Dickey's Barbecue Pit is the largest barbecue chain on earth by number of restaurants, and its menu is built differently from every other chain on this site: almost nothing is a fixed plate. You buy meat by weight, by the piece, or on a potato. Once you understand that structure the pricing makes sense — and there is one section where Dickey's is dramatically cheaper than anyone else.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit prices at a glance
Every price quoted in this guide, collected up front. Prices vary by location and change without notice.
| Route | Example | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandwich only | Pulled Pork Sandwich | $9.75 | Meat and bun |
| Sandwich plate | Pulled Pork Sandwich Plate | $15.75 | Plus two sides |
| 1 Meat Plate | Pulled Pork Plate | $16.50 | Larger meat portion, two sides |
| By the pound | Pulled Pork, 1 lb | $21.15 | Feeds three |
| Meat | Half pound | Full pound |
|---|---|---|
| Brisket | $14.50 | $28.00 |
| Brisket Burnt Ends | $14.50 | $28.00 |
| Turkey Breast | $10.95 | $20.85 |
| Marinated Chicken Breast | $10.95 | $20.85 |
| Pulled Pork | $11.25 | $21.15 |
| Pork Burnt Ends | $11.25 | $21.15 |
| Kielbasa | $10.25 | $20.15 |
| Pork Ribs | Half rack $17.00 | Full rack $30.00 |
| Count | Ribs | Per bone | Wings | Per wing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | $17.00 | $2.83 | $10.00 | $1.67 |
| 9 | $24.00 | $2.67 | $13.75 | $1.53 |
| 12 | $30.00 | $2.50 | $18.75 | $1.56 |
| 18 | $45.00 | $2.50 | $26.25 | $1.46 |
| 24 | $60.00 | $2.50 | $35.00 | $1.46 |
| Plate | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 Meat Plate (most meats) | $16.50 |
| Turkey Breast Plate | $19.00 |
| 12-Rack Pork Rib Plate | $20.50 |
| 2 Meat Plate | $18.50 |
| 3 Meat Plate | $20.50 |
| Pork Out Platter | $22.00 |
| Half Rack Pork Rib Plate | $24.00 |
| Pack | Price |
|---|---|
| Picnic Pack | $45.00 |
| Classic Family Pack Special | $51.00 |
| Family Pack | $53.00 |
| XL Pack | $73.00 |
| Wing Family Pack | $75.00 |
| BYB Classic Sandwich Pack | $165.00 |
| BYB Original Party Pack | $165.00 |
| BYB Texas Brisket Party Pack | $170.00 |
| BYB Wings and Ribs Party Pack | $170.00 |
| XL Sides | $38.00 |
| Dickey's | City BBQ | Sonny's | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulled pork sandwich | $9.75 | $8.39 | $9.29 |
| Brisket, per pound | $28.00 | $22.79 | $23.99 |
| Burnt ends, per pound | $28.00 | Not sold | Platter only |
| Ribs, per bone (12+) | $2.50 | $2.70 | — |
| 3-meat plate | $20.50 | — | $17.99 |
| Locations | ~380 | ~80 | ~100 |
| Approach | What you buy | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Two sandwich plates | 2 × Pulled Pork Sandwich Plate | $31.50 |
| Two 1-meat plates | 2 × Pulled Pork Plate | $33.00 |
| By the pound | 1 lb pulled pork + 2 small sides + buns | ~$33.65 |
| Two Brisket Mac Stacks | 2 × Brisket Mac Stack | $22.00 |
| Guests | What to buy | Approx. cost | Per head |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Whole large brisket + 3 lb pulled pork | ~$232 | ~$9.30 |
| 50 | 2 whole briskets + whole pork butt | ~$447 | ~$8.95 |
| 100 | 4 whole briskets + 2 pork butts | ~$894 | ~$8.95 |
How Dickey's pricing works
Three routes to the same meat, at very different prices:
The gap between a sandwich and a sandwich plate is a flat $6.00 for two sides — which is poor value, because individual sides are $4.50. Buying the sandwich plus one side is cheaper than the plate if you only want one.
Meats by the pound — where Dickey's wins
This is the section worth knowing about, and it is genuinely competitive:
Two things stand out. First, Dickey's sells brisket burnt ends by the pound at the same price as regular brisket — no other chain on this site does that, and burnt ends are usually a premium item. Second, the half-pound pricing is close to half the full pound, so there is no penalty for buying small.
