Full Custom Gospel BBQ

Martin's Place

2012-02-03T07:52:00.003-06:00

BRYAN: Martin's Place
3403 S College Ave
Bryan, TX 77801
979-822-2031
Open Tues-F 10:30-8, Sat 10:30-7

Update: This trip to Martin's was a bit disappointing. Pitmaster Steve Kapchinskie eschews adding any seasoning to his briskets or thick slabs of pork ribs. Seasoning meat with only smoke and time has a timeless sensibility, but a little salt would have gone a long way on this plate of barbecue.

A thick black crust encircled the slices of brisket, so I was expecting a big punch of smoke. The smokiness was fleeting as was the moisture in these dry slices. They lacked a whole lot of any flavor. Ribs were even drier, so a few swigs from a cold Lone Star bottle were in order. There was a bit more smoke on these ribs, but a punch of slat or pepper or...anything would have helped. A bright spot was the sliced pork shoulder. Ribbons of nicely rendered fat made for a moist cut with plenty of smoke and loads of clean pork flavor. The pork along with a side of the ultra crispy onions rings would have made for a great lunch. As much as it pains me (this place is just so cool), stars are not gained by having great onion rings.

Rating ***

2010: Steve Kapchinskie is a third generation pitmaster who runs the pits and the business as this historic location. The historic part isn't self-proclaimed, but they've been recognized with a historical marker commemorating the business which had been running since 1924, and the brick building that was built in 1939. Steve's been the sole owner since 1980 when his father Albin passed, and he has changed very little.

A semi-circular low bar dominates the dining room, and we took up three of the short rickety stools to peruse the menu. We quickly settled on lean and fatty brisket, pork ribs and sausage as they were all available by the quarter pound.

While the sausage was standard grocery store fare, the level of smokiness was intense and gave the links a pleasing depth of flavor. Ribs had a great bark, and the meat was perfectly cooked. They had a great flavor, and the bones were clean at the end of the meal. Slices of brisket were confounding. Both lean and fatty slices were smoked to perfection, and had a great texture. While the bark was well formed, and there was plenty of smokiness, there was something missing from the flavor of the meat. Maybe it just needed some salt and pepper, but it definitely needed an extra boost.

After the meal, I got a guided tour of the pit area from Steve. The old brick pits were full of briskets, and there were others resting on the counter just waiting for Steve's knife to hack off a few slices. The room was full of smoke, and I'm not sure how Steve spends so much time back there, but it's all to our benefit. You won't find any gas fired contraptions here, and the meats all show it.

Whup's Boomerang Bar-B-Que

2012-02-01T08:16:00.001-06:00

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 **

Blue Ribbon Barbecue

2012-01-30T07:48:00.000-06:00

AUSTIN: Blue Ribbon Barbecue
120 E. 4th St.
Austin, TX 78701
512-369-3119
Open Daily 7-9
www.brbbq.net

A non-descript glass storefront on a faceless downtown Austin high rise does not scream "Barbecue Joint", but Blue Ribbon Barbecue deals with it location related hurdles well enough. One of those hurdles is how to serve great barbecue without a smoker. The solution thus far has been to ship in already smoked meats from a satellite smokehouse in Taylor, Texas, and reheat it in this downtown kitchen. I first ran into these purveyors at a Super Bowl party in Dallas where they were dishing up some impressive banana pudding for several hundred attendees. I was hoping on this visit that their meats could match the pudding in quality.

Ribs weren't ready, so a plate of brisket, pork and sausage would have to do. Also, much to my dismay the banana pudding wasn't ready. While disappointing, this is a good sign since it is made fresh every day, and doesn't start as a box of powdered banana flavored swill. The meats didn't seem to match my memory of the pudding from several months earlier. Brisket had well rendered fat, but was lacking good smokiness. The meat itself was overcooked and a bit dry, like it may have been held over from the night before. Sides of potato salad and cole slaw were above average, as was the smoked sausage, but none of them were particularly memorable. Pulled pork had better flavor, but it was also on the dry side. Nice bits of the crust were mixed in to give it a nice smoky flavor, but it would have been better in a taco.

Breakfast tacos are also a house specialty and it was still early in the day so we decided to grab one stuffed with eggs and sausage. It was adequate if not incredible. The prepackaged tortilla could have been warmer, but the homemade salsa was a great addition.

We finished off the food pretty quickly, but before we could head out the door the lone employee informed us that the banana pudding was done. It was still warm and hadn't had a chance to set up in the cooler, but he let us try a cupful anyway. It was perfect. My friends, the pudding alone is worth coming back for.

Rating **

BBQ Poetry

2012-01-28T11:53:00.002-06:00

A follower of the site sent in some barbecue poetry. Noting figurative, but actual poetry. Take it away David:

BBQ Is My Religion
by David W. Roberts

BBQ is my religion
And the pit is my church.

Standing around the fire
Of charcoal and wood,
But never gas,
Talking with a friend
About this or that,
Surrounded by smoky incense
While the almighty himself
Enjoys the aroma
Reminiscent of an Old Testament-style sacrifice.

Beer is the sacramental beverage
Consumed in copious or moderate quantities,
As those who partake commune
In a spiritual bond
With pit masters
Past, present, and future,
From every corner of the world.

Sauce is an afterthought
If it is present at all
As a freshly sharpened knife
Is wielded by a skilled hand,
Slicing into a mound of smoky deliciousness.

Soon after,
Incomprehensible utterances abound
From all who share
In this moment of transcendence
Between heaven and earth.

With a slice of pie
Or a scoop of ice cream,
The service comes to a close
And the meeting adjourns,
With some going their separate ways
As others unite once again
To imbibe the sacred drink.

The dew gathers upon the ground
And the smoke dissipates,
As heaven and earth disengage,
Promising to reunite once again
Around the hallowed flame.

David describes himself as a "BBQ fanatic and self-proclaimed connoisseur". I think this poem proves it. Thanks for sharing.

- BBQ Snob

Fargo's Pit BBQ

2012-01-27T07:43:00.003-06:00

BRYAN: Fargo's Pit BBQ
1220 N Texas Ave Ste A
Bryan, TX 77803
979-778-3662
Open Tues-Sat 11-7

Update: Most professional food critics will make at least three visits to a restaurant before completing a review or issuing a star rating. Given the miles that I travel (without a traveling budget) in search of smoked meats around Texas, I don't get this luxury. I routinely provide a rating based on a single visit, which can be a bit nerve racking knowing I may have gotten the best or worst version of what any can offer on the day and time that I visited. After a quick stop at Fargo's a couple of years back, I enjoyed some of the best brisket and ribs I've had anywhere. My euphoria came while driving down the road back to Dallas with the steering wheel in one hand and a rib in the other. On this return trip, I was nervous to try the meats in hopes that they would live up to the earlier rating. I needn't have worried a bit, for Fargo's is one of the finest smoked meat purveyors in the state.

Photo by Nicholas McWhirter

Owner and pitmaster Alan Caldwell has secrets. Ask him to see the smoker(s)? Nope. What's in that rub? Not a chance. What wood are you using? Nada. What he lacks in a forthcoming attitude, he and his wife make up for in warmth and hospitality from the minute the screen door clanks closed behind you. My heart fluttered when I saw the meat display case. It sits on the counter, and is impossible to miss while standing in the small front room waiting to order. Beautiful black crusted briskets were piled atop one another, rust hued racks of spare ribs beckoned, links of brick red sausages and perfectly bronzed half chickens begged to be chopped and bagged. I had to have them all even though I rarely order chicken.

Photo by Nicholas McWhirter

Without a dining area, we opted for a picnic spread on the trunk of my car. Large spare ribs had the perfect balance of smoke and saltiness with a bit sweetness and black pepper that kept me coming back bite after bite. Each bite through the yielding crust and layers of nicely rendered fat came easily off the bone. Pork ribs of this size can have issues with consistent texture throughout since the tips can dry out easily. These ribs had a perfect level of moisture and tenderness from end to end. The texture of the chicken was also commendable. Neither chewy skin or dry meat afflicted this bird. The skin was crisp, salty and luscious. The meat beneath was smoky and ridiculously moist. This was a good bird.

Photo by Nicholas McWhirter

After a few bites of the snappy and peppery sausage link, I went right for the brisket, most of it cut from the lean end. Pencil thick slices were piled high in the styrofoam container resting on my car's trunk. The long slices broke in half under their own weight as they were lifted from the box. This can be a sign of dry brisket, but not in this case. Smoked just beyond tender, each slice had a thick line of rich velvety fat that was bursting with smoky flavor. A thick red smokering sat beneath a thick black crust which brought even more smokiness to the table. I had eaten several meals on this day already, but I simply could not keep my hands off the next slice of brisket. Near the bottom of the pile sat some fatty slices. I didn't think this experience could get any more satisfying until I sank my teeth into the buttery meat. An intense rush of flavors followed. This was barbecue nirvana unequaled by just about every place I've been to previously. There was an immediate revelation that my earlier visit was no fluke, and the validation of my previous review was delicious, but it was nothing compared to that brisket.

Rating ******

2010: While on the way out of Bryan after a good meal at Martin's Place, I spotted a small blue building with "BBQ" painted on the side. Hardly noticeable along the busy street, this small storefront bucks the black, yellow and red trend of most BBQ joint color palettes. Not expecting much I went inside to get my order to-go, quickly finding out that it's the only way to get your food here since there is no dining room. Meats are stored unwrapped in a warmer behind some smoked stained glass, and my hopes for good 'cue increased based on the fine meats on display. I ordered up some ribs and brisket, and the surly pitmaster served it up quickly.

It took only a few bites from all involved to realize we had found something special. The fat remaining on the slices was so well rendered that we witnessed the rare sugar cookie. The slices from the lean end were so perfectly moist with a thick black bark that held incredible flavor. The smokiness was intense in every mouthwatering bite. Surely the ribs could not be at that level. Wrong. The bark was well formed with a slight sweetness to it. The meat just needed a tug to release from the bone, and the texture and mouthfeel were excellent. I've rarely had such a perfect combination of seasoning and smokiness.

When I went back in to ask the proprietor a few questions, he was willing to answer few of them. He insisted that part of secret was the mixture of woods he smokes with, so he refused to divulge that fact. I was surprised since no other pitmaster seems to keep that information secret. For now I'll just have to guess that it's a mixture of mesquite and either pecan or post oak. Maybe I'll get it out of him on my next trip.

Taste-Off: Smoked Beers

2012-01-25T08:06:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago some friends and I got together for a sausage tasting. The only thing I could think of that was appropriate to wash down two dozen sausages was a large amount of smoked beer. Smoked beer comes in many flavors from the traditional German rauchbier to smoked porters from the States. In order to widen the sampling, I also included a few that gained their smokiness from aging in bourbon or scotch barrels. I'm no beer expert, but what makes a smoked beer is how the malt is dried. The malt must be dried, and that can be done by direct sunlight or more commonly in a kiln, but one way not used very often is to dry it over an open flame. This imparts a smoky flavor and creates a rauchbier, or smoked beer.

A Sampling of the Sampling

I could only get my hands on two traditional rauchbiers. One was a new limited release brew from Samuel Adams called Bonfire, and the other was Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier made in Bamberg Germany. The Schlenkerla had a more pronounced smokiness, and was one of the most enjoyable of the tasting. Bonfire was similar, but was missing the smoky punch.

The smoked porters came from San Antonio's Ranger Creek Brewery, San Diego's Stone Brewing Company, and O'Fallon Brewery in Missouri. The Stone is a popular one that easy to find, and it was very enjoyable. Ranger Creek's was also quite good with smokier notes and a deeper flavor. The O'Fallon was just not good in comparison.

Other wild card brews were a smoked and oaked Belgian Ale from Salt Lake's Epic Brewing Company and a smoked wheat beer called Boucanee from Bayou Teche Brewery in Louisiana. If you like your beer to taste like toffee, then the Epic brew is for you. The Boucanee was pretty weak, and the smoke was hardly discernible.

The 'alternative' smoked beers were those aged in bourbon or scotch barrels. Brew Dog has collaborated with a few scotch distillers to create Bitch Please (barley wine), Devine Rebel (a barley wine collaboration with Mikkeller), Paradox Smokehead and Paradox Isle of Arran which are all aged in scotch barrels. Brooklyn Black Ops is aged in bourbon barrels. The Black Ops was the best of this group. None of the bottles in this group were cheap. A bomber of Black Ops was $20 while the Brew Dog beers were all about $12 for a 12 ounce bottle.

There was just one beer that all tasters agreed was horrific. The Brew Dog Paradox Smokehead tasted as if ash was simply mixed into a strong stout. There was nothing pleasing about the flavor, and the group couldn't even finish one bottle. Stay away from this one if you want to enjoy your beer. On the brighter side, it did lead me to find the scotch is was named after. The Ian MacLeod produced Smokehead is an intensely peaty single malt scotch that smoke fanatics like myself will probably enjoy.

While the tasting made for some interesting comparisons, I didn't feel compelled to drink any of these brews over any of my usual favorites. The Schlenkerla was the hardest to find, but was also the one I'd like to try again most. I also wouldn't turn down a Stone Smoked Porter, Brooklyn Black Ops or the Ranger Creek Smoke Porter if it was put in front of me, but paying $12 for a small bottle of ashy flavored swill probably won't be in my future.

- BBQ Snob

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse

2012-01-23T08:00:00.002-06:00

DALLAS: Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse
2202 Inwood Rd
Dallas, TX 75235
214-357-7120
Open M-Fri 10-4, Sat 10-3
www.sonnybryans.com/

Update: It's been a while since my last visit to this oft-suggested barbecue stop in Dallas. They recovered from a small fire a few months back and were still glowing from their recent Man vs. Food publicity, so I wanted to stop by and see if anything had changed in the past couple of years. One noticeable change are the new doors after the old ones had been hammered open by the fire department. The sign still says they close when the meat runs out, but the fact is that they're open from 10:00 to 8:00 every day.

"Rogge's Dunn Deal" on the menu gets you two ribs, a sandwich, a side and a drink for $9.49. As I waited for my order I enjoyed reading over the cruelly ironic article framed on the wall from December 22, 1974 where Sonny tells the Dallas Morning News "If I ever did anything smart is was not going into the franchise business." This, he felt, would cause the quality of his product to suffer.

With the fire damaging just the kitchen area, the small dining room hasn't changed a bit. I sat with my tray balanced on the tiny desk trying not to spill it every time I reached for a bite.

Pulled pork had little going for it. No crust, no fat, no smoke and little flavor existed between the cold white buns. Sauce is on the side here making it technically optional, but the lack of flavor in the meat made the sauce mandatory. The atrocity of the rib preparation made it obvious that sauce was not an option. For this lunch service, cold and pre-smoked ribs were sliced and resting in a tub where they had been presauced. When an order was received, the appropriate number of ribs were fished from the tub and placed on a charbroiler. Once heated through, there's little hope that these poor bones would have any moisture left, and they didn't. Not only was the meat dry, but the grilling method replaced any smoky flavor with a charred flavor similar to that from burnt sugary sauce on an amateur's home gas grill. I was sad for those ribs. The famous onion rings were famously huge and crispy, but needed some salt (and why not some sauce?) to bring them to life.

At the end of the meal I ordered a sliced beef sandwich, sans sauce, to go. Unwrapping it in the car, it quickly became obvious that this meat would also lack that smokiness I was so hoping for. This unappetizing mass of monochromatic gray meat sat on an unwarmed bun. Every shred of bark, fat and flavor had been scraped away before I ever saw it. With ten franchise locations as far away as Utah, Sonny's words from that article seem more prophetic, even for the "Original".

Rating *

2009: Let's face it Dallas...we continue to bow to this shell of a formerly renowned BBQ joint because it's really all we've got to point to in Big D that can be considered a historic 'cue icon. I know every time I enter through that screen door, I hope that this trip is sure to provide more gastronomical rewards than the last, but this joint has long since slid past protein mediocrity, and it now lies in a smokeless grave shrouded by those quaint school desks. No matter how many rave reviews are written by critics who allow their tastebuds to be deceived by the history oozing from these walls, the fact that this 'cue is not worthy to be considered amongst Dallas's best remains unchanged.

When I lament to laymen about the lack of stellar BBQ in our fair city, the general retort is something along the lines of "Well, I've heard that the original Sonny Bryan's is great". My usual response is "As long as you order a chopped beef sandwich and some onion rings, you're set." It had been a while since my last trip, so I decided to put my long held assumption to the test. A coworker and I traveled to SB's, and each ordered chopped beef sandwiches. Alongside, came a beautiful mountain of thick golden onion rings. These things would be more fitting as jewelry on the hands of the mighty Thor.

The sandwich was less impressive. Instead of smoky chunks of meat on a hot buttered bun, I received gray morsels of meat barely passable as roast beef sitting between an unbuttered luke warm bun. A layer of their excellent barbecue sauce provided some much needed flavor, and yet another layer made it taste almost like barbecue. The onion rings were better, but the floury taste of the thick crust also needed to be tamed a bit by more of the sauce. I'm positive that I consumed more tomatoes during my meal than meat. Yes folks, it used to be great, but these days it seems they don't even think they need to try anymore. Let's demand better.

2008: Sonny Bryan's is a Dallas institution...that has gone downhill fast. The original location has always been hailed as the Dallas mecca of BBQ, but on a visit a few months ago, the brisket was decent, and the ribs were edible. While the ribs remained edible on a trip last weekend, the brisket was not worth my gastronomic real estate. It was, in short, terrible. I gave my food to a homeless man instead of finishing the dry, gray brisket.

Chief's BBQ & Grill

2012-01-20T08:37:00.002-06:00

AUSTIN: Chief's BBQ & Grill
7811 S 1st St #104
Austin, Texas 78745
512-444-2333
Open M-Sat 10:30-9, Sun 11-9
www.chiefsbbq.com

When I'm out on a multi-venue barbecue search, I record tasting notes into my phone to save for writing later. After a trip to Chief's it took about an hour to get the grease off my fingers and find a quiet place to record. Even then, I could still taste the heavy oak smoke and creosote from the mesquite that they mix in during smoking. This was some smoky meat for sure.

