “Best Barbecue in Alabama,” at Ollie’s Bar-B-Q in Birmingham, they skipped over all that and proudly claimed to serve the “World’s Best” barbecue. It said so on their sign outside the restaurant. Renowned for its slow-cooked Boston butts and vinegary barbecue sauce, Ollie’s began in 1926, and after moving to University Boulevard near the I-65 interchange in 1968, the restaurant served the Birmingham barbecue community for another 30 years at that location. As famous as Ollie’s was for its barbecue, though, the restaurant also made national headlines for another reason when co-owners Ollie McClung Sr. and Ollie McClung Jr. challenged the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited restaurants (and other businesses) from discriminating against customers based on their race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Ollie’s ultimately lost in a landmark decision. After Ollie’s closed the Southside location in 1998, the McClung family opened an Ollie’s in Hoover, but it closed within a couple of years. While the restaurants are no longer around, Ollie’s World’s Best Bar-B-Q Sauce is available by the bottle in grocery stores and specialty markets.
Price’s Barbecue House was an Auburn institution for nearly 40 years until it closed in 2016.(Photo courtesy of Jeff Price from AL.com files)
Price’s Barbecue House in Auburn
Jeff Price, who worked at Chuck’s Bar-B-Que in neighboring Opelika, convinced his parents, Lorene and Jesse Price, to open Price’s Barbecue House in 1978, back when the younger Price was a student at Auburn University. A fixture on South College Street near the AU campus – where a pig in an Auburn football jersey stood guard out front — Price’s was best known for its finely chopped, mustard-slaw-topped chipped pork sandwiches, a Lee County delicacy that is believed to have originated in nearby Columbus, Ga. Jeff Price later took over the business from his parents and continued to keep the fires burning at Price’s until he sold the site to developers and closed the restaurant in 2016.
Remembering Price’s Barbecue House
Twix ‘n’ Tween Restaurant opened in Centreville in 1952, and the building is now home to El Comal Mexican Restaurant.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
Twix ‘n’ Tween Restaurant in Centreville
Those of us who used to burn up the highway between Tuscaloosa and Montgomery couldn’t pass through Centreville without stopping at Twix ‘n’ Tween Restaurant for a barbecue sandwich – or just “a barbecue,” as we called it – with a side of fries, a cold bottle of Coke and maybe a wedge of icebox pie for dessert. The Twix ‘n’ Tween opened in 1952, and the name was chosen in a contest because the restaurant was between the adjoining Bibb County towns of Brent and Centreville, according to a story by the late, great Montgomery Advertiser reporter Alvin Benn. The Twix ‘n’ Tween had a glorious, 60-something-year run until it closed sometime in the mid-2010s. A Mexican restaurant occupies the space now, but the old Twix ‘n’ Tween sign still sits atop the building, a rusting reminder of the glory days.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts to Alabama’s Iron Bowl win
Kalen DeBoer said Alabama’s resilience and clutch plays made the difference in the Crimson Tide’s Iron Bowl victory.
AUBURN, AL – Kalen DeBoer made a gutsy call. Then Alabama’s coach made a funny.
Late in a tie game in the Iron Bowl, why did DeBoer go for 4th-and-2 instead of electing for a short go-ahead field goal?
DeBoer explained it with a bit of comedic relief.
“I figured it was 29 yards shorter than the last time we needed a touchdown here,” DeBoer deadpanned.
Good one!
DeBoer must know his Iron Bowl history. He was still coaching Washington when Jalen Milroe completed his 4th-and-a-prayer 31-yard strike to Isaiah Bond in 2023 to send Nick Saban out a victor in his final Iron Bowl.
Now, Ty Simpson joins this rivalry’s lore.
Alabama needed six feet to move the chains on fourth down. Simpson got six yards with his touchdown toss to Isaiah Horton with 3:50 remaining, good for the winning score in a 27-20 victory.
“The fact I get to say that I led a game-winning drive in the Iron Bowl, that’s something I’ll tell my kids’ kids,” Simpson said. “Just super incredible.”
