Since someone else was talking about a bad BBQ experience, I thought I'd let you know about an excellent one I recently had.

Rudy's BBQ at SH-9 and Imhoff (I think) in Norman is absolutely awesome. The BBQ is just falling apart tender, and the sauces are excellent, especially the really spicy sauce. They have meals you can buy as well as sell meat by the pound, and also cater. This is the same chain of restaurants that is well known throughout the state of Texas. It's some of the best around that I've tried.

Give it a try!

I couldn't disagree more!

Rudy's is the WORST barbecue I've ever tasted in a restaurant specializing in barbecue. The meat was dry, the sauces disgusting and the ambience perfect for the average redneck, but not for those who like cleanliness and manners and prefer not to eat in a garage-type atmosphere. My family and I found ourselves seriously "dismayed."

Swadley's and Earl's are FAR and above Rudy's when it comes to good barbecue. In fact, it's hard to even use "good barbecue" in the same sentence as Rudy's. Blechhhh!

Two words-- Iron Starr. 36th and Shartel. It's not like a typical bbq place...it's a little fancier but the food is excellent.

Never been to Rudy's...or Earl's for that matter. Or even Swadley's lol. Whenever my school has a function for the teachers that requires a lunch...or even just our faculty Christmas party...we are catered by Iron Starr because it's just down the street and it's so amazingly good! I don't eat bbq anywhere else.

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Still corrupting young minds

Earl's is VERY good, but lately I've been eating Van's here in Moore. I'm a BIG BBQ sauce person. I love it on EVERYTHING (fries, okra, and I even like it on my "texas" toast), whether it needs it or not. But, Van's is the first BBQ place that makes ribs that I actually like better W/O sauce. I am very impressed.

Someone at work also mentioned they liked Rudy's in Norman. I had never heard of it until recently.

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Facts can change opinions, opinions cannot change facts.

I thought Rudy's had okay food, except I think their beans weren't very good. The main problem I had with them was they were way too expensive for the small portion sizes.

Rudy's is actually at HWY 9 and Chautauqua, not Imhoff. Rudy's is a chain based out of Texas. Everything is a la carte, so picking and choosing separate items to make a meal can be expensive. I suspect that a 3-item dinner (meat plus two sides) averages $10.
I've been there 3 or 4 times. I thought it was merely okay. Although I like Kansas-City style sauces (i.e., ketchup-based sauces), I did not particularly like either of their two sauces. I thought the ribs were good - not overcooked, they had an authentic smokey flavor, and did not taste gamey. The only thing I did not like was their coleslaw. On both occasions I had it, it tasted like cardboard.
For BBQ, Rudy's is okay. Perhaps its best feature is its close proximity to campus.

My vote is for Steve's Rib in Edmond, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. They could work on the customer service, but over all pretty good....

I thought Rudy's was great. Especially like the "trough" that you can wash your hands in without going into the nasty bathroom to wash your hands. I wish more places had a dedicated hand washing station. The food was excellent and quickly had my parents talking about how they will be coming down to Norman not to visit me, but to eat at Rudy's!!!

As for good BBQ in the city, Leo's or Bedlam gets my vote.

I thought Rudy's was okay, same with Van's in Moore, but not as good as Swadley's...And I've yet to find a place I like as much as Spencer's BBQ.

But BBQ is like beer, one man's camel-pi$$ is another's ambrosia. There are so many different ways to make it, not to mention just defining "BBQ".

Heck, go to North Carolina and order some BBQ, you'll get a plate of shredded and browned port with no sauce at all. Force the "sauce" issue with them, and they'll hand you a bottle of Tabasco...Of course, I don't follow anybody's reasoning that would put cole slaw on a hamburger, so I choose to think that they've got BBQ wrong too

I work with people that think The Rib Crib is the be-all end-all of BBQ in OK...You couldn't pay me to eat their food. It's about as bad as BBQ gets as far as I'm concerned...They disagree.

It's all subjective, and everybody is picky about it. I pick Spencer's.

Locally:
Red Zone, the former Bob's location at Sooner Legends, the former Ramada, at SW24th and Lindsey in Norman.
Vann's, on N Porter in Norman (also in Shawnee, Moore and maybe elsewhere)

Other noteables elsewhere in the state (listed aphabetically):
Bad Brad's - outside Pawhuska
Leo's - OKC
Meer's Store - Meer's, NW of Medicine Park
Wall's - Woodward
Wild Horse - Hwy 59 S of Sallisaw (I still miss Hubert)

So long as I am within a 2-3 hour drive of any of these great places, I'll likely not find reason to visit others. One final memorable place for me was Slick's in Muskogee, but I've not been there for decades. If memory serves, Slicks is long since gone, but it was a fav in my younger days on trips with my pop.

The Boneyard Grill in Guthrie is amazing! Opened about 2 months ago or so. Go check it out - amazing ribs!

another vote for Spencer's!! Used to be my favorite when I lived in MWC. . .too far now, but golly, do it miss their good eats!!