Friday, August 27, 2010
Bone on the Grill
SHERMAN: Bone on the Grill
4933 Gibbons Road
Sherman, TX 75092
903-786-2160
Open M-Sat 11-7
Maybe it's a good thing for a proprietor to have in inferiority complex, but Lemontt just couldn't get over what he saw as a slight from a recent visit by the Texas BBQ Posse. In the first post about their trip, the posse did not show a picture of his joint, but did of the other three on the itinerary. I assured him that good publicity is hard to come by, especially when you're alongside a limited access highway six miles outside of Sherman, Texas. It's not like I would have found the place without the tip from the posse, and maybe now Lemontt has seen the two subsequent posts, the story in the Dallas Morning News and the associated video. He's probably still miffed because they didn't include a picture of him. Well, here you go Lemontt.
Lemontt
Among other things, I learned from Lemontt that he built this joint quite literally by hand, starting with a few mobile trucks as a base. It is admittedly a work in progress, but the the work can only be done in between the cooking. While a conversation with the owner is a pleasing addition to any visit to this joint, the food is the highlight. After placing and order through the sliding screen window to Lemontt's business partner (not his wife, and camera shy), we learned that the brisket wasn't ready. We instead ordered a combo of hot wings, ribs and hot links. This generous $11 combo also came with cornbread, a side, a drink, and an ice cream pie.
Order your meat, then be sure to contemplate your next decision carefully. Hot or mild sauce? We went with hot without giving it much thought. I and my brother-in-law are fans of spicy food, so we weren't worried. Then we opened the box and a soft orange glow emanated. Actual chunks of habaneros could be seen swimming around this viscous mixture of heat and sweet. As a coating for fried chicken wings, this sauce has no peer. Liberally applied to the hot and still crispy meat, the flavors were irresistable even after we finished our drinks. Ribs and hot links were also coated in the sauce. This isn't traditional Texas BBQ meant to be served with a dipping cup for the sauce. The sauce here is key to the overall flavors, and the ribs highlighted this. Each rib had little crust and not much smokiness, and tasted as if they may have been stewing in that sauce mixture soaking up the heat. These were falling of the bone texture, but I couldn't put them down. Hot links had been sliced a while before, and also tasted like they'd been soaking in this spicy elixir for some time. The edges were chewy in a good way, but who knows if the link alone was hot.
To beat the heat in our mouths, we split the days flavor of ice cream pie. A small sweet crust was filled with ice cream, pineapples and bananas and was then topped with whipped cream, coconut, and crushed nuts. As an extinguisher it worked wonders, and as a dessert, it was perfect for any summer day. Be sure to get one if you stop, and if you stop because of this article, please tell Lemontt that publicity in any form can be good for business.
Rating ***
My wife and I were in the mood for a road trip, so we drove up there for lunch today. It is not your typical Texas barbecue joint. The sauce is an integral part of the preparation, not an add on as normal in Texas.
ReplyDeleteThe sauce is not typical either, being more like North Carolina vinegar and mustard based.
That said, it is *good*. I had the sampler plate with brisket, rib, and sausage. The sausage was my favorite. Lemontt said they smoked the sausage, then marinaded it in the sauce.
Well worth the trip and worth going back to, but there is so much barbecue and so little time.
-- Doug
I heard about this place a while back, and decided to try it. Wow!! Wonderful food. All I can say is, "finger-licking good." Looking to using them for catering!!
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