Big Day at Big B's Barbecue

Big B's Barbecue

1948 N. Placentia Ave.

Fullerton, CA 92831 

I was up in north Orange County getting my teeth cleaned, so it was the perfect opportunity to cross off one of the places on my restaurant wish list. It is rare that I am up in this area for lunch, so it had to be Big B's Barbecue where I would go. Joining me on this outing was my Mom, and brother in law Jarrod.

Big B's Barbecue is located right next to Brian's, Fullerton's oldest sports bar, and owned by the same owner, Brian Fairley. Fairley opened the space right next to his bar in 1986, trying to give his patrons a more satisfying menu. Since that time they have become very popular for their barbecue, and have a booming catering business. Big B's is a very small restaurant with two booths and counter seating against a wall. If there is no room in the tiny restaurant, you can order in the much larger bar area at the window. So without further delay, let's check out the food.

When I go to a barbecue place I always like to get a combo plate. This trip was not any different. I got the Rib and Chicken Combo with potato salad as a side item. The ribs were tender and good. Great flavor, and a lot of meat on them. The chicken was also moist, and the skin was very crisp. I would definitely get these meats again. The potato salad, however, was not very good. Too many big hunks of potato in it, and not real big on flavor. It was more like eating a cold baked potato with nothing on it.

Next up was Jarrod's lunch, the Pulled Pork Sliders with a side of Beckett's Beans. I felt that the pork could have been moister, but it did have decent flavor. I tried to add BBQ sauce to the meat to make it less dry, but the sauce here was not to my liking. It was a very tangy barbecue sauce. The Beckett's beans, named after a customer who inspired the recipe, were actually pretty good. They were made up of three kinds of beans with bacon and jalapenos. These beans had a great kick to them and would be my go-to choice for a side item here.

My Mom was not feeling like having barbecue, so she went with the Chicken Salad Sandwich with Fries. The fries were average, and my Mom felt that the sandwich was good, but not the best she has ever had.

Barbecue is a tricky business. It is a very complex genre of food. There are so many aspects to it. From the sauce, the meats, the sides, and how they all combine and interact with one another. One bad area and it throw all the others off kilter. At Big B's they lost me with their sauce. I am sure other people like it, but to me, it was just too tangy. It really took away my pleasure from the meats. I was also not too fond of their side items, other than the beans. The prices here were fair. My rib and chicken combo were $11 and the pulled pork sliders were $8, with each coming with your choice of a side. The service was okay, you order at a counter.

Out of five titans, (because this spot is popular with CSUF students), five being best to zero being worst, Big B's Barbecue gets 2.5 titans.

For more information on Big B's Barbecue click here: https://bigbsbbq.com/