Brenda’s Bar-B-Q Pit

At Brenda’s, you park and order from the window. There’s no place to sit, so be prepared to take the food to go. Whether you’re driving through Montgomery or spending a few days, Brenda’s is worth the visit. She has the best sweet tea ever! Seriously. And, the pulled pork BBQ sandwich + slaw + fries = heaven!

Wow! I have lived in Texas and Oklahoma for many years and I am an absolute BBQ enthusiast. This was an unbelievable surprise! Moist juicy tender meaty ribs, delicious coleslaw (and I don’t really like coleslaw!), very unique potato salad that was well thought out and seasoned.
The area was a little dodgy but authentic. Total hole in the wall establishment but I have yet to find better food quality and value anywhere!
Do not hesitate… GET SOME YUMM!!!

Visited on a Friday evening — maybe not the smartest decision, given the neighborhood — but the ribs were worth it. The employees were friendly and welcoming, and the service was quick. I ordered the rib plate, at $ 11.99 the most expensive thing on the menu. Got the slaw, which was good but not outstanding, and the potato salad, which was excellent. I usually prefer my own tater salad, but this contained eggs and sweet pickles, giving it a great old-​fashioned flavor. There were 5 – 6 pork ribs on the plate, very wet, in a sweet and slightly spicy red sauce. Two pieces of white bread were included –and I’d say necessary — for soppin’ up all that sauce. I’ll be back to try the pork, baked beans, and the sweet potato pie ($ 2 a slice). The lady at the counter told me they ARE open on Saturdays.

Driving through Montgomery to Atlanta around rib time, I mean lunch time. Read some reviews about nearby places and settled on this humble establishment. They didn’t take Amex and I only had $ 15 cash on me, so the very friendly Robert helped me put it to good use! Got the rib plate (of course) and two sides he recommended, cole slaw and potato salad. Both sides were homemade and delicious, especially the egg-​rich potato salad! Mmm. Now the ribs. I usually like my ribs dry so I can try to detect the wood (s) used in their smoke pit, but Robert was confident I’d be just as happy with the sauced ribs. He was right! Never been so happy to lick my fingers before. He even observed I might need some napkins and came by my car (there are no tables) with extras! Great service. A local lady that ordered before me said she loves their pig ears. Pig ears? Really? Guess what Robert brought to my car to sample? Yep. Pig ears! With a little mustard and hot sauce, I sampled it and can say you should never knock something until you try it! Prepped by boiling and with sort of a large thin raw oyster-​like appearance, I was pleasantly surprised and Robert said I’ve just tasted a soul food delicacy! I’ve added this little place to my list of stops for future passes through Montgomery and I made a new friend. Thanks, Robert. And please accept my condolences again on the recent passing of your father. After 69 or so years in business, I’m sure you and your uncle will do just fine… But I wouldn’t change that sauce recipe… No way! Good stuff! God bless!

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 cheddar biscuits.