Great barbecue has a special places in our hearts. The key word is great, though. This Southern style of slow-smoking meats and dousing them in complex concoctions of tangy, sweet sauces, is an art form, plain and simple. While a ton of barbecue restaurants in Tampa tout their greatness, it's up to all of us Tampa barbecue purists to put those claims to the test.
When it comes to the best, the jury's always out. We all have our own personal preferences, but if we had to put our money down, First Choice Southern BBQ in Brandon would definitely rank amongst the top bbq restaurants in Tampa.
Unassumingly situated in the shopping center at the intersection of Faulkenburg Rd., First Choice serves up a simple variety of barbecue and accompanying sides. No fancy waiter service or forward-thinking contemporary fare here, just piles of slow-smoked barbecue on plastic plates served lightning fast with no compromise.
The barometer for any barbecue joint worth its salt has to be their pulled pork and First Choice's falls nowhere short of mouthwatering. Shredded to oblivion and fork tender, the pulled pork touts a woody-smoked flavor all the more accentuated by a bath in their tangy house-made barbecue sauce.
Sausage at First Choice is a menagerie of flavor and texture spiced to perfection. Bite down and you'll get that famous snap between your teeth as you chew into the flavor-loaded, fat-speckled innards.
First Choice offers a variety of traditional sides ranging from baked beans to collard greens, potato salad, coleslaw, and macaroni salad.
This isn't your traditional macaroni salad, though. First Choice's comes in a light coating of creamy, spice-laden sauce that, we'll venture to guess, is probably like no other macaroni salad you've tried.
If you've dined at, or talked to anyone who's dined at First Choice, we're probably not bringing up anything new here. Don't take it from us though. Head out on any given lunch break and you'll notice the line of people snaking out onto the sidewalk.
First Choice Southern BBQ is damn good barbecue and for that, we're glad they're here. Check them out and let us know what you think with a rating and review on the First Choice Southern BBQ 813area business listing.
