My dear husband had to go to Anniston, Alabama the other night to do some business, so the girls and I decided to ride along and hit one of the spots on our “100 Dishes To Eat in Alabama Before You Die” list. Goal Post Barbecue is the quintessential Alabama hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint, and I loved every minute of our visit there.
I mean, really. Shouldn’t all southern BBQ joints look similar to this? These are the places that give Alabama its unique flavor and texture. They make me glad I live here. And I knew we’d enjoy it when we saw the smoke house out back, complete with a huge stack of firewood on the front porch. It made me want a smoke house in my back yard.
Anytime you can order straight from a menu that looks like this, you now the food will be good. In today’s economy, if the food isn’t good, the restaurant won’t stay in business. So when you see a joint that still has the original 70’s characteristics, you know they aren’t getting by on charm alone. They’ve gotta have the whole package – good food, good service, good price.
And the fact that I wanted to steal these bar stools for my new kitchen didn’t hurt their image with me one bit. (I know I still owe you a reveal of said kitchen. I’m getting to it!)
Goal Post earned their spot on the list with their BBQ, but the menu highlighted that the onion rings were homemade. Neither Jonathan or I have ever been one to pass up a good homemade onion ring, so we got an order for everyone to share. They got three thumbs up from the Hill Four. Baby sister was the only one not willing to give them a try. She didn’t know what she was missing!
Goal Post offers its BBQ in several different forms: chicken halves, ribs, and pulled pork. In the end, tradition won out and Jonathan and I both ordered the pork plate.
Mine came with baked beans and cole slaw, his with fried squash and potato salad. The meat was excellent. It was tender and smoky, but not too smoky. It was topped with their BBQ sauce, which leans to the thick, tomato-based, more vinegary side. Tart, and not very sweet. Y’all know I prefer a sweeter sauce, but I really enjoyed this one. The baked beans were a good, homemade, traditional baked bean. Again, not sweet at all. The coleslaw was good, but I’ll admit I added a package of sweetener because I like a sweeter coleslaw. The sweetener made it perfect for my taste. Jonathan reported that the potato salad “was okay” and the fried squash was fair. The BBQ is definitely the strong suit at Goal Post.
Have y’all tried Goal Post? Or any of the other dishes we’ve covered? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!
Hey! Glad you had a great visit to Calhoun County. Next time you are in the area come by Jillybean’s Cupcakes located in Jacksonville, Al (ten minutes north of Anniston). We offer delicious cupcakes! Check us out on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jillybeans-Cupcakes-Ice-Cream/339772909388994
Hopefully after another great meal in Anniston, you’ll leave some room and come by for a great dessert!
Does anybody have the recipe for goal post bbq sauce? I am 47 now and grew up going there in my younger years. I’ve lived in Massachusetts my whole life but my mom’s family is from Jacksonville and I used to go to the goal post and the rocket. Can’t believe goal post is passed over and forgot about!