Big Carl’s BBQ

Big Carl catered our Super Bowl part. I told Carl how many people we were going to have and told us the exact amount of food to order. He nailed it. Everyone at the party raved how good the food was. We ordered the Pulled Pork. Delicious. Big Carl rocks

Perfect choice for our group of 8 to meet as we passed through St Louis — easy to find right off I-​55. Brisket was tasty, ribs and all the sides were delicious. Next time I’ll get the homemade chips and spoon cornbread for sure!

This is the 2^nd time I tried Big Carl’s and came away a bit disappointed. The staff is friendly enough although the server got my order wrong a couple of times, but both were corrected. I got the wrong drink and the wrong side. I ordered the ribs and the brisket combo and they were ok. The brisket was thick and juicy but it got soaked into the paper in the basket and disintegrated it, so I had to be careful not to eat paper that was peeling up with the brisket. The ribs had a smokey flavor and were pretty tender, but the sauces were just ok. The mustard vinegar based sauce did not taste good to me at all. The «spicy» sauce was not spicy at all and the KC style was pretty fair. The beans had an insipid flavor that improved with some barbecue sauce. The potato salad was lousy, my wife hated it and I didn’t really like it and I can eat just about anything. They gave you a piece of french bread that was a bit dry and stale, I hope this wasn’t supposed to be Texas toast. The shining star of the meal was the spooned corn bread which was fantastic and had pieces of whole corn in it. The 2^nd time was better than the first and this place seems to be improving, but it has a long ways to go to compete with Pappy’s, Bogart’s and Capitalist Pig.

Came in for a late lunch and ordered a platter to try a rib/​brisket and pork. The rib and pork were outstanding, but the brisket was very dry. The sides were outstanding too, tried the corn and warm potato salad. The potato salad was unlike anything I had ever tried, it really surprised me that it was so good. Would definitely go back, but wouldn’t order the brisket.

Came in for dinner for the first time and it was great! Their fried pickle chips are really good. I had the pulled pork plate with sweet potato waffle fries and the hot potato salad.
The pulled pork was awesome! It had a great smoked flavor that was not overpowering! The sweet potato waffle fries were fantastic!!! I love sweet potatoes but most restaurants don’t serve them in any way, so I was excited this place had them, and that they were very delicious waffle fries! The hot potato salad was ok, just not my favorite, but others may find it very good!
The place was clean and appealing! I love the painted brick wall!!! Our waitress was friendly and attentive!!! She always had a smile! I forgot to get her name but if she reads this, we were the 5:30 pm guests on Aug. 4, 2015 (1 old lady (me, lol) a blond (my niece) and her son, 8 years old and blond, you were and awesome waitress!!!
I asked if they had live entertainment on weekends because I saw a stage, but our waitress said no. It’s because this establishment doesn’t serve any alcohol at all!!! Usually bands play at places that serve alcohol. I found out the owner is Christian (a big plus for me!!!) and that is not his vision for his business. I found that to be very very good!!! I’m wondering, though, if he would be open to having local Christian music singers, groups, and choirs play on weekends and charge like a $ 10 cover after, say, 7pm or 8 pm and stay open to 9 or 10 pm! That would be the only place I know where you could bring the family and have good Christian music and have a great time!!! Maybe have a very limited menu during the music! Just a thought!!!

Off the beaten path, but definitely worth the effort to find it. Great barbecue! The pulled pork and brisket is outstanding! The sauce choices cover all the bases, with a smoky sweet, tangy/​spicy, and a great mustard based sauce. Sides are also very good. Try the baked potato salad.
And then there is Big Carl himself, a gregarious, friendly, and entertaining guy. He makes it fun to be there.
We visited with my brother on our way through St. Louis. We’ll definitely go back on our return trip.
Try Big Carl’s. You won’t be disappointed!