Just a few tables are inside the joint, so I took a loaded to-go container to my front seat to enjoy. That smokiness filled the car quickly. Thick and meaty St. Louis ribs had a deep black crust, but the flavor was seriously marred by a thick paste of powdered spices liberally applied before smoking. Salt and sugar melt into the meat under the heat of the smoker but spices like paprika and garlic powder don't dissolve and just sit on top of the meat. If used too liberally then an unappetizing paste forms. While the ribs were tender and smoky (too smoky?), the flavor of this rub just overpowered everything else, and not in a positive way. Slices of brisket were a bit dry with no fat, but the meat was tender with good smokiness. Ironically, they could have used more spice in the form of salt to bring out the brisket's flavor. Beautiful battered onion rings also need some salt or a dunk in the mustard/tomato/vinegar sauce. For the sausage they started with a good product in V&V sausage out of Flatonia, and they didn't do anything to screw it up. Minus the overpowering ribs at Chief's, they do some good stuff at this small storefront in South Austin.

Rating ***

Sam's Bar-B-Que

2012-01-16T08:03:00.002-06:00

AUSTIN: Sam’s Bar-B-Que
2000 E. Twelfth
Austin, TX 78702
512-478-0378
Open M-Sat 10-3am, Sun 10-10

Update: Barbecue in Texas is usually a lunch time meal. Some joints might even sell out before noon, but East Austin has a famous exception. Sam's on Twelfth is open late - really late. I was riding in the back seat of a recent acquaintance's car, but I knew I was with the right group. Dinner was long ago, so we embarked on a late night Austin BBQ tour. Ten years earlier and we all would have been bar hopping, but Lambert's banana pudding followed by mutton ribs were on this night's menu.

Sam's has been famous in this neighborhood for decades, but has spent time in the spotlight more recently for some serious seediness. A scandal of questionable meat acquisition was the subject of much media attention this past summer. When our group inquired of the couple working the counter how 'things' were going, there was an immediate recognition about what was meant. Business was slowly picking back up they said, but at a few minutes before eleven, we were the only customers. I hoisted a large tray of meat as we made our way out to the screened in patio to watch football highlights on a small muted television.

The meat cutter was most generous with the sliced brisket. Cooked too fast but not long enough, it was both tough and dry. A faint smokiness came from the crust, but it lacked great flavor. It was simply poor brisket. Pork ribs had a bit more smokiness, and didn't suffer from the same dryness issues. These were above average, and the end cut made for a pleasing chewy cut. A respectable sausage had some good black pepper and smoke with a chewy casing. It was plenty juicy without being too fatty. The big surprise were the mutton ribs. Mutton is an acquired taste that I keep trying to acquire, but this meat was downright tasty. The gaminess was tamed, I think by trimming the thick layer of fat that sometimes remains on the top layer of mutton ribs. They were smoked beyond tender, but I dare say I'd order them again. The brisket - not so much.

Rating **

Update: This venerable joint in East Austin isn't much to look at, but it has character, and so do the folks that work there. With all the football posters, the last thing I would expect was tennis fans in this joint, but one guy was hollering about getting Wimbledon up on the small TV. The lady behind the counter joked with me about the oppressive heat as she sliced my order of brisket and ribs. The ribs here were positively huge. The meat was flavorful and smoky as long as the bite contained some crust, but there was little flavor in the center. The brisket had a decent smoky crust, but had not cooked long enough to render the fat well or permeate the meat with smoke. This joint might be just as famous for its service and atmosphere as for its meat, but on this day, the meat took a back seat.

Double Trouble BBQ

2012-01-13T07:56:00.001-06:00

AUSTIN: Double Trouble BBQ
5300 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78745
512-971-5410
Open M-Sat 11:30-2:30 & 4:30-8:30
doubletroublebbq.com

This joint made some news this summer for being the first aquatic BBQ joint that anyone could recall. These days the boat is off Lake Austin and trailered in a gravel lot on far South Congress. I bellied up to the bow and placed my order. Ribs aren't an option so sliced brisket and pork were my preferred options. Meats were fetched from warmers inside the house boat while the idle smoker sat on solid ground next to the trailer.

Oak and apple wood are used in the smoking process, but I couldn't detect much of either. The moist pork still had good flavor, but was overly tender and salty, possibly from sitting in the warmer. Small bits of brisket were sliced with the grain making for some chewy meat with little going for it in the smoke or seasoning department. The side of potato salad was passable and the creamy beans were well spiced with a nice bit of cilantro. Overall, this place would work great for a captive audience on the lake, but it's not much of BBQ destination on land.

Rating **

Taste-Off: Local Sausages

2012-01-11T08:05:00.006-06:00

This is a public service announcement to local pitmasters. I understand that it's easy and cheap to order those mass produced commercial sausages loaded with fillers and overloaded with fat, but if you care at all, there are other good options made right here in DFW. It's not hard to see that making your own sausage could be time consuming, but an easier step would be to seek out some good options not on the Sysco menu. I assembled twenty-four unique sausages for a recent tasting. Most of these were local, but I threw in a few ringers on my personal high end and low end just to see how they stacked up with unbiased tasters.

All of the local sausages collected are available for wholesale purchase. They range from the newish Matador Meat & Wine in Plano (soon to expand to Oak Cliff) to the worn storefront of the hallowed Rudolph's in Deep Ellum. Other local options included Hirsch's Specialty Meats in Plano, Renko's in South Dallas, Syracuse's in Roanoke, Old Town Meat Market in Lewisville and Kuby's Sausage House in Dallas.

The out-of-town sausages were three mesquite smoked links from Nors Sausage House in West, Texas and a couple cheap ones purchased from Restaurant Depot. Both of these are made by J Bar B in Waelder, Texas. They make several brands including Singletree and their namesake (which were both in the tasting) and the familiar Earl Campbell hot links that were not in the tasting. The J Bar B brand was available for the paltry sum of $2.26/lb if purchased by the case and Singletree could be had for just $1.64/lb. That's a scary low price that indicates the use of cheap meats like mechanically separated [insert animal here] along with fillers like modified food starch.

It was a blind taste test where I orchestrated, organized and sliced all twenty-four sausages, so I didn't get an official ballot. Scores were done on a tight scale of 1 to 3 where 1 was the best (you'd suggest it to friends), 2 meant you thought it was just pretty good and 3 meant you wouldn't eat it again.

Mostly complete ballots were collected from ten of my closest meat-loving friends (the vegetarian didn't vote), and here are the results from best to worst:

1.5 Matador Meat Hot Link
1.6 Syracuse Hickory Smoked
1.6 Syracuse Black Pepper Sausage
1.6 Nors Jalapeno Cheese*
1.7 Kuby's Hickory Smoked
1.8 Renko's Black Pepper
1.8 Kuby's Hatch Green Chile Sausage
1.9 Nors Original*
1.9 Renko's Kielbasa
1.9 Renko's Hot Link
1.9 Kuby's Jalapeno Cheese
2.0 Old Town Market German Sausage
2.1 Rudolph's Polish Sausage
2.1 Kuby's Venison Chipotle Sausage
2.3 Hirsch's Smoked Sausage
2.4 Syracuse Jalapeno Cheese
2.5 Hirsch's Andouille
2.5 Syracuse Andouille
2.5 Nors Liver Sausage
2.6 J Bar B Sausage*
2.7 Singletree Sausage*
2.7 Hirsch's Jalapeno Cheese
2.8 Hirsch's Hot Link
2.8 Hirsch's Linguisa

* Not locally produced

Luckily, these kind sausage tasters can remain my friends since they all agreed that the J Bar B and Singletree sausages were less than stellar and that Nors puts out a good product. Seeing Kuby's near the top of the list was encouraging, but it was surprising to see the full menu from Hirsch's near the bottom of the tasting. Both Renko's kielbasa (used by Baby Back Shak and Peggy Sue BBQ) and Rudolph's (used by Mike Anderson's, Big Al's and Hawk's among others) were both right around the middle of the pack. When shopping at Renko's small storefront, I was stunned to learn that their original sausage can be had for $2.22/lb wholesale. I can't attest to its wholesomeness because it's not sold with an ingredient label, but it tasted much better to this small group than the more commonly used value sausages. My personal favorites from the tasting were the Syracuse's black pepper sausage which I'd never tried, and the Nors jalapeno cheese which I knew I liked.

My hope is that these results will bring some awareness to you consumers and BBQ joints alike that there are plenty of locally made meats in tube form for you to enjoy. Now go have yourself a sausage fest.

- BBQ Snob

Pok-E-Jo's

2012-01-09T08:32:00.001-06:00

AUSTIN: Pok-E-Jo's
4109 S. Capitol Of Texas Hwy
Austin, TX 78704
512-440-0447
Open Daily 11-9
www.pokejos.com

Smoking with green mesquite wood is an ill advised practice. Ask any wood supplier about it and they'll shake their head. Mesquite should age for no less than a year for the creosote forming oils to dissipate, but there are some odd joints out there that insist on using it. Begrudgingly, wood suppliers will sell it so they don't lose a customer. It doesn't take long to determine if your favorite pit uses it. Takes a few bites of crusty brisket or ribs. If your tongue starts to tingle and starts to feel numb, you've been struck. I walked out of Pok-e-Jo's I scraped my tongue hopelessly against my front teeth to try and defeat the creosote monster. On my way out I inquired about their smoking apparatus with slurred speech. No surprise - I was told they use green mesquite in a gas-fired Southern Pride smoker.

A standard combo plate of brisket and ribs came with potato salad. Large chunks of tender red potatoes, eggs, mayo and green onions made for a hearty side. Ribs had a thick sweet rub applied that had plenty of black pepper. A finishing glaze of sauce was applied which provided a pleasing flavor. The meat could have been more tender, but they weren't bad.

Brisket, on the other hand, was bad. I had some optimism when I saw what looked like serviceable crusty brisket being sliced en masse for a catering order, but what I got were sorry looking gray slices of smoke-free meat. Not even a dip in the sauce could revive these chewy sad looking slices from the point.

The banana pudding rounded out the meal. It's admirably available as one of your sides, and was a promising grayish color. When you peel a banana, it is not yellow, so yellow pudding is an automatic indication of artificially banana flavored pudding. While the gray color meant that plenty of bananas were used, the pudding was still artificially flavored (probably vanilla pudding) and not remarkable. I should have gotten double potato salad.

Rating **

Gatlin's BBQ

2012-01-06T08:05:00.003-06:00

HOUSTON: Gatlin's BBQ
1221 1/2 W. 19th St.
Houston, TX 77008
281-804-4555
Open Tues-Sat 11-7
gatlinsbbq.com

It was the end of a long day. My friends Nick and Clark had stayed with me bite for bite through six other barbecue joints and we were on our way to Houston to eat at this mightily heralded joint in northwest Houston that's just over a year old. Greg Gatlin had his heyday on the gridiron as a defensive back for the Rice Owls, but barbecue is his game now. He was manning the counter inside the small dining room as I tried to order a small plate for my already satiated friends and I. I met some Houston friends there who had other ideas and we soon made our way to the covered picnic tables with a large foil tray brimming with all flavors of smoked meat.

I started with the grayish hot links. These are house made without red dyes or nitrates, so the they may not look like your idea of hot links, but they pack some heat. The casings are a bit chewy, but the meat and spices beneath are smoky and delicious. The regular sausage (made elsewhere) has a great snap and good black pepper flavor, but those hot links have superior flavor. Rosy pulled pork is flecked with black bits of highly seasoned crust. The texture is a good balance between toothsome and silky from the remaining fat.

All of the meats on the menu that I tried are excellent versions, but it's the brisket that has me considering a road trip from Dallas to Houston fortnightly. The true connoisseur will always go for the fatty brisket, and it was well represented here. Thick slices were just on the edge of disintegration. They were barely held together with strands of well cooked fat that had good smoke and great flavor from the subtle seasoning, but it was the lean brisket form the flat cut that stole the show for me. When it is done properly, a lean cut of brisket with a 1/4" thick layer of fat remaining can be a thing of smoked wonder. I find that the fat locks in the smokiness greater than the meat, so a bit of each makes for a perfect bite of brisket. This fat was the epitome of what I like. It's nearly clear and barely clinging to the meat. A pinch of the fingers goes clean through without a hint of resistance. The pencil thick slices of meat were a just hovering over the optimal tenderness as a few broke in half under their own weight, but it was far from mushy. A thick black crust enveloped the whole smoky slice and provided a slight crispness to the very edge. My brain overruled my bulging stomach as I continued to another slice.

Already well on our way to demolishing the meat pile, out came the large bowls of family style side items. I have a dim recollection of any save the dirty rice which was the best I've had anywhere. Almost as much meat as rice, this side could easily make a meal in itself. Prompted by my dining companions I mixed in a bit of sauce and took a great side to an even higher level. I'll take this Gulf Coast flavor with my Texas style BBQ any day.

Being late in the day, I wasn't surprised that the popular ribs were already gone. After a bit of begging from the table, a few of these beauties being held back (probably for the owner's dinner) were released by the generous kitchen. The ribs were sweet, smoky and magnificent with a sugary rub that didn't overwhelm the well formed crust. These perfectly tender ribs would have been a great way to cap off this excellent meal, but before I could ask, the peach cobbler arrived. Prior to this meal I could hardly imagine ingesting more than a few bites of anything, but the bottom of the peach cobbler bowl was clean before I left the table.

With the emergence of Virgie's and the hopeful comeback of Pierson's, Houston is quickly becoming a barbecue destination of its own. Let's hope 2012 brings more quality urban BBQ to our fine state.

Rating *****

Fancy Smoked Brisket Around Dallas

2012-01-04T07:43:00.004-06:00

Brisket is making its way onto menus across Dallas. It's had a place in Tex-Mex joints for a long time now as brisket tacos, but more and more I see the words "smoked brisket" together. I went around to a few of those places around town just to see what exactly they meant by smoked brisket.

Texas Spice in the new Omni offers "Smoked Brisket Sliders" on the lunch menu. In a word, they were soft. A soft bun, soggy slaw, grilled onions and chopped brisket. The brisket layer was so thin it was hard to perceive. The sweet sauce was heavy on the chile powder, and was too heavily mixed into the meat. The bison burger was a much better option, but the fries were great.

Texas Spice Brisket Sliders

Texas Spice Cheese & Sausage Plate

Outside Gilley's you'll find a smoking gun. There's no meat in it, but it's good for show. How else would you notice the Jack Daniel's Saloon?

Jack Daniel's Saloon 'Smoker'

The meat on this sandwich was actually smoked, but it was so dry by the time it arrived that I had to add that sickeningly sweet Jack Daniel's sauce to choke it down. At least the fries were good. What was not good was the service. I sat at the bar near the POS system. Every server had to literally stand next to me to punch in their orders, but after 10 minutes and three clueless servers, I finally just shouted my order to one of them and got a shitty look and some food. One of them even said to herself (except it was to me since I was sitting right next to her) that she was "ready to get the fuck out of here." So was I.

While picking up some sausage at Matador Meat next door, I thought I'd stop in at this Plano pub for a drink.

They had a smoked brisket melt on the menu with caramelized onions, white cheddar and a spicy sauce on grilled sourdough. The sandwich was good, but I didn't detect any smoke. The server confirmed that the briskets are seared on the flat top then braised in beer. They have since updated their menu to say "beer braised" rather than smoked. Smoked or not, it was still a great sandwich. The fries covered in gravy and cheese were even better.

Holy Grail Brisket Melt

I only mention the Torchy's Crossroads Taco for comedy. Their Dallas menu says it has smoked brisket, but what really tops it is grilled ribeye. Not bad, but miles (okay, just a few feet) from brisket.

Torchy's Crossroads Taco

Asador opened recently in the Renaissance Hotel (you know, the lipstick building). They have a smoked brisket sandwich and smoked duck sliders on the lunch menu.

The brisket was thinly sliced. A peppery cheese and some onions topped the slightly smoky beef. This was certainly the best of the bunch that actually ended up being smoked, but the fries were even better.

Asador Smoked Brisket Sandwich

Along with the smoked duck sliders, an appetizer option at Asador are beef fat fries. That's right. Potatoes fried in liquid cow fat. They were some excellent fries. Those duck sliders are pretty good too, but with all the stuff dressing the sandwich, it's hard to tell that they have duck on them, let alone trying to distinguish a smoky flavor from it.

Asador Beef Fat Fries & Smoked Duck Sliders

What I learned here was that I should just go to a BBQ joint for reliably smoked brisket, but any of these places are great for a good french fry fix.

- BBQ Snob

Que Shack

2012-01-02T08:32:00.002-06:00

MARLIN: The Que Shack
208 Williams St.
Marlin, TX 76661
254-804-0042
Open Daily 10-8

Let's start the New Year off right, shall we? The Que Shack in Marlin is the type of joint I dream about. They serve great barbecue, I had never heard of it, they have a quirky menu item and gregarious pitmaster to go along with it. It was the epitome of a smoked meat 'find'. We drove into town looking for a joint that had closed so long ago that the burger joint that replaced it was also shut down. As we made our way through the town square there were some handwritten signs advertising a church barbecue the following day. A huge puff of smoke down the street grabbed our attention, and we obediently followed it. At the end of this smoky rainbow was a group of guys sitting around a corral of smokers at ten in the morning. We would later learn they were pooling their smoked meat resoures for that very church barbecue we'd seen advertised.

Pitmaster Jim Mitchell instructed our group to go across the street to the restaurant and place our order. A flustered woman inside didn't know why we were coming in before the 'Open' sign had been put out, but she quickly extinguished her cigarette and took our orders. I've gone through these motions so many times, that I was taken back when she said they didn't serve brisket. The sliced beef was tri-tip. Don't get me wrong, I love tri-tip, but that stuff is for California barbecue done in the Santa Maria style. Never have I seen this cut featured in a Texas BBQ joint, and I had little hope that I'd like it much. Was I ever wrong.

The tri-tip here is tender with the flavor of charcoal rather than oak smoke. It has a smoke ring deeper than most briskets and simple rub of salt, pepper and garlic powder. It would have been better if it hadn't all been marred with globs of the sauce that tasted of tomato paste. I'll never prefer any cut of beef to a well smoked brisket, but this cut made for a solid stand-in. A local sausage was neither warm nor flavorful, but the homemade sides or beans and potato salad were great. Baby back ribs were flavored with the same simple rub as the tri-tip. The meat was moist, tender with a unique smokiness that only comes from direct heat over coals. Pitmaster Jim Mitchell confirmed it when I asked him what he smoked with. "We don't smoke meat, we cook it." was his response. Everything is cooked over direct heat lump charcoal. According to Jim, indirect smoking is only for those who haven't learned to control their fire, and once you've mastered that you can move up to direct heat. Those are almost fightin' words if muttered in the wrong crowd.

After a quick conversation Jim convinced us to get some smoked pork tenderloin that was a special the evening before. A bit of cumin and cayenne in the rub gave it a punch of flavor, and the meat was certainly well smoked. A post meal tour came along with stories of Jim's many previous occupations, but it's easy to see that he likes barbecue best.

