Great American BBQ Co – Alameda
The Great American BBQ Co.
2009 High St. (Corner of High St. & Marina @ the foot of the High St. bridge.)
Alameda, CA
(510)865-3133
Hours: Tues-Thurs. 11:00 am-8:30 pm, Fri. 11:00 am-9:00 pm, Sat. 12:00 pm-8:30 pm, Sun. 12:00 pm-8:00 pm
The Nutshell
Great ribs, mediocre brisket, ho-hum sauce but great side dishes.
The Place
The Great American BBQ Company is barely in Alameda, just over the High St. bridge from 880, so you can stop on your way to the Oakland Airport. It’s pretty nice inside, though it feels a bit like the inside of an Applebee’s. Still, it’s clean and there’s plenty of seating, which is more than you can say for a lot of joints.
The Meat
I had the ribs and Andrew had brisket. My ribs were quite good – they’re served dry (the sauce is on the table in squeeze bottles) so you can get a good taste of the rub they put on. These are some tender and meaty spare ribs with a nice smoky flavor and a beautiful pink ring. What stood out for me, though, was the nice pork flavor – I think that’s mostly about the quality of the meat. Fair warning – I ordered the 6 rib entree not knowing how big and meaty the ribs would be, and I basically rolled out of the place. For only about $8 you can get the 3 rib entree with two sides and cornbread – plenty for lunch unless you want to lose most of the afternoon like I did.
Andrew’s brisket was less impressive than the ribs. The top layer of marbled beef was nice and pink, so it was clearly long-smoked, but Andrew found the rest of the meat too dry and a little tough. Again, the beef flavor was nice and so was the rub, so maybe this was just a bad batch. Andrew also got a hearty portion – 3 or 4 big, thick slices, so it’s certainly a good value.
The Sauce
The sauce is nothing to write home about. It’s a pretty standard Kansas City-style brew, and it’s served in squeeze bottles on the tables, which I don’t care for. It’s nice to put on only as much as you want and to choose from mild, medium, and hot, but I like my sauce warm, and constantly squeezing out sauce when your hands are already covered with ribs and sauce is no fun.
The Sides
The sides at the Great American BBQ Company are great. Andrew and I agreed that they’re the best of any place we’ve tried so far. Andrew liked the mac & cheese, which was fairly standard but not at all rubbery, and the slaw was well-seasoned. The potato salad was similarly standard but well seasoned but the baked BBQ beans were fantastic.Good cornbread too, I thought, though it’s the cakey kind which Andrew, being a good Southerner, doesn’t care for.