Even if Alabama’s performance — the Tide were outgained by 131 yards — could best be described as something other than incredible.
Alabama probably on safe side of CFP bubble after Iron Bowl win
DeBoer described this victory the way most coaches would.
He called it gritty, not ugly. A show of resilience, not a cause for concern.
Sure beats losing, anyway.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” DeBoer said. “There’s some teams that hope they can find a way. I think our guys really understand that if they get in these spots, they can make it happen.”
A third loss would have kept No. 10 Alabama (10-2) out of the SEC Championship and out of the College Football Playoff for the second straight year.
This win probably keeps Alabama on the safe side of the bubble, for now anyway.
A triumph against Georgia next weekend in Atlanta would remove all doubt and clinch a playoff bid. Depending on where Alabama falls in the rankings this week, a competitive loss could do the trick, too, although the situation would become dicey if Brigham Young beats Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship and turns that conference into a two-bid league, or if Alabama loses the SEC Championship by a lopsided score.
“We’ve got quality-strength wins and some wins on the road,” DeBoer said. “We’ve got more than a playoff-caliber football team.”
Kalen DeBoer joins coaches pitching his bubble team for CFP
The coaches of fellow bubble teams Miami, Vanderbilt and Texas all made their pitches, too. None of those teams is headed for a conference championship game, though. That won’t stop their lobbying.
“To do anything other than allow these guys to compete for it all would be just an injustice to the work they’ve done,” Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea said after a win against Tennessee pushed his Commodores to 10-2.
Texas’ Steve Sarkisian warmed up that language one day earlier, saying it would “be a disservice to our sport” if the committee rejected a 9-3 Longhorns team that beat Vanderbilt and also owns wins against Texas A&M (11-1) and Oklahoma (10-2), making Texas the only team with three top-15 triumphs.
Miami’s pitch is wrapped up in its head-to-head win against Notre Dame, a team with which it shares a 10-2 record.
“Head-to-head is always the No. 1 criteria regarding anything (in) athletics,” Miami’s Mario Cristobal said in his pitch.
I hate to be the one to tell Cristobal, but the No. 1 criterion is whatever the committee desires it to be to justify a particular choice.
“There’s not a question in my mind” that Alabama is a playoff team, DeBoer said.
He could say that with a straight face and conviction in his voice, because Simpson made good on DeBoer’s 4th-and-2 call, and then Alabama forced a fumble to seal the victory.
That prevented the need for any 4th-and-31 heroics on this night, and DeBoer got to try out his joke.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
The Iron Bowl is always one of the most anticipated dates on the sporting calendar, but this year’s iteration should be quite the spectacle.
Auburn is in the midst of a disappointing season, but the Tigers could end Alabama’s bid to make the College Football Playoff with the upset.
Those stakes should make for quite an atmosphere inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. There’s nothing that Auburn could use more than a win over Alabama right now.
Iron Bowl: Alabama vs. Auburn odds, prediction
Auburn’s record sits at 5-6, and the Tigers already fired head coach Hugh Freeze, but things aren’t as bad as they seem on the Plains.
The Tigers just couldn’t find a way to win close games in 2025. War Eagle went 0-5 in one-score games this season, and four of them (Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Vanderbilt) came against teams that spent most of the season inside the Top 25.
The problem for the Tigers has been consistent all season. They just can’t score.
Auburn’s defense is only conceding 20.4 points per game, against an elite schedule no less, but the offense is averaging just 23.9 points per contest. That’s one way to ensure you lose a lot of close games.
The Tigers won’t be the only impressive defensive team on the field on Saturday, however.
Alabama’s offense has received plenty of praise over the course of the season thanks to the emergence of quarterback Ty Simpson, but it’s the other side of the ball that has turned the Tide into a contender. According to SP+, Alabama boasts the sixth-best defense in the country, ten spots better than Auburn.
With two great defenses, one bad offense, and another under heaps of pressure in a must-win situation, this game could be a pressure-cooker. The Iron Bowl is a place to expect the unexpected, but this one sets up to be a rock fight, which puts value on the Under 48.5.
