I have never met a fan base as passionate as that of Brindley Mountain BBQ. From the moment we began sharing the great barbecue joints of Alabama, I heard whispers about this place near Cullman. As Brindley Mountain became more established and opened a new building, the accolades became louder and more frequent. Those were followed by comments urging a visit, each one becoming more persuasive. The main problem for Chase is that Fairview is not convenient to any of his regular travels…except for this year’s trip to church youth camp.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns a family camp in Hulaco, an unincorporated community northeast of Cullman. Every year I volunteer during the week our congregation’s girls are in attendance, primarily helping on the high-ropes course and filling water coolers. It’s a chance to slow life down and replenish both mentally and spiritually. This year, I planned my campsite departure through Fairview and a stop at Brindley Mountain BBQ as they opened for lunch. Time to see what all the fuss is about!

Right off, the restaurant looks the part.  The outside is wood siding with a metal room and covered part that runs the length of the front. Inside is a simple finished concrete floor with galvanized aluminum and wood finishing the walls. The dining room is open, with booths around the exterior and tables in the center capable of accommodating any sized party. I grabbed a booth along the wall, avoiding traffic and gaining some solitude after a week of constant fellowship.

I ordered my standard pulled pork plate but altered my side items. The creamy coleslaw sounded refreshing after a blistering week of being outdoors. I also wanted something crisp, so I went with homemade chips. The Barbecue Babe and I love fresh chips but don’t see them very often.

The pork was obviously pulled, meaning it was from the Boston butt. It has a uniform, smoky color throughout with a nice bark that added a bit of crunch and saltiness. I preferred mine with their red house sauce. It was dark in color and slightly thick. It was sweet and mild but had just enough spice to put your taste buds on alert. I found out later they have white sauce that gets rave reviews. While typically for chicken, I enjoy white sauce on pulled pork if it’s thicker and has a little spice.

The creamy slaw was a little thinner than I envisioned, but it was cool and refreshing and exactly what I needed. I loved the fine shred on the cabbage, which was easy to eat and neat to portion when sampling on the pork. I was close to enough to north Alabama for that to be legal. In fact, the more I ate of the slaw the more I wanted.

For me, the star of the plate was the homemade potato chips. They were DYNAMITE!!! They were thin, crispy, and golden with a crunch as good as any store-bought chip, but heartier from the thicker slice on the potato. Hit with a dash of salt right out of the fryer and these crisps were delicious! These babies are now on our list of menu items from around the state that You Gotta Try. Plus, nobody beats the value. My entire meal, including drink, was less than $12.

While checking out, I met the owner, Anthony Garlowich. He shared a story similar to that of most great pitmasters. People would see him cooking at home and call him up wanting barbecue. He recently completed construction on their current location and is serving the goods to the state’s most passionate customers. I’ve had so much fun interacting with Brindley Mountain fans, who have responded in greater numbers and with more fervency than any other joint I’ve visited. I’ll need many more trips to sample all the dishes that have been recommended, and I think I’m up to the task.