Rating ****

Off the Bone Barbeque

2011-12-29T08:07:00.003-06:00

DALLAS: Off The Bone Barbeque
1734 South Lamar Street
Dallas, Texas 75215
214-565-9551
Open Tues-W 11-6, Thur 11-9, F-Sat 11-2am
www.offthebonebarbeque.com/

Update: I've been critical of this joint in the past, mainly because they didn't adhere to my idea of great barbecue. You won't find butcher paper at Off the Bone and you'll certainly find sauce on everything, and plenty of it. Then again, this is really the norm in Dallas, so why not go judge it on its own merits? After two years, I wanted to give it a return visit (especially after this) and I'm glad I did.

A comobo plate of chopped beef and ribs is the option I chose for a recent lunch. I've lamented in the past that they won't offer a sliced brisket, and the menu on this day was no different. I would soon learn that sliced brisket had just been added as an option, but more on that later. Ribs here are more tender than most, but not mushy. The bones will always be clean when you're finished eating. Like every other meat, they come covered in the house made vinegar heavy tomato based sauce. A bit of sweetness helps to tame the acidity, and this really is a good sauce. It goes just as well with the pile of chopped beef that has a great smokiness due to all the charred bits that are added in. Smokier than the ribs, and I was wishing I could try this stuff sliced.

That's when I was ambushed. Owner Dwight Harvey and his son Steve approached my seat at the bar. "How'd you like your lunch Mr. Vaughn?" I'd been spotted, and it quickly went through my head that my previous reviews of this joint had not been kind. Not to worry as these two could smother you in hospitality, and they had a genuine interest in my thoughts. Quickly reflecting on the meal, it was a good one. Pleasing sides of beans and potato salad are made in house, the meat was well smoked and the sauce they insist on covering everything in was very good. I liked the meal, and I would happily return. That's when I learned an even better reason to return. They had just started offering sliced brisket.

After the meal I got a tour of the small operation. An all pecan-fired J&R Little Red Smokehouse sits in the small kitchen where we dodged prep cooks chopping potatoes for tomorrow's salad. Mr. Harvey could not have been a better host.

Just after the holidays I finally had a free lunch hour to go back for some of that sliced beef. A 1/2 pound snack was quickly consumed by a friend and I, and it was good. Very good. It's on the high end of what you can get anywhere in Dallas. It thankfully came with sauce on the side, and the black crust beckoned. The meat was perfectly tender with a great smoky flavor. A thin line of delectable fat had been left on to render, and it coupled with the crusty end piece made for a intense bite of brisket. Why they haven't been serving this stuff all along is a mystery, but it will be my go-to order on any return visits.

Rating ***

October 2009: You may have read the Dallas Observer's "Best of Dallas" edition which named Off the Bone Barbeque as the top BBQ joint in Big D. I've been less than impressed on a few visits in the past, but I headed to check things out after the story broke. I thought maybe they'd started serving actual sliced brisket, or maybe their meats now had some smokiness. Ordering up a combo plate of ribs and brisket (only chopped is available), I found neither fault had been remedied on this latest trip.

Their liberal use of sauce in the past clued me in that they're probably getting most of their flavor from it. It's a salty and smoky concoction that works well with the meat, but the meat's usually swimming in a lake of the sauce. I ordered the meats with sauce on the side to get at the essence of the protein. The use of some added moisture was evident on the first bite of the chopped beef. The mixture of meat to fat and crust was good, but this is a hard dish to screw up. Ribs were disappointing. The meat fell from the bone, evidence of overcooking. With the amount of time these had to spend over heat, I'd expect them to be as smokey as and ash tray, but even bites of just the outer crust yielded none of the pecan smoke flavor whatsoever. If these babies are smoked then they must be wrapped tight the entire time. Even my smoke averse wife couldn't detect any.

Sides were good with a blue cheese flecked cole slaw that tasted fresh and homemade. Chunks of brisket were in the smoky sweet baked beans adding some good texture and flavor. As I've said before, this is definitely a spot for good tasting food, it's just not great BBQ.

May 2009: Yesterday's Dallas Morning News Guide included a new review of this joint. With the high rating it received, I decided to give it another shot. The menu has not changed, with the only meats offered being ribs, sausage and chopped brisket. Sliced brisket is only offered if you have an event catered by the company. Chopped beef is presauced, and stored in warming bins to be served. I opted instead to try the ribs and sausage which arrived sauced.

It seems the proprietors here choose to rely on the flavor of their sauce rather than the flavor of smoke. In fact, a smoker wasn't anywhere to be found. The rib meat was tender, truly falling off the bone as if baked into submission. The flavor was decent, but overly salty from the to generous helping of sauce heaped on top. The sausage was better than average, with a medium grind a good snap to the casing. The flavor of the meat was hard to distinguish behind all of that sauce, but it was pretty good stuff. What really shines here are the well prepared sides. The potato salad was rich with mustard and egg, and the sweet baked beans were flecked with pork and onions. I wish they'd just offer a choice of sauce so I wouldn't have to wonder about what they're trying to hide below the copious amounts of it.

2008: This place is hard to categorize. I hesitate even reviewing it because it falls outside of what this website considers to be true Barbeque. The brisket only comes chopped, the ribs are parboiled, and everything comes sauced. All that being said, the food is good. The ribs have great flavor and are truly fall-off-the-bone tender, while the brisket is smoky with a nice crust. The owner said they don't serve sliced brisket because it would just fall apart, so I'm guessing it might be steamed as well as smoked. All that being said, I can't justify giving it an official rating on this site.

BBQ Snob at Cane Rosso

2011-12-26T23:58:00.006-06:00

I've had my brush with fame. Actually, I just had a great time working with the guys at Cane Rosso who did most of the work on my night as Cane Rosso pizza chef. There were two pizzas offered up. One had smoked porchetta with Mozzarella Company smoked mozzarella, mushrooms and caramelized onions. The other had Pecan Lodge's smoked pork sausage with a smoked sauce, ricotta and fried greens.

Porchetta Pizza

Pecan Lodge Smoked Sausage Pizza

If you're unfamiliar with porchetta, it is a fatty roll of highly spiced pork. In this case it was a pork tenderloin wrapped in a pork belly, which I then smoked instead of the traditional roasting method. Matt in the Cane Rosso kitchen let me document the rolling of the pork.

Seasoning the tenderloin

The rolling begins

Completing the tying

I then rubbed the pork roll with an aggressive rub of freshly cracked black pepper, kosher salt and smoked paprika. It was then hickory smoked at around 300 degrees for about four hours before I stoked the fire to get the heat up around 375-400 for the last hour and a half to really get the outside crisped up.

I also smoked some peppers and onions to mix in with the Cane Rosso's tomato sauce to give it all a smoky flavor.

Almost done

Ready for pureeing

After trying the completed porchetta, it will be tough to fire up the smoker again without having a pork belly on hand. The flavors work so well together that I now find it hard to believe that no Texas pitmasters have successfully toyed with it. It needs to make it onto some local menus.

I really appreciate Jay, Dino, Matt and the rest of the team for letting me play in the kitchen. I also appreciate all the friends and readers of this blog who came out in support. I had a blast, and I think I may just have sold more pizzas than Dean Fearing. We'll have to wait until the official results are released by Cane Rosso at the end of February, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

- BBQ Snob

Sammy's Bar-B-Q

2011-12-21T08:09:00.001-06:00

DALLAS: Sammy's Bar-B-Q
2126 Leonard St
Dallas, TX 75201
214-880-9064
Open M-Sat 11-3
www.sammysbbq.com/

Update: In my architectural life, it often comes up that I'm a BBQ fiend. These friendly conversations quickly devolve into "Well, have you been to...?" More often than not, Sammy's Bar-B-Q in Uptown comes up. I gave Sammy's a curt review last go 'round, so I wanted to give them another shot. I had also been given a tip that you could make a meal of their onions rings alone, so at least I'd have that. I work in the Uptown neighborhood, so having a quick option for barbecue would be a good thing. In this selfish endeavor to validate a convenient lunch spot possibility, it was easy to see why so many folks enjoy this joint. It's all about effort.

The brisket could have used more seasoning and smoke, the slices of pork were pleasing but dry, and the ribs were mushy, but none of these meats were bad. One thing they know at Sammy's is that a good sauce can cover up many of these ills, so they don't skimp on the effort with the sauce. This sweet tomato based concoction tastes of vinegar and meaty drippings. It's kept warm in glass bottles, so feel free to take one to your table and lather it all over the plate, especially the bread which is Texas toast that is buttered and toasted to order. I also didn't mind waiting around a bit for those onion strings (they need to be circular if you want to call them 'rings') because I knew they were frying them to order. While I waited, I enjoyed a freshly cracked bottle of St. Arnold's root beer poured into a chilled glass. This is one of my top three root beers, so good choice Sammy. When the steaming basket of fried onions arrived I quickly dug into the salty mess with a fork, and slathered more of that sauce on for good measure. That cheesy potato casserole that everyone raves about also didn't last long on my plate.

The bottom line here is that Sammy's cares about ALL of the food they're serving, and that's easy to distinguish from countless other barbecue meals I've had around the state that are accompanied only by products that are available straight from a tub or a can. At Sammy's they also make the effort to use a real wood smoker (a J&R Lil' Red Smokehouse) fired with nothing but hickory. How they get so little smokiness into the meats with this equipment is beyond me, but they're trying.

Rating **

2008: "The sides are great." I've heard this description of Sammy's countless times in Dallas, and that usually gets it into every top BBQ joint list in Dallas. You cannot survive on sides alone, and this is where Sammy's falters to all but the chopped beef sandwich crowd. A quick explanation of a chopped beef sandwich: Take the best edge pieces of the brisket with all the good crust, chop it up and add sauce, then place on a buttered bun. With those ingredients, my 4-year old niece could put out a decent product. The key to good que lies in making the sliced brisket and ribs shine without the sauce, and this is Sammy's downfall. The ribs had decent flavor from the salt and pepper rub, but they were devoid of smoke flavor. The fat was well rendered, but the texture was a bit mushy. This is caused by cooking them far ahead and letting slabs of ribs sit in a warmer for hours covered in plastic wrap. The brisket was trimmed of nearly all it's fat and crust, so there was only a hint of a smoke line, and no delicious crust. Instead it was too-tender brisket with nothing but roast-beef flavor. But hey, the sides were awesome.

Reed's BBQ

2011-12-16T08:20:00.001-06:00

DALLAS: Reed's BBQ
1811 S Buckner Blvd
Dallas, TX 75217
214-309-0000
Open M-Sat 11-9, Sun 12-9

On a previous visit, I really thought this joint had some promise. I quickly realized on this return trip that I wasn't in for a good meal. The ribs bones slid apart as the dripping meat was fished out of a warming tray. Along with the fat and crust, all of the brisket's flavor was swiped away with the edge of a long thin knife. At least the green beans and collard greens looked good.

The ribs tasted as if they had been stored in that pan for some time. The meat was mushy, devoid of any positive flavors and altogether smoke free. In short, they were awful. Brisket also lacked smoke, but wasn't on the same level of bad as the ribs. The meat was dry yet tough, and the only flavor came from a dip in the sauce. Let's just say my lunch mainly consisted of greens and beans.

Rating *

2008: This joint in South Dallas has a classic BBQ joint look complete with a windmill. The ribs here were big and meaty with perfect tenderness and nicely rendered fat. The great crust had a hint of smoke, but the remaining meat did not. Overall it could have used more flavor from a heartier rub. The brisket was pull-apart tender with a nice black crust, but no smoke ring. It had decent flavor, but again, no smoke beyond the crust. What it did have was a nice sugar cookie on the fatty end of the brisket...an unexpected bonus. With a little extra smoke, this place could be a standout.

BBQ Snob as Cane Rosso Pizza Chef

2011-12-13T07:49:00.005-06:00

John Tesar and Dean Fearing have had their shot and Stephen Pyles will be coming along soon to offer his unique pizza at Deep Ellum's Cane Rosso, but next Monday will be my night to share a couple of specialty pizzas. If you're not familiar, Jay at Cane Rosso has reserved Monday nights at the restaurant as celebrity chef night. I am neither, so I understand the confusion, but I'll do my best to smoke the competition. I've been working with Jay and Dino to create two great pies, so I hope you can make it out on next Monday, 12/19 to try them.

The first pizza will feature Pecan Lodge smoked pork sausage, a smoked tomato sauce, ricotta and fried greens.

Pecan Lodge sausage

Thin slices of black pepper rubbed and smoked porchetta will top the second pizza along with smoked mozzarella from Mozzarella Company, caramelized onions and mushrooms.

I need all the help I can get to outsell the giants of Dallas cuisine, so please buy one of each.

- BBQ Snob

Mesquite BBQ

2011-12-12T08:13:00.001-06:00

MESQUITE: Mesquite BBQ
145 E Davis St
Mesquite, TX 75149
972-285-6573
Open M-Thur 10:30-8, F-Sat 10:30-9
www.mbbq1959.com

Update: This joint was one of the first that I visited when I started full barbecue coverage of the DFW area. Re-reading the old review, it sounded pretty harsh so I thought I'd give it another shot. This time I chose the middle of the lunch hour where I was assured a full menu of fresh meats.

It's amazing how little smoke flavor they get on this meat using an Oyler smoker. I couldn't confirm if they're still using one since the fence around the smoking area is so tall. Given that Herbert Oyler opened the place, I'd guess they're still using one of his smokers. The ribs had been sitting in a warmer for some time. The fat had oxidized and the meat just tasted old. The brisket was bone dry and couldn't pass for decent roast beef.

The pulled pork sandwich wasn't much better. The flyer at the counter called it Texas style, but it was little more than pork sloppy joe.

The only saving grace was a great slice of the pecan pie made by Uncle Willie's in Red Oak. It was the only reason I didn't need to stop for another lunch before heading back to work.

Rating *

2008: I've eaten some bad brisket in the past, but this was about the worst. This putrid monochrome gray hunk of dry meat was clearly deprived of the love it deserved. It was so bad that I saw no reason to even try the ribs.

BBQ Book Review: Modernist Cuisine

2011-12-09T08:13:00.003-06:00

Title: Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking
Authors: Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young & Maxime Bilet
Published: 2011 by The Cooking Lab

What does a book about fancy cooking with sous vide bags and liquid nitrogen have to do with barbecue? One of the coauthors, Nathan Myhrvold, is a competition barbecuer with a serious scientific curiosity of the smoking process. He also has a love for Texas BBQ as evidenced by this recent article singing the praises of Central Texas. While much of this book is dedicated to new techniques for food preparation using the latest gadgets that cost thousands of dollars, there are sizable chunks that explain the smoking of meat.

Currently listed on Amazon for $450.07, my own copy was not attainable. Lucky for me, a kind soul in Dallas let me borrow his copy with no strings attached. I read through it voraciously.

Volume One begins with basic techniques for cooking, one of which is smoking. What's included here isn't a guided process for great smoking, but instead an in depth look at the quality of the actual smoke used for cooking and how it can affect the final flavor of the meat. Phenols are created when lignin (in the wood) is burned and creates complex and pleasing flavors. Mesquite is high in lignin giving it more of an aromatic quality than most woods. Smoking also doesn't have to be done with wood. Corn cobs are said to produce a "pronounced earthy aroma". Let me know how that goes if you give the corn cob smoking method a whirl.

For the optimal hot smoking environment, the book suggests a fire burning at roughly 590 degrees, but a cooking chamber temperature no higher than 225 degrees. This allows for good quality smoke that contains plenty of positive phenols, but without all the tar that is emitted from smoldering wood. Also, to keep from having your wood smolder, DO NOT use wet or soaked wood. The dry stuff is what creates good smoke. Making use of most of the guidelines offered will still require a great deal of knowledge and finesse to pull off successfully in a home smoker, but in true modernist form, you can find that sous vide smoked brisket recipe with a cooking time of seventy-six hours along with countless other multi-day recipes in the final volume.

Volume Three titled "Animals and Plants" includes lengthy discussions on the muscle structure of animals and how that structure affects cooking technique and partially determines the tenderness of the meat. Fine-grained muscles like tenderloin are the most naturally tender cuts. They have a tight structure with less collagen surrounding the meat fibers while a brisket is the ultimate coarse-grained meat with large visible bundles of muscle surrounded by a thick collagen mesh. Coarse-grained meat just won't be tender until the collagen mesh is broken down, so it's no wonder that brisket takes an extended cooking time to reach a pleasing level of tenderness while a quick sear is enough for a tenderloin.

Thick collagen mesh surrounding large muscle bundles

In cooking brisket the goal is to convert that collagen into gelatin. While the brisket is heating up in the smoker, the first reaction of the collagen is to shrink and contract the whole muscle. The conversion of the collagen into gelatin takes much longer than just cooking the meat, so don't rely solely on the meat reaching a certain temperature. Seasoned pitmasters will tell you they don't rely on temperature at all but just the feel of the meat. The meat must relax, almost like it finally exhales on the pit after holding its breath for hours. It sounds so sage-like, but it's just the science behind gelatinization.

Although higher temperatures will convert collagen to gelatin more quickly, it also allows the collagen to constrict the meat more rapidly and forcefully wringing the meat of valuable moisture. The more slowly you cook (or smoke) the less tightly the collagen constricts and more moisture remains in the meat. Brisket must smoke low and slow for a reason.

When you're cooking such a large piece of meat at a low temperature there is a natural stall that takes place. The meat's internal temperature steadily rises to a plateau point below the desired finished temperature. On page 212 you'll find a succinct explanation of what causes the 'stall' in the meat temperature of large pieces of smoking meat. This was also a subject recently discussed by Meathead of Amazing Ribs with almost identical conclusions. Surface moisture on the meat continues to cool the the meat through evaporation. Just like our own sweat cools our bodies, the meat's temperature is kept lower until the surface of the meat has dried enough to stop the evaporation. This provides definitive evidence that spraying or mopping the meat during cooking not only slows the cooking process by letting heat out every time the lid is opened, but it also adds unnecessary moisture to the meat's surface.

Other tidbits not mentioned above include a physical description of what occurs to the moisture in meat when it 'rests', how unsaturated fats like those found in pork ribs can oxidize after cooking causing off flavors that I usually describe as tasting old (while the technical term is 'warmed over'), and a full run down of sausage types and techniques for grinding and stuffing that create a multitude of textures. I'll dive deeper into sausage in a future post.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, I assure you it's just scratching the surface. Now you'll have to pick up your own copy of the book or find a good friend who already has one.

