Big Rick’s BBQ

First off you have Unilocal doesn’t do half stars or it would be a 1.5 star review. First the good. The lady that greeted was super pleasant and very informative. The atmosphere is quaint and the smoker was fired up and working it’s magic when i arrived.
The bad, I hate doing this part. The food on the other hand was like an edible version of the movie Groundhog’s Day one bad bite after another. The chicken and the pulled pork tasted exactly the same. The brisket was looking like a pot roast that somebody put in the oven and then went on a week-​long vacation to Florida and forgot that they had put the pot roast on. It was inedible. The sliders are primarily bread with flavorless meat. The Cole slaw seemed homemade but lacked any real flavor. The french fries were hand-​cut but obviously not double fried. Soggy and saturated in grease. They tasted like a grease trap at a sponge had a love child. To top it off they were out of the one thing I wanted to try which was the burnt ends. I can name a couple of other places in town to get good barbecue I would not recommend this one.

Disappointed. Why is Fort Wayne so afraid of flavor? Seasoning? Ugh. And that’s just one reason I won’t be back to Ricks. Greasy, flavorless, fatty, bland, boring… and don’t you hate when you try somewhere new, get distracted and come home to find out you’re missing part of your order that you paid for??? Sauces didn’t even help. One impression is all I need to predict Ricks won’t make it a year. Sorry. If you want good, I mean great bbq go to Lucilles on Lima. They do it right.

Immediately upon walking in I was warmly greeted by the 2 people working the counter area. We exchanged pleasantries, I told them I’d need a minute to browse the menu. They patiently waited while another customer encouraged me to try one of each, she might have been serious based on her order but I laughed. I walked around to check the scenery and snap some photos, the owner graciously waved to me from his grill/​smoker. My first impression was for a BBQ restaurant this place has a lot of charm and charisma.
I took a suggestion from the friendly patron and ordered a pulled pork sandwich and half a chicken. Now look, before you make a judgment, I know I previously said I don’t share. I was sharing this though, sort of, in a manner of speaking. I was taking leftovers home, so that definitely counts.
The chicken: smoked to a delicate tender perfection. I could taste the smoke flavor in every moist bite. The regular sauce was mildly sweet and not overbearing. I had a hard time refraining from licking my fingers, I’m a lady and manners count, so I’ve been told, but I licked them anyway it was that good.
The pulled pork: I requested my slaw on the side. My meat was piled high on a soft bun. It had been lightly sauced with the mild regular sauce. The meat was moist, flavorful, and seasoned to a perfection I’m not a BBQ expert, but I know what suits my taste buds and this filled the bill.
This was an excellent first visit and it certainly opens the door for a few more times to enjoy the savory menu items here. Next time it’s going to be peach cobbler for sure.

I have had BBQ all over the country. Memphis, Texas, Georgia, etc and this is the best damn BBQ I have ever had! It doesn’t get more authentic than this! The vinegar sauce is the bomb! The sauce that comes with the sweet potatoes is a mind blowing concoction of scrumptious culinary mastery!

Always looking for the bomb bbq so had to stop in Rick’s for a snack and went with the 4 bone rib meal which came with a cornbread muffin and a pickle for $ 7.99. The ribs were decent enough… being an at home smoke master i tend to be pretty critical. I would have liked for them to have a bit more bark and char to them but a nice smoke flavor none-​the-​less. They have a few sauces to choose from (regular, vinegar base and hot) but you had to order and pay for sides of sauces versus them just being on the table in a squirt bottle to try all… i typically just mix all of them together in that case. Their new location is great, clean and inviting. Smoker on blast right outside the restaurant which is key and the Staff was nice enough. I won’t be driving all the way across town to hit up Big Ricks but will stop back by when in that area for sure.

Not very good. Mac and cheese is not the good baked mac but similar to KFC. The «collard greens» we’re mustard greens with no seasoning likely from a can. To go portions were half filled including rib tips. Order came to $ 47 and was missing on if the pulled pork orders. Pretty disappointed for first impression. Will not go back.

Stopped by on a Friday evening and put in a to go order. Got a full rack of ribs, ½ lb of brisket and ½ chicken. My favorite out of the meats — the chicken!
For the sides we tried the cowboy baked beans, mac ‘n cheese and potato salad — favorite was the potato salad!
The ribs were a little tougher than I like. The brisket had a nice flavor but was sliced a little thin. We tried the regular and vinegar based sauce, I enjoyed them both!
Looking forward to stopping by for lunch and trying their chopped chicken sandwich !

