SCHERTZ: CBQ Eatery
17327 I-35 N #200
Schertz, TX 78154
210-654-3900
Open Tues-Thur 11-9, F-Sat 11-10, Sun 12-8
www.eatcbq.com
I proposed to a couple friends in who live in Schertz that we visit this joint for some barbecue, and they wondered why. To them it was a burger and beer joint, and despite the words 'Texas BBQ' on the sign, they didn't even realize they had it on the menu. Once we were seated and perused the menu I could see their confusion. Bar food and burgers dominated. We found a few smoked meat items and the table soon filled with plates and beer mugs the size of pitchers.
It's hard to go wrong with heavily spiced waffle fries covered in chopped beef and blue cheese, and CBQ didn't screw it up. The combinations of textures with the crispy fries and the tender brisket along with the flavor combination of the bold sweet sauce and the rich cheese made it hard to stop eating.
Smoked hog wings came stacked on a pile of crisp fries. These meaty pork shanks were sauced and grilled after smoking, and the meat was moist and well cooked. It was the best meat in their repertoire.
A sandwich was packed full of thick brisket slices. The beef had good smoke, but the heavy spice rub created an off flavor of burnt sugar and spices. The fat that was left on provided some much needed moisture because these slices were bone dry.
Whatever was used to moisten the pulled pork was incredibly watery. The meat was soggy with a washed out flavor and the bun was visibly wet. Not good.
Combo plates aren't offered here, and neither are half racks of ribs. The only way to get a bite of ribs is to order the full rack for $16.99. The pork was fine beneath the layer of grilled-on sauce, but if they'd just served them fresh out of the smoker instead of rewarming them on a grill they would have been much more successful. These ribs had the moisture and tenderness I was looking for, but the burnt on layer of sauce was a major distraction from the flavor of the meat and smoke.
A few items on the barbecue menu are worth returning for, but they just aren't serving very good Texas barbecue across the board. When we left I wasn't surprised that my friends said they'd be back...for burgers.
Rating **
One place you can easily skip is Bucket Brigade BBQ, in the San Antonio/Garden Ridge area. They claim to smoke with all mesquite, and you can smell the distinct aroma of mesquite smoke from the parking lot, but inside, there isn't a trace of smoke to be found. Brisket tasted like pure roast beef, as did the beef rib, which was tender enough and the best cut of meat I sampled. The pork rib tasted straight from the microwave. No meat had even a hint of mesquite smoke, which has a distinct flavor that's almost impossible to miss.
ReplyDeleteI was highly disappointed since I work near this joint, and I don't plan to return.