This is really a difficult question for several reasons:

1. Everyone's tastes are subjective.
2. People's ideas of what BBQ is can be subjective.
3. For some people the accouterments surrounding the BBQ can influence your overall experience.
4. Any restaurant can have good days and bad days.

I have had several experiences at Dreamland and they were all bad. I will never go back.

I have had many very good experiences at Golden Rule in Irondale and Hoover. The other's no so much. I like to go to Irondale and get Sammy to pull me some pork instead of slice it and I get Rose to double fry the fresh cut French fries so they are extra crispy and then I usually get the vinegar slaw which is a nice accompaniment. I also like their baked beans that have a little nutmeg in them. They're re like bean candy. All that said, their quality has seemed to drop off as of late.

I have always had a good experience at Saw's Juke Joint. I particularly liked the Pork and Greens. A combination of cheese grits, collard greens, Smoked pork and thin, crispy onion rings.

I have had some pretty good meals at Jim and Nicks in Trussville, but I haven't eaten there in quite a while.

We need to get down to Sally's in Ft. Payne. People keep saying good things about it. I also hear that Bar-B-Que Place just up the street is even better. I've heard Roadside Que is pretty good too. I've been up here off and on for 6 years and have never eaten at any of them.

The problem for me up here is that I have time to cook and if I have a craving for BBQ I put a butt on the smoker and smoke it all day, Mrs. Irish makes some of her fantastic slaw and baked beans and homemade sauce, and honestly I have yet to eat anywhere in Alabama that can beat that combination. I'm not saying that to boast, but only to say that there is no restaurant that can put the kind of love into some food that you can put into it. If you have the skills, the knowledge and the love for cooking, a restaurant will find it hard to beat you, because most people there are working to earn a paycheck, not because they love making great food. Finding a restaurant that loves to make good food is a rarity.