The Play: Under 48.5 (-110, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
There are few Cinderella stories remaining in the AHSAA 2025 high school football playoffs.
Class 5A Scottsboro is the only unranked team remaining in the race to get to Birmingham’s Protective Stadium next week. The Wildcats host Moody tonight.
Semifinal predictions
Mobile on deck for Super 7
Black Friday features 13 unbeaten teams and three rematches as the field narrows to the final 14 teams. Thompson and Opelika are already in the finals in Class 7A. Who joins them tonight in the other classes?
Check back frequently for highlights from across the state. At the end of the night, the complete scorelist and Super 7 pairings will be available.
Here we go. …
8:38 PM, Devils doing it: Maplesville pushes its lead over Leroy to 24-6 with 10:05 to play in the third period on a 3-yard Nehemiah McCray TD run. The Red Devils and Bears are both 13-0 in 1A this season. … Muscle Shoals’ kicker Jorge Garcia kicked a 45-yard field goal with 8:46 left in the third period to cut Clay-Chalkville’s lead to 22-13. … Jackson leads St. Michael 23-15 at the half.
8:31 PM, All for naught: Tucker Tomlinson jumped on a fumbled punt return to put St. Michael in business at Jackson’s 14-yard line, but the Aggies held when the Cardinals go for it on fourth-and-10. Jackson leads 23-15 with 2:21 left in the half. … Mars Hill leads Piedmont 35-16 at the half. … Bayside leads Southside-Selma 21-8 with 8:37 left in the half. … From Opelika-Auburn News, Lanett has forced 4 turnovers and allowed Reeltown 86 yards in the first half. Lanett is up 21-0. … Addison cuts Wadley’s lead to 14-8 in the third period.
8:14 PM, No. 1 narrows No. 2’s lead: St. Michael’s Noah Moss rambled in for a short TD and Gunner Rivers hit Braedyn Walton for a 2-point PAT to trim Jackson’s lead to 23-15 with 8 minutes left in the first half. … Saraland has lost 3 fumbles, but still leads Benjamin Russell 14-7 at the half.
8:05 PM, Saraland scramble: The second-ranked Class 6A Spartans lead No. 4 Benjamin Russell 14-7 on a 10-yard scramble by Jamison Roberts. The defense set up the score with an INT. … Clay-Chalkville goes in at halftime up 22-10 over Muscle Shoals thanks to a TD pass with 13 seconds remaining. … Coosa Christian is creeping up, now trailing Pisgah 22-20. … Maplesville leads Leroy 17-6 at the half. … Plainview’s Brody Hodges knots the score with Anniston at 14 on a 1-yard run with 3:08 left in the half at Rainsville. … Moody leads Scottsboro 21-10 with 3:28 left in the half as Aidden White hauls in a long TD pass.
7:55 PM, Frye and more Frye: Clay-Chalkville quarterback Aaron Frye puts the visitors up 15-10 over Muscle Shoals with 5:40 left in the half. Frye scored on a draw dead up the middle from 5 yards out for the TD and then walked in around left end for the 2-point conversion after a huge clear out block. … Pisgah leads Coosa Christian 22-13 and Lanett is up 14-0 over Reeltown. … Jackson leads St. Michael 23-7 with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. … Piedmont scores and makes a 2-point PAT, but trails Mars Hill Bible 35-16 with 2:27 left in the half. … Maplesville extends its lead over Leroy to 17-6 on a 9-yard run by Nehemiah McCray with 37 seconds left in the half.
7:47 PM, Back and forth in 1A: No. 2 Maplesville is back on top over No. 3 Leroy 10-6 after a 3-yard run by Jedaiah Works with 3:47 left before the half. … Moody leads Scottsboro 14-7 at the end of the first period. … Wadley has increased its lead over Addison to 14-0 in the second quarter. … Anniston leads Plainview 14-7 with 10:11 left in the half on Damon Pope’s 9-yard run.
