The Pit BBQ

This is a great place to grab some excellent BBQ. It is locally owned and operated which is a plus! The sauces are excellent and obviously dialed in! Smoked meatball sub is a great hit especially with the kids. Meatballs are huge and obviously homemade! Five star BBQ has finally come to the southern tier!

i’m giving this place a 3 for what it actually is and not what they actually claim to be. first i’ll review the food and then i’ll save my grievances for the end of the review.
the food. i’ve been here twice. the first time i got the half chicken, half rack of ribs, and 2 sides. the chicken was good enough. great flavor but the texture wasn’t anything to write home about. it was good but not perfect. as for the ribs, they were very tender, but they were too tender. the meat shouldn’t literally fall off the bones, when that happens that means it’s been overcooked, BUT a lot of places in this area serve overcooked ribs with a dry texture, and i’d rather have meat that’s easier to eat than pork jerky. there was no smoke flavor at all though, and as for the sauce, i saw them pour it on the ribs from a bottle. i didn’t catch the label but it tasted a lot like Brooks BBQ out of oneonta. for sides i got coleslaw and mac salad as recommended. mac salad was pretty good, and the coleslaw had a good flavor but the texture was lacking.
visit number 2. i went at about the same time of day i did the first time. i wanted to try the chicken and ribs again but with different sides but they were out of both sides i wanted, as well as the ribs. it wasn’t even dinner time yet so i feel this makes them look unprepared. i got the chicken and the texture was better than last time. the flavor is really good but still i feel like they probably used bottled sauces. bottled sauces are good but i like to see people do their own thing. i also go the pulled pork. it was very tender but flavorless. definitely not smoked and the sauce was way too sweet. the mac salad was still good and the coleslaw was a little better this time.
for a roadside stand, they have decent food. but their online presence makes them out to be way more than they actually are. their website claims that they are a «locally owned, family operated smokehouse. we bring real, quality, authentic bbq back to the southern tier!» no no no no no. locally owned and family operated yes, but smokehouse? no. they are a roadside stand with an RV, block charcoal pit, and a tent. i saw no smoker there, unless they count the weber charcoal grill as one. they have no menu posted so you have to ask for one, and depending on who you get they don’t know it very well. the first time i got the chicken and ribs combo that’s $ 18 on the menu. they charged me $ 23. and their BBQ is not real and authentic. i picked up no smoke flavor, their pulled pork seemed like it was made in a crock pot. and they claim to be bringing real BBQ back to the southern tier. BS! first off, this isn’t real BBQ and also, there’s plenty of places around here that actually do smoke their meats low and slow, so who was doing it before them that needed their absence filled and where did they go? the most legit BBQ in apalachin was done by Barnyard BBQ, and it’s a real shame that they are no longer in business. Barnyard’s operation was totally different than Big Dipper BBQ, but it seems like the Pit only opened to compete with Big Dipper. the pit says to «kiss dry overcooked chicken goodbye», which i find funny because i’ve never had dry chicken from Big Dipper, their chicken has always been great. their ribs on the other hand are usually dry.
so in conclusion, yes for a decent chicken meal with decent sides, this place is worth checking out. but for real legit BBQ look elsewhere. and make sure you know the menu when placing your order.