Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q 2742 South 8th Street, Fernandina Beach FL: December 2014 1 comment
I have only eaten at any Sonny's once, and this was the one. For some reason, several years ago when we were staying in Fernandina, nothing would do for my niece but that she have some corn on the cob. My memory is a bit hazy, but I think she had been quite kid-finicky in restaurants on the trip and it was a chance to get her to actually eat something if we could find a place. In the event, it seemed that Sonny's was the only game in town for supper corn that evening, and we hied thither. I'm finicky myself so I had the salad bar, which was pretty good, and my niece did get, and eat, her corn, so all was well.
I know I would have noticed if the place, past Sadler Road on the way to the bridge, had been closed during my last trip in October 2014, and Tipadvisor page and pictures suggests the place probably closed in December of that year.
I passed many other Sonny's locations in my most recent Florida trip, so apparently the chain as a whole is doing OK.
One Response to 'Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q 2742 South 8th Street, Fernandina Beach FL: December 2014'
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ted
7 Jul 15 at 6:24 am
Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2015 06:24:12 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
@ted - I don't recall ever eating BBQ in Florida. What type do they serve? Tomato, vinegar or a mixture. I know it's not my good old SC mustard stuff!!
Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2015 10:20:56 +0000
Author: MrBO
Comment:
They serve Sliced, or chopped pork or beef. You decide the sauce. I've eaten at the one in Charlotte and also at one in Florida off I-95 on my way to Disney.
I was impressed that the meat had some smokey flavor in it. My lament of the BBQ around here is that it may be pit cooked over wood, they must let the wood burn down to a red coal before putting it under the meat. (May as well just cook it in an oven) Hudson's smokehouse is an exception.
Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2015 21:56:30 +0000
Author: Rick
Comment:
Hey Ted - I'm wondering if I could get you to adopt me.
I would be a good son if I got to travel around the southeastern US with you, Pawleys, Florida, Ashville, Myrtle Beach, Etc.
I'd even help clean the Closings Mobile from time to time.
Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2015 22:13:25 +0000
Author: ED
Comment:
Ted - Have you eaten at the new BBQ place in Pawley's, "MOE's"? We were down there a couple of weeks ago and thought about trying it but never did. Looks like it's a chain which always leaves me doubting how good the BBQ is.
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2015 01:39:57 +0000
Author: TahoeChic
Comment:
My husband is from Florida and he loves Sonny's. We went to Florida while we were dating, and he took me there and I scoffed at the red sauce, and it's become kind of a joke between us. They also have "pulled chicken" which I swear I'd never heard that phrase before in my life..LOL. I discovered iI can make a mix of Sonny's mild and sweet sauces that is tolerable to my mustard based loving tastebuds. If anyone does like Sonny's sauce though, they sell the large bottles of one flavor of it at Sam's.
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2015 03:15:43 +0000
Author: Jason
Comment:
Sonny's is to BBQ what Red Lobster is to seafood. It's really meant for customers who live somewhere without a regional BBQ style, like RL would be for a landlocked state. So it's big in Florida, and for what it is, it's not bad.
Moe's is legitimately good, or at least the one in Asheville is. I'd recommend stopping by one if you're nearby.
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2015 03:26:38 +0000
Author: Andrew
Comment:
I don't eat BBQ very often but I for one don't know the difference between the various bases (ketchup, mustard, vinegar, etc.)...
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 00:43:13 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
Eastern NC uses mostly vinegar based sauces. Western NC and upstate SC is mostly vinegar with a bit of ketchup thrown in. SC midland and low country in mustard land. According the The Free Times there is a small area around Orangeburg where they add some mayo to the mustard. When you get down into Georgia you start adding in more ketchup and less mustard the further south you go.
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 01:44:36 +0000
Author: Jason
Comment:
The pocket of Alabama I hail from has a mayo-based sauce that turns a smoked chicken into something transcendent. Pulled pork gets the really sweet ketchup-base that's popular in Georgia. But you can get ribs (usually wet) and brisket nearly everywhere too.
Mustard sauce might be South Carolina's only worthwhile contribution to the world at large, but it's a mighty big one.
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 02:36:55 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
@Jason - I've seen Bob Gibson's on several cooking shows. Have you ever eaten there?
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 07:41:56 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
Andy boy- you grew up in the South and you don't eat BBQ very much? Shame on you! You need to pack up your family and go to Little Pigs on Alpine Rd. and partake of their great buffet. Another pick your sauce place, or as I like it, plain old smoked, pulled pork. No sauce needed!!!! I just put a big ole scoop of meat on a bun and top it with cole slaw and it's just heaven!!
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 07:43:15 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
@TC - God bless you and your mustard loving tastebuds....:^)
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 11:06:27 +0000
Author: Jason
Comment:
@Homer I had Bob Gibson's BBQ sauce in my bottle in lieu of formula when I was a baby. I've been there many, many times.
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 21:40:47 +0000
Author: Rick
Comment:
@Homer - Little Pigs also has some great hash. My son could eat hash and rice every day if he could. But I'll tell you,
Big T's has some very good hash as well.
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 23:00:06 +0000
Author: TahoeChic
Comment:
@Homer - LOL
@Rick- I love hash too, but only from certain places. My husband doesn't like it at all, one time he asked me what was in hash and I said "everything but the oink". LOL
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 23:32:06 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
@Jason - Don't they brush or dunk the chicken in the mayo sauce after cooking or just before removing it from the grill?
