North Florida

Big Bone BBQ Bringing Beef Ribs to Pensacola

Smoked meats, housemade sauces, and Creole-inspired sides will define the offerings.

Image from Big Bone BBQ on Facebook

PENSACOLA, FL — Donna Deverman-Clay and her husband, Samuel Clay, are preparing to open Big Bone BBQ at 608 E Wright St, Pensacola, FL 32501, targeting a June 6 opening.

Deverman-Clay told Business Debut the concept will bring Texas-style barbecue to the area, centered on beef ribs and housemade offerings not widely available locally.

What to Expect

Big Bone BBQ will operate as a self-serve concept inside a historic 1918 home, with guests ordering at the window and dining in or taking food to go. The restaurant will open with six tables and a five-seat bar, with plans to expand into outdoor seating in the backyard, Deverman-Clay told Business Debut.

The space is designed to stand apart from traditional smokehouses. “Most smokehouses when you think of a smokehouse typically are masculine,” Deverman-Clay told Business Debut. “But me I’m going for more feminine. I’m calling it country chic vibes.”

The menu will focus on their dino beef ribs, a product Deverman-Clay said is largely unavailable in the area. “Nobody in the area from here to Panama City offers beef, those dino beef ribs,” she told Business Debut.

Additional meats will include brisket and smoked, braised beef cheeks. Deverman-Clay told Business Debut the cheeks are “very tender,” similar to oxtail, with a rich texture from the collagen in the cut.

The menu will also feature a variation of armadillo eggs, a jalapeño stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in sausage and bacon, then smoked and basted with barbecue sauce.

Sides will be built from Deverman-Clay’s own recipes, including corn maque choux with a Creole-style influence, “mother green beans,” and sweet potato casserole with pralines.

All sauces will be made in-house. “The most popular one, the consensus, is my cherry chipotle, a sweet and spicy style,” Deverman-Clay told Business Debut, adding that a honey bourbon sauce “you can actually taste the bourbon.”

A small retail area is also planned, where the team aims to offer bottled versions of its housemade sauces. Including cherry chipotle and honey bourbon. Along with the seasonings used on the meats. Deverman-Clay told Business Debut the retail selection will also extend beyond food, with tallow-based products such as body butter and candles.

The concept took shape after a trip to Atlanta, when Deverman-Clay set out to find beef ribs and instead found an opportunity. “I just looked at my husband like I could do this,” she told Business Debut.

Opening Timeline

The couple initially considered launching through pop-ups before securing the current location, which accelerated the move into a brick-and-mortar space.

Big Bone BBQ is targeting a June 6 opening.

Hours

Hours are expected to run 11 a.m.—9 p.m., with Mondays closed. Deverman-Clay told Business Debut the team is still deciding whether to also close on Sundays or Tuesdays, with the potential for later hours on weekends depending on demand.