- BBQ Snob

Ernie's BBQ & Soul Food

2011-12-07T07:59:00.000-06:00

DALLAS: Ernie's BBQ & Soul Food
2537 South Buckner Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75227
214-388-8010
Open M-Tues & Thur-Sat 11-8, Sun 12-7
www.erniesbbque.com

The weekday lunch hour was not yet over, but this joint was dead. Various soul food items were uncovered and slowly drying on an unattended steam table. Alone in the dining room, I waited for someone to come out of the kitchen. The owner emerged. No ribs today, but they had some brisket. I wasn't given visual access as the owner ducked back through the swinging doors, only to emerge a few minutes later with a foil wrapped sandwich.

I opened the hefty package in the car where I found chewy slices of warmed over and overly salty brisket. It had a flavor closer to jerky, and the sweet commercial sauce did little to elevate the flavor. I didn't try the soul food here, but it seems that's the real focus given the menu. The sandwich didn't really give me much hope for the ribs, so I doubt I'll make it back to try them.

Rating *

The Salt Lick

2011-12-06T08:01:00.003-06:00

DRIFTWOOD: The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que
18001 FM 1826
Driftwood, TX 78619
512-858-4959
Open Daily 11-10
www.saltlickbbq.com/

Update: I've often thought that the Salt Lick is a joint that serves very respectable smoked meat, and is vastly overrated at the same time. The wait for a table on this sprawling campus of barbecue can exceed and hour, but no worries as you can enjoy drinks and live music al fresco on one of the many picnic tables provided. A visit here isn't just about barbecue. It's about atmosphere, catching up with friends, and taking the Salt Lick vibe while enjoying a few cold ones or some of the wine produced by Salt Lick Cellars from the on-site vineyard. Always good marketers the folks at Salt Lick found a way to make middle-of-the-road red and white wines (made from Zinfandel and Viognier grapes respectively) become their best sellers simply by calling them "BBQ Red" and "BBQ White". I fell for it, but I fell harder for the Sangiovese which was much more pleasing and drinkable on its own. With the Sangiovese as an option (all of these options can only be purchased on site at the Salt Lick) I don't see a reason to purchase the others if only for kicks based on the name.

The real reason for this trip was for the beef ribs which are now featured on the daily menu after being available on Sundays for years. The Salt Lick uses back ribs which are usually cut down to the bone unlike meatier short ribs, so I balked a bit at $17 for a two rib plate. When I took my first bite I was amazed at how much meat were on each bone. The tender meat was laced with well rendered fat. The ribs were nicely smoked with a good layer of flavor from the direct heat blast they received on the open pits on display out front. The meat is basted with their thin, sweet sauce while cooking so it helps to form a nice crust. The meat is also coated with the sauce just before serving - a practice that I'm usually not fond of, but it's different at Salt Lick. Of all the BBQ joints that I've eaten at, this is the most successful combination of meat and sauce that I've had. It's a thin oil based sauce that seeps into the hot meat almost becoming one with it. A mere afterthought topping, it is not.

Of the sides, the sesame flavored slaw was the only notably good one. Pintos were simple and underseasoned and the potato salad was just chunks of underdone potatoes bound together by a some mashed potatoes and bit of vinegar. When the bill came I had to run out to the ATM after being reminded of their cash-only policy. After a $2.50 surcharge, I had enough cash for the the check and a shirt. It amazes me that a joint won't take credit cards...oh wait, they do the next door over in the beer and wine shop. Maybe they're just making too much from diners who have to pay that ATM surcharge.

After the meal I wanted to investigate a claim made by Scott Roberts, owner of the Salt Lick, in an interview with Texas Monthly a little over a month ago. When asked about whether or not they use gas-fired cookers to smoke, he said "We had some smokers that we put in that were gas-fired, but we don’t really do those anymore because they have a drier heat than the wood does." I find it hard to believe that the small pits on display could really cook all the meat required to feed 2000 people on a Saturday.

These pits are certainly beautiful and provide a great spectacle at the entrances. Sauce is mopped onto mounds of meat while the fat drips and sizzles on the fire below. The resulting live oak smoke creates a fragrant dining area and whets the appetite, but what's back in those huge kitchens not open for public view?

I hung back at the stacks of live oak waiting for someone to come grab a few sticks. Before long an amicable pit man came out and I asked about the pits in the kitchen. Without a hint of shame he said there were six gas-fired (presumably Southern Pride or Ole Hickory) smokers where they smoke the meat overnight. The meat is then refrigerated and basically reheated for about three hours on the direct heat pits on display. I'm not saying this man should be ashamed of how the meat is smoked, but it's obvious the owner was trying to hide it in that recent interview. If you've already got 2000 customers waiting in line for your food on a Saturday, why be deceiving about how the meat is smoked?

I'm not ashamed to say that I enjoyed this meal just like I have others here in the past. These ribs might not be the best thing I ever ate, but they were the best beef back ribs I've eaten anywhere. I just wish they could be honest about how their meat is prepared. Not withstanding their mailed-in performance at the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival the following day (it was some of the poorest meat there) their rating remains the same.

Rating ****

2009: The Salt Lick is renowned throughout Texas, and holds a special place in the heart of BBQ fanatics. Many recent reviews have decried the demise of this mecca of Texas BBQ claiming that it's all about atmosphere, and not enough about what's in the pits. The setting alone may be worth the drive if you come with a group of friends. The large group of picnic tables and BYOB policy make for a tailgate party atmosphere, which is the best way to survive the long waits that are sometimes over an hour. Once inside, the seating is nearly all on communal picnic tables, and the dining is also communal. While the menu holds several a la carte options, most folks opt for the family style at a steep $19/person, but if you come hungry you can make it worth your while.

When ordering family style, a large plate full of pork ribs, sliced brisket and sausage came to our table for everyone to fight over. Our first plate was covered in the Salt Lick's unique sauce which is a mustard and vinegar based sauce with a sugary sweetness. The sauce married well with the meat fresh from the pit. The brisket had little crust, and the ribs tatsed of little more than the sauce. We requested a sauce free second plate with crusty pieces of brisket. This is where the Salt Lick shines. The brisket had a crust like no other with deep flavor and abundant sugar cookies. The meat was smoky, tender and moist with great flavor even without the sauce. Even as a purist, I'll have to admit that the flavor of all their meat is elevated by the sauce. Unfortunatley, it was the ribs that almost needed the sauce. The tenderness of the ribs was excellent, but the crust was lacking depth of flavor, and the smokiness was fleeting. The overall flavor was good, and the meat moist, but it didn't stand out like the crusty brisket. The sausage was also good with a fine grind, mild balck pepper flavor and a good snap to the casing. The news got even better when the third plate arrived and was as good as the second. When the final plate came out, we were to full to indulge any further, but the waitress was happy to box it up for us. Who else does that for family style?

To the detractors out there, give it another try after you get your nose out of the air. To all of the others, bring some friends, some beer and a wad of cash (no credit cards here) and enjoy an evening in the Texas Hill Country.

You Know Who You Are.

2011-12-03T08:37:00.001-06:00

I walked into your place late one evening with a couple of friends. It was still an hour and a half before your designated closing time and not another soul was dining. You said all the brisket and ribs were gone, but sausage was still available as was the day's smoked cabrito special. I asked for both and you proceeded to hastily shave what little meat was left from a goat's leg bone.

If dry, shaved, smokeless and flavorless meat that was in its prime several hours ago was all you could offer, why would you serve it? Worse yet, why would you charge someone for it? I'd rather be told you had run out of meat so I could have held onto my mostly positive outlook about you. I like to think positively, but that cabrito makes it hard.

- BBQ Snob

Bedlam Bar-B-Q

2011-12-02T11:45:00.002-06:00

OKLAHOMA: Bedlam Bar-B-Q
610 NE 50th
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-528-7427
Open M-W 10:30-8, Thur-F 10:30-9, Sat 10:30-8
www.bedlambarbq.com

Update: It's been a couple of years since my last visit to Bedlam Bar-B-Q in Oklahoma City, and plenty has changed. They've expanded the restaurant, completed a renovation and expansion of their back patio, and lowered the quality of their barbecue. I'm not sure if there has been an ownership or pitmaster change, but the meat has suffered.

Bright red, cayenne filled hot dog passed off as hot links are about what can be expected in Oklahoma, and they are no different here. It's too bad that this is acceptable since there are some decent commercial hot links available out there.

The same big spare ribs are on the menu, but they have a too-heavy rub and haven't spent enough time in the smoker. The meat was a bit chilly and chewy. Sausage was a cheaply made fatty link with little character. The worst of the bunch was the sad looking brisket. Thick slices from the point were riddled with poorly rendered and chewy fat. All crust and smokering had been cut away, and what remained had little smokiness remaining. Maybe I just hit them on a great day a couple years back, but this revisit was very disappointing.

One other note: the addition of the patio allowed me to gain access to the pit room where I found a gleaming Southern Pride rotisserie pit and a pile of chopped hickory wood. There wasn't much smoke coming out of the stack above.

Rating **

Bedlam Bar-B-Q is a relative newcomer to OKC, but they've got this smokin' thing down pat. The menu is a little wider than BBQ to allow those 'cue hating burger eaters to join you on your trek. Orders are taken at the counter just inside the door, then brought to your table while you enjoy the entertainment on their flat screens usually tuned to sports.

My brother-in-law, an OKC native and current resident, was the tour guide for this trek, and we split a three meat "Big Red Dinner". The obvious brisket and ribs were paired with pulled pork on the staff's recommendation. They were sold out of their first choice of turkey. Sides are an adventure here with thirteen options that include some unfamiliar ones like tabouli salad and green rice. We opted for tabouli salad that could have been refreshing with a bit less Italian dressing and parmesan cheese, and a mac & cheese that tasted like it was right out of the Stouffer's box.

The meat fared much better. True "pulled" pork is something of a rarity with most options being simply chopped, so seeing the strands of meat and crust on this plate was promising. The pork was very moist with great flavor, if a bit on the salty side. The mixture of fat, crust and nicely cooked pork created textural perfection. Brisket had great moisture and adequate smoke at the crust, but little inside each slice. Too much of the fat was trimmed away, but there was still some great flavor remaining. All of the meats on the plate were good, but the spare ribs really stood out. Perfectly moist and tender meat sat beneath a hearty black crust. All of the meat had great smoke flavor and well rendered fat throughout, and the meat needed just the slightest tug to release from the bone. This was one great rib.

Bedlam Bar-B-Q may not have a long history in OKC, but if they keep smoking like this, they'll be around for a long time to come.

Tiger's BBQ

2011-11-30T07:56:00.001-06:00

LANCASTER: Tiger's BBQ
2555 N Dallas Ave
Lancaster, TX 75134
972-227-7977
Open M-Thurs 10-11, F-Sat 10-midnight, Sun 12-10

Lancaster is Tiger country. Across the road from Tiger's BBQ is the towering Tiger stadium, and I'm guessing this little joint gets plenty of student traffic. The students were long gone when I stopped during the dinner hours and grabbed an order to go. I asked for a special menu item of "Breaks" which are deeply smoked rib tips (like rib burnt ends), but they were all out. I went for the standard two meat plate of ribs and brisket instead with some soul food sides of yams and greens.

Those yams were syrupy and way too sweet for my tastes, but the greens were great. With no more moisture than your average cardboard box, the brisket disappointed. Each slice had every remnant of crust or fat shaved off, and it barely tasted smoked. Big spare ribs were much better. They were cut in half and the bone end was tender, smoky and well seasoned. The fat was nicely rendered, so I was surprised that the rib ends, though flavorful, were chewy. A few dunks in the spicy sauce helped me polish off the ribs while those sad brisket slices continued to dry out in the box beside me.

Rating **

BBQ Book Review: The Brisket Book

2011-11-29T08:17:00.000-06:00

Title: The Brisket Book
Author: Stephanie Pierson
Published: 2011, Andrews McMeel Publishing

Pecan Lodge serves some of my favorite smoked brisket. They also serve an oven braised brisket flavored with chiles that is used for their (unsmoked) brisket tacos. I've read reviews complaining that this braised brisket isn't smoky, and it makes me want to remind these folks that brisket is a cut of beef, not just a smoked hunk of meat. If they would just read this new cookbook dedicated to this cantankerous muscle, then they'd know just how versatile brisket is. The Brisket Book has a narrow focus, but it's recipes cast a wide net. It helps that the author has an undeniable love for this undervalued cut. This fact makes it even more odd that the very first recipe in the book is for a vegetarian "brisket" that is a big hunk of flavored seitan. Huh? You just got done telling me how wonderful this beefy muscle is, then you suggest I down a hunk of formed wheat gluten? Curious indeed, but the recipes improve from there, you just won't get to another one until page 90. That's okay, because this book is packed with brisket knowledge.

The book takes on the brisket in three categories - Braised, smoked and corned. A good bit of history is given for the smoking portion of the book while the rest reads like a Jewish history lesson. Texas barbecue in particular gets it fair share of mentions. Robb Walsh is heavily quoted, Perini Ranch offers a recipe while Kreuz Market, Black's BBQ and Opie's BBQ all get mentions. She brings plenty of firepower in the well respected brisket authorities quoted in the book, so it's curious that she quotes message board contributors to Chowhound and the like so frequently.

Even with so much talk of smoked meat, there are only two recipes that don't begin with "Preheat the oven to...", and the book offers little beyond very basic smoking information. A scant twenty-four recipes are included in the 200 page book, and not a single one is included for pastrami or corned beef even though the author quotes a idol of hers in Christopher Kimball as saying that corned beef is "mindlessly easy". Texas BBQ fans may not be happy that the book has a decidedly New York tilt to the recipes offered and stories provided. The only pitmaster interviewed at length is Robbie Richter, former pitmaster at Brooklyn's Fatty 'Cue.

I enjoyed the absolute love the author shows to this sometimes unappreciated muscle. She truly loves brisket, and enjoys cooking it. Although she pays heavy lip service to smoking and brining, it's obvious that her comfort zone is braising a brisket. Those looking for braising tips will find all they need, but barbecue hounds will finish the book wishing for more.

- BBQ Snob

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

2011-11-23T08:02:00.001-06:00

ATLANTA: Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
1238 Dekalb Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-577-4030
Open Sun-Thur 11-10, F-Sat 11-11
www.foxbrosbbq.com

This was a visit of pure happenstance. I was traveling south of Atlanta for work and accidentally went north from the airport into the city. My wife said it was my BBQ radar taking control of my subconscious, but no matter how I got there, I found myself just minutes from this joint that has received heavy praise from multiple sources including Dustin at The Georgia Barbecue Hunt. He surely knows more about where it falls in the spectrum of smoked meat in Georgia, but I know what I like and Fox Bros. delivered.

The owners are from Texas and claim they do Texas style BBQ here. Unfortunately they were out of sliced beef at dinner, so I had to settle for the chopped beef, baby back ribs and house specialty hot wings. The wings are smoked, fried and sauced in a homemade sweet and spicy concoction. They were very similar to the best wings I've ever eaten at Green Mesquite in Austin. Respectable chopped beef is easier to pull of than the sliced, and this was a good example. Plenty of crusty bits and rendered fat were mixed in with the hickory smoked beef made for a very Texas style flavor. A sweet rub on the ribs was a bit of a departure from traditional Texas barbecue, but I'm guessing you can only go so far in Georgia. Nevertheless, these ribs were perfectly smoked with exemplary tenderness and they were plenty moist.

Another house specialty is the fried ribs. After suffering through so many poor versions at the State Fair of Texas, I have a new respect for how good these were. While the menu item is most likely a way to use up yesterday's ribs, the chicken fried batter was crispy and well seasoned and the ribs beneath remained tender. Even after a hot oil bath the smokiness still shined through.

I'm certainly curious to see how the sliced beef stacks up to the best in Texas, but from what I saw in my first trip I'm more than happy to return.

Rating ****

Branding Iron Restaurant

2011-11-21T08:12:00.000-06:00

WICHITA FALLS: Branding Iron Restaurant
104 E Scott Ave
Wichita Falls, TX 76301
940-723-0338
Open M-Thur 11-3, F-Sat 11-8

I was traveling with a couple of folks who had differing ideas from me when it came to barbecue. While I was happy to try the take out only Prine's or the Bar L Drive-in, one of my dining companions was looking for one thing in their BBQ joint - good old air conditioning. This led us to the sit down joint in the middle of town called the Branding Iron. As we walked through the door and made our way into the cafeteria line, it was quickly made obvious that the A.C. was not functioning or did not exist. We hurried through the line and found an empty table just below a ceiling fan.

Both the brisket and ribs on this plate lacked smoke and were severely overcooked. Brisket was also dry and fell into chunks when bothered. The meat was pure roast beefiness. Pork ribs fell from the bone and had a mushy texture. They needed more seasoning and a whole lot more. Pea salad from canned peas was equally limp, and the okra had lost its crispiness on the steam table. Hopefully those other joints in Wichita Falls have a bit more to offer.

Rating *

South Dallas Better Block and Gospel BBQ

2011-11-20T17:57:00.004-06:00

Team Better Block is known for putting on great events around the city that bring communities together. Yesterday they had an event along Grand Avenue in South Dallas just a few blocks from Fair Park. Given the inclusion of "Gospel BBQ" in the name, this is not an event I could pass up. There's plenty that can be said about the set-up, the entertainment or limited amount of attendees, but I'll leave that to others. I was there for the barbecue.

First up was Teal's Ribs. These folks had a storefront in Cedar Hill that I tried to visit but found them closed a couple of times for various reasons before they were closed for good. I don't know much about them other than ribs are the obvious specialty. On this day they also offered a turkey leg at the Disney World-like price of $10. I peeled back the foil to find a pale leg that required the finger test to see if it was cooked. It was indeed cooked, but to call it a smoked turkey leg was definitely false advertising.

After getting beyond the gummy skin, the meat beneath was tender enough, but was a solid disappointment, except for my daughter.

Another $7 got me three tough spare ribs that had a hint of charcoal flavor and no smoke. Chewy meat and chewy fat didn't deepen my sadness that I missed visiting their restaurant.

Eva's House of BBQ has been pleasing enough on a couple of visits, so I had higher hopes from their trailer. The $7 turkey leg wasn't any better than Teal's. The skin was so tough I literally could not bite through it. After prying it away, there was more tough and mildly smoky meat.

A chopped beef sandwich was thrown together affair on a cold bun, and not representative of the good sandwiches I've had at their store.