When I was a kid my Mom used to make a BBQ sauce that was half mustard/half mayo. I need to see if she remembers what went in it and try to recreate it.
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 23:39:19 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
@TC & Rick - I love a good pile of hash over rice. Some places definitely make it better than others. I don't care for hash that just sort of sits on top of the rice. There has to be enough broth to get it all mixed in.
My Mom told me one time about her family butchering when she was little and what actually went into hash and liver pudding. It would be enough to turn you off forever if it just wasn't so damned good!!!!!
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 09:01:32 +0000
Author: Colonel Kearney
Comment:
I fell in love with Sonny's SMOKIN' bbq sauce a few years ago. Hot and tangy flavoring is good with a pork butt and also London broil in a slow cooker.
The Sonny's restaurants have shelving behind the check out register that is lined with their various sauces for sale. They are also available from Amazon.com.
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 13:46:39 +0000
Author: Jason
Comment:
@Homer They mix the stuff up in 5 gallon buckets and dunk the chicken right in there as soon as it comes off the smoker, with more available tableside if you want it. And you want it.
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 14:54:30 +0000
Author: JB
Comment:
Or if you have a Sam's Club membership and like their sweet sauce you can pick this up at the store: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/sonny-s-real-pit-bar-b-q-sweet-bar-b-q-sauce/161714.ip?navAction=
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 20:39:18 +0000
Author: Rick
Comment:
Homer - I make my own hash on occasion but I only use prime ingredients, Boston Butt and London Broil. No brains or organs except for some beef liver. Of course onions, seasoning, etc.
I know using beef (London Broil) and beef liver may sound strange when we think of hash we think it should be all pork. I don't know what it is but the beef liver seems to be a requirement. I also use Shealy's mustard base sauce.
The worst part is running the meat through my hand cranked meat grinder. I cook it all in a turkey fryer pot for hours.
It's really easier to just buy it from someplace like Big T's or Little Pigs. The only time I make it is when I have plenty of time and beer on my hands.
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 22:58:40 +0000
Author: Rick
Comment:
@TC-From my understanding you are correct.
I hear, besides "The Oink" everything but, but, the butt hole is used. All should know the intestines are used for sausage. Ever hear of "Hog Head Cheese" I've heard but don't want to think about it. Where does the cheese part come from? Is cheese added. I can't help but think about smegma when I here Hog head cheese. I know I should have not said smegma but I'd bet many do not know the word anyway.
So... there, I said it. WTF.
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 23:25:47 +0000
Author: Eddie In Irmo
Comment:
Folks should refrain from calling vinegar based BBQ "NC BBQ". South Carolina has more claim to vinegar based BBQ than does NC. It's prevalent throughout the Pee Dee region an into the lowcountry. In fact, vinegar/pepper was the very first sauce for pork BBQ and others (mustard, ketchup, etc.) were derivatives of it. Mustard for example originated from the German/SwissGerman settlements of the central midlands. At one time, you could tell a sauce by the name of the establishment (German name = mustard sauce).
BBQ sauce styles in the Carolinas are regional and not defined by political borders.
http://www.armadillopeppers.com/bbq-sauce.html
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 23:27:52 +0000
Author: kkaos
Comment:
Since we're talking BBQ and hash places in SC, I'd like to say that Carolina Barbecue in New Ellenton has the best. When I'd go down to "the valley" to visit my grandparents as a kid, we'd usually end up eating there every time. Hit it up if you're ever down that way.
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 23:32:55 +0000
Author: kkaos
Comment:
@Eddie,
I agree that vinegar-based is as much to SC BBQ as mustard is. I grew up in Cheraw where we used to find Stantons vinegar-based BBQ in the grocery stores. I missed seeing it and Rebel's (Revel's?) in the stores when I moved to Columbia and missed them even more upon leaving SC.
Also, First United Methodist Church of Cheraw makes some solid red vinegar-based BBQ during the Spring Festival and sometime during the Fall (Jazz Festival weekend?).
Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2015 04:28:49 +0000
Author: Homer
Comment:
Rick - I have a quick hash recipe that I have used a couple of times that has turned out pretty good. It has ground pork and ground beef as a base. Break it up and throw it in a pot of water with some onion, salt and pepper. Boil it to death and then run it through the grinder for good measure. Then toss it back in the pot and add your mustard (or BBQ sauce) and seasonings.
My Grandma used to love Hog Head Cheese (or Souse). From what I understand it's made from all the bits of meat that come from boiling the entire head in a cast iron pot over an open flame for hours. Then you pack it all in a tureen and weigh it down until it all gels together. Then you slice it an eat it. Sounds yummy doesn't it.
Bi-Lo used to have a store brand BBQ sauce that tastes just like Maurice's. I think it's called Southern Gold and it even comes in a bottle that looks like Maurice's....hmmmm
Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2015 13:01:25 +0000
Author: Rick
Comment:
@Homer - I am very familiar with the BI-LO BBQ sauce and I agree with you. It does taste like Maurice's.
I still buy it from time to time.
I thought from time to time, it was BI-LO's way of keeping Maurice's in the store after his flag debacle.
I made some sauce a couple of days ago on a whim.
I used mustard, a little Shealey's Vinegar Based Sauce and brown sugar, It was pretty good.
I call this one of my six pack recipes, after six beers I'll just start mixing stuff together, sometimes I'm successful, other times it may go straight into the garbage.