Brisket and blue cheese? That's not a combo I'm used to, but when I asked the guy manning the newest food trailer (cart, really) in Dallas what he recommended, he suggested the off menu special - a cup of blue corn grits, chopped brisket and a blue cheese crumble topping ($6). I went for it, and the flavors worked. The cheese had a sweetness brought out by the saucy brisket, and the creamy grits below help cut some of the intense richness. This is a dish made for fall. Maybe not the sunny 80+ degree we had today, but I enjoyed it none the less.
Squeals on Wheels is the newest local food trailer (thanks for the tip Nancy), and it's been parked out front of the Screen Door for the last six days, mainly because they need the kitchen. Pulled pork, chopped brisket and hot links are available alongside non-BBQ items like hot dogs and gumbo. Even the 'cue menu isn't for the purist. Hot links ($4) from Smokey Denmark's in Austin were warmed through submersion dirty-water-dog style. The well seasoned link still held up well on a hot dog bun with a little mustard and hot sauce. The other meats are chopped and presauced like a smoked meat sloppy joe. This is most evident in the pork ($5) which had no texture or flavor variations, but instead tasted like little more than the sweet sauce. The fresh slaw created a nice crunch, but more was needed to really taste it. The bun was a simple white sesame seed version that quickly broke down under the moist pressure of that pile of pork.
The guy manning the cart said the brisket is smoked for 24 hours, and the pork for 12, but I find it odd that the only smoked item on the Screen Door menu is cheddar. I doubt they have a smoker just for that, so how is this stuff being smoked? Parking is easy along Flora Street so I'll be back, but I'll stick with the brisket.
- BBQ Snob
BBQ Snob, thanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteWere only a week old now and still figuring out how to make it work. It's been bust though.
We do have a smoker in house. We use it mainly the preperation of bulk items that go into recipes and for specials.
This week we had smoked & braised veal short ribs with celery root & honey mustard carrots!
We do use brisket on Sunday brunch with fried green tomatoes & poached eggs, our version of eggs benedict.
City code makes us keep the dogs in water. We aren't allowed to do any actual cooking on a grll or griddle.
Code actually said you could only serve dogs (in water) and slices of corn on the cob served in a cup!
We're working it but we're trying!
Thx, David