Big Mike’s BBQ

In town for sunset music festival. Delicious ribs and pork! Highly recommended to everyone in the area.

This place is NEVER open. It’s a joke that they even have a listing here. C’mon Unilocal,clean your site up!

The best BBQ in the Westchase area. RIBS BRISKET and PORK are hands down best I’ve ever had

All I can say is this is Great! Finally a place that makes real BBQ. Chicken, Ribs and even the sides are all delicious. I can’t wait to go back and try their Beef. Definitely a place to try.

Big Mike is a genuine pitmaster. He really understands how to «smoke sum BBQ». The bark on the beef brisket is what I look forward to every time. He sells out so call ahead for your tailgate. Side dishes are a strong compliment. STILL one of my favorites in thwe TPA.

Realized today they are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I wasn’t sure before what days he was open. Definitely some of the best bbbq in the area. All of the chain places fail in comparison to this barbecue. I have had the pork, beef, ribs, and sausage all delicious. For sides I haven’t had the coleslaw yet, but I’m sure it’s just as good as the potato salad and baked beans. Baked with brown sugar, man that’s good. I recommend you stop in and try it, if you have to drive a little it will be worth the trip.

I’ve driven by here countless times and today I finally caught them open. I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever get to taste the food here because Big Mike is only open three days a week.
Wouldn’t you know that the guy in front of me bought every last piece of brisket he had made for the day. Geez man, you could have left one piece… I settled for the ribs and sausage with mac n’ cheese + greens. All I can say is «damn!» Juicy and flavorful at the same time. Mission BBQ was high on the list but I’m giving Big Mike’s the nod in West Tampa because of how good his macaroni & cheese is. The sides didn’t seem like they were an afterthought like most places.
Come here when they’re open and you’ll probably see Mike on the pit and his son Avery helping him in the food truck. Can’t say enough about these guys. Service was excellent, as well as the food. It’s a good thing they’re only open three days a week because if not, I’d come here from lunch and diner everyday and blow up like a balloon.

Amazing BBQ slow cooked and made with serious care. The ribs were fall-​off-​the-​bone tender. The greens had a nice smoky flavor to them and they were absolutely amazing. The best thing I had was the turkey leg! You seriously have never had turkey legs quite like they do them here. Absolutely amazing!
The community needs more businesses like these. Husband and wife working together to just straight u make great food and make people happy.

Great place to stop and get BBQ food to go. The ribs and the Mac with a side of Mac and cheese is my go-​to. The pulled pork sandwich is also very tasty. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in Town and Country. Can’t beat it.

Big Mike is big on BBQ! Big Mike’s is good genuine quality barbecue no matter what you order from the chicken to the chopped pork to the barbecue ribs it’s going to be delicious.
Big Mike is there on certain days with his wife and she normally cook the side dishes for him and the two of them are a dynamic winning duo. The barbecue with the baked beans will make you want to slap somebody’s mama and not just your own!
I put so much faith in Big Mike’s BBQ that I have suggested he cater for my companies functions. Course they wanted to try the food out before they actually agreed to contract him, but once they got some of those ribs in their system they could not get enough. And even though I’m no longer with that company they when they see me in the streets they always still talk about me suggesting Big Mikes to them. That just goes to show you that the food really really does have an impact on people.
So I’m just telling you now if you want some good southern BBQ that will fall off the bone and just melt in your mouth you have got to see Big Mike’s it’s a small place with a lot of heart and soul!

Awesome BBQ! I had the ribs and sausage… both were great. Beans were a little sweet, but still tasted great. I wish they were open more than Fri– Sat.

Well I can’t say wether or not they are good. I call «mike» at 6:30ish to confirm they took CC as payment or if I needed to bring cash and I’d be there around 7. I also called to make sure that was ok bc I read they close at 8. As you can assume by now I’ve never been there and was looking forward to it based on the reviews and just moving here from Texas I been lookin for some good bbq. Well I pull up just after 7 and he has shop closed up and everyone was moving as quickly as possible to leave. All lights were off and the trailer closed up. I much rather you told me you wanted to close and i woulda cool with that and came another day. Instead I got my little girl dressed, packed in the car, drove outta my way and all for what. #thanksmike if you don’t want to keep your business open during the hours you advertise then either change your hours or don’t run a business. I’m sure I’ll go back by one day if your in my line of direction but not gonna go outta my way.

Finally found a ‘new’ (for me) bbq joint in Tampa! Read all about Big Mike’s right here on Unilocal, called him to get his work hours for the week, and went over on a Sat. afternoon! All I can say is — being from StL — his ribs were reminiscent of home. Big and meaty, StL Style ribs! His sauce is pretty good, too, as well as his sides. Had a brief convo with Mike, and he appears to be a kewl guy. I asked if he had rib tips (a Mid-​West thing), and while he doesn’t have them on his menu, he agreed to prepare them for me — if I called him in advance! Now, THAT’S service! Yep, I’m a fan :-)

Finally! I got to try Big Mike’s!
I attempted to go last week but he wasn’t open. As other Unilocalers have stated, his hours are a bit sporadic, but when he’s open, it’s awesome.
After my horrible experience with BBQ last week at another establishment, I was excited to see Mike open when I passed by. Of course I had to stop.
I listened to Mark H’s suggestion (because he’s great and hasn’t steered my wrong yet) and I ordered the sloppy pig, but I took the bun off. It smelled so good that I couldn’t wait to get home so I’m writing this review in a nearby parking lot, after I just inhaled my Piggy!
The mixture of chopped pork and sausage hit the spot. The mild sauce was REAL homemade sauce, unlike that slop served down the street.
For my side I got the potato salad. I was hoping for Mac n cheese but that’s only served on Fridays and Saturdays.
If you see the smoker, stop by. It’s worth the wait.

