ken's hickory pit barbecue

the bbq doesn't have a smoke taste. the ribs were tender but tasted like they were boiled not grilled or smoked. my family had ribs and theporksandwiches. probably won't eat here again. staff was friendly

simply great. live in fl now and go back every chance i get. modest family place that makes you feel at home. never disappointed. they might run out of something from time to time, but they cook fresh, not for the masses. keep in mind that you might think it's strange to run out of something early in the day, but it's locally so popular and many get large to go orders. i love thepork(inside cut) and my husband always wants some of the outside cut, since he likes bits of the char that true bbq has. making me want to take a road trip just thinking about it. we have actually gone hours out of the way on road trips time being there at lunch. only think i craved when pregnant and we lived 15 hours away. haven't been in a while and dying to get back.

i went by and got aporkplate to go. the first time i have been by in three or four years. i heard rick sold the place and the quality went down. not so. it was better than ever. a new ingredient seems to have been added to the baked beans and they were better than ever. i will be back soon

lunch today at kens. tried the triple combo today. a little pork, a little bbq chicken beast, a little sausage, beans, fries and tater salad. it was all good. theporkmelted in your mouth. rick wheeler was even there. he owned or worked at kens nearly 40 years. he sold the place in 2010 and still eats there. that's got to be a good sign. i ordered the small plate and did not have room for dessert. the warm banana pudding is usually a must have. try it.

ken's is the best barbecue ever!. hello barbecue fans i am a real pinson, al native and have know ken's as the only household name in barbecue for well over 40 years. once you step inside ken's you will find things simple and down to earth with a big pit roasting/cooking the savory barbecue ken has served up for so long. (i can still remember the building was a very small gas station in it's day back whern hwy 79 was only two lanes). sliced, diced or even pulledporkyour visit will be worth your time. ken is famous for his special sauce that sets the resturant ahead of all other barbecue resturants. sadly ole ken has passed, but not to worry the legend lives on with a fine staff that worked under his careful skilled direction. if you are near birmingham, al and you have the tast for real southern barbecue this is it!

breakfast was nothing special.. i got two sausage patties with eggs, grits, biscuits, and gravy. the sausage was good and my eggs were cooked perfectly. it seems that many restaurants have a problem cooking over medium eggs correctly. the rest of the stuff seemed very run-of-the-mill. my wife ordered scrambled eggs with hash browns. the eggs came out but the hash browns were quite delayed in arrival so that she could not eat the two together. the biscuits did not seem handmade and the hash browns were almost certainly previously frozen, cooked without onions or peppers. there were quite bland. the grits tasted like instant grits. not bad, but nothing special. we saw many other people having pulledporkin various ways for breakfast and it looked delicious. i will have to try that next time. overall, not a place i would come back to for breakfast, but i would come back to try their bbq.

great bbq place. the pulledporkand chicken are great, but in my opinion the ribs are the best.

great bbq and friendly quick service. ken's hickory pit barbecue
4817 pinson valley pkwy, birmingham, al 35215
http://goo.gl/maps/pdoyl

i was visiting my home town last weekend and had the opportunity to take my kids to lunch at one of the very best bbq dives around birmingham. its a small place on hwy 79 near jeff state jr college called simply, ken's bbq. the place opened in the early 70s and ive been a customer on and off since then. i once worked down the street for several years and during those days, i stopped there for breakfast nearly every day!

the ownership has changed hands over the years but some of the same folks still work there. they've upgraded the decor and moved the pit into the back of the kitchen , but they kept all the recipes the same. essentially, everything i had for lunch was just like it was in the 70's. all i can say is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" they've added some new things to the menu as well. my kids had a side of onion rings and they were fried to perfect crispiness!

amidst the hustle and bustle of the friday lunch crowd (and it was packed) i ran into an old school buddy, bill, who i think to be the kitchen manager. he stopped for a minute and i asked him about the pit and he explained that they moved it about 4 years ago and upgraded to a gas/wood smoker that will do a 100 butts at a time. it only burns two pieces of wood a day. talk about green, wow! additionally, he explained they have expanded and now opened a kens in oneonta and soon to be another in trussville on hwy 11.

we all had theporkplate, i got the small, with classic beans, slaw, fries and a piece of white bread. my kids got the regular plate but neither could finish theirs. the portion sizes are just enough for a good lunch. theporkwas chopped and nicely smoked, the slaw is a tangy and slightly sweet and the beans are just like i remember them from years ago, just plain good!
the fries and onion rings were all made to order. i didn't sample the pies but they've always been known for their desserts as well.

they open early for breakfast and are known for ham and biscuits. don't order this unless you're really hungry! ive had this before and eaten until im stuffed and still carried a togo box out with enough for another days breakfast!

this is a good place with a down home small town feeling. they have quick service and a friendly wait staff. the food is fantastic!

urban cowgill

get it to go. kens has it going on. they know how to smoke chicken andporkand omg the smoked sausage is sinful!
there is no room so get it to go! ken's does a great job catering too. i love kens!

i got the pulledporkplate and it was excellent. the bbq sauce is very good and the meat is tender and cooked just right. the service is wonderful and the people working there made me feel at home... true southern hospitality! beware auburn fans though!