I understand that this was a one-off event done for the good of the city, but the way these vendors mailed it in left a bad taste in my mouth. The rest of the city should know what they're getting if they choose to request their services at another event.

- BBQ Snob

Joe's Smokehouse

2011-11-18T08:11:00.001-06:00

WICHITA FALLS: Joe's Smokehouse
740 Sheppard AFB
Sheppard AFB, TX 76311
No Phone
Open M-F 1030-1400 & 1600-1900, Sat 1100-1900

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

2011: I was on site at Sheppard Air Force Base for a store renovation project I'm working on, and I noticed a BBQ trailer next to the store. No smoke was being emitted, but the menu was up as was the window. They were open for business and I had just a few minutes to spare before my actual BBQ lunch in downtown Wichita Falls.

Pulled pork with an Alabama white sauce has been rearing its head around Texas recently at places like Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas. At just $9 for a three meat combo, I thought I'd throw in the extra protein on top of brisket and ribs. In asking about the pit, I was told by the owner that a Fast Eddy was his smoker of choice and that he smoked off a number of briskets twice a week and rewarmed it the other days. Now I was just hoping for somewhat fresh beef.

Brisket slices were trimmed too close and dry. A good crust had formed, but the smokiness was still fleeting. Just as I was about to finish my second slice, the owner came over to give me a few more slices that he said were fresher. While they were certainly better than the first batch, it made me wonder why he wouldn't have served me the good stuff to begin with. Pork ribs tasted like they had been stored a while. The meat was good and tender, but no crust had formed due to the heavy rub. They had decent spice and hint of sweet, but needed more smoke. Pulled pork looked like the best option with its numerous black flecks of crust, but it too lacked good smokiness. The meat was certainly moist with the white (yellow) sauce making a good complement, but on all accounts, this was meat that was meant to be sauced rather than enjoyed alone.

Rating **

The Sausages of West, TX

2011-11-16T08:20:00.004-06:00

Update: I just learned from a reader (Thanks John) that Nemecek Bros. has closed for good. I called the Czech American that served their sausage and they confirmed saying that Nemecek’s has been closed since the spring. Czech American is now using locally made sausage from Tom’s Ole Czech Smokehouse on their menu.

11/16: It's not West Texas. It's West, Texas. This small Czech town a few minutes north of Waco is a popular stop for hungry travelers who want a quick handheld snack called a kolache. If you're unfamiliar, a kolache is a sweet roll with a fruit filling in the middle. Think a very thick and airy danish. Sometimes confused with the kolache is the klobasnek which is a sausage filled roll. In both Houston and Dallas, these are incorrectly referred to as sausage kolaches, but they have the terminology right in West.

Whether in or outside of the klobasneks, West is also home to a few sausage houses. Nemecek's is the most well known, but their early closing times on weekdays and lack of weekend hours have thwarted many of my attempts at patronage. I'm not suggesting they change their hours, it just sucks that most travelers through the area won't have a chance to buy their sausages from the historic market. Another option if you want some hot Nemecek sausages is to try the Czech American restaurant down the street that features them on their menu. Unfortunately, I didn't learn this until a few days after my visit.

As for kolaches and klobasneks, the most popular stop is the Little Czech Bakery, aka the Czech Stop right off the highway. The parking lot is packed and the lines are long. If you brave it all you'll end up with the third best kolaches in West.

The sausage in the klobasnek was unfamiliar and not very memorable. The dough is good and sweet, but it's denser and more greasy than other options in town.

Just a block up Oak Street is the Ole Czech Smokehouse & Bakery, aka Gerik's. The cases of pastries on display when you walk in are a big contributor to over-ordering.

Inexplicably, the lines here are not usually long, but the kolaches are phenomenal. They also have a number of klobasnek options including ground sausage or hot links mixed with cheese or jalapenos or both. All sausage save the hot links are supplied by Tom's Ole Czech Smokehouse next door. A microwave is provided for the public to warm their own breakfast, but these pastries need only a few seconds. While the heft of the hot link is nice for a hearty meal, the regular sausage with cheese is a favorite of mine. The dough here is sweet, airy and rich without being greasy.

Tom's next door has sausage for sale and also makes a good jerky if you need to pack up some provisions for the rest of your trip.

Further down Oak Street across the tracks into the middle of town is the unassuming Village Bakery. Per their website, they were the first Czech bakery in the state when they opened in 1952.

Neither kolaches and klobasneks are on display here, but are instead fetched from the back after you order. Be sure to ask for them warmed. While the klobasneks use a very respectable sausage from Slovacek's, the dough can get a bit soggy. Not so in the kolaches which are always perfectly buttery sweet and soft. The blueberry is my favorite in town.

With Nemecek Bros. closed, I thought I'd try the sausage at this newer place called Nors Sausage and Burger House right in the center of town.

Not expecting much from a place with "Burger House" in the title, I was blown away by the quality of the sausages. These smoky links are accompanied by Czech fries (fried potato slices) and kraut. Without a doubt, this was some of the finest sausage I've eaten anywhere and Nors is a must stop for sausage fans who find themselves near this quaint town.

These links are house made and smoked over mesquite wood giving them a pungent smokiness. The meat was coarse ground and a bit loose in the snappy casings. A jalapeno cheese sausage had great kick from the chiles that went well with the black pepper. I brought home some of the original links, and they filled my fridge with smoky goodness until I cooked them the following night. I have some of their liver sausage in the freezer waiting for a special occasion.

- BBQ Snob

The Pitstop BBQ

2011-11-14T08:36:00.000-06:00

MEMPHIS: The Pitstop BBQ
317 N Boykin Dr
Memphis, TX 79245
806-259-1234
Open Tues-Sat 7-8

Elvis was blasting on the radio as I passed the Memphis city limits sign, and I was in search of some barbecue. I knew I wouldn't be getting any barbecue spaghetti because this wasn't Tennessee, it was Memphis, Texas. A town small enough that they deliver your drink order to your table before you sit down - without asking. Combo plates with ribs were not an option, so I grabbed a brisket sandwich and the smallest order of ribs I could get which was a half rack.

Brisket smoked with pecan and mesquite tasted like it had been washed of all flavor. It had been stored for hours, possibly sitting in liquid. The texture was mushy, beyond that of pot roast, and there just wasn't much of any flavor left.

Ribs were highly touted by the server, but suffered the same texture issues as the brisket. The crust was chewy while the interior of the meat was mushy and beyond overcooked. The bones served no purpose here as the meat came away in large chunks at the slightest tug, and the burnt flavor didn't make up for it. I guess we should leave it to the Tennesseans to make Memphis barbecue.

Rating *

Three Little Pigs

2011-11-11T08:33:00.003-06:00

Three Little Pigs is a food trailer that does not take its place alongside a gaggle of other trailers in a gravel parking lot like so many other Austin food trucks. It sits in an asphalt parking lot alongside East End Wines on Rosewood Avenue. A couple of tables and a brick pit that held a whole pig earlier that day form a cozy outdoor dining area.

I came for the whole hog that Scrumptious Chef just wouldn't shut-up about, but started in with a regular menu item of pork belly sliders. The pork belly was thick cut with a perfectly crisp crust on every surface. The fat was rendered soft instead of remaining chewy like so many other pork belly dishes I've had elsewhere. Even at $7, I'd get it again in a heartbeat.

The star of the day was supposed to be that whole hog. The trouble with it was all about expectations. I was imagining a whole hog on display that I could choose my preferred cut. No hog was in sight and I soon learned that it had already been completely broken down. Instead of getting to choose some of the good outside brown that I'd grab immediately at an old fashioned pick pickin', I was instead given barely seasoned inside meat. The sauce and potatoes on the side were both great, but the stringy meat that I got was held together with a bit of chewy fat. At $9 it was a bit disappointing. Being next to a great beer and wine store was quickly taken advantage of with a few cold ones as we watched the sun go down over Austin. Any more pork on this night and I may not have had enough room for all that smoked meat at the next day's festival.

- BBQ Snob

Duncan's Smokehouse Pit Bar-B-Que

2011-11-09T08:35:00.001-06:00

VERNON: Duncan's Smokehouse Pit Bar-B-Que
829 Wilbarger St
Vernon, TX 76384
940-552-2764
Open Tues-Thur 11-2 & 5-8 F-Sat 11-2 & 5-9

It was Summer's Last Blast weekend in Vernon, and the classic cars were everywhere. The revving of engines was incessant, and the streets were packed. I pulled off the main drag into the Duncan's Smokehouse parking area to run in and grab a to go order.

Watching the staff open a residential oven to retrieve the foil wrapped meats was not a good sign. Then I watched as they sliced brisket from a rolled portion of the familiar muscle. Ribs and hot links were also part of the package.

Both brisket and ribs were awful, and should not have been labeled 'barbecue'. The meat were overtender, underseasoned and straight up oven-baked protein. There wasn't much to like until I bit into the bright red hot link.

Normally in a link of this bright red color, I would expect a hot dog like texture on the interior with a faint one dimensional heat. This one however had great seasoning and fine-to-medium grind with real identifiable heat. While the link was also not smoked on site, it had plenty of good flavor and a satisfying bite. It's too bad the rest of the meal was so poor and that so little attempt goes into making real barbecue here.

Rating *

JMueller BBQ

2011-11-07T07:58:00.004-06:00

AUSTIN: JMueller BBQ
1502 S 1st St
Austin, TX 78704
512-229-7366
Open Tues-Sat 11-til it's gone
www.jmuellerbbq.com

John Mueller's history in Austin is well documented. He stormed onto the scene in Austin in 2001, made Texas Monthly's top 50 in 2003, and flamed out just two years later. Then, just after New Year's in 2010 he told the BBQ world to get ready for his return. Excitement turned to doubt after more than a year of inactivity from Mr. Mueller, but news of a new joint spread like wildfire this summer. The hype machine even produced a New York Times article about the joint a full four months before the doors were open. This same article sowed the seeds of rivalry between John and his former employee, Aaron Franklin, the current king of Austin's BBQ scene. Neither man took the bait in separate conversations, but one thing's for sure - Austin now has two barbecue joints worth waiting in line for.

The line was short at opening time on a beautiful Saturday morning. I dined with a group of friends who had gathered in Austin for the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival. An invitation to this event requires that your joint be featured in the latest Top 50 BBQ list in Texas Monthly magazine, and this year they'd also chosen a newcomer (Franklin Barbecue) based on their quality smoked meats. I wanted to get a good taste of a joint that hadn't been invited to the event, and see if they had what it takes for next year's roster.

A trailer sits beside what will become the permanent building to house the joint in the future. After receiving the order at the trailer window, we made our way to one of several shaded picnic tables for the coming feast. I had a little of each menu item, and on this day the menu included prime rib. Smoked prime rib always sounds like a good idea, but I've yet to truly enjoy it anywhere that it's served. The table had both a thick interior cut that was cooked medium, but was still tough with chewy fat and little smoke flavor, and an outside cut that had great seasoning and was more enjoyable even at medium well. At $20/lb, I just can't find a reason not to get my beefy fix on the brisket. Available in fatty and lean, the brisket ain't cheap either at $14/lb. The connoisseur generally goes for the fatty stuff, but I wanted some from the lean end too. Lean brisket was just on the verge of dry, but still held just enough moisture. The lusciously rendered fat cap atop the thick slice added plenty of its own moisture along with a ridiculous amounts of flavor from the black pepper & salt rub and the oak smoke. This end produced some of the finest bites of brisket I've had anywhere. On the other hand, fatty brisket needed more time on the smoker. White bits of fat in need of rendering were still visible, and the thick slices could have been easier to pull apart. Without the smoke-encapsulating qualities of the thick fat cap to help, the smokiness on this cut was fleeting, but the flavor was still enjoyable. Talking with John later I learned the struggles he's having with getting the point end cooked before the flat starts to dry out. Some of the problem comes from the high fat content in the certified Angus briskets, and the rest of the blame is probably in the higher cooking heat (325 and higher) that John employs in the huge smoker housed in its own trailer.

Sausage is something they take pride in here. The spicy links are hand made from Mr. Mueller's recipe using natural casings. On this day they were well seasoned, but overly fatty with uncomfortably chewy casings. This could certainly be remedied by a bit more time in that smoker, or a more accommodating hog. Pork chops on the other hand were perfectly cooked. Generously seasoned, the thick cut chop was ridiculously juicy with a beautiful color and excellent flavor. Like the chop, turkey breast is a lean cut that can dry out easily, but here the meat was perfectly moist, tender and smoky. A dip in the thin tomatoey sauce flecked with black pepper and cayenne made it even better.

Much thought has been put into the sides. Squash casserole is a rich mix of yellow summer squash, butter and cheese. It was one decadent vegetable. Potato salad was also pleasing with mashed and chunked potatoes, celery seed and a hint of mustard. Less successful was the chipotle slaw that was interesting for a bite or two, but the spice was too out of place for a full serving.

Ribs in a couple of forms can be had, and they are both great. Some of my dining companions were hoping for a more tender pork spare rib, but I liked the toothsome texture. The well seasoned meat came cleanly from the bone, but the tips were admittedly on the chewy side. I was getting full at this point, but the coup de grace was next. Back at the ordering window I spotted a fresh rack of the beef short ribs. I requested the end cut that weighed in at just under a pound and a half. The edges were crispy from melted fat, smoky meat and thick black pepper. Rivaled only by the beef ribs at Louie Mueller Barbecue where John learned his craft, this rib was amazing. Rarely is the fat so perfectly rendered out of this tough cut that requires very patient smoking, and the generous seasonings would only work with a cut this thick. I had several barbecue meals ahead of me on this day so I tried to show restraint, but it was hard to stop eating this beef rib.

Being critical comes naturally, and I went into this visit wanting to identify any flaws I could find in the work of a revered pitmaster. Certainly there were a few things that can be improved upon, but placing this visit in context with others over the summer at the temples of Central Texas smoked meat left me with no choice but to place it among the top places in the state. Just three weeks in, the comparisons to Franklin Barbecue on the other side of town are as unfair as they are inevitable. This joint isn't quite to that level yet (for the record, nobody is) but it's one of the few where I've witnessed the bona fide potential.

Rating *****

Bar-B-Q Heaven

2011-11-03T08:43:00.005-05:00

AUSTIN: Bar-B-Q Heaven
SW Corner of Seventh & Red River
Austin, TX 78701
512-299-7461
Open 4-4
www.bbqheavenaustin.com

It was eleven o'clock at night in downtown Austin. I was parked illegally in a spot that I could keep in sight while I walked up the window at the Bar-B-Q Heaven truck. A man wearing a shirt from this popular food truck looked on agreeably, so I thought I should be safe in the parking spot just vacated by a taxi hauling unsteady students just back to school. Smoke still surrounded the trailer as I made my way up to the ordering window. My glances were shared between the man cutting the meat behind the window and my car in its illegal spot. When money was exchanged and my bag of meat finally came through the window, I was off into the night avoiding a collision with the revelers of Sixth Street.

Back at a friend's house, I opened the container to find meats of widely varying quality. Brisket took the low end of both flavor and texture. The meat was both overcooked and mushy while still allowing the fat to be chewy. There was no crust, smokering or smoke flavor. This made the high quality of the ribs confounding. The pork was well smoked, perfectly tender with great flavor. The fat was nicely rendered out the split spare ribs, and they were quite enjoyable. Sausage fell right in the middle. The dry disks were well beyond their prime, but the underlying peppery flavors were good as well as the smokiness. To be fair, I had a sample of their brisket early one evening a few months ago and it was very promising, but if this poor brisket is a possibility on any given visit, then beware and stick with the ribs.

Rating **

Vic's Bar-B-Que

2011-11-01T08:38:00.006-05:00

AUSTIN: Vic's Bar-B-Que
3502 Burleson Road
Austin, TX 78741
512-445-4250
Open M-Tues 6-7, W-Fri 6-8, Sat 6-7
vicsbbq.tripod.com/

I was running late to the judge's table at Gettin' Sauced, but I couldn't pass this joint just a block north of the contest site. I quickly grabbed a to-go order of brisket, ribs and sausage and took it to the judge's table. All of the meats here are available in an 'order' portion which is just meat and bread without the sides. An order ends up being about a half pound , so there was plenty to go around.

One of my fellow judges identified the sausage as V&V brand out of Flatonia, Texas. I wasn't able to confirm that, but it was a tasty link. It had plenty of smoke and was good an juicy with a nice snap and bold black pepper flavor. Salty slices of brisket were a bit dry, but had good smoke and a nice crust. A requested burnt end had the fatty and salty intensity I was seeking. Ribs could have used a bit more meat and smoke, but the flavor from the salt and pepper rub was enjoyable. These ribs were perfectly tender and moist and didn't need a bit of sauce. This was certainly a stop I didn't regret, and neither did my fellow judges.

Rating ***

2nd Annual Texas Monthly BBQ Festival

2011-10-31T08:01:00.208-05:00

This year was Texas Monthly's second annual BBQ Festival. It was bigger and better this year with more attendees and an overall better experience. Much has been written about the event form plenty of angles (see links below), so I thought I'd take you through a tour of the food.

Smitty's Market

Snow's is the only food shot that I missed. That jalapeno sausage was just too good.

Cousin's brisket ribs and sausage

Coleman's sausage and brisket

Lambert's pork, brisket and sausage

Sausage and that famous rib from Country Tavern

Buzzie's brisket

Hard 8 brisket and sauage

Baby J's brisket, sausage and ribs

Casstevens brisket

Big Daddy's rib

Taylor Cafe rib, turkey sausage and beef sausage

Vincek's brisket and sausage by Texas Monthly

Louie Mueller brisket, beef rib and sausage

City Meat Market brisket, sausage and rib

Opie's rib sausage and brisket

Stanley's rib

Wild Blue rib, brisket and corn pudding

Baker's Ribs brisket, sausage and ribs

Salt Lick brisket, ribs and sausage

TC's Ponderosa's ribs, brisket and sausage

Franklin BBQ brisket

The big winners were Austin's own Franklin BBQ for brisket, Stanley's Famous BBQ in Tyler for ribs, and Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor took home top prize in beef ribs and sausage. For more coverage of the Festival check these links:
Eat My Words quotable wrap-up, Eat My Words photo gallery, Austin 360, Eater Austin, KVUE (video), and Texas Eats.

- BBQ Snob

Tribute to Robert Earl Keen

2011-10-28T08:27:00.002-05:00

"Barbecue - Sliced beef and bread, ribs and sausage, and a cold Big Red..."