Great side if the road BBQ joint! They are only open on Wednesday to Sunday so I can’t give them five stars but they are very nice! They give you a free coke if it is your first time. The baked beans are the BEST and so different from the rest! The BBQ is solid and the portions are BIG so it is a great value! Definitely stop by if you see the grill smokin’!

I would have taken pics of the food we got from Big Mike’s, but we ate it too quickly. Seriously, it was gone that fast, plus we were hungry as hell. You know how it is when you’re driving home with take out BBQ in the back seat. A 10 minute drive with the sweet, smoky smell of que lingering in the car is a kin to Chinese water torture. So when you get home and open that clam shell container, it’s a freakin’ WRAP! No shutter speed could’ve captured the quickness in which that food was shoveled into my face hole.
Mike’s is a place that I’ve wanted to stop at in the past, but I just didn’t happen to have cash on my person, but what we found out when we finally did stop by is that they do take cards, so don’t make the same mistake I did.
The food here is great, and just might beat out Jazzy’s for the best que in the TnC area. Mike has more sauce options, and because he doesn’t do as much business as Jazzy’s, that meat sits in the smoker a litter longer and gets a little more pink and smoky-​flavored, IMHO. Also, his slaw, beans, greens and tater salad are all made from scratch – nothing is from a Sam’s Club carton like some BBQ joints. The beans are a little too heavy on the brown sugar for my liking, but the greens and slaw are very much on point!
My recommendation: The Sloppy Pig, which is chopped pork mixed with smoked sausage. It’s a damn dream come true.
This is my new BBQ spot close to home!

First off let me say the the meat was great (we had a pork and a beef sandwich). The beans were also very good. Mike himself was very friendly as mentioned in other reviews. The only negatives is the mac and cheese was bland and the price was high ($ 20 for two sandwichs and two sides is high)

I found out about Big Mike’s BBQ because my mother is a fan, and I can see why. Big Mike does ribs very home style, like we did at family reunions and backyard BBQ’s. He’s that friendly guy on the grill who talks to everyone while he’s cooking. You can tell he has a passion for BBQ and for ribs, but he has a few kinks he needs to work out before I can give him a higher recommendation. Mike’s a great guy and deserves good feedback, so here goes…
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THE DETAILS
Date & Time: Friday, December 28^th, 2012 @ 12:30pm
Dining Companions: Solo
What to expect: This is a food trailer in a parking lot next to Jiffy Lube
Server: Big Mike or his wife Charlotte
Liquid: water
Ordered: Pork Ribs (3.5 out of 5 stars) — $ 10.70 w/​collard greens, beans & potato salad
Dislikes: potato salad and repeat visits because food was not available.
Total: $ 10.70
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Mom says he’s known to be very picky about his ribs and spends hours prepping them and removing excess fat. I can totally believe that because my ribs had very little fat. These are not fall off the bone tender like you find at some BBQ joints. They are tender, but still require a little teeth to bone action to get ‘m clean. Many of us BBQ fans prefer it that way.
Where Big Mike’s falls short is his way of doing business. I had to come back several times to try to taste his food. He was either out of ribs or they were not ready or he’d closed several hours earlier than his posted time. So on my final attempt, I came early but the ribs were not ready. It was 11:30am (he opens at 11) and he asked me for a little grace and to please come back at 1pm. He explained that he doesn’t believe in reheating his ribs and prefers to serve them hot off the rack. He also explained ideally the best way to order is to call several hours ahead and set a time to pick up your order. I get the feeling this business model is going to do more damage than good. People like reliability and want what they want when they want it.
THE VERDICT
Call ahead to save frustration. I could tell by the flavor he knows what he’s doing when it comes to ribs, but these could have used maybe a half hour more grilling time. He likely pulled them off a little early just to avoid having me come back a third time. While the ribs were good, I was not a big fan of the sides, particularly the potato salad. I also didn’t like his home made sauce, but lucky for me his ribs really don’t need it. NOTE: The Unilocal location is wrong. He’s about two blocks south of the location on the Unilocal map and on the opposite side of the street.
Unilocal100 [18]

Big Mike’s is AWESOME! Not only is the BBQ fantastic, but Mike couldn’t be nicer!
His truck is located on Flora Street, right off Sheldon Road. He shares the lot with a produce stand named Hercules Fresh Market (also great!) and he’s there Wed-​Sun. I got his rib sandwich for lunch, and was blown away! The ribs were tender, succulent, and fell right off the bone. Mike’s sauces were great as well; they’re tomato-​based, so a bit different than mustard or vinegar-​based ones. He was also nice enough to give me samples of all of his sides, and sent me home with a brownie! I loved his collard greens, cole slaw, and potato salad. He was out of his legendary mac-​and-​cheese by the time I stopped by, but I will for sure be back to try it!
All of his meats are fresh, and the sides are homemade. This is truly THE best BBQ joint I’ve been to in Tampa– I highly recommend giving it a try!