“You deserve to eat this good.”

It’s hard to disagree with a sentiment like this. We all work hard for a living so those dollars should go towards something good. But when a statement like this is painted on the wall of a restaurant—a BBQ restaurant at that—you figure one of two things. Either the owner is all hat and no cattle or the food is the real deal. After eating at the Big Bib on Austin Highway a handful of times, I can assure you that it is the latter.

Even though the restaurant has recently moved to a larger location, it would still be wise to show up 15 to 30 minutes before the lunchtime rush. Packed with many military men and women, the line can quickly extend past the front door. Upon entering, the wall on the right has many of their accolades and reviews. Other walls have San Antonio or patriotic murals painted on them.

This last trip, I had decided to go for the turkey and brisket with a side of sweet potatoes and pinto beans. The brisket has that nice ring of fat with the perfect smokey taste. While the manager said that it would be a travesty to use sauce on this meat, I’ll admit that I am a Texas who does like to have a little sauce with my BBQ. I know many hardliners out there disagree, but I come down in the middle: I favor BBQ both with and without sauce. The brisket clearly stood on its own, but oh boy, that Honey BBQ sauce was solid.

The turkey was tender and had a good amount of smokey taste. The Tangy Gold sauce pairs perfectly with it, as does the pickles and onions that come in a little plastic bag. You can’t go wrong with the pinto beans as a side, but there is something that you should know about the sweet potatoes. If you plan on getting peach cobbler as a dessert (more on this later), forgo the sweet potatoes—they are delicious but are more akin to a dessert than a side. Getting both is just too much, even for my sweet tooth.

If you decide on getting the cobbler the side you ought to order is the loaded baked potato salad. This thing is amazing and a unique take on potato salad that I particularly enjoyed.

As mentioned, on this trip I did order the peach cobbler, hailed as some of the best in town. The crust was nice and thick, the peaches were plenty and it was incredibly sweet. Having had the sweet potatoes earlier, I brought my bowl back home with me and ate on it for a couple of days (alongside a cup of coffee).

I would like to make one last note on the Big Big. For whatever reason, my coworkers typically don’t let me make a decision on where to eat lunch—they are more of a Chuy’s and chain kind of lunch crowd. However, the stars aligned and they let me choose the Big Bib. Not only were they blown away by the food, several of them have got out of their lunchtime rut, returning a couple of times to enjoy a plate of Big Bib BBQ. After all, even folks who love chains recognize that they deserve to eat this good.

The Big Bib, 104 Lanark Dr San Antonio, TX 78218

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