2025 Alabama BBQ Tour: Clay County - Partner's Pit BBQ, Lineville, Alabama

 

We drove about an hour to Clay County last Wednesday to Partner's Pit BBQ in Lineville, AL.  Clay County is home to parts of Cheaha State Park in the Talladega National Forest and Lake Wedowee on the eastern boundary. The Pinhoti Trail system weaves its way through the Talladega National Forest to Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. Hikers along the trail may see some of the local wildlife, including whitetail deer, wild turkey, and the rare bald eagle.

This area is decidedly rural and the choices for a BBQ meal were slim.  Partner's Pit opened at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and we were the second customers through the door.

One thing we are learning on this BBQ tour adventure is that it's probably not the best idea to be within the first hour's customers.  Sometimes you may be served BBQ left from the day before.  Just "food for thought" for y'all.  An acquaintance gave me some good advice a few weeks ago.  When ordering, request meat "fresh off the pit."  I will remember that going forward.

We entered and were greeted and instructed to sitt anywhere we'd like.  Yay!  Table service!!

We both ordered sweet tea and it is the kind your grandmama makes.  We felt we were off to a good start.

We decided we'd order an appetizer this meal and chose fried mushrooms.

This was an average sized serving of frozen, then fried, mushrooms with a nice side cup of ranch for dipping.  They weren't greasy and were served piping hot.

For an establishment billed as a BBQ restaurant, we were a little surprised to see only two options:  pork and beef.  Ribs and chicken are only served on Fridays and Saturdays, so that narrowed down our choices considerably.

I chose the BBQ Pork plate and had onion rings and fried okra as my sides with Texas toast.

Let's start with the pork.

By now y'all know that the "bark" is an important component of BBQ.  That's where the majority of the flavor originates.  The dry rub, or any type of seasoning, on the outside of the meat before smoking will impart a layer of flavor.  The smoking process with, hopefully, hickory wood will bring all that goodness together.  When that happens correctly, sauce may not even be needed to enhance the taste of the meat.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any bark mixed in with this serving of pork  There was no discernable flavor of any seasoning or dry rub.  The smoke flavor and aroma was miniscule at best.  I was disappointed.  The sauce added a nice "middle of the road" flavor; it wasn't spicy, sweet, vinegary nor smoky.  It was just an average sauce.

The onion rings weren't homemade.  They were the frozen, then fried, variety.

The fried okra was above average in that the slices weren't fried too long to make them hard and super crunchy.  They were just right.

Now we'll move on to Sweet Harold's beef brisket plate with fries and beans.

I'm going to give my honest assessment of the brisket.

Every single time I've ever been served brisket, it's in nice thick slices.  Never have we been served chopped beef brisket like this.  This serving definitely had not come "fresh off the pit."  If it was, my apologies to Partner's Pit BBQ.  The texture was tough and chewy.  It was almost like it had been chopped and then put on a flat top to reheat.  No discernable seasoning and no smoke flavor here either.  No, we did not tell the server.  No, we did not bring it to anyone's attention.  During our 2025 BBQ Tour we agreed to eat what we were served and to report on the food as accurately as possible.  This was disappointing.  

Like the okra, the French fries were perfectly fried to the exact moment they should have been removed from the fryer.  

Here was his standout portion of the meal:  the bbq beans.

The beans had a lot of add-ins such as hamburger meat, ketchup, onions, and SEASONING.  He was very pleased with this serving of beans.

Here are some interior pictures of the restaurant.

Our server was very attentive and the owners made sure our tea glasses stayed full.  The entire restaurant was spotless.  The restrooms were immaculate.  Everyone was as nice and polite as they could be.  

Standouts:  sweet tea, table service, real plates/silverware, bbq beans, okra, and CLEANLINESS.

Point Takeaways:  brisket, pork

Our Score:  83

Tres Leches Pound Cake

 

For our Cinco de Mayo meal, I knew I wanted to embrace a cultural favorite and a family favorite dessert.  Here's the result:  a Tres Leches Pound Cake.

Tres Leches, translated to three milks, is a popular cake in North, Central, and South America.  For this version, whole milk, condensed milk, and heavy whipping cream are the three milks. 

Here's this beautiful cake immediately after being removed from the oven.  The kitchen smelled heavenly while it was baking.

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

3 cups plus 2 T, granulated sugar, divided

6 large eggs

4½ cups all-purpose flour

½ t. kosher salt

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup whole milk

3 t. vanilla extract, divided

¼ cup water

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Garnish: confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 300° F. Spray a 15-cup tube pan with baking spray with flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add 2 cups granulated sugar beating until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk, milk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, about 1½ hours.

In a small saucepan, bring ¼ cup water and remaining 1 cup and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in cream and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Let cool completely.

Using a wooden pick or skewer, poke holes in warm cake. Slowly pour half of cream mixture over top of cake. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack lined with foil. Poke holes in cake, and pour other half of cream mixture over top of inverted cake. Let cool completely. Invert cake once more onto a serving plate, and drizzle with remaining cream mixture that dripped onto the foil. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if you'd like.

from www.bakefromscratch.com

2025 Alabama BBQ Tour: Madison County - Chuckwagon BBQ, Madison, Alabama

Madison County, Alabama, established in 1808, was named after President James Madison. It's considered the "birthplace" of Alabama, as Huntsville, the county seat, was designated the state's first capital in 1819.