ORIGINAL VISIT — 01÷23÷16 — Lunchtime — I’d nearly given up on trying to find barbecue cooked by anyone but me. Family members recommended Big Rick’s, so we stopped in for some ‘cue to take home. My immediate concern was looking for Rick’s smoker, and I found it right outside the restaurant (this is a great sign).
We picked up a ½ lb of pulled pork, some collard greens, and some «Cowboy baked beans.» We asked for the house «Hot» Sauce on the side.
The Meat — Pulled Pork — Moist and tender, but not greasy/​fatty. Good smoke ring and some bark on pieces here and there. Very nice smoke flavor. This pork stands on its own, and doesn’t need sauce.
The Greens — Tender and tasty, but I’d really love to have a hint of smoked ham hock or something.
The Cowboy Baked Beans — I was a little wary when we opened up the container — Ground beef was mixed in with the beans, and they looked a little «loose.» Boy, was I wrong! These have some great flavor, and the little meat adds some good texture.
The Sauce — «Hot» — Very interesting sauce, indeed. This tastes like a hot sauce base with ketchup and some spices added in. It starts off sweet for just a couple of seconds before the heat hits you. It’s not overpowering, and can become rather addictive.
Bottom Line — Based on my experience with Big Rick’s pork and sides, I’m rather excited to go back for some ribs or brisket. This is REAL barbecue, folks. I’d highly recommend this place to family and friends. Give ‘em a try.
UPDATE — 01÷30÷16 — Lunchtime — Went back to Big Rick’s for lunch takeout. Saddened to discover that they were either out or never had brisket when I arrived. Decided to grab some pulled pork, some more beans, and try some ribs with some extra house «Hot» sauce on the side. Apparently, Rick likes to finish his ribs on the grill (and I’m OK with that)… but when you take a lovely ½ rack of deliciousness and give it some char and lighter fluid flavor towards the end, it really takes away from the overall experience.
Bottom Line Again — Rick knows what he’s doing. I think I just got a bum rack or hit ‘em on an off day. The pulled pork was delicious as ever… as were the beans.

I stopped in right after they opened for lunch, probably because I could smell the grill as I drove by. The authenticity is great, big Rick himself is tending the grill, the place was recently remodeled and it looks fresh and clean, and the atmosphere was very welcoming. The smoked brisket I had was delicious and the smokehouse mayo gave it a nice flavor kick. I’d definitely recommend it and next time I stop in I’m trying the ribs

We got a rack of ribs and some wings. The ribs were of good quality and had a nice smoky flavor. I got some regular bbq sauce on the side which was good. My son thought the wings were ok, but needed more sauce. So all 3 stars are for the BBQ itself.
Like a lot of BBQ places, they are good at what they do with BBQ, but the sides are lacking. For $ 1.95 I got a side of the smoked potatoes and onions, which sounded good, but were just a small styrofoam cup of kind of sloppy potatoes and onions. There was really no smoke flavor, and hardly worth the price. The fries were just ok, no spice or anything on them. We also got some cole slaw which was in an even smaller styrofoam cup than the potatoes, 2 maybe 3 tablespoons worth.
It’s good, and worth going to. I think there may be better smoked ribs around though, and like many BBQ places the sides were lacking.

My first visit and I’ll definitely be back. I had the smoked brisket and it was delicious. The staff is very personable and nice.

Stopped by after an appointment for lunch. Pulled pork was amazing, and the brisket is excellent too. We had our one year old with us, and they didn’t have any child seats, but the owner came out and said that he now has two on order. They had never had a baby in before. Very friendly service, excellent food, caring owner. We’re definitely coming back. In my personal opinion, it’s better that shigs and pit.

Paid $ 20 for two lunches (no drinks), waited at least 25 minutes on a Friday at noon and there were only two other customers ahead of us. For that, I expected the food to be exceptional, or at least good. Instead the mac and cheese was COLD. Not lukewarm — COLD FROM THE FRIDGE. The pulled pork was dry and chewy, the chopped chicken was dry and the mild BBQ sauce is not good. If you really want to eat dried up BBQ and waste at least 30 minutes of your life waiting around, eat here. But, there are plenty of mediocre restaurants in town that are MUCH better than this place. I will be surprised if this place stays in business much longer.

So I finally got a chance to check this place out due to their hours being kind of limited for me. They close earlier then I normally get a chance to go out.
We got to the restaurant around 5pm and they were out of just about everything. We settled on the ribs and a 6 pack of wings with 4 different sides. The wings with the HOT sauce were good, not great, just good. The ribs were tougher than I like and the «regular» sauce was boring. The sides? As boring and flavorless as I have ever had. Mac and cheese tasted like boiled noodles… The potatoes and onions had NO seasoning on them and the greens were bland. No spice. Just bland. I’m not sure about the other options as they were «sold out» at 5pm.
I may be spoiled by a recent trip to St Louis and Kansas City, but everything we tried was forgettable. The search continues…

First impressions of this place is great! You walk in and the menu is posted right in front of you. They have brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and tips. They also have a few sandwiches like chopped chicken. The serivce is great and you can catch a glimpse of the meat smoking on the grill outside. I had the Smoked Brisket sandwich with Smokehouse mayo and fried onions. It was delicious. The sides are a bit small but the baked beans are tangy and sweet. For dessert they offer 7UP cake and peach cobbler. The cobbler is like what my grandma used to make! It’s all so good. Overall the food is bomb but the prices are a little high in my opinion. It is 8.99 for a 4 bone of ribs! I’m a sucker for good brisket and I will be going back for another one!