Dickey's also sells whole cuts: a Whole Large Smoked Brisket at $169.00, Whole XL at $179.00, Whole Pork Butt at $109.00 and Whole Sausage Ropes at $22.00. For a large event, a whole brisket is the cheapest brisket per pound you will find at any chain.
Ribs and wings by the piece
At $2.50 a bone for 12 or more, Dickey's ribs are the cheapest per-bone of any chain covered here — Famous Dave's charges $3.06 on its best-value slab and $5.27 on its worst.
Sandwiches and sandwich plates
Eleven sandwiches, from $5.00 (Slider) to $12.00:
- Cuban, Westerner and Pit Dip ($12.00) — the three signature sandwiches
- Brisket & Cheese ($11.25)
- Turkey & Cheese / Chicken & Cheese ($10.45)
- Classic Turkey ($9.95)
- Pulled Pork ($9.75)
- Kielbasa ($9.50)
- Slider ($5.00) — the cheapest item on the menu
Sandwich plates add two sides and run $11.00 to $18.00. The Burnt Ends Sandwich Plate at $15.75 is the pick — burnt ends at the same price as a pulled pork plate is unusual.
Giant Bakers and Cue Creations
Two sections you will not find at other chains. A Giant Baker is a large baked potato loaded with barbecue — $11.00 for a plain loaded baker, $11.95 for sliced brisket, $15.00 for the meat-topped versions.
Cue Creations are bowls: Brisket Mac Stack ($11.00), Buffalo Chicken Mac Stack ($10.50), Fritos Pie Stack ($12.25) and Chicken Caesar Salad ($12.50).
The Brisket Mac Stack at $11.00 is one of the cheapest ways to get brisket at Dickey's with a side already built in.
Plates and combos
The second meat costs $2.00 and the third $2.00 — the same clean ladder Sonny's uses. The 3 Meat Plate at $20.50 is the best per-meat value in this section.
Family packs and party packs
For anything above about 20 people, buying whole cuts beats the party packs — a whole large brisket at $169.00 yields far more usable meat than the $170.00 Texas Brisket Party Pack. Portion planning is in the BBQ catering guide.
Sides, drinks and the Big Yellow Cup
Sides are $4.50 small and $7.50 medium: BBQ beans, jalapeño beans, mac and cheese, cabbage slaw, baked potato casserole, bacon and onion green beans, potato salad, Caesar salad. Fried okra, onion tanglers, hand-cut fries, waffle fries and creamed spinach are $4.50 flat.
Drinks are the thing Dickey's is best known for after the brisket. The Big Yellow Cup ($3.50) is a chain institution; the Little Yellow Cup is $2.50 and a gallon of soda $10.50.
Sauces are cheap add-ons at $0.50 to $1.00: original, sweet, spicy, Carolina, Texas hot, buffalo and Dr Pepper sauce.
The free ice cream
Every Dickey's location has a soft-serve machine and the ice cream is free with any order. It is not on the menu, it is not advertised heavily, and it is the single most consistent thing customers mention. Take a cone on the way out.
How Dickey's compares
Dickey's is not the cheapest on brisket by weight, but it is the cheapest on ribs per bone, the only one selling burnt ends by the pound at standard brisket pricing, and by far the most likely to actually have a location near you.
What to order
First visit: Burnt Ends Sandwich Plate ($15.75) — burnt ends at a standard plate price is the best thing on this menu. Cheapest real meal: Brisket Mac Stack ($11.00). For ribs: 12 pieces at $30.00, which is where the per-bone price bottoms out. For a group: a whole brisket at $169.00. And take the free ice cream.
The franchise question
Dickey's has roughly 380 locations, which is more than Mission BBQ, Famous Dave's, Sonny's and City BBQ combined. That scale comes from an aggressive franchise model, and it has a direct consequence you should know about: consistency varies more between Dickey's locations than at any other chain covered here.
A well-run Dickey's smoking on site every day is genuinely good Texas-style barbecue at a fair price. A poorly-run one is not. Two things to check on a first visit to any location:
- Ask whether they smoke on site. Dickey's locations are supposed to; the good ones will tell you what time the brisket went on.
- Look at the brisket before you commit. Dark bark, visible smoke ring, fat that looks translucent rather than white. The Texas BBQ guide covers exactly what to look for.
If the answer to the first question is vague, order pulled pork rather than brisket. Pork shoulder is far more forgiving.
