Lone Star BBQ

MCALLEN: Lone Star BBQ
3619 North 10th St.
McAllen, TX 78501
956-664-9988
Open M-Sat 11-8:30

Not many joints in South Texas smoke with anything but mesquite, but Lone Star BBQ has chosen pecan as their wood of choice. We stopped in late at night to grab a final to-go order for the day. A grapefruit pie was on the menu, but they were all out of desserts except the peach cobbler. We settled for a two-meat combo without the sides.

Photo by Nicholas McWhirter

The large pork spareribs were covered in a sweet glaze and were way overcooked. The bones slid free when I tried to pick one up, so I grabbed a few fingers full of peppery meat. The smoke was fleeting and the meat was mush. Brisket was sliced thick but still fell apart after a long day of poor storage. The crust and smokering were well formed making me expect some good smoke, but that pecan just wasn't shining through. The beef wasn't bad, but nothing about it made me want to keep eating. I should've just gotten the cobbler.

Rating **