These are the lyrics to a Robert Earl Keen song "Barbeque" first recorded for Gringo Honeymoon released in 1994. I first heard it in 1996 after I met a couple guys in college from San Antonio who were staunch REK fans. Now it fills my car stereo on nearly every BBQ road trip I take. It's a theme song that gets me in the mood to eat, not that I need much persuasion.

- BBQ Snob

Live Oak Barbecue

2011-10-27T08:16:00.006-05:00

AUSTIN: Live Oak Barbecue
2713 East 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78702
512-524-1930
Open Daily 11-midnight
liveoakbbq.net/

I was full I had just had a feast at another East side BBQ joint, Franklin Barbecue. Maybe it was unfair to make a quick stop at this joint that just opened in early 2011, but I had heard some good things. This is market style 'cue where meat is served on butcher paper by the pound. Given their proximity and shared label of 'hipster barbecue', the comparisons to Franklin Barbecue are inevitable. Where the Franklin dining room is bright, packed with people, and playing old time country music, Live Oak was 1/3 full, felt like a windowless basement, and had alternative tunes blaring.

Tom Spaulding is smoking out of the custom made pit. Besides the Texas BBQ standards, he's been cooking up some interesting proteins. If you've been around for the Saturday specials, then you may have the option to try lamb, cabrito, cornish hen or prime rib. The special changes weekly and it's popular. Cornish hen was sold out and a second batch wasn't yet ready so I opted for some brisket slices, a pork spare rib, a hunk of cheddar and a can of Pearl beer.

The brisket showed great potential, but had a few issues on my visit. A rub heavy on the salt had been liberally applied, and each bite grew saltier than the next. Good smoke was certainly there, but the salt really took things over. The texture was a bit tough and required more cooking time to render out the fat that was still a bit chewy. A sloppily cut spare rib had a dense meaty texture and a visible layer of fat, but wasn't really undercooked. The meat came away from the bone and that fat wasn't the least bit chewy. The flavor was smoky and the rub, while still salty, was a bit more subtle than that of the brisket. Luckily it wasn't anything that a bit of Pearl couldn't wash down. Based on this visit, I'm looking forward to a full meal on a return visit. Maybe that brisket will get a little more time in the smoker and a little less salt.

Rating ***

Henk's Bar-B-Que

2011-10-25T08:57:00.000-05:00

AMARILLO: Henk's Bar-B-Que
1508 S Grand St
Amarillo, TX 79104
806-372-9011
Open M-Sat 7:30-8
www.henksbarbq.com

My wife was looking for a Braum's, and I'm always looking for some barbecue. It just so happened that this exit on the east side of Amarillo had both. I stepped into the small dining room that lacked air conditioning, and made my way up to the counter. I noticed 'hotz' on the menu, so I had to add them to my normal order of brisket and ribs. I watched as the cutter grabbed a perfect cube of brisket and hack off a few slices. It was so oddly trimmed that it didn't look like it came from a cow.

Upon tasting, the brisket, my opinion of it didn't improve. It was hard, dry and lacked smoke. The Panhandle just doesn't seem to do brisket well. Ribs were better. They had a good heavy rub on them with plenty of black pepper. The smoke level was pleasing and the meat was tender. The hotz were basically a jalapeno cheese sausage the size of a hot dog. The texture was much better than a hot dog with a nice snap to the casing. The flavor was smoky with some real heat from the jalapenos. If I lived near there I could see downing a few of these as a snack. I just wouldn't bother with the brisket again.

Rating **

OC Smokehouse

2011-10-21T07:57:00.004-05:00

DALLAS: OC Smokehouse
1300 W. Davis St.
Dallas, TX 75208
214-943-2300
Open Daily 11-midnight

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

10/2011: A Dallas Observer report a couple months back showed a strained relationship between partners of Luckie's in Oak Cliff. The relationship was beyond repair, so Charles "Lucky" Johnson is out and Nhat Ngo is making a go of it alone under the new name "OC Smokehouse". The Luckie's website is still active, and an OC site is nowhere to be found, but Luckie's is dead.

The address and phone number haven't changed, and save some overly salty, but good and crispy chicken wings, the menu hasn't changed a lick either. The barbecue is also no different, even after talk of menu updates from the new solo owner. He even said the barbecue was better than Luckie's, but I couldn't find any meaningful differences from the previously underwhelming joint. The same ridiculous exclusion of a pork rib option to the combo plate is still there (just add a few bucks to the cost, Nhat) and you must spend at least $11 just for a taste of ribs.

An in depth review of the rest of the meat options would be little more than a word-for-word repeat of my previous review. Here's a sample that is still spot on. As for ribs, "The meat was mushy from being overcooked, and any crust that may have formed was eliminated in the warmer. The meat had decent seasoning, but lacked smokiness. They weren't really worth the menu hassles. Brisket was a pretty good version of roast beef. They had a nice mix of lean and fatty beef, but most of the bark had been trimmed away on all of them. The meat that remained needed more seasoning and more smoke." Call it lazy reviewing if you like, but that Southern Pride pit is still putting out over-tender ribs and tough smokeless brisket.

Pulled pork was a bit better with a few crusty pieces, but the sausage was just warmed over Smokey Denmark's links. After Luckie's departure, it's tough to determine if he had any responsibilities for the meat preparation. Nothing has changed.

Rating **

Dairyland Bar-B-Que

2011-10-20T08:56:00.001-05:00

JACKSBORO: Dairyland Bar-B-Que
325 S Main St
Jacksboro, TX 76458
940-567-5000
Open W-Sun 10-?

The sign out front says "DINING ROOM DAIRYLAND", but my eyes were focused on the yellow letters plastered on the front awning - "Brisket, Ribs, Ham, Sausage". We were wrapping up a long weekend of barbecue and had no other joints on the itinerary. There would only be more brisket if we happened upon a place that seemed meant to be, and this was it. I'd never heard of the joint before, but figured a town the size of Jacksboro would have at least one joint serving smoked meats. It just happened to be one that also specializes in flavored soft serve ice cream as well.

Pulling towards the back of the parking lot, we saw the homemade brick smoker covered by a suburban seventies style carport structure. It was late afternoon on a Sunday so the fires had been out for hours. Signs on the side of the building again spelled out the many smoked meat offerings including ham and fajitas, but one placard was missing. The menu had all of the other meats accounted for, so I'll never know the one that got the ax. A smoked meat mystery.

We thought we'd had our fill of battered and fried onions, but no. These babies were thick, wide and crisp with a thin flour batter. The onions beneath were not yet translucent and offered some bite. My traveling companion and trip photographer, Nick, decided then and there to start an onion ring blog. There's no word on when it will go live. The third meat in a three meat combo is always a toss-up. I'll always try brisket and ribs and save the third meat for a regional specialty, an unusual meat offering or a staff recommendation. On this day the staff recommended the sausage which ended up being a very boring Eckrich quality kielbasa. This girl didn't know good sausage, but in her defense she spent most of the day adding flavored syrups to soft serve. Luckily, ribs and brisket were both very much commendable. St. Louis cut ribs were perfectly moist and tender and had a decent bark with a heavy powdery rub. The foremost flavor was pork with a good hint of smoke. Tightly trimmed brisket slices were a bit dry. The slices were tender enough and had a great smokiness in the black crust. This was some good brisket made better by a dip in the subtle homemade sauce which used mainly ketchup and beef broth. As we dined on the picnic table out back, we realized we had been led here so we could end this epic trip on a high note before making our way back into the concrete tangles of DFW, where good onion rings are hard to come by.

Rating ***

Stubb's Memorial in Lubbock

2011-10-19T08:02:00.003-05:00

"Well, I'm a high straight in Plainview, a side bet in Idalou, and a fresh deck in New Deal." These are the opening lines of Terry Allen's song 'Amarillo Highway' which includes the names of a few small towns that surround Lubbock, Texas. Terry is a Lubbock native, an artist and a songwriter, and he lent his talents to memorialize one of this state's most famous barbecue men.

Christopher B. "Stubb" Stubblefield was born in Navasota in 1931. He opened one of Texas most revered BBQ joints and live music venues in 1968. He gave it all up and moved to Austin (where he did pretty well) after it all burnt to the ground in 1984. Stubb died in Austin in 1995 and four years later a memorial was erected on the site of the original joint's ruins in Lubbock. Terry Allen was the artist who brought Stubb back to life.

The plaque on the site gives a glimpse into the history of this joint, but a larger collection of stories is available on the Lubbock Hospitality site.

The dedication plaque

They even kept the old floor on the ruins of the concrete slab that remains.

There's nothing of note around this site these days, and for someone who wasn't able to visit the original, it was hard to imagine the lively atmosphere given the uninspired surroundings. No matter the current state of the neighborhood, this is a site worth a visit, especially for any fan of smoked meat history.

- BBQ Snob

Big Boy's Bar-B-Que

2011-10-18T08:02:00.008-05:00

SWEETWATER: Big Boy's Bar-B-Que
2117 Lamar Street
Sweetwater, TX 79556
325-235-2700
Open Tues-Sat 11-8

A large pickup truck whizzed along Lamar St. (State Highway 70) in Sweetwater while we sat in the parking lot of Big Boys enjoying some smoked meats while my newborn son ate in the backseat. The scene was only worth a glance until a State Highway patrolman followed with lights and sirens blaring...then another, and another, and another until five police cars had passed, one of which narrowly missed a semi truck as it passed under the I-20 overpass. We wouldn't know until the next day that the driver had stolen the vehicle and was shot dead just a few blocks north of where we had sat.

Moments before, things were much more calm inside Big Boy's. It was getting near closing time and the place was pretty empty on a Saturday night. I chatted with owner and pit master Gaylan Marth while my order was being put together, and he made no qualms about sharing his cooking method. "It's not smoked" he said. In the way of Cooper's, Hard 8 and Schoepf's, this meat had been cooked directly over mesquite coals. Gaylan uses whole briskets that are around eight or nine pounds so that they cook a little quicker under his 275 degree fire. On this day I was seeking some of that brisket along with the ribs and beans. Dessert wasn't in my plans, but they generously offered to give me a large serving of banana pudding gratis after they returned with a huge pan of it from a catering gig.

St. Louis cut ribs had more than a subtle glaze. This one was pretty thick with black pepper and possibly honey. There wasn't really a smoky flavor to cover up given the cooking method, but it would have been duly covered. While providing and enjoyable flavor, the glaze was certainly the dominant flavor on these perfectly cooked ribs. Brisket was sliced from the flat end and was very tender. I'm used to seeing brisket sliced very thick at other direct-heat joints because of the tenderness, but these were sliced thin and fell apart completely after handling. Even if only small pieces could reach my mouth, the flavor was excellent. The meat really took on the flavor of those mesquite coals unlike I've seen before. The sweet black pepper rub was a good complement. I just hope the next visit will be a bit less dramatic.

Rating ***

Wiley's Old Fashioned Bar-B-Q & Burgers

2011-10-13T08:01:00.008-05:00

LUBBOCK: Wiley's Old Fashioned Bar-B-Q & Burgers
1805 Parkway Dr
Lubbock, TX 79403
806-765-7818
Open

My wife does not like barbecue. She'll stomach a turkey or sausage sandwich now and then, but when she tells me that she's hungry she doesn't want to hear that there's a BBQ joint nearby. Luckily for the both of us, this stop was at Wiley's Old Fashioned Bar-B-Q & Burgers. The building was in a mostly abandoned shopping strip called Parkway Center on the east side of town. My family stayed in the car in the shade of the old sign while I went inside. The interior was sparse, and orders are taken through a hole in wall between the kitchen and the dining room that lacked A.C. I grabbed a combo plate for me and my daughter to share and a burger & fries for my wife.

A video interview with the owner and pitmaster

Outside a plethora of smokers were fired up. You could smell the mesquite smoke all the way across the parking lot, and there was little question that these meats are cooked with 100% wood smoke.

Sausage was standard commercial grade but had a good blast of smoke to make it palatable. Brisket was better than it looks. It was a bit dry, but the meat had decent smoke and good seasoning. The ribs were the best item with plenty of good smokiness and a nice rub. The meat was tender without being overcooked, and I was quickly wishing that more than one was included in the combo.

Not to be missed is the burger. My wife was pleasantly surprised at the buttery toasted bun, the thin but juicy burger and the thick slice of cheese. This was a burger we'd be glad to eat anywhere, not just something to settle for at a BBQ joint.

Rating ***

State Fair of Texas BBQ (aka Fried Rib Smorgasbord)

2011-10-12T22:37:00.010-05:00

The State Fair of Texas has been overrun by fried food mania. I went this evening with my friend Clark to find all of the smoked meat options, and even most of them ended up in a vat of hot oil. Here's what I found, including costs (a ticket costs $0.50).

My first bite of Texas Barbecue was just outside of the Cotton Bowl at this Smokey John's location. It was time for another visit.

The ribs were good and tender with nice smoke. The sauce complemented the meat well, and the bun was hefty and flavorful for a standard white bread bun. 14 tickets.

The brisket sandwich had the same good bun (it seems that it's used by many vendors), but the meat needed more smoke and overall flavor. Partially sauced, it needed to be more wet to be enjoyable. 14 tickets.

Inside the Coca-Cola food court, Little Bob's is still going strong despite the recent death of the family patriarch.

The photos behind the jovial cashier are of the late Huey "Lil' Bob" Nash. He was the first minority granted a permit to sell food at the State Fair in 1964, so this vendor's importance cannot be denied.

A "Big Bob" sandwich of chopped beef and ham was the best sandwich of the day. Saucy, salty, smoky and tender, we finished this one off. 14 tickets.

The bologna sandwich that they are famous for was underwhelming. The meat had no smokiness and little flavor whatsoever. Oscar Meyer on white bread at home is cheaper anyway. 9 tickets.

Also in the Coca-Cola food court was BW's. Their menu was vast, but we stuck with fried ribs.

These hunks of dry and chewy meat came straight out of a warming tray. I'm not sure if they're smoked or not, but they didn't taste like it, and they were fried without breading or batter. I even ordered the spicy version, but they forgot to shake on the flavor because there was none. Freezer-burnt curly fries came piled atop the three large ribs. This may be the single worst thing I've ever eaten at the State Fair of Texas (and I've had fried beer). 16 tickets.

We needed a break from BBQ, so we went for the lighter side and got deep fried biscuits and gravy. They are fried to order so these biscuits were hot, crispy and greasy. I would have paid extra to add sausage if it was an option. 10 tickets.

A Taste of New Orleans had a variety of cajun items along with fried ribs. I had high hopes for this place in the shadow of Big Tex since a visit a few days before found them out of ribs until they were done smoking. There's a small barrel smoker on site that they use for the ribs.

Precooked and sliced ribs are taken from the cooler, then are breaded and fried. There was a good amount of salty seasoning added to boost the flavor of the smoky ribs (that received a liquid smoke boost). The ribs were tender and flavorful, and the fries were almost crispy. 18 tickets.

Barbecue was an afterthought at this booth that was selling a new item from last year in the fried Frito Pie.

Even a good bun couldn't save this sloppy joe brisket sandwich. Two bites were enough. 10 tickets.

Further down the midway was Eva's House of BBQ. Chopped beef and turkey legs were tempting, but we dipped back into the fried ribs bucket.

These were fried in a batter spiced like fried chicken with plenty of salt and sage. These were the closest to the great fried ribs I tried in Atlanta at Fox Bros. BBQ a couple of months ago. They were a bit chewy but had great overall flavor, and with four ribs may have been the best value of the evening. 10 tickets.

Our last stop at La-Kam's was the most expensive. All the ribs were taking their toll on our systems, but there was one last vendor to check out.

These ribs were re-fried to order, then dunked in a sauce heavy on the heat and heavier on the vinegar. It was a mix of BBQ sauce and wing sauce. These huge spare ribs were chicken fried, but none of the subtleties of the breading could overcome the punch of sauce flavor. It was just too much, as was the price. 20 tickets.

Not surprisingly, the State Fair of Texas is not the premier place for BBQ in Dallas, but certainly delivers on the fried food front. In fact I've only seen fried ribs mentioned on one menu in town outside of the fair. After tonight's heartburn, I won't be rushing out to try them for a while.

- BBQ Snob

Crazy Larry's Bar-B-Que

2011-10-11T08:00:00.004-05:00

AMARILLO: Crazy Larry's Bar-B-Que
4315 Teckla Boulevard
Amarillo, TX 79109
806-359-3176
Open M-Sat 10:30-9

This joint used to win Amarillo "Best of" awards back when it was called Doug Hank's. Most online listings of the address still show it as Doug Hank's so I was quite surprised to pull up and find Crazy Larry's Bar-B-Que. I don't usually judge a joint on it's name, but this one just didn't scream great barbecue to me. We hit the drive-thru undaunted and ordered a combo plate and a sausage sandwich.

The pulled pork is supposed to be good, but they decided to sub it out for sausage. They also couldn't fathom the idea that anyone would want no sauce on their barbecue. When I ordered it on the side, they gave me a large side of sauce AND poured it all over the meat. They say that sauce is generally used to cover up mistakes, and there were plenty to cover.

Sausage was in large disks like a beefy summer sausage, but with a mushy texture. Salt was the predominant flavor. The sliced beef did not have a predominant flavor as it was lacking much flavor at all. The texture was of overdone pot roast and there was no smoke evident. Ribs had a hint of smoke, but the dry meat beneath a crispy crust needed that sauce, but was the only meat not to receive it. I probably won't make another stop to see what these meats taste like naked, but it would be nice if they'd serve them that way when asked.

Rating *

Fire Recovery at Sonny Bryan's

2011-10-06T19:57:00.000-05:00

Update: According to their Facebook page, the Original Sonny Bryan's will reopen Friday, 10/7 at 11:00 am.

9/26: Contractors and insurance adjusters were milling around Sonny Bryan’s parking lot this morning. The back side of the building was splayed open in the bright sunlight, and the smell of a spent fire hung in the air that was very much unlike the hickory smoke that generally emanates from the building. Discussions of reestablishing power to the building and roof repairs were quickly followed up by the arrival of the industrial cleaning crew’s bright yellow van at 11:00 to clean out the interior. A focused and organized effort was already underway just twelve hours after the fire broke out. No cause was given for the fire, but the Star Telegram reports that there was a possible witness.

The stench of fire was less pronounced inside since much of the flames had been stopped by a concrete block wall. Workers were already up on the roof surveying the damage there. “Baron of Beef” and general manager Dave Rummel said that they hope to be open back up in three or four days but didn’t offer any concrete information. Pegasus News has their full statement. With the knowledge that City of Dallas permits will be required for some of the electrical repairs and with inspections required by the Health Department for reopening, my guess is that is very optimistic, but we’ll all see after the weekend.

