Friday, October 9, 2009

Hammond's Bar-B-Que


GLEN ROSE: Hammond’s Bar-B-Que
1106 NE Big Bend Trl (Hwy 67)

Glen Rose, TX 76043

254-897-3008

Open Sun-Tue 11-3, Thur-Sat 11-8

hammondsbbq.com/


Update 2009: Hammond's deserved another visit, and I had an excuse while visiting friends in Cleburne. We took the 30 mile drive down to Glen Rose in the pouring rain. The precipitation didn't stop most visitors. As we entered clutching six packs from the gas station next door, the rows of picnic tables in the dining room were nearly full. We were seated quickly on some open real estate, and ordering commenced. I, of course, ordered the standard two-meat plate of sliced brisket and ribs. A side of sweet and mustardy smashed potato salad was a cool complement to the piping hot bites of crispy, salty okra.



The only fault in the brisket was a slight dryness, but the incredible smokiness more than made up for it. Given the black crust and prominent, thick smoke ring, the smokiness was no surprise. The additional flavor from the salty rub was a great compliment, and the texture of the meat was superb. The rib texture was a little less forgiving. They were chewy, but the flavor was worth chewing on. Each rib had a great flavor from a similar rub to the brisket's, and the smokiness was also evident. This being only the second time I've tried the place in two years, I had to wonder if it would disappoint, but I was only pleasantly reminded of the great meat I had on the first trip. This place was more than worth the return visit.

Rating ****

2007: Talk about resilient. This place has burnt down at least three times, but luckily for the residents, they keep on rebuilding. They finally got rid of the sawdust floor this time around. The fires have long been out, but the food is still smoking. The pork ribs here were positively beautiful with a deep black crust. The smoke flavor permeated these tender ribs, and the fat was very well rendered. The brisket was also a standout with a deep flavor from the rub and crust. The slices were tender and moist, but they had uneccessarily trimmed good fat from the edges. Another negative was the lack of a strong smoky flavor, but overall, it was above average brisket. Hopefully for the rest of us, this joint stays intact for a long while.


Hammond's B-B-Q on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

They have the best beans ever too!

Plano Mark said...

Worth the trip from Dallas, they have some of the best cole slaw too.

Doug Zedler said...

Two of my friends and I went down to Glen Rose for a guys' weekend, and in deciding where to eat you did not steer us wrong! We went to Hammond's the first night. Walking in, there was a smoky haze permeating the dining room. I knew that either meant smoky meat or poor ventilation (maybe that's why they keep burning the place down). I ordered brisket, ribs, and hot link. The brisket had great smokiness. My brother-in-law and I requested some barky slices with the fat untrimmed. I can't remember the last time I had brisket that smoky at a restaurant. And it had just the right amount of rub. It was transcendent, or at least it seemed that way at the time. I hadn't had real good BBQ in a while. It came with two ribs; one was small the other had good size. Both were a little overcooked to the point that parts of the top layer were jerky-ish, more so with the smaller rib. But the flavor was good; I liked the peppery rub. I couldn't complain about the hot link. Sides of onion rings and potato salad were good. They let us bring our own beer in from our cooler in the truck. This was an experience I'll remember for a while, and it makes me want to plan a camping trip or something down to Glen Rose just as an excuse to eat at Hammond's. We ate at Hard 8 in Stephenville the next night. I'll post a comment on that review, too.

Doug Zedler said...

Forgot to click the email follow-up comments text box.

Anonymous said...

Traveling up 281 from Johnson City to Dallas, this seemed to be the highestrated joint so we gave it a try. Rather dissapointed in the brisket, somewhat dry and tasted more like pot roast. The ribs were just OK. Decent smokey flavor, but would not stand up well without the sauce, unlike the top notch places.
I did find the sides all excellent,
the fried okra was not at all greasy and the okra had a fresh flavor. The potato salad and slaw were also very good. But I wasn't here for the sides.

Anonymous said...

We've been to Hammonds three times now and have never been disappointed. The brisket is among the best, if not the best, that we've ever tasted- it's smoky and tender enough to cut with a fork. We were also really impressed by the consistent quality and great service... in our opinion the best brisket within easy driving of Fort Worth.

DISCLAIMER:

Each joint is judged on the essence of Texas 'cue...sliced brisket and pork ribs. Sausage is only considered if house made. Sauce is good, but good meat needs no adornment to satisfy. Each review can only be based on specific cuts of meat on that particular day. Finally, if the place fries up catfish or serves a caesar salad, then chances are they aren't paying enough attention to the pits, so we mostly steered clear.

-THE PROPHETS OF SMOKED MEAT