7:42 PM, Stalemate, so far: No. 3 Vigor and No. 1 Williamson are tied at 14 with 10:59 left in the half in one 5A semifinal. Sammy Dunn hit Zy Wilson for a 38-yard TD pass and Dylan Jackson on an 18-yarder for the Wolves. Williamson’s Jamarcus Lett scored on a 1-yard run, Todrick Withers had a 3-yard scoring run and an Ellis McGaskin 2-point run tied it up. … Leroy leads Maplesville 6-4 with 6:09 left in the first half after a Jace Sellers 16-yard pass to Tanner Rivers.
7:33 PM, Trojans horse: Quarterback Kade Clemmons raced 43 yards around the left side to put Muscle Shoals up 10-7 over Clay-Chalkville with 1:43 left in the first period. … Anniston takes an 8-7 lead over Plainview on a 6-yard run by Jamorris Young and a 2-point conversion pass from Damon Pope to Kaleb Moore with 5:44 left in the first. … Wadley leads Addison 8-0 after one period. … Mars Hill is rolling over Piedmont at 21-0 in the first quarter.
7:28 PM, Points and more points: Landon Duckworth hit Red Chapman with a 48-yard touchdown pass and EJ Crowell ran for a 2-point conversion to give Jackson an 8-0 lead over St. Michael. … Moody’s Jake Lowery throws to Aubrey Walker for an 18-yard score to tie the game with Scottsboro at 7 with 6:54 left in the first quarter. … Noah Cain runs 4 yards for a Bayside Academy TD with 4:22 left in the first to put the Admirals up 13-0 over Southside-Selma. … Lanett leads Reeltown 7-0 and Pisgah is up 14-0 over Coosa Christian.
7:22 PM, Safety first. And second: Maplesville leads Leroy 4-0 at the end of the first quarter after a punt snap sailed out of the end zone and then the swarming Red Devils tackled a Leroy receiver in the end zone. … Colton Harding finds Conner Vaden for a 40-yard touchdown to put Scottsboro up 7-0 over Moody with 9:58 left in the first quarter. … Jorge Garcia booted a 25-yard field goal to narrow Clay-Chalkville’s lead over Muscle Shoals to 7-3 with 6:44 left in the first. The Cougars stiffened after Jashad Samples returned Clay-Chalkville’s kickoff after its TD 75 yards.
7:11 PM, Plainview, Clay-Chalkville on the board: Owen Hope races 55 yards to put 4A No. 5 Plainview up 7-0 over No. 4 Anniston in Rainsville. In Muscle Shoals, Clay-Chalkville took the opening kickoff and worked its way to the end zone with 8:50 left in the first period. Aaron Frye hit Josh Woods for an 8-yard TD on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line. It’s 7-0, Cougars over the Trojans.
6 PM, Moving on up: Auburn commit Jaquez Wilkes continues to move up in the Best in Bama, AL.com’s list of the top recruits in the state regardless of classification. Alabama commit EJ Crowell is still No. 1 entering tonight’s game at St. Michael. See who else made a move this week on AL.com.
5 PM, Breaking down the finals: 13 unbeaten teams, 3 rematches and 1 unranked Cinderella story. Get a breakdown of all 12 state semifinal games on AL.com before they start.
AHSAA SEMIFINALS
CLASS 6A
Benjamin Russell (12-1) at Saraland (12-0)
Clay-Chalkville (13-0) at Muscle Shoals (12-0)
CLASS 5A
Vigor (11-2) at Williamson (13-0)
Moody (11-2) at Scottsboro (9-4)
CLASS 4A
Jackson (11-2) at St. Michael (13-0)
Anniston (13-0) at Plainview (13-0)
CLASS 3A
Southside-Selma (13-0) at Bayside Academy (12-1)
Piedmont (13-0) at Mars Hill Bible (13-0)
CLASS 2A
Reeltown (10-3) at Lanett (11-2)
Coosa Christian (11-2) at Pisgah (11-2)
CLASS 1A
Leroy (13-0) at Maplesville (13-0)
Wadley (12-0) at Addison (12-1)
This post will be updated
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