FORT WORTH: Robinson's Bar-B-Que
1028 E. Berry St.
Ft. Worth, TX 76110
817-924-1009
Open M-W 10-7, Thur 10-9, F-Sat 10-10, Sun 10-4
http://www.robinsons-bbq.com/
Billing themselves as a Kansas City style BBQ joint, this joint is unapologetic about slathering their meat with the house made sauce that is bottled for sale on the front counter. A rib plate and a sliced brisket sandwich were on my mind, and shortly after I ordered, a big bag of food was passed to me over the counter. I headed back to the car to get my camera and headed back out front. As I took a picture of the sign out front, Mr. Robinson swept up outside. We started talking and he let me know he'd been around for 35 years, and wondered how this was only my first trip. He mentioned that he smokes his meat in an Oyler pit with hickory, at which point I made it right back to the car to dig in.
The consistent slices of brisket had an impressive crust and smoke ring, but just a hint of smoke was peeking below the sweet sauce with a twang of vinegar. The moist and tender meat was perfectly cooked, but it was a bit roast-beefy and all that flavorful fat had been trimmed away.
The tender ribs had a roasted flavor in the thick meat, while again the sauce covered up any smokiness. Well rendered fat swam beneath the layers of meat and sauce. The flavor was pleasing, but it was just passable as Texas BBQ. I haven't made it to KC yet, but if this is a good version of the style, then Texas BBQ isn't looking to lose it's crown in my book.
Rating **
Seems kind of hard to believe you have an extensive blog on BBQ and don't have the perspective to distinguish the styles. If this place passes itself off as KC style, it should probably be rated higher. You should probably be rating apples and apples, or at least give a better disclaimer.
ReplyDelete/never been to this place, and not related in any way...
//your blog, your rules, just my two cents
My disclaimer is that I haven't been to KC. I can't compare it against what I think KC BBQ will taste like, so I can only compare it to other BBQ that I've eaten. When compared to other BBQ even in the same city, it's just not great 'cue.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've been to Kansas City, and I can adequately distinguish between the styles of BBQ, I would give Robinson's Bar-B-Que the same 2 star score. It's actually a bit of hybrid considering they serve thick sliced brisket with a heavy crust on it rather than thin sliced and ultra lean.
ReplyDeleteI think you need to be a certified judge so you can accurately comment on BBQ. It's not difficult to get that certification.
ReplyDeleteAs for now, I've noticed you're judging techniques quite partial and inconsistent, you're basically a fat ass with a blog.
Hey there Anonymous - You got it buddy. I'm fat, I have a blog, and I'm a KCBS certified BBQ judge. My reviews are partial, as I'm partial to great BBQ, and there's a ton of mediocre stuff out there. I also love how the harsh opinions always seem to come from that "Anonymous" guy.
ReplyDeletevulgarity is the refuge of the simple minded
ReplyDelete