TYLER: Smokey's BBQ
14708 State Hwy 31E
Tyler, TX 75705
903-566-1249
Open ?
Sometimes that hole in the wall joint can be a real find, but other times its just an example of what can happen when the barbecue turnover isn't quick enough. We spotted a small sign for Smokey's along the highway between Tyler and Kilgore and pulled up to the side building at the end of a residential driveway. A surly woman inside said they didn't offer a sampler plate, so she opted to give us a small sample of each for free.
All of the meats were taken from the white refrigerator behind the counter. She sliced some cold sausage, cut the meat off the bone of two ribs and scooped out some of the presauced chopped beef. I knew a few revolutions in the microwave weren't going to help the meat any, and when it was done she added a few squirts from the sauce bottle. The only smokiness was from the liquid smoke in the sauce. Even for free, it was a chore to choke down a polite amount while the proprietor looked on. When we couldn't take any more, I quickly asked for two of the personal sized homemade pies, paid and left.
Rating *
Sometimes free is too high a price to pay.
ReplyDelete"A surly woman inside said they didn't offer a sampler plate, so she opted to give us a small sample of each for free."
ReplyDeleteThe BBQ looks horrible, and no doubt it was, but I'm having a hard time digesting this sentence.
More barbecue, less snob, please.
Carry on. :-)
LOL My wife is from east texas so I have traveled this road many times. I often wondered what the bbq was like at this place. There is another small joint close by on the left hand side of the hwy.
ReplyDeletePM - I guess I should have expounded upon that. The lady who runs the place made a comment about the car I was driving and scolded us for taking photos. She then told us that she had recently taken down the photos of her kids and grandkids because she didn't like them cluttering up the place. Her attitude when giving us the sample plate was that is would be so good, we'd surely buy a heap of barbecue. I'm trying to keep the bad ones brief, but I guess this one was too brief.
ReplyDeleteI almost felt bad for you...almost.
ReplyDeleteshe reminded me of Carl Lewis' National Anthem performance...
I went one time, enough said.
ReplyDelete