Whup's Boomerang Bar-B-Que

MARLIN: Whup's Boomerang Bar-B-Que
1203 Bennett St.
Marlin, TX 76661
254-883-5770
Open Thur-Sat 10-8

This is a tiny joint in a small town with a compact patio and a tight parking situation. I was momentarily trapped between another car and a sleeping dog in the narrow drive that leads past the smoker to the gravel road behind the joint. Orders are taken at a window on the patio that has just a couple of tables. Traffic in and out of the driveway is brisk given that most of the customers are taking their orders to go. We took our order to one of those small tables and enjoyed a rhythmic basketball bouncing serenade at the hands of a ten year old throughout the entire meal.



The brisket and ribs were a contrast in texture. The rib meat fell from the bone when lifted from the box while the brisket was tough and chewy. The slice of beef looked great with a nice smokering and black crust, but it was undercooked. The overcooked ribs lacked seasoning and good smoke.



The best items were the hot links and sausage. Sausage was the same as they used at the Que Shack, but the smoke had been put to this one. The casing had a great snap, and the links were moist, but not too fatty. Hot links had the unnecessary red food coloring, but they didn't have that awful hot dog texture. The spice was good with a depth beyond straight heat.



The chicken looked good, but was pretty sad. The skin was limp and chewy with an acrid and unpleasant smokiness. The meat beneath had a good smokiness, but every bit of it was dry, even the dark meat. Not event the over-sweet sauce could save it.

Rating **