Van's Pig Stand - Norman

On our way to Dallas and we were hungry for BBQ. We ordered brisket dinner and rib dinner. My brisket was old and dry, not trimmed and hard burnt crust on outside. I returned it for fresh, it was not much better, not trimmed and still burnt crust on it. No smoke flavor. The beans and potato salad were ok but not the best. Ribs not that good, hard burnt crust on them too, Cole slaw was very poor. We spent $28 for a very poor meal. We will not go back. I rate it as one of the worst bbq placed I've eaten in and I eat bbq 2 times a week.

Decent food  but    w a y    overpriced..       A  good BBQ shack would really mop up here in Norman.  Vans is ok  but nothing spectacular..

Van's is an icon to be sure. The meat is consistently good, and the twice baked potato is exceptional. The restaurant is cool in a "roadside dive" kinda way...and has some Norman history too. But the prices are insane. They are WAY out of line. 15-20 for barbecue (and 3 dollar ice filled drinks which you will have to refill...A LOT) Good food but not worth that much money.

Been looking forward to trying Van's since my son started at OU, and maybe I over-hyped it in anticipation. The Meat was good, but nothing spectacular and the Collards were just ok. The Beans were above average, but all-in-all I was hoping for more. The setting is just what you'd expect and I'll try again and see if I get a different result. I had Ribs and Brisket on this visit and the Ribs were tender and came off the bone clean, but just ok on seasoning. The Brisket was a bit dry, although good for a sandwich or with something to add a little moisture. I realize that there can be a lot of variance in BBQ, so I will give Van's another visit and see if I think differently. diningoutdfw.com

Please let me start by admitting that I am a BBQ snob. I have grown up eating Van's and I am used to it. It used to be my favorite, but through years or trying a lot of great smoked meats, I can land on saying that I really like it. Their ribs are tasty, their chopped beef and pork are pretty good, and their smoked poultry is pretty dang tasty. I would definitely recommend. If you can handle the heat, their really spicy sauce has great flavor for a sauce with a lot of kick.