The Brown Bag Review: If it's Wright's Bar-B-Que, it can't be wrong! Or can it?, Florence, AL

SHOALS BARBECUE TRAIL - Stop #18
Florence, Alabama – This week’s culinary excursion took us out Highway 157 (Cloverdale Road) to Wright’s Bar-B-Que located on the west side of the highway at the corner of Cloverdale Road and Underwood Drive. Wright’s has been in business for several years at this location and pretty much has the monopoly on bar-b-que in the Cloverdale/Underwood area.

We pulled into the parking lot just about noon on a Friday and other than two employee cars, we were the only customer. We went inside and one of the owners came out of the kitchen after a couple of minutes and took our order, then returned to the kitchen to resume whatever he was doing before we came in.
I ordered my usual, a regular BBQ plate and my dining companion ordered a BBQ sandwich, chips and drink. They do have Coke products available in bottles or cans and sweet/unsweet tea is also available.

All orders are packaged to go as there is no inside dining tables, however, there are three round concrete picnic tables located under a canopy outside. We chose to dine al fresco and fight the flies for our food.
It took about 8 – 10 minutes to get our lunch order since we had to wait for the fries to cook for my BBQ plate. The lady that brought our order out was friendly (as most business are when they’re taking your money) and got us rung up and ensured that we had everything.

We carried our orders outside and had the opening of the plate and sandwich (see pictures below) to see what goodies awaited us. First impression on the BBQ sandwich was meat quantity was about what you’d expect on a regular BBQ sandwich. It was topped off with their signature “mustard slaw” that we couldn’t quite figure out the taste on. It had more of a really light vinegar, bbq sauce taste than mustard flavor. Sort of a mustard slaw with a personality disorder. In our opinion, a dry mustard is used vs. regular mustard but we could be wrong. You can check out pictures of their slaw on their Facebook page which will be linked below.

On my regular BBQ plate, there was about + or - 6 ounces of pulled pork, pork & beans dressed up as BBQ beans, slaw, crinkle cut fries and two rolls. Included in the “to go” container was a fork/napkin/salt/pepper package and two packs of ketchup. No extra BBQ sauce at all, guess you have to ask for that.

The BBQ was pre-sauced and I use that term lightly because that was the way the meat was sauced, lightly. The sauce that was there was a thin watery homemade concoction purported to be BBQ sauce. I could not taste any vinegar in it, very little black pepper, nor was there any tomato base taste, the sauce like watered down ketchup with no pizazz at all.

The meat itself had been cooked and held for some period of time. It just had that day old smell and taste I associate with BBQ meat when it not freshly pulled. I know BBQ joints have to pull meat ahead of time but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

The BBQ Pork and Beans had a smidgen of pulled pork mixed in with them and some of the homemade watered down sauce added also. Again, what should have been the backup star to the meat sadly was in a weak supporting role and left untouched after a couple of bites. The other weak performer was the slaw which again after giving it a fair taste test was left to console the beans in the trash can. The crinkle cut fries was the star of the plate with the pulled barbecue pork coming in a distant second. The rolls were just fill in players at the end and didn’t account for any character addition to the plate.

My dining companion and fellow BBQ judge, was not thrilled with the BBQ sandwich either. Again, the opinion was pulled pork with age on it, tasteless sauce, and slaw with delusional aspects.

So, I guess the burning question is; “Would we drive back out Cloverdale Road to eat there again?” The answer would be “No, as long as there is another BBQ joint closer by.”

We did give a good score on style of cooking since Wright’s does smoke whole shoulders onsite utilizing a homemade wood fired smoker.

I know there are folks that swear by Wright’s BBQ and I’m not knocking them. Each barbecue lover has their own opinions and they are entitled to theirs just as we are.

Judge 1 scoring:
• Service 5
• Atmosphere 4
• Bar-B-Q Sandwich 6
• Mustard Slaw 4
• Hushpuppies 0*
• Beverages (Diet Coke) 6

Judge 2 scoring:
• Service 5
• Atmosphere 6
• Pulled Pork Barbecue 6
• Mustard Slaw 4
• Potato Salad 0*
• BBQ Beans 4
• Hushpuppies 0*
Dinner Rolls 6
• Beverages (Diet Coke) 7

*(None Available)

Overall Rating: 5

(Rating Index is Here)

Overall Recommendations:Pulled Pork is iffy, but the hamburger combo may be a better choice at lunch. If you get a Bar-B-Q sandwich, ask for the slaw on the side to taste for yourself before placing on sandwich.

Wright’s Bar-B-Que
4503 Hwy 157
Florence, AL 35633
256.764.9919
Hours 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Monday thru Saturday

Facebook Page: Wright’s Bar-B-Que
Credit cards: Cash or Local Check ONLY, No Credit or Debit cards
Catering Service Available: Unknown
Recommendations: Hamburger, pulled pork
Suggestions: Plan on getting orders to take home
Alcohol: No
Ambiance: Take out counter
Service: Prompt and courteous
Vegetarian-friendly: Nope
Price range: Most entrees $5 - $10
Health Score: 94

The opinions expressed in this review are the honest opinions of the author and fellow judge, and whom are solely responsible for its content. This opinion was not influence by any third party whatsoever. If and when you visit the reviewed restaurant your opinion may vary greatly. So as always YMMV!