Brenda's Bar-B-Que Pit — Restaurant in Montgomery

Barbecue, like most of the food that defines Southern cuisine, is one that was created out of necessity - you were stuck with the worst parts of the animal, and you had to make them taste good. It's with this in mind that I find myself enamored with Brenda's, simply because the business represents the humble barbecue roots that are so hard to come by in 2013. This isn't a dive like Sam's, or a full service sit-down affair like Dreamland - it's a shack, in a sketchy part of town, staffed by some nice folks who just want to share some of their barbecue.

The food is priced extremely fairly. Aside from the pork ribs plate, which is far and away the most expensive thing on the menu at $12, you have your choice of an indeterminate type of barbecued fish, chicken, or - wait for it - pig's ear. Yes, this is not a barbecue shack from for the hoity toity.

Aside from the occasional bahn mi, I admit that I am a virgin to pig's ears, but I will give credit to Brenda's for turning that mass of cartilage into a floppy, tender piece of meat. Not really tasting of smoke, and devoid of any sauce aside from some heavy application of yellow mustard between those two pieces of white bread, I wouldn't say I'm an ear convert (it's hard to clean all of the hairs off it), but I'm glad there's still places around here serving it. This is a part of Southern cooking that doesn't get as much attention from the Paula Deens of the world, and it's important that we cherish these culinary roots.

And if you're squeamish about the ear, the ribs looked pretty tender and were generously sauced. Either way, we need to spend more time embracing true Montgomery barbecue and less eating...

Made a small detour for lunch in Montgomery on the way to Muscle Shoals last week. Found a wee bit off the beaten path and with a take out only dining option, Brenda's did not disappoint. My rib plate had several meaty ribs seasoned properly, smoked to perfection and served with a generous amount of really good sauce. One lunch will easily serve 2. Their pulled pork leaves nothing to be desired in it's perfection. The last bite of the sammy was as good as the first. Masterfully smoked, each bite was juicy and succulent. The slaw, potato salad and baked beans were satisfyingly home made, delicious and generously portioned. Even the iced tea and homemade lemonade was Bussin'!

You know in the South, the only part of the hog we don't use is the squeal! With this in mind, I tried my first Pig Ear sammy! It was tasty, smoked and serve on light bread with mustard, ketchup and hot sauce. While the taste was good, the texture took a bite or two to get used to. Would defo have...

Brenda's has been around for a very long time, and there was a crowd waiting which are good signs. This is a barbecue stand so no dining room or even tables. The building itself contains the pit and barely enough counter space to prep food. I enjoyed talking with the other patrons who were waiting on orders. That was really fun. The food was very good although we got a couple things we didn't expect. The chicken sandwich is actually a full quarter chicken, intact, served with two slices of white bread. So if you want a sandwich, you have to pull it yourself. It's also super messy so have plenty of napkins. The chicken was smoky and wonderful covered in the sauce. The pork was very finely chopped and mixed with a lot of sauce. Think Sloppy Joe for appearance. But the flavor was pit smoked and the meat was piled high, so it was a mess. Eating in the car was a challenge but was worth the trouble. Brenda's is a piece of history and needs to be...