Alabama Cuisine: Recipes description

Fine Dining
If you're looking for the best meal of your life, it's almost certainly waiting for you in Alabama. In recent years, Alabama's food scene has flourished, earning national accolades and global exposure for the chefs who call the state home.

If you're in Birmingham, it would be practically criminal not to drop by Chef Frank Stitt's Highlands Bar and Grill or Chef Chris Hastings' Hot and Hot Fish Club. Both are annually ranked by the James Beard Foundation as two of the top restaurants in the nation. Best of all, they're just two of many gourmet restaurants that can be found throughout the city, which has become a dream destination for foodies who like their meals fresh, inventive and exquisitely prepared.

In Huntsville, don't miss a chance to experience the warmth and elegance of Cotton Row, housed in a cotton exchange building that dates back to 1821. And if you're looking for a truly unique North Alabama eating experience, trek to downtown Decatur to try the incredible steaks and seafood of Simp McGhee's, named for a legendary riverboat captain who lost his license for recklessly braving rapids on the Tennessee River.

Soul Food & Barbecue
When it comes to authentic Alabama cuisine, you can't beat the soul food and barbecue cooked up low and slow all across the state. Pork, chicken and beef are cooked to perfection and served with sauces that you'll want to bottle by the gallon. In North Alabama, award-winning Big Bob Gibson's is always worth a stop. In Central Alabama, great barbecue choices abound, but be sure to stop by the famous Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa, or one of its locations in Birmingham, Mobile or Northport.

Fresh Seafood
The best fish is a fresh fish, and it doesn't get any fresher than at Alabama's Gulf Coast. Our neighboring beach communities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are both packed to the gills with amazing seafood restaurants that bring you the catch of the day and the best of the bay. When you're in Alabama, you can never go wrong with crab, oysters, shrimp and fresh fish. Each is caught locally and prepared and cooked faster than you could fillet a flounder.

Alabama Fire Crackers
Southern Dill Potato Salad
Alabama Pulled Pig
Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Sausage
Slow Cooker Alabama Pulled BBQ Chicken
Mobile Bay Seafood Gumbo
Southern Style Beef Stew
Shrimp and Grits With Kielbasa
Alabama Slammer I
Alabama-Style White Barbecue Sauce
Alabama Slammer Cocktail