The June 2015 stop for BBQ Wednesday took Mr D and me to Big Carl’s in Imperial. We are running a little short on things closer to home that we have not tried, so we took a little drive down I-​55. Big Carl’s is easy to find and they have their own parking. The place is nicely appointed and pretty roomy, although not particularly busy on this particular Wednesday.
Mr D ordered a half slab and I ordered a Pulled Pork and Brisket platter with an add-​on of three ribs so I could sample. For sides I ordered my usual slaw and some of the hot potato salad. I must say we had a good meal of barbecue here.
The ribs were done to my liking, cooked but not too much. They came clean off the bone with decent smoke and a rub that appeared to include a hint of star anise or maybe fennel. (my vote is for star anise). I might have added just a little more salt to the rub, but they were a good effort. They are served un-​sauced and did not need any.
In fact all meats are served appropriately un-​sauced. I liked the way the pork was chopped. It was moist, clean (no fat or gristly bits) and also was mildly smoked. This is the kind of pork that I could just sit and eat, but would make a good sandwich. I would love to dress it with Eastern North Carolina Vinegar. My brisket was well cooked, tender but not dried out. It had good smoke but retained very nice beef flavor.
The meats all traveled home pretty well. Leftover brisket made an excellent quesadilla and the pork a good sandwich. The slaw is very straightforward creamy style, but not over sweetened. This is the kind I like to dump Texas Pete on, it needs some vinegar. I really liked the warm potato salad. I would describe it more like a creamy potato casserole. It also was good leftover.
Based on this one visit, Big Carl’s is certainly above the average for St Louis, especially across the three meats sampled and the prices are reasonable. You just can’t eat it all on one visit, there is also turkey and of course, pork steaks. The folks in and around Imperial should be pleased to have them in their community. It is a little far for us to drive, but I would not rule it out. It is closer for us than driving across the river. It is certainly 3−¾ stars, I am rounding up to 4.
A few days later, we returned with Ms D and Ms T and had another good barbecue dinner. The ribs were consistent. Ms T had a good smoky half chicken and I had a very good pork steak. The pork was also very smoky. My only minor comment is that I think for those of us who don’t use sauce, their rubs could use just a bit more salt, but for most people who use sauce, I’m sure it is fine. I asked for and received some Crystal Hot Sauce to add vinegar to my slaw. Try this! I still like the Hot Potato Salad very much. It is not easy to prepare this many cuts of meats but Big Carl is doing it pretty well, I think he will only get better. This is a very nice, family run place.

Great BBQ! Loved the smokey flavor! This was a real gem of a place to find. We drove in from the city and it was well worth the drive! Incredibly friendly staff!

WOW!!! I love hometown greet you as you walk in the door kind of places! And this is one of them! The way he designed the inside looks amazing!
Okay now for the food, YUMMMY!!! I have had the pulled pork sandwhich, pulled pork nachos, and all the sides! You MUST get the cornbread casserole… it is to die for!
I rate based off of how the food taste, but if I had one critique I would prefer a bigger portion on the sides for the price I am paying. I do not usually review on cost because if your broke then do not go out to eat! But for his prices, you should get a little more food!
Overall GREAT PLACE… GREAT FOOD… SUPER FRIENDLY… GREAT SERVICE!!!
THANKS BIG CARL!!!

The hospitality at Big Carl’s eatery profoundly affected the delicious food that was served to us. Austin, Big Carl’s young son, came by our patio table to politely ask if he could pet our Schnauzer, Miss Sadie. The servers/hostess’s Ashley and Kayla, are gracious, sincerely welcoming, and then there’s Big Carl. Big Carl obliged us to bring in our pet, as long as we carried her in and we were welcomed onto the patio. YOU will NOT be disappointed with the delicious FOOD or EXEMPLARY SERVICE! We’ll eat here again, on our visits back home to San Antonio, Texas

There are times where you go into an establishment and wonder if you are going to get good service and you get surprised at the end. Carl’s is one example.
Carl’s BBQ opened last July taking over Cowboy pizza. There is still parts of cowboy pizza still up, but that’s OK.
When we walked in there were a gaggle of customers already seated and enjoying their food and there were no hostesses or anyone behind the counter at the bar. So we waited a few minutes and the waitress said she was washing her hands. I give you one positive note: she does practice her hygiene.
My dining partner and I looked over the menu. Unfortunately, the items we like to get were out. They were out of baked potatoes and my mom wanted to order fried pickles. They were out of them too.
However, the experience has been saved when we ordered our meals. My mother ordered a pork steak with a potato salad and beans. I ordered the pork and beef brisket platter with potato salad and beans as well.
I am going to say this now: if you leave this restaurant and you are still hungry, its your fault. They give you huge portions. The pork steak was very thick and was well smoked to perfection. However, when my dining partner got to the middle portion to the bone the meat was a bit dry. Seemed a bit overcooked, but the rest of the meat was tender, juicy and you can instantly taste the hickory smoke. Devine!
They also have the best potato salad on earth. I asked the waitress if they sold the potato salad by the canister and she said that she would look into it, but she did not give me a price quote.
FYI, I do not recommend the macaroni bites. The breading outside was beer battered fried to perfection, but I was not digging the cheese sauce on the inside. The sauce tasted pretty generic.
However, if you are looking for a good BBQ meal and want something different, give this place a try. Big Carl will also come by to your seat personally to see if you are having a good time.

Never had a bad meal there. I have tried the whole menu and everything is good, but my favorite is the pork steak. I have not been able to finish the whole thing in one sitting. The wings are excellent though not on the menu. Try the turkey ribs too! Some reviews are just looking for a negative I think. Keep in mind the place was a bar at one time or another, so what.
I am allergic to tomatoes so there are not many bbq places I can eat at. Big Carl’s is one of my favorites.

