Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Baby J's Bar-B-Que & Fish


PALESTINE: Baby J’s Bar-B-Que & Fish
FM 2419 at U.S. 287

Palestine, TX 75801

903-729-8402

Open Thur-Sat 11-8


Sweet Baby J's may be a more appropriate name for this joint. The sauce was sweet, the greens were nearly candied, and the tea was downright syrupy. Even cut with half a glass of unsweet tea, this was liquid sugar that required a water chaser.

The meats were spared from a dose of sugar, and got a good dose of smoke instead. The brisket slices had a good crust, and a decent smokeline. The tender slices were moist and flavorful, if a little too fatty. The ribs were a tad chewy with an odd flavor created by being basted with sauce while being smoked with a combination of hickory, oak and pecan. The smokiness was there, but more time in the smoker could have added some tenderness and rendered the fat a little better. The spicy, dense sausage was incredible with a hefty amount of red and black pepper. The beef and pork mixture had a flavor similar to italian sausage with a deep smoky twist.



Pulled pork is not usually found on a Texas bbq menu, but this version was smoky and tender piled high on a bed of pickles and onions and doused with the sweet sauce. The buttered bun tied this sandwich together, and it was quite good.



Out front are a bevy of smokers that vary from the tall rotisserie style one pictured, to a couple of offset steel smokers, to the smoker housed inside a renovated camper. One of the owner's friends was using the tall smoker to cater a prom dinner for his daughter and 23 of her friends. He looked busy.



The interior was sparse but homey, with wall murals painted by a local "artist". Some of the smoke painted on the wall looked a lot more like Mr. Hankey than smoke bellowing from a fire.



Overall this joint is an interesting place to visit to get some distinctively flavored meats, and with a bit more time on the smoker, the meats could really be stellar.

Rating ***

Baby J's Bar-B-Que & Fish on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

Term papers said...

The meats were spared from a dose of sugar, and got a good dose of smoke instead. The brisket slices had a good crust, and a decent smoke line. This Dish Look Quite Delicious. The buttered bun tied this sandwich together, and it was quite good.

Cecilia said...

Best barbeque and fried catfish around. Very friendly folks. Love this place- we eat here whenever we get the chance!

Unknown said...

THIS BBQ WAS WORTH THE 3HR DRIVE
WILL BE BACK FOR ROUND 2!!
GREAT FOOD
GREAT PEOPLE
GREAR TIME
GREAT PRICE
BABY J I'M NOW A FAN OF YOUR BBQ!!!

THANKS....KJ

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