Bennie J's Smoke Pit LLC — Restaurant in Huntsville

Best BBQ in Huntsville.

I hadn't been to Huntsville in years. The last time I was there the only BBQ places was Mckenzies, which is good (but they boil their ribs) and the BBQ church which had begun to go downhill. However, this is better than the competitors.

It's a small unassuming building that belies the quality of food inside. Don't stop here if you are expecting white linen tablecloths and valet parking. This isn't that.

This is more you can tell someone gets up at the crack of dawn to fire up the pit and doesn't have time to peruse Pinterest for interior decorating. The building makes you look twice when you drive up and three times when you walk in. It is an older building and appears to be a little worn.

But oh man the food. That's what we are really coming for. I've found some of the best food in the world are hole in the wall places, and this lives up to that notion.

The food is beyond reasonably priced, especially for barbeque. The portion sizes are generous and the staff are friendly.

I ordered the two meat plate which was only $9.00 I ordered ribs and brisket. I requested my brisket untrimmed(aka moist and fatty) and it was some of the best brisket I've ever had. I really enjoyed the ribs as well, I appreciated the smoke flavor, however they were not as tender as I would have liked, though there were still very good. For my sides I ordered green beans, which were good but needed some salt, and a side salad, which was fresh, crisp and good.

I did think that their bbq sauce was extremely thin, don't want to say watery but it wasn't thick. It was more of a soppin' sauce it that makes sense. It was good though, and I liked that they give you two different kinds of sauce.

The food was served, hot, fresh and fast. The staff was friendlier. An elderly man was eating all alone and he spilled his tea everywhere. A female employee rushed over and cleaned up everything and got the man more tea, and even returned to fuss over him some more.

I beat the lunch crowd, but as I was finishing up my food the lunch crowd began to trickle in. Old, young, Black, White, a little of everyone came to get them some beef, bones and bird.

I definitely will be back when I'm...

Looked on the internet to find a good bar b q restaurant in Hville and found Bennie J. 5 Star reviews We had family drive from out of town to join us When we got there the first thing out of their mouths is we don't have any lean brisket. 🤔 This was 11:15 am. They opened at 11. Tried to order chicken and all they had was 1 piece left. We tried to order a stuffed bake potato and they did not have them either.😡 We should had just left but oh heck no. Then we ordered ribs and they had those and ordered link sausage to go with them and all they had was jalapeno cheese!!!!!!! We got pinto beans, coleslaw, for side I bit into the ribs and thought I was eating rubber. Not cooked long enough. Needless to say the food was a disaster. To top it off we were going to order pie and guess what? THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY I could not believe the good reviews this place has. 🤮 Maybe in the past this place was good but it's trash and the flies are everywhere. P.S. to the pit master," slow your smoke and fire way down. You are not smoking it nowhere long enough." Oh you intertain alright. I have to ask you Mr. Bennie J am I lieing about any of it? Were you out of potatoes, chicken, lean brisket, stuffed potatoes, and pie at 11:20am Saturday morning? Just answer the question. Now mind your own business and step up your game. I know it hurts when someone criticizes the way you cook but sometimes you need to listen. Move the garbage can on the other side of the covered outside seating area. It's gross....

I know how to navigate the roads from Austin, TX to Huntsville, TX but for fun I put the address of Bennie J's in my GPS and after pushing the start button, the GPS voice informed me that upon my arrival into Huntsville, Bennie J's was closing within an hour so it behooved me to put the pedal to the metal, ignoring speed limits. Indeed I live in Central Texas where there are loads of exceptional BBQ venues however Bennie J's is extraordinarily old skool, more to my liking. Usually the sides at most BBQ venues are mundane but their potato salad and beans are screamin'!

Even I arrived before they closed, I didn't arrive in time to get some of their fall-off-the-bone mouth waterin' ribs, ending up with a 3-meat plate with chicken, moist brisket, and sausage which did not disappoint! There is limited dine-in seating and ample seating out on their deck.

Some other BBQ venues have crept into Huntsville but I will continue to patronize Bennie J's as their consistency is beyond measure. I must also mention that Bennie J's offers daily specials which could include fried fish, fried shrimp, meatloaf, chicken, beef tips, etc. All in all Bennie J's is a Soul Food restaurant as their delectable delights truly satisfy the Soul!

By the way, I brought an extra plate back to Austin, used some of the brisket to pair with my omelet and garlic...