by Stacy Hutto

Managing editor

To people who know me, my love of barbecue is no surprise. Recently I tried another barbecue restaurant, Billy Sims BBQ.

Billy Sims BBQ has the same attention to good meat like other barbecue places in Durant like Main Street BBQ. Both restaurants have smoked meat with well-defined smoke rings and good bark.

For those unfamiliar with barbecue, bark is the outside of the meat that has a bit of crunch from being smoked.

Billy Sims’ menu is varied, and the prices are reasonable. Diners have many affordable options to choose from.

Billy Sims played football for the University of Oklahoma before going pro and playing for the Detroit Lions where he was Rookie of the Year in 1980.

His pride for not only his alma mater, but college football is displayed all throughout the restaurant. On the menu are items like Sooner Magic, The Option, Pulled Razorback, Arkansas Steak, The Heisman and The Triple 20.

I got The Option and a sliced brisket sandwich. The Option, one of the combination platters, is a three meat combo that comes with two sideliners, which is what sides are called, or one super side, Okie Toast, pepper, red onion and pickle.

When I first walked in I was greeted with a smile by the person behind the counter.

She explained to me how the ordering process worked. I picked which meats I wanted then my order was passed to the person who put my sides with my order.

For The Option I got sliced brisket, polish sausage and two ribs. My picks for sides were potato salad and Sooner Slaw-ter.

The ribs were fall off the bone tender and had a nice smoky flavor. I got enough brisket that I was able to use the Texas, I mean Okie, toast to make a sandwich later. The polish sausage was as delicious as everything else I got.

The only thing that I didn’t totally love was the barbecue sauce. I got the sweet and mild and thought it was just OK. I thought the meat was good enough that the sauce wasn’t needed.

The sliced brisket sandwich was piled high with meat and made for a filling meal. There was more than enough food to feed a couple people, with enough left over for another meal.

The total for everything I got is normally under $21. But, when I went to pay I used my Southeastern debit card.

That is when I learned that Southeastern students get a 10 percent discount, which brought my total to under $20.

So, if you are looking for barbecue that not only tastes good, but also supports SE students, give Billy Sims BBQ a try.