WFAA Video

This venerable spot for BBQ pilgrims in Dallas is the second barbecue joint to go up in flames in the Metroplex. The previous night, a Dickey's location in Flower Mound also went up in smoke. One website even jokingly refers to the happenings as possible BBQ terrorism, and on Twitter a tongue-in-cheek reference was made to possible arson at the hands of the BBQ Snob. Just days ago I applauded the city of Dallas for not choosing either of these names for their best of BBQ pick in the Dallas Observer. No matter my lack of affinity for their smoked meat, this is a Dallas treasure that we'll all be happy to see back in business.

- BBQ Snob

Wesley's Bean Pot

2011-10-06T08:00:00.005-05:00

AMARILLO: Wesley's Bean Pot & BBQ
6406 River Rd
Amarillo, TX 79108
806-381-2893
Open Tues 11-7, W 11-2, Thur-F 11-7, Sat 11-3

Other online reviews warned that you had to get to this joint early to get the ribs because they sold out so fast. I was looking forward to getting some meat in Amarillo that had a real following, so I arrived just after opening time on a Saturday. The joint sits in a lonely strip center north of town. The interior is white painted concrete block with artwork supplied by the patrons. A very reasonably priced menu hung above the cash register, so I went for the $8 three meat combo. After my order was placed, a well oiled machine of a team behind the counter slapped together meat, sides and bread like I'd never seen. Thirty seconds later I had a complete order ready to travel, ribs included.

Jalapeno cornbread was a nice touch instead of cheap white bread, but it was dry and flavorless. Those famous ribs were thick and meaty baby backs that were way overcooked. The meat was moist and the black on the crust was a good sign, but it actually tasted like a burnt layer of sweet sauce. Hot links were nothing more than spicy hotdogs with no smoke. Falling apart roast beef had been cut thick to hold itself together, but this brisket didn't taste like it had come near a smoker. I hoped that maybe the beans would offer some interest given the name, but they were just warm pintos straight form the can. The only item that didn't disappoint was the lightly dressed and crunchy cole slaw, but that's not enough to bring me back.

Rating *

Hodie's Bar-B-Q

2011-10-04T08:59:00.005-05:00

DALHART: Hodie's Bar-B-Q
701 S Highway 87
Dalhart, TX 79022
806-244-6773
Open

A week earlier I sat in this parking lot looking at the CLOSED sign wondering when I'd get back to this far corner of Texas. Then it dawned on me that my family's path to Colorado would swing right through here again soon. I was leading the two-car caravan as we approached town the following week. It was evening, and the family was hungry. We hadn't discussed dinner plans, but the blinking lights of Hodie's sign made the decision for us.

We took our spot at the large round table just inside the door. Like many small town BBQ joints, the menu here is a little wider than just smoked meats to serve a variety of palates. I went straight for the three meat combo plate which came with those sides so familiar to from other Panhandle BBQ visits. Slaw, beans, potato salad and onion rings were all there, and were all very good. All that was missing was the apricot puree.

Huge links of fatty and mushy commercial sausage had some smokiness, but just wasn't good. Gray slices of brisket were dry, lacked smoke and flavor, and needed the sauce. Ribs were by far the best item. While the long slender spare ribs were a bit overcooked, they had great flavor from the rub. There was some decent smoke flavor, and the meat was very tender. Ribs and rings again were proven to be the preferred meal of this corner of Texas.

Rating **

Book Review: The Homesick Texan Cookbook

2011-10-03T08:04:00.006-05:00

Title: The Homesick Texan Cookbook
Author: Lisa Fain
Published: 2011, Hyperion

I've used the Homesick Texan website as a resource for solid Texas recipes for some time. From pea salad and banana pudding to a sauce recipe with a connection to one of this state's founders, Lisa Fain's site has always been a good source for Lone Star recipes.

I was so excited to meet and befriend her through Foodways Texas, and I was more excited when I heard there was a cookbook coming out. When it finally arrived I was hopeful to find more Texas gold. Those recipes that I loved so much didn't make an appearance, but then they are on the website for free. The book is filled with beautiful full color food photography. You'll also find are some recipes that take you back to Texas's roots with instructions on canning and pickling. With the many varieties of homemade salsa, you'll never need to get the store bought stuff. With Fain's teaching you'll be a whiz with chiles, and you'll know that Texas chili isn't full of beans.

One glaring omission that any barbecue fanatic will notice is the lack of recipes involving a smoker. An oven is no place for brisket and ribs in my world, but then I still live in Texas. The author is 'Homesick' because she's been living in New York City, and she has an apartment without access to a smoker. In that predicament I'd be clawing for some brisket of any kind. Commendably those rib and brisket recipes don't include a drop of liquid smoke.

Once I got past my smoked meat bias I discovered authentic-as-it-gets recipes for chicken fried steak and cream gravy, King Ranch casserole and Texas caviar. Thanks Lisa. It's dinner time and I'm hungry.

- BBQ Snob

Jesse's Place

2011-09-30T08:23:00.002-05:00

DALLAS: Jesse's Place
2904 S Ervay St
Dallas, TX 75215
214-421-2223
Open M-Sat 11-7

Jesse Gross has owned this building for twenty-two years. In that time it has housed a fried chicken joint and a night club. Before then it was one of many Hardeman's locations that have all but disappeared (save one South Dallas location). The place has been serving as an event venue with intermittent band bookings in their event space, but in July Jesse reopened the BBQ joint. There's an old custom Bewley pit back there from the Hardeman days, but Jesse said he's looking for a pitmaster to really expand the smoked meat menu. For now the offerings are printed on some inkjet paper taped to the wall. There's a $0.99 menu which includes a small chopped beef sandwich and frito pie. Larger sandwiches and a hot link are just $2.99. Ribs and sliced beef were nowhere to be found.

After ordering through the bar covered window, I waited for my food while a woman came through the door into the uncomfortably small lobby looking for a free lunch. It's cash only, so my only five dollar bill had already gone through the window. Behind me the prominent signs were informative of the dress code and the consequences for fighting. When my order was handed over I went out to enjoy it on the trunk of my car. Frito pie was cheap ballpark quality fare. Hot links were slightly dried out but spicy Smokey Denmark's on a standard hot dog bun with Bull's Eye BBQ sauce. Chopped beef was sloppy joe quality stuff with sweet sauce and little smokiness. Given the price it's hard to complain, but I'm anxious to return when he finds that pitmaster. I'm sure he'd be happy to know if any of you out there are interested.

Rating - Pending

Franklin Barbecue vs. Snow's BBQ

2011-09-27T08:14:00.000-05:00

It was early on a Saturday morning and I was on my way from Dallas to have breakfast at Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas. Back in 2008 it was named the best BBQ in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine, based primarily on the quality of their brisket. I've eaten this brisket plenty of times in the past, but just how would it measure up to my current favorite, Franklin Barbecue in Austin? The only way to know would be to try them side-by-side. I purchased some extra brisket to go from Snow's and made my way to Austin.

Franklin Above, Snow's Below

Snow's was at an admitted disadvantage here. Not only it have to travel the seventy-five minute drive, but also had to sit wrapped in my front seat through the two hour line at Franklin. Now three hours old, I unwrapped it for a visual inspection next to the fresh Franklin brisket. The Snow's brisket was noticeably drier, but that was all because it was sliced three hours prior. The colors of the two briskets were vastly different. Where Franklin's beef had a crust of coal black and a faint smokering, the Snow's brisket had a thick pink smokering with a reddish crust flecked with black pepper.

Snow's BBQ Brisket

The texture of the Franklin beef was so tender it nearly melted in the mouth. Snow's wasn't what I'd call tough, but it had some pleasing chew to it. Not helping was the portion of the point included in each slice had been cut with the grain making it stringy. Franklin separates the flat from the point and slices the two muscles separately. Both meats had perfectly rendered intramuscular fat, but the crackle of the crust in the Franklin brisket was much more well defined.

Franklin Barbecue Brisket

The flavor differences were stunning. I had just eaten the Snow's brisket a few hours earlier, but I noticed so many more of the flavor intricacies after eating them together. Snow's dominant seasoning is salt where Franklin is black pepper. Franklin's brisket has a great smokiness from post oak as did Snow's, but the Snow's brisket had a sweetness like I'm used to getting at Cooper's where they use coals for the cooking. While it's tough to declare a winner, and unfair given the timely advantages that the Franklin brisket got, I still prefer Franklin by a hair. My dining mate that day gave it a push and my friend who I delivered a pound of each to preferred Snow's. So goes the very unscientific method of comparing smoked meats, and the real winner is me because I got to eat both briskets on the same day.

- BBQ Snob

Love's Texas Style BBQ

2011-09-23T08:55:00.000-05:00

CHILLICOTHE: Love's Texas Style BBQ
14211 US Hwy 287 S
Chillicothe, TX 79225
940-852-5400
Open Tues-Thur 11-8, F-Sat 11-9
lovesbbq.net

Chillicothe, Texas, population 707 is one of the smaller towns I've had reason to stop in, but it has a solid barbecue joint. A metal building sits along highway 287 in the middle of town, and I could smell smoke when I got out of the car. Inside were posters from local tractor pulls and exposed sprayed-on insulation in the ceiling. Homemade sausage was on the menu, so my three meat combo was complete.

St. Louis ribs were well smoked and had a heavy salt, cayenne and black pepper rub for a bold flavor. The meat could have been more tender, but this was good BBQ. Brisket also had good smoke, but it was too tender and even soggy from what was probably a long bout of improper storage. The fat was well rendered and the flavor was fine, but it would have been better fresh.

The best item here was the fresh homemade German sausage. The coarsely ground meat was laced with a good level of spice and herbs, and the casing was slightly charred while retaining a good snap. These deeply smoky links came with some sauerkraut and were made to be dabbed in some mustard rather than barbecue sauce. The people of Chillicothe are lucky to have such good barbecue joint given just how far the decent barbecue is spread out in these parts.

Rating ***

Dallas is Changing Its Mind About BBQ

2011-09-21T19:48:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote for Texas Monthly about a renaissance in the barbecue scene of Dallas. Today I feel vindicated with the announcement of the Dallas Observer's Best of Dallas Awards. The critics at the Observer bestowed three awards on rookie Lockhart Smokehouse for their sausage, shoulder clod and their indecisiveness, and Smoke was given a nod for the Big Rib. They then saved their big smoked meat award for Pecan Lodge which was named "Best Barbecue". These announcements themselves are not groundbreaking. Any critics paying attention in this town know that these two joints are raising the bar for barbecue. Just two months ago D Magazine beat the Observer to the punch with recognition for Pecan Lodge, but that pesky "Reader's Choice" award in the August issue of D was for Sonny Bryan's once again.

As I read through the results in the Observer today, I wholly expected to see Dickey's or Sonny Bryan's listed in their Reader's Choice section just like they have been since the list began twelve years ago (Dickey's with six and Sonny Bryan's with five). Then I saw it on the page. The readers showed a liking for some serious barbecue, and more votes were cast for Lockhart Smokehouse than any other tired barbecue joints that had stopped striving for excellence years ago. Back in that Texas Monthly column, I said "Dallas diners hopefully will soon demand nothing short of great BBQ", and now I'm beginning to think we all are getting to be a discerning bunch. Good work Dallas, and keep it up. I'm proud of you.

- BBQ Snob

Paula's Bar-B-Q

2011-09-21T08:52:00.001-05:00

DUMAS: Paula's Bar-B-Q
324 South Dumas Avenue
Dumas, TX 79029
806-935-7425
Open

Update: The owners sold the place just a few weeks after my visit. It is now a Mexican restaurant that also serves BBQ, but no ham. Paula's is now CLOSED.

2011: Real cowboys occupied the tables in this bright dining room, and looked on with curiosity at the guy snapping away with his fancy camera. The owners didn't seem to mind as they filled our order. After ordering a combo plate the man working the regsiter inquired about our plans and I told him that we were headed to Dalhart for the XIT Rodeo and barbecue. In a parental tone he reminded me that we'd have to wait until Saturday for the event. In a respectful tone, I reminded him that it was Saturday.

Crisp and fresh cole slaw, crisp fried okra and crunchy onion rings were all superb. Ham is not something I generally order. It was moist and very salty with little smoke. Brisket was very average. The gray meat was overly trimmed, a bit dry and needed smoke. Ribs had a bit more smoke, but tasted like they'd been stored for a while. The meat was tender and moist, and the flavor was helped with a dip into the sauce. Given the quality of the sides, I was hoping for more with the meat. Maybe it would have better at the lunch rush instead of mid afternoon, but it just wasn't great meat on this visit.

Rating **

Barbecue Any Old Time: Blues From The Pit 1927-1942

2011-09-20T08:15:00.007-05:00

For decades John Morthland has been writing about music for the likes of Creem, Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly. He has also been part of every Texas Monthly Top 50 tasting team to date, and provided an essay in one of my favorite Texas BBQ books. His barbecue and music credentials are staggering which is why I am so pleased that he chose this blog to express his thoughts on a new compilation released today called Barbecue Any Old Time: Blues From The Pit 1927-1942. Take it away John:

If you think barbecue and blues are inseparable today, you should have been around in the 1930s. It was a time when recordings were finally blowing sheet music away as the primary means of selling music. And it was a time when barbecue joints were replacing occasional family and community gatherings as the primary venue in the South for smoked meats, as pointed out in this CD’s liner notes by Tom Hanchett, staff historian at the Museum of the New South in Charlotte NC. One of the results of the confluence of these two developments is the 24 tracks by various musicians compiled on Barbecue Any Old Time: Blues from the Pit 1927-1942.

Old Hat Records is a specialty label run by 78 rpm record collector Marshall Wyatt out of his home in Raleigh NC. In the past, he has released anthologies of African-American fiddle music, medicine show songs, hillbilly blues and other vernacular American sounds. The music is digitally remastered and exquisitely packaged, with period photos and extensive liner notes; this one is no exception, and it makes for a romping good time.

For one thing, this was also an era when black Americans (then the sole market for this music) didn’t really distinguish between jazz and blues; though more than a few of these tracks featuring horns and piano are what we now label “jazz,” back then they were usually lumped in with guitar blues, and combining them here lends this package both variety and swing. And even the guitar blues are the more ragtimey, Piedmont blues of the East Coast, jaunty and upbeat compared to the darker sounds of the Mississippi Delta (where the musicians, when their stomachs started growling, were more likely to sing about “hot tamales, baby”). Finally, the good-timing tunes here are what the music industry called “novelty songs,” “double entendre” blues even though in reality their entendre couldn’t be much more single. (It does not take a whole lot of brainpower, after all, to figure out what Charlie Campbell means when he sings, over a plunkety-plunk rhythm, “Pepper Sauce Mama, you make my meat red hot.”)

That kind of party atmosphere prevails from beginning to end. Hanchett argues that these lyrics reflect the increased affluence of black Americans recently moved from the country to the city; in his view, barbecue became analogous then to the bling of today’s hip-hoppers, a prestige commodity available to anyone with the bucks to pay for it and the desire to flaunt it. I fear he’s stretching the point a little too far here; these songs could just as easily be celebrating the ability of poor people to make the most out of what little they are able to obtain. But in either case, barbecue is synonymous with good times. In fact, even the bad times are good when they’re described with the sly humor of “Big Boy” Teddy Edwards in “Who Did You Give My Barbecue To, Parts 1 and 2.” Brownie McGhee reworked that song slightly and claimed it as his own on “Barbecue Any Old Time.”

You want wacky? Bogus Ben Covington’s one-of-a-kind, mock-gospel “I Heard the Voice of a Pork Chop” satirizes the Scottish hymn “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.” (Covington also worked carnival sideshows as “The Human Pretzel.”) Back on the sexual front, Bessie Jackson (aka Lucille Bogan), supported by Josh White on guitar and Walter Roland on piano, offers her tender “barbecue” for sale “behind the jail” on the seductive “Barbecue Bess,” while Savannah Churchill, over a nifty jazz septet, throws her hat in the ring boasting “Fat Meat Is Good Meat.” Memphis Minnie, with her wicked guitar and lusty vocals, raves about her man’s “Pig Meat on the Line.” Georgia White applies a little more polish to her version of “Pigmeat Blues,” which features a 20-year-old guitarist named Les Paul making his recording debut. Then there’s Vance Dixon and His Pencils with the comical tall tale “Meat Man Pete (Pete, the Dealer in Meat),” Hank Jones and His Ginger (actually, guitar whiz Lonnie Johnson and his brother James) with the ethereal, otherworldly instrumental “Barbecue Blues”—if I die of overeating, this is what I’ll want played at my funeral--and the husband-and-wife vaudeville team Hunter and Jenkins with the insinuating “Meat Cuttin’ Blues.” And talk about your party atmosphere: high-pitched Frankie “Half Pint” Jaxon, arguably the Jimmy Scott of his time, kicks the album off with “Down at Jaspers Bar-B-Que,” an excited survey of the goings-on at an establishment owned by Chicago drummer Jasper Taylor.

But when it comes to the pairing of music with barbecue, one Robert Hicks takes the prize. He was the pitmaster and waiter at Tidwell’s Barbecue Place, in the upscale Atlanta suburb of Buckhead. A nimble 12-string guitarist and expressive singer, he was also the evening’s entertainment there. In 1927, he cut his debut single, the forlorn “Barbecue Blues,” bearing the immortal line “So glad good looks don’t take you through this world.” Columbia Records changed his name to Barbecue Bob and promoted the single with photos of him in chef’s whites and advertising copy that dripped with barbecue clichés (“cooked to a turn,” “plenty of vocal seasoning,” etc.) It was a hit, and Barbecue Bob went on to make a total of 62 recordings over the next three years before dying of pneumonia at age 29. In a more just world, he would be a genuine American culture hero.

(For more information about Barbecue Any Old Time: Blues from the Pit 1927-1942, check out the web site Old Hat Records)

- John Morthland

BBQ Book Review: The Art of Beef Cutting

2011-09-15T08:36:00.000-05:00

Title: The Art of Beef Cutting
Author: Kari Underly
Published: 2011, Wiley

Raw meat can look pretty good on a page when butchery and artistry come together. This new book by third generation meat cutter Kari Underly is both stunningly beautiful and staggeringly informative. Kari has channeled her twenty-five years of butchery experience into winning meat cutting competitions, consulting with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to develop new cuts of meat, and now into this book project.

