Big Mike’s Barbecue Brings a Full Louisiana Plate to Houma

A barbecue plate gets more interesting when jambalaya is sitting beside the ribs. At Big Mike’s Barbecue in Houma, smoked meats meet the comfort-food cooking Louisiana diners expect, with macaroni and cheese, green beans, baked beans, coleslaw and that welcome scoop of jambalaya all in the mix.

This is a place for building a meal according to appetite. A diner can keep it simple with a sandwich, settle into a meat-and-sides plate, order a burger, or use a three-meat plate to make a proper tour of the smoker.

Brisket is one of the anchors here, available in sandwiches, plates and combination meals. It is tender and flavorful, with the kind of smoky richness that works equally well piled into a sandwich or served as the main event with a pair of sides.

Pulled pork brings another dependable option, juicy and well seasoned rather than blandly shredded. For a mixed table, it makes an easy contrast to brisket, chicken, turkey or sausage.

The baby back ribs are for diners who want a more hands-on lunch. They carry a pronounced smoke flavor and a tenderness that lets the meat pull cleanly from the bone. A half rack with coleslaw and macaroni and cheese makes a fine, no-nonsense barbecue order.

There is also a small pleasure in the leftover sauce and rib drippings. With white bread nearby, they can turn into an informal little barbecue sandwich before the plate is cleared away.

The three-meat plate is useful when deciding between brisket, pork, ribs, chicken, turkey and sausage sounds needlessly difficult. Barbecue is more fun when you can compare a little of this with a little of that, and the multi-meat format leaves room for exactly that kind of lunch.

Chicken appears in quarter meals as well as combination plates, and it has been notably juicy. Turkey is another option worth considering, especially for someone who wants a lighter-tasting smoked meat without giving up the barbecue treatment; it has a notably moist texture.

Sausage rounds out the smoked selection with a more robust, savory note. Between the various meat choices and the side list, two people can order quite differently and still both get a full Southern-style plate.

At Big Mike’s, the side dishes are not an afterthought tucked into a corner of the tray. The macaroni and cheese is creamy and genuinely cheesy, the sort of familiar comfort food that earns repeat orders on its own merits.

The mac-and-cheese bites offer that same appeal in snack form. They make a good opening move for the table or a small extra for someone who has already decided the regular macaroni and cheese needs a companion.

Green beans have their own following, and they are a notably strong choice for anyone who prefers a vegetable side with the meal. They bring a welcome home-cooked note alongside the heavier smoked meats.

Coleslaw provides the cool counterpoint: crisp, creamy and lightly tangy-sweet. It works especially well next to ribs, where a forkful of slaw can reset the palate between smoky bites.

Baked beans are another classic barbecue pairing, but jambalaya is the side that gives the menu its distinctly local personality. It is substantial enough to order with real enthusiasm—more than one diner has treated a double serving as a centerpiece rather than a supporting player.

A brisket sandwich with macaroni and cheese and a soft drink is about as straightforward a lunch order as barbecue gets, and it covers plenty of ground. The sandwich route is especially handy for a quicker stop without abandoning the smoked-meat focus.

The menu has also included generously sized burgers, among them a BBQ Blues Burger and a smokehouse burger. These are not merely fallback choices for the person at the table who skipped barbecue; they are substantial, satisfying sandwiches in their own right.

Sweet potato pie is one of the desserts that can turn a barbecue stop into a take-home errand. It is distinctive enough to justify stopping in for a pie rather than treating dessert as an afterthought.

Bread pudding offers another classic finish, especially after a plate built around ribs, beans and mac and cheese. There is no need to overcomplicate the ending: barbecue, a spoonful of something sweet, and perhaps a little extra pie for later.

Big Mike’s works in several modes: indoor dining, takeout and drive-through meals are all part of the picture. The dining room is casual and comfortable, and the ordering setup can be pleasantly simple—place an order, choose a seat, and have the food brought to the table.

Service moves with friendly efficiency, including at lunch, without making a sit-down meal feel rushed. The restaurant has handled a group of nine with the completed orders brought out together, though larger parties should confirm current arrangements directly.

A free parking lot has been available, and the restaurant is down the street from Houma’s Regional Military Museum, making it an easy food stop during an outing nearby. Walk-ins have been the usual format, but reservation policies can change, so it is sensible to check before planning around a large gathering.