Working out the cheapest order
Dickey's pricing structure rewards buying meat by weight and sides separately rather than taking a plate. The same food, three ways, for two people:
The Brisket Mac Stack at $11.00 wins by a distance — brisket over mac and cheese in a bowl, no side needed, and a third cheaper than the equivalent plate. It is the single most underpriced item on the Dickey's menu.
Sauces
Dickey's charges for sauce, which is unusual — most chains give it away. At $0.50 to $1.00 per portion it is hardly a burden, but it means you should choose deliberately rather than taking a handful.
- Original — sweet, tomato-based, the default
- Sweet — sweeter still; the one children take
- Spicy — the original with heat added
- Carolina — vinegar-forward. The right sauce for pulled pork.
- Texas Hot — thinner and peppery. The right sauce for brisket.
- Dr Pepper — a Texas curiosity, genuinely worth $0.50 once
Timing and holding
| Window | Best order |
|---|---|
| 11:00–13:00 | Sliced brisket, ribs |
| 13:00–16:00 | Pulled pork, burnt ends, Giant Bakers |
| 17:00–19:00 | Sliced brisket if a second batch has landed |
| After 19:30 | Whatever is left — ask first |
Burnt ends hold better than any other item because they are twice-cooked and carry more rendered fat. Mid-afternoon at a Dickey's, they are the smart order.
Calories, from Dickey's own published figures
Every number in this section is Dickey's own published calorie count for that item — not an estimate, and not a calculation of ours. The Cal column in the full menu further down this page carries the rest of them, item by item, including everything not repeated here.
| Order | Calories (published) |
|---|---|
| Classic Turkey Sandwich | 360 |
| Pulled Pork Sandwich | 460 |
| Brisket & Cheese Sandwich | 610 |
| Pit Dip Sandwich | 730 |
| Cuban Sandwich | 760 |
| Brisket Mac Stack | 480 |
| Loaded Giant Baker | 820 |
| Pork & Tangler Baker | 1,140 |
| Ribs, 12 pieces | 1,870 |
| Wings, 12 pieces | 410 |
| Mac & Cheese (small) | 100 |
| Cabbage Slaw (small) | 140 |
| Onion Tanglers | 380 |
| Pecan Pie Slice | 520 |
Three things fall out of those figures. The Brisket Mac Stack is 480 calories — within twenty of a plain pulled pork sandwich — so the cheapest proper meal on the menu is also one of the lightest, which is unusual and makes the recommendation above an easy one. The sandwiches split cleanly by build: the plain meat ones sit between 360 and 460, and the cheese-and-extras ones (Brisket & Cheese at 610, Pit Dip at 730, Cuban at 760) run 150 to 400 higher for the same core meat. And the sides are far smaller numbers than most people assume — a small mac and cheese is 100 and a small cabbage slaw 140, so the sides are not where a Dickey's order gets heavy. Onion tanglers at 380 are the one exception in that section.
The weight is in meat volume. Twelve ribs are 1,870 calories, almost exactly double the 930 of a six-piece order, and eighteen come in at 2,800 — so the per-bone bargain scales the calories just as cleanly as it scales the price. Wings are the opposite: twelve of them are 410, less than a Cuban sandwich. Buying by weight is worth thinking about too — a full pound of brisket is 1,150 and a full pound of kielbasa 1,280, which matters if the pound is not actually being split three ways as the portion guidance assumes.
One gap to be aware of: Dickey's publishes no calorie figure at all for the free soft-serve, the sliders, the sandwich plates or the family and party packs, so none is given for those here or in the menu below. If you are counting carefully, the plates are the awkward ones — you can reach a rough figure from the published sandwich and side numbers, but the chain does not state one.
Ordering for a crowd
Dickey's is the best chain covered here for a genuinely large order, because it sells whole cuts:
Those figures are before sides and buns, and they beat the BYB party packs comfortably. Full portion planning is in the BBQ catering guide.
Practical notes before you go
- Ask whether they smoke on site. With ~380 franchised locations, this is the single most useful question you can put to the counter.
- Order burnt ends mid-afternoon. They hold better than anything else on the menu.
- Choose sauce deliberately — they are charged for, at $0.50 to $1.00 each.
- Take the free ice cream. Every location has it and it is not advertised.
- For a crowd, buy whole cuts. A whole brisket at $169.00 beats every party pack on price per usable pound.
If you are ordering for someone new to Dickey's: a Brisket Mac Stack ($11.00) and a Big Yellow Cup ($3.50). Under fifteen dollars, no side needed, and it is the most representative thing on the menu.