The book takes the beeve down one primal at a time showing diagrams of just how to break down those large muscle groups. Each individual cut get its own page for an incredible detailed look at American butchery techniques. As the author puts it "this book is a comprehensive guide to the latest cutting techniques, as well as the fundamentals of beef merchandising. I designed it to be an ideal reference and training tool for retailers, chefs, culinary schools and even enthusiastic home butchers who are eager to master the basics of meat fabrication." In addition to the guide to beef cuts there is an explanation of cattle breeds, beef grading and the knives you'll need for carving.

A whole shoulder clod from page 62

When the book arrived (gratis) at my door from the publisher, my first target was page where I could find my friend the brisket. This cut is made up of two muscles (deep pectoral or flat and the superficial pectoral or point) and comes from the long winded "Brisket/Shank Plate Flank" primal. Also featured is the shoulder clod (pictured above, and on pages 62-69) that can be smoked whole like they do at Kreuz and Smitty's or it can be broken down into more familiar and manageable cuts like top blade steaks or flat iron steaks (which Kari helped develop). It was also enlightening to explore the rib area to see just where the different types of beef ribs come from. Back ribs (page 80) are those formerly attached to the prime rib, so the meat is cut pretty close to the bone so as to allow that meat to sell for ribeye prices. Short ribs (page 137) are from the portion of long ribs just below the rib primal. They can be cut crosswise like you'll generally see at the grocery store, or kept whole like they do at Louie Mueller, Smoke and Lockhart Smokehouse.

A Short Rib (pre-sliced) from Lockhart Smokehouse

While I probably won't be buying any sides of beef to break down a home now that I have this book, it will certainly prove useful for that purpose to any aspiring butchers. For me it was fascinating to see the whole cow laid out so cleanly on the pages with such great explanations about how to create and use each cut. Now I'm just waiting for Volume 2 so we can adequately explore the pig together.

- BBQ Snob

Franklin Barbecue

2011-09-13T08:32:00.001-05:00

AUSTIN: Franklin Barbecue
900 E 11th St
Austin, TX 78702
512-653-1187
Open Tues-Sun 11-meat runs out
www.franklinbarbecue.com/

Update: The music was blaring and my regard for the speed limit was waning. I'd just finished a hearty breakfast of brisket and brisket at Snow's in Lexington, and I was racing time to get a spot in line at Franklin Barbecue on a Saturday morning. I'd heard from the Twitterverse that lines were still sane one hour before opening at 10:00 am, but I hadn't factored in the start of another semester at UT. Hungry folks had already filled the entry ramp and the line was slinking down the parking area to a spot beyond the building when I arrived at 10:15. I couldn't count how many were in front of me, but when Aaron Franklin spotted me in line and came over to chat, he said that I didn't want to know the truth about when I'd probably eat. A nice girl came through the line asking for orders, but only to estimate how long the food would last. At opening time there were probably seventy people behind me. Some of them would get the bad news that the meat wouldn't hold out that long and had to leave. Just before noon I made it inside the door just after watching a few disappointed carloads pull up to be met with the infamous "SOLD OUT" sign. They had not been informed of the dedication required to get a taste of this meat made famous all over the country by the likes of the New York Times, the San Francisco Gate and Bon Appetit.

Over 100 degrees outside

About 90 degrees inside

I was meeting a Swedish photographer interested in Texas BBQ, but I'm not sure if he knew what he was in for in regards to the line or the food, but the black jeans and boots coupled with the look on his face after the first bite told me 'no' on both counts.

Aaron Franklin, owner and pitmaster

Finally at the counter at 12:25, owner and pitmaster Aaron Franklin was a busy man wielding a large knife. I won't pretend that I was there unnoticed. Aaron and I know each other well after running into one another at various BBQ events and many visits to his old trailer up the road. My friend, on the other hand, was a new face so he suggested we get a taste of everything. I agreed and made a special request for a thick end cut from the coal black brisket.

Photo by C.C Ekström

A few slices of both fatty and lean brisket were included along with a thick pork rib, a juicy sausage link and a generous helping of pulled pork. We downed a few fist fulls of the moist pork that is truly pulled from whole shoulders. The meat has a subtle smoke with great seasoning and a splash of vinegar sauce just before serving to finish it. Thick pork spare ribs are much more aggressively seasoned with black pepper and smoke. The meat came easily from the bone, and it is incredible moist from all that perfectly rendered fat. The sausage isn't house made, but made especially for Franklin to their owns specifications. The links had great snap, were nicely moist and had great beefy flavor.

Photo by C.C Ekström

After plowing through the other meat selections, it was time for the highlight of the visit and the best brisket in Texas. As my Swedish friend reached for the brisket slices, I stopped him short in order to taste a chunk of the burnt end. His eyes had the look of a smoked meat epiphany, and I too was enjoying a moment across the table. The luscious fat, the thick smoky crust, the black pepper and the tender beef made for one perfect bite of smoked brisket. The slices, while a bit less potent, were no less incredible and truly worth the wait.

Photo by C.C Ekström

As I left I wondered if I would brave that line again. I passed that old trailer now on display and remembered a time where my group sat alone in that old gravel lot enjoying some fine brisket. Hopefully that new behemoth smoker really does cut down on that line.

Already garnering the highest rating on this blog, I found no reason to cut their score even with the new location. Aaron Franklin, it seems, can do no wrong with a smoker.

Rating ****** (still 6)

2010: Just before the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival, I met up with John Morthland at Franklin Barbecue to talk BBQ, and get some breakfast. I knew I'd be stuffing myself silly in an hour or so, but I can't rightly pass a chance to get some of Aaron Franklin's brisket when I'm mere minutes away. A line had already formed 15 minutes before opening on Sunday morning, but the line moved quickly once the gate was slid open. With two combo plates between us, John and were able to sample all four meats.

Just watching the brisket being cut here is like having a preview bite. I've seen so many sad looking slices of smoked beef, that I can already tell it's going to taste bad. On the other side of the spectrum, with the smell and the dripping juices, I felt like I could taste this stuff just because it looks so damn good. Thankfully I got a real live taste, and it was glorious. The fat at the end of the thick slice had melted into the peppery rub to create and airy, juicy, salty flavor bomb of a bite. Every bite thereafter was perfectly smokey and silky tender with plenty of rendered fat to keep things well lubed.

Aaron is no less talented with his pork. The salt and pepper rub on each rib acts as the natural compliment to the smokiness that permeates the meat. The ribs are well cooked with a level of tenderness that finds the right balance where just a slight tug is required to release meat cleanly from bone. Pulled pork has even more intense flavor. A mixture of pork, fat, crust and a finishing sauce create the right balance of flavors. It's moist without being soggy, and has just the right touch on the seasoning. I kept shoveling fork fulls even after I'd determined to save room for the meat coming at the Festival.

The sausage is made by the Texas Sausage Company in Austin. After trying dozens of homemade sausages in the area, this one had a flavor I just couldn't pin down. The juiciness gave away the high level of pork, and the flavor of beef was evident, but there was a richness that I could only equate to organ meat (I guessed liver). Aaron Franklin confirmed in an email conversation that he has them add some beef heart in there for the added twist. This surely doesn't please every palate, but I find this bold move a good way to make a personal mark on the local sausage scene. Aaron also mentioned he's still not satisfied with the grind, and they're trying to work out that final kink. Still tweaking in pursuit of ultimate perfection.

Over at the Festival, John and I tried and tried to find a sample that matched the quality at Franklin. I know they were all cooking remotely at the Long Center, but even the best of the best in Texas could not surpass what that little trailer can put out, and it's that good on every visit. Based on such high quality and dogged consistency, this is nothing short of the best brisket in Texas.

With all the success, and the growing lines, I had to ask when the expansion is coming. Aaron's quick response was "Actually, I'm welding on the new smoker right now...should be ready next week....and we are planning on being in a building by the end of the year! That trailer was great way to start but has really become a limiting factor....I can't wait to make things bigger, better, easier and more consistent..." Now that's what a dedicated pitmaster does on his day off, but I'm not sure there's much room for improvement.

03/2010: Just before the Gettin' Sauced event, I stopped in again at Franklin Barbecue to try the ribs and pulled pork. I knew the brisket was stellar from previous visits (I stole a bite or two from the Patron Saint on this trip too), so I wanted to check on the other meats.

The ribs were just as good as the first visit. A well formed bark was covered with a rub heavy in black pepper. The meat came easily from the bone with just a little tooth tug, and the flavor was incredible. The pulled pork equaled the ribs in flavor. The mixture of moist fat, smoky bark and tender meat came together for a taste explosion. This was some of the best pork I've eaten. It seems there's nothing Aaron Franklin hasn't mastered.

01/2010: I stopped in at Franklin BBQ on my way back from San Antonio one Sunday morning about a month ago. I'm just now getting to write about it, but the flavor of that brisket lingers in my mind still. It was 10:45 when I stepped up to the locked chain link gate and Aaron, the owner, was arranging picnic tables in the front getting ready for his 11:00 opening bell. I sat there like a sad puppy dog until he unlocked the gate and happily invited me in for a few slices off the brisket he was just pulling from the pit.

We chatted for a bit as he unwrapped and sliced the meat, but I cut the conversation short knowing he had to get back to work, and I had to have some alone time with this beautiful beef in my front seat (too cold for picnic tables). I took a few bites, and the flavor was incredible. I had ordered the fatty cut on my previous visit, but lean cuts are more suited for brunch. The heavy black pepper rub helped create a crispy crust on the meat that also packed a wallop of smoke. Although this was lean brisket, the meat was incredibly moist and perfectly tender. After a few luxurious slices, I wrapped it back up and headed out onto I-35 back to Dallas.

As the radio played, I contemplated if this was the finest brisket that I've ever eaten as it called to me beneath the thin, greasy, and now transparent yellow paper. As I eyed the interstate with one eye, the other was watching as I carefully unwrapped the meat for another go. As the salty flesh passed my lips, I realized how an appropriate song can add so much to a special moment.

Now there are songs with a manufactured timeliness like playing Brad Paisley's "Alcohol" during an all night kegger. Of course it fits when everyone's already consuming the title. But then there's the true timeliness of a song like when you've suffered through years of mediocre smoked beef and you're driving in the car and a perfect sugar cookie from a perfect slice of brisket melts on your tongue, and as it traces down your throat you hear Eddie Money shout "I think I'm in love!" That's timeliness.

01/2010: It's been a while since I've found an honest "sugar cookie" on my brisket, but as I waited for my order to be filled, owner and pitmaster Aaron Franklin handed me a preview morsel from the fatty end of the brisket and the flavor was transcendent. If I lived in Austin, I would go here everyday if I could be guaranteed a bite like that one.

The other exciting part about this visit was that it became the first official joint review for FCGBBQ and the boys over at Man Up Texas BBQ. Drew and Brad met me in the cold weather to dine alfresco, but our hearts were soon warmed by some excellent smoked meat.

Brisket can be ordered fatty or lean, so we tried both. The fatty brisket had lots of beautifully rendered fat throughout the meat, and nearly melted in the mouth. The smokiness along with the great flavor from the rub created nearly perfect slices...just nearly perfect because the lean slices were the definition of perfection. Each slice had an great crust, a beautiful smokering and a nice morsel of buttery fat clinging to the meat.

A heavy salt and black pepper covered the large spare ribs. Each rib had not a speck of unrendered fat, and the meat pulled from the bone with just a slight tug from the teeth. The texture of the meat was great, but it was bettered by the intense flavor.

Side items included a good potato salad very heavy on the mustard, and some fairly bland pintos. A bourbon banana pudding put a fitting cap on the meal, as Aaron passed out large free samples to the group. Afterward, he showed us his pit enclosed in the sheet metal shed. He brought the pit over from John Mueller's old place on Manor Road, where he got his introduction into BBQ.

Aaron spent a few years perfecting his craft while smoking in the backyard until the crowds that gathered started to outgrow his space. At that point he knew it was the right time to open up a place of his own. Lucky for us.

Gettin' Sauced 2011 Recap

2011-09-12T08:08:00.007-05:00

It was the hottest day* in the hottest summer in Austin, and I was planning to eat dozens of barbecue sauce. There was no air conditioning, but I was at least in the shade of an Independence Brewery warehouse drinking plenty of their cold brews.

Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, Austin

Caroline Thornley [Birmingham, AL]

In addition to plenty of sauce, there was a lot of barbecue to consume. Aaron Franklin of Austin's ultra-popular Franklin Barbecue was passing out Tipsy Texan sandwiches and John Mueller of the soon to open J Mueller BBQ had dozens of links of his special recipe sausage. I didn't get to try either, but John's sausage was gone in less than an hour.

Drew Thornley and John Mueller

Caroline Thornley [Birmingham, AL]

The event was the second annual Gettin' Sauced organized by Brad and Drew from Man Up Texas BBQ. This year was on a whole other level from the previous year with what seemed like ten times the attendance. I know the sauce entries shot up from 40ish in 2010 to 185 this year.

Brad Istre and Drew Thornley

Caroline Thornley [Birmingham, AL]

The judge's table was plenty of fun. I met a few new faces and saw some old friends.

Chris Reid, Drew and me

Caroline Thornley [Birmingham, AL]

Big Red was the official beverage of the event.

Judge Robert Sierra and a Big Red

Caroline Thornley [Birmingham, AL]

Across the table from me was the Daytripper himself, Chet Garner. If you haven't seen his show on PBS, then check it out. He travels around Texas to interesting destinations, and most importantly, enjoys a ton of barbecue along the way.

Judge Chet Garner

In all, I probably ate eighty or so samples of sauce. I was ready for some meat.

Sauce Fatigue

After several hours of sauce ingestion, the votes were tallied. Black's in Lockhart had a great showing as did Two Bros. Market in San Antonio.

Fresh Division Winners:
1. Black's Habanero
2. Black's Smokey
3. Two Bros. Sweet
4. Two Bros. Tamarind
5. Shiner R&B The Great White Hope - Alabama White Sauce

Bottled Division Winners:
1. Old Timer Gourmet
2. DennyMike's Carolina Style
3. Desert Smoke Sweet & Spicy
4. Grumpy's Black Label
5. Grumpy's Goodnight-Loving

For a full list of winners, check Man Up's site.

Event Photographer Caroline Thornley

Caroline Thornley [Birmingham, AL]

I'm looking forward to the event getting even bigger next year, and I know Drew and Brad are already planning 2012. I just hope they find a cooler day or an air conditioned judge's chambers.

*It was 110, and would be eclipsed by a 112 degree day the following day when I was judging a hot sauce festival, seriously.

- BBQ Snob

Dyer's Bar-B-Que (Amarillo)

2011-09-08T08:55:00.003-05:00

AMARILLO: Dyer's Bar-B-Que
1619 S Kentucky St
Amarillo, TX 79102
806-358-7104
Open M-Sat 11-10, Sun 11-9

Plaques and awards cover the wall in the entry lobby. Most awards are local and nearly all of them are for ribs. I was here to see if their brisket was any better than the Pampa location. I placed my to-go order at the front counter where a teen punk couldn't find the time to take the Skoal out of is lip before taking my order.

Back in the car, we had a glorious reunion with the onion rings we had come to love on this trip. The slaw and potato salad were great as well, but I do not yearn for them like the onion rings. Texas toast was fresh and that same apricot puree was there for dipping. Brisket was bit better than the other location. The smokiness was there, and the slice was good and moist, but it could have been more tender. Pork tenderloin was an exact replica of the bone dry slices we had in Pampa. As those plaques on the wall were an apt preview for the ribs. The flavor from the mesquite smoke was deep, and the sweet rub and heavyish glaze were a nice counterpoint to the smoke and heavy black pepper. While very similar in style, this location was just a cut above the one in Pampa.

Rating ***

Big Texan

2011-09-06T08:53:00.004-05:00

AMARILLO: Big Texan
7701 W Interstate 40
Amarillo, TX 79121
806-372-6000
Open Daily 7-10:30 (BBQ after 10:30)
http://www.bigtexan.com/

No, I did not get the 72 oz. steak or attempt the ridiculous eating challenge that The Big Texan is most well known for. I didn't even get a steak. A large table surrounded by high-backed chairs on raised platform sits just below the timer that would be counting down had some poor soul been attempting the famous challenge. The only challenge I had on this day was waiting until 10:00 am when the lunch menu was finally available. I know this place isn't a BBQ joint, but brisket, ribs and sausage are featured on their menu, it was open on a Sunday, and I happened to be staying at the adjoining motel the evening before. I was even berated on Twitter because this place is only for tourist. I was 500 miles from home, so I guess I fit the tourist definition.

What I quickly realized when the combo plate arrived was that many tourists assume this is real Texas barbecue. Unfortunately, none of these meats had even been licked by smoke. The ribs were tender with plenty of sauce flavor, but they had surely been baked. The same for the brisket that wasn't even a good representation of roast beef. From the salty flavor and overly moist texture, it may have been presliced and stored in broth. Sausage was large and mushy with odd flavors of aromatic spices. Again, any smoke flavor was missing. Sides of fried okra and mashed potatoes were also forgettable, but were at least more indicative of Texas cuisine than the barbecue. For the sake of this state's barbecue reputation, I hope the tourists stick with the steaks here.

Rating *

I'm Not Going Away, But...

2011-09-05T08:25:00.002-05:00

For the better part of the last three years, this blog has averaged 15-20 posts per month and provided almost 450 original BBQ joint reviews. This is quite a pace for a hobby that costs more than it earns, but it has been one of the most rewarding learning opportunities of my life. It's not quite to the level of learning how to keep tiny helpless humans alive from birth, but somewhere above perfecting that new macro in Excel at my day job. The inevitable moment has arrived where I must scale back a bit to focus on a big BBQ project that lies ahead. I'm going to attempt to produce a large number of written pages that others may find an interest in reading. This doesn't mean that new BBQ reviews won't be coming into your life, they'll just be a little less frequent. I expect to be able to keep putting out two per week given my current backlog and my insatiable appetite for barbecue discovery.

I hope y'all will be patient with me while I work my way through this process, and maybe this book may even be good enough for you to want to read. Wish me luck on my new adventures around this great state.

- BBQ Snob

John Mueller returning to Austin

2011-09-01T23:29:00.002-05:00

Update: Yes, there have been several such announcements, but this one comes from the man himself, and even includes a time of day. From @JMuellerBBQ on 9/2/11 "Monday September 26th at 10AM.... The new era of JMueller BBQ begins in Austin...This is not a tease!..1502 S.1st st.. See you There!!!!!"

9/1/11: I talked with John Mueller at the Gettin' Sauced event in Austin last