With schoolwork not slowing down in the least, I had the urge to venture off campus and find some great southern BBQ. Luckily, we are surrounded by a plethora of choices.

Not being an Alabama native I decided I would give Moe’s Original BBQ a try. I happened to be in Birmingham for an event and stopped for a visit at their Hoover location.

A friend and I decided that we would split the sampler platter filled with pulled pork, smoked turkey, smoked chicken wings and ribs. It came with four sides for us to split, two pieces of their famous cornbread and two drinks. Needless to say, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and we both left with takeout boxes full of lunch for the next day.

The weather was nice and we grabbed a table out on the patio and took in the smell of smoked meat that signaled that good food was on its way.

The food arrived and we began to divide the food between us.

The pulled pork was tender and delicious and once smothered in their spicy BBQ sauce it was the perfect BBQ. The sauce was a little thinner than I normally prefer, but it paired well with the hearty serving of pork on my plate.

Smoked turkey is one of my favorite BBQ dishes and Moe’s did not disappoint.

The temperature of the turkey was off a bit and could have been quite a bit warmer, but the flavor more than made up for the temperature. The turkey was tender and juicy and came smothered in a red and white BBQ sauce that offered a sweet and spicy flavor.

The ribs literally fell off the bone and were seasoned perfectly. I did not have to add any BBQ sauce and they disappeared off my plate so quickly, there would not have been time to add any anyways.

When visiting again, I will definitely be ordering the ribs.

The wings were the perfect combination of crispy and tender mixed with a delightful spicy sauce. The meat tore easily from the bone and when they were all gone, I felt a small pang of disappointment.

The cornbread was extremely dense but had extraordinary taste. It held together well and offered the perfect sweetness to the spiciness of their BBQ sauce.

The meat choices outshined the side dishes quite a bit.

We ordered the mac and cheese, baked beans, potato salad and banana pudding, and none of them really stood out against the other. They were all sub-par at best.

When visiting in the future, I will be ordering my meat and bread to go and adding my own side dishes.