ADKINS: Texas Pride Barbecue
2980 E Tx-1604-Loop S
Adkins, TX 78101
210-649-3730
Open Tues-W 11-8:30, Thur-Sat 11-9:30, Sun 12-7
www.texaspridebbq.net
Texas Pride is quite a drive from San Anotnio, but given the endorsement of Guy Fieri from Diner Drives ins and Dives, I was willing to make that drive. Although it looks like an ancient gas station, the place has only been smoking since 1996 when the owners built it has an homage to their parents' old gas station. Word has it that this place really gets rocking on Friday and Saturday nights with live music and plenty of bikers, but I opted for the day after New Years on a quiet Saturday morning.
The sign that greets you once you enter the cafeteria style line had my hopes up. All of the meats are on display behind a glass window, and I was surprised to see very little bark on any of the meats besides the brisket. They smoke with all mesquite wood, but it's all done in a gas fired rotisserie according to my friends over at Man Up Texas BBQ, who happened to be visiting the same day. Ordering is done with the knife man, and he carefully weighs each meat. I opted for the three meat plate which promises 3/4lb of meat, and they didn't skimp a bit.
Back at the table I dug into the mound of ribs, brisket and turkey along with sides of green beans and potato casserole. Both sides were incredible, but the meat was not. The baby back ribs had a meager amount of meat with a few shiners in the bunch (bone showing through the top of the meat). A heavy rub of salt and pepper provided a good flavor, but the meat was dry and lacked smokiness. The brisket was a bit better with mild smokiness in the crust of each slice, and decent flavor throughout. The meat was well cooked with rendered fat and a moist tender texture. Sausage, stolen from my wife's plate, is a proprietary mixture that had good spice and decent flavor, but again, little smoke. Turkey may have been the best option with a hint of smoke and moist tender slices, all with great flavor.
While this place gets all the hype, stay tuned for my next review, and you'll learn about the gold mine just down the street that Guy Fieri missed altogether. It's a true dive that really deserves the attention.
Rating **
I ate here last summer. The brisket was sliced a little thick but had a decent flavor and was tender. Sausage was fine. The highlight was the beans of all things, really good. The true misfire was the bbq sauce, tasted more like marinara sauce with a little brown sugar added.
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