We met up with some dear friends last week at Chuckwagon BBQ in Madison.  They live nearby and highly recommended this restaurant for our stop in Madison County.

Ordering is done at the counter with a clear view of the plating process.  You place your order and you watch as your food is assembled on the plates and trays and you pick it up at the end of the counter and pay.  A stop at the drink station and then off to your chosen table and you're ready to eat.

We jointly decided to enjoy the Texas Sampler:  Brisket, Pork, Sausage, Chicken, and Ribs with four side dishes.

Doesn't that look appetizing?  Let's take them one at a time and get a closer look.

The smoked sausage was extremely tender, nicely smoked, and lightly seasoned.  

Unfortunately, NOT the best picture (all my responsibility), but this chicken was probably the best smoked chicken I've had in a very long time.  Shredded smoked meat has a tendency to try out quickly, but this was the exact opposite.  It had a wonderful flavor and with the addition of their version of white BBQ sauce yielded the ideal pairing of flavors.

As you can see from the photo, the brisket has a nice combination of tender "inside" meat as well as a gorgeous bark on the exterior.  This was an excellent brisket.  No sauce needed!

The ribs were tender, juicy, and coated with a smoky dry rub.  I chose to add a little of the spicy BBQ sauce to my serving.  The spicy version had a subtle heat that snuck up on you slowly.  I loved it.

The pulled pork was one of the better offerings we've eaten while on the BBQ Tour.  Again, tender with a light smoke flavor and a little of the dry rub mixed in with the meat.  Yum!

The mild sauce was a nice choice for the pulled pork.  

Ready for the side selections?

We chose potato salad, baked beans, mayo slaw, and macaroni and cheese.

With the exception of the sweet relish, this potato salad could have been prepared in my kitchen!  A great balance of flavors with just the right amount of mayo/mustard made this a great side selection.

The baked beans were a group favorite as well.  This wasn't the beans "dumped out of a can and reheated version."  These yummy bites of goodness had actual pieces of brisket included.  A mid level smoky flavor and great consistency had everyone at the table bragging on the baked beans.

Chuckwagon's version of slaw is also a close version of mine as well.  A mixture of green and purple cabbage, shredded carrots, and the dressing that's not too wet and not too dry offered a great texture contrast to the other side dish offerings.

While not a "cheese pull" photo opportunity, this was a very nice mac and cheese.  With an abundance of cheese flavor and the addition of diced pimentos which add color and flavor, this mac and cheese ranked high.

We were offered Texas Toast and/or Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins.  I didn't try the toast, but the muffins were delightful.  The presence of jalapenos was obvious in each bite and if that's something you enjoy, you'll need to order some extra of these!

We were all too full to even consider dessert.  Maybe next time.

Here's some fun pictures from the dining room.  Yes, the televisions are showing vintage black and white westerns.

There's also a nice outdoor dining area.

Standouts:  Super clean inside and out, Texas Sampler (extra credit for the pulled pork and smoked chicken), jalapeno muffins.

Point Takeaways:  Counter service, sytrofoam/plastic

Our Score:  92

Waldorf Salad

Waldorf Salad originated at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City over 100 years ago.  It's an elegant salad to serve on special occasions such as a ladies' luncheon, Easter, Mother's Day, but it's also a great salad to mix up and keep in the fridge to pack in week day lunches.  

Take time to chop the fruit and celery in as close to the same size as possible.  That way it's easy to get a taste of all the yummy ingredients in every bite!

Mix the wet ingredients (the dressing) together separately to have a smooth and creamy dressing to fold into the salad mixture.

Take time to lightly toast the nuts.  It adds an incredible difference in the depth of flavor.

2 cups diced tart apples, or 2 apples (I used one Granny Smith and 1 Fuji)

1 T. sugar

2 t. lemon juice

1 cup diced celery

1 cup grapes, halved (I used half red/half white)

½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

2 T. sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

½ t. kosher salt

Add the diced apples to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and lemon juice.  Toss to coat.  Add the celery, grapes, and toasted nuts.

In another bowl, combine the sour cream and mayonnaise. Fold into the apple mixture and season with the kosher salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.  

Adapted from www.foodcrush.com

Lolly's Pork Chops Supreme

 

There are several versions of Pork Chops Supreme all over the interwebs.  But, as y'all know, I can't leave well enough alone most times.  So I took the basic recipe and added a lot of my touches and decided I'd rename this recipe as "Lolly's Pork Chops Supreme."  

Here are my ingredients!

4 boneless pork chops (about 1/2" thick)

Hardin's Seasoning

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

8 oz. sliced white mushrooms

1 T. minced garlic

freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 - 5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick

1 small jar diced pimentos, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope onion soup mix

1/2 cup milk

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

thinly sliced chives for garnish

Season the pork chops liberally with Hardin's Seasoning.

Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Brown the pork chops well on both sides and remove from the skillet to a plate.  Set aside.  You just want to brown them; they will finish cooking in the oven.

Place the onions, mushrooms, and garlic into the skillet and lower the heat to low and let them cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with the black pepper.

At this point, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with olive oil spray.

Place the potato slices into the baking dish.  It's okay if they overlap.

Spread the onions, mushrooms, and garlic mixture evenly over the potatoes.

Sprinkle the diced pimentos over the veggies.

Place the browned pork chops on top.

In the same skillet, over low heat, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, milk, onion soup mix, and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to a simmer.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the potatoes are knife tender.

Sprinkle on the chives and serve immediately.