Oak Lawn fixture and RVA winner Big Al’s celebrates 50 years of barbecue

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com

At the inaugural Readers Voice Awards celebration just last month, guests were served up some delicious meats and sides thanks to Big Al’s Smokehouse BBQ. The restaurant was also selected as the RVA winner for Best Barbecue — which shouldn’t surprise given that its reputation has been solidified within the Oak Lawn neighborhood for half a century at its Inwood Road location.

Now the restaurant is celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary with a happy hour party.

“Fifty is the new 21 with the launch of our two new cocktails,” explained Big Al’s owner Lauran Weiner, the daughter of the titular founder. “We’ve spent five decades perfecting our hickory wood smoking, house-made rubs and barbecue techniques, and now we’re thrilled to introduce refreshing cocktails while staying true to our Dallas BBQ roots.”

The restaurant’s 50th Anniversary Happy Hour Celebration will be held April 26, from 5-7 p.m. It will include presentation of a state proclamation by Texas state Rep. Rafael Anchia, honoring Big Al’s Smokehouse BBQ for its 50 years of BBQ heritage in Texas.

The managers at Big Al’s

The event will feature  samplings of the restaurant’s hickory-smoked meats along with the Big Al’s Margarita and the Spiked Sweet Tea alongside new brunch items set to debut in the fall.

Big Al’s will feature the outdoor masterclass “Art of Wood-Smoking Beef, Pork & Poultry,” with Pedro Garcia, the pitmaster since 1979, and Judy Smith of J&R Manufacturing, the company providing the rotisserie smoker and offset for the class.

There will be a giveaway that includes a tour of J&R’s test kitchen, a gift card to the restaurant and exclusive merchandise. To register, sign up on Big Al’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

The party will also serve a bigger purpose: Big Al’s will donate 15 percent of food sales from every Tuesday Happy Hour and Dinner through July to Second Chance, a program of the Texas Restaurant Foundation focused on fostering career opportunities in hospitality for justice-involved individuals.

But the party doesn’t stop there; Big Al’s will be celebrating all year long:
• May is National Barbecue Month and begins Wednesday Night Pitmaster Happy Hour from 5-7 p.m. with to-go whole hickory-smoked chicken, a quart of BBQ beans and quart of potato salad, enough to feed six, for $20.
• On Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day weekends, Big Al’s will feature a to-go “Party on the Patio” with four pounds of hickory smoked meats, three quarts of sides and a dozen rolls.
• Big Al’s is looking for a charitable organization to support from August through the end of October with a share of Tuesday Happy Hour and Dinner proceeds.
• In September, Big Al’s will launch “Briskets & Gravy Brunch” and partner with local drag entertainers to raise funds for the community, along with additional themed weekend events.
• In November, Big Al’s will bring back its classic Thanksgiving holiday meals, and
• December will feature Big Al’s traditional hickory-smoked holiday meals.

Learn more about its 50 year celebration at BigAlsBBQ.com.