Perez Bar-B-Que

BARTLETT: Perez Bar-B-Que
220 Elm St.
Bartlett, TX 76511
254-721-2001
Open Sat 6am-5pm, Sun 6am-3pm

Armando "Sodie" Perez runs this tiny joint with his son. Meats are smoked over oak in the custom brick pits which look as ancient as Sodie. I opted for 1/4 lb. of sliced beef and a pork rib, all of which were extracted pre-sliced from a large vat of thin, tomato based sauce. As it was being wrapped up, I learned that homemade sausage was their specialty, and they even threw in a link with my order. It all came to less than $5.



I headed back to the car past the only table around which a few older men were camped, clutching their paper bag lined beer cans. It was before 10:00 am.



Given its storage method, the meat couldn't help but be moist, but it suffered from lack of smokiness. The brisket showed what was once a good looking crust but the meat had little flavor outside of the sauce. Ribs were also nicely cooked, but they too tasted only of sauce. The sausage on the other hand had not been stored in the sauce. It's wrinkled skin was crispy and the moist meat inside was of a coarse grind. These smoky links were herbaceous like a breakfast sausage but spicy like a hot link. It made for a great flavor combo, and I'd stop again just for a few more links. Maybe I'll ask if they can slice some fresh meat sans sauce.

Rating **