Bbq was ok, service was not. Only restaurant in awhile where I’ve been charged when I sent something back uneaten and requested something else. Not sure what the rave reviews are about, looks like many people in the area are only used to bandanas and aren’t comparing it to real bbq. I don’t imagine this place will be around to long, much like the others that filled this location before I imagine it will be a different restaurant in the foreseeable future.

I liked this place. The problem with BBQ places is there are so many of them. In order to really wow me, the restaurant needs to have that one thing they are known for. Take Pappy’s for example. Their ribs are absolutely amazing. Best in St. Louis if not the world in my opinion. Bandanas bbq is fair, but their garlic toast is what brings me back. Big Carl’s was lacking that special thing. Their food was good. Good enough that you didn’t need to put bbq sauce on it. I will say, even though it is smoked so it isn’t in high heat at all, the meat was kind of cold for my liking. Room temperature about. The portions weren’t huge, but normal. The potato salad was good. They did not give me Texas Toast with my meal like the menu stated, so I asked why. I was informed that they only give it out if it’s asked for. Maybe take it off the menu as coming with your meal then. All in all, good tasting bbq, decent prices, nothing too special.

I couldn’t pick a favorite! Brisket, pork, ribs, wings, cornbread, baked beans, sweet tea, 3 different sauces… not one single complaint! Everything was beyond delicious. With every bite I oohed and mmmed. Glad we were the only ones in there because it sounded a little something like the scene from When Harry met Sally”. Big Carl himself waited on us. Some reviews complained about the décor, its a comfortable clean place… it’s a bbq joint! I like the décor. It’s nothing fancy and that’s good. Paper on the tables makes for a great drawing board and when your food falls on there you don’t give a second thought to eating it. No worries about what kind of dirty rag was used to clean the table prior. The only downfall is that Big Carls is 620 miles from home. I hope this place sticks around and becomes «Very Famous».
P.s.
We didn’t have any problems with the paper tray liner getting soggy and tearing apart.
P. s.s.
$ 30 for everything including a smoky bone for the dog :) Perfect sized portions to feed two starving adults with big appetites.

I have been to this BBQ joint 2 times now. It was good however they do have some improvements to make still. Both times we have been our pulled pork was room temperature at best, even when we ordered the pulled pork nachos it was still cold. Also their décor needs some serious improvement, it just looks so unfinished right now so I wouldn’t want to take any family/​friends there.
I hope this place sticks around, but please heat up your food more!

Fantastic food and service!!! You get quite a bit of food for the price! As a bonus Big Carl himself will personally have a conversation with you!

I’m going to be as nice as I can because I believe this place could have potential. It appears to be family owned and there aren’t many great places to eat at in Imperial. I’d rather see this one succeed than fail.
Here is what I found wrong.
1. If you are going to serve pulled pork that I will cover in BBQ sauce don’t put it on a piece of paper. The meat juice and the bbq sauce ended up making the paper weak and as you can see in the picture I uploaded, caused me to have to pick through what was pork and paper before my meal was finished.
2. If you advertise Texas toast comes with my meal I’m expecting a big piece of bread. What I got was delicious but wasn’t what most people would consider to be Texas toast sized.
3. I may have gotten a bad portion but when I get a bowl of baked beans generally I want lots of beans. What I got was mostly sauce. Your sauce is good on the baked beans but it’s thick and rich. So much of a rich sauce made it hard for me to eat what beans were in there.
4. Season your coleslaw. It’s alright, but salt and pepper were needed.
5. This is a personal preference and one that I think most BBQ joints should listen to. I love when my sauce is warm or even hot. The sauce in the bottles on the table are cold which in turn makes my meat cold. It would cut down on you putting sauce on every table if you kept it heated and only brought out the bottles when a customers food comes to the table.
6. It’s really weird for me to see a kid working in a restaurant. It’s fine if you want him to help out and learn about work, but maybe serving drinks and things of that nature should be left to the adults.
7. Don’t charge extra for your sides. If the $ 17.00 meal says it comes with two sides, just let it come with two sides.
Now the positive
The bean sauce was good, too much but it was tasty. The meats themselves were very delicious. I really enjoyed the mustard bbq sauce, I didn’t find the spicy one to be spicy at all, but it was tasty as well. The waitress was attentive and nice to both me and my kids. Writing on the table top was a great way to keep them distracted while we waited for food. Just make sure you replace the markers that are dried out.
My family and I would be willing to try again if some of the items are addressed.

Best pork steak around :) Hot potato salad is so good and the spoon corn bread is yummy! The new mustard sauce is great too. Family friendly atmosphere, looking forward to our next visit already.

Big Carls is a down home place with a family friendly atmosphere. All meats are smoked to perfection with the tell tale smoke ring when you cut it. Big Carl is very proud of his food and visits each table to make sure his customers are satisfied. I had the pork steak with corn bread side. Excellent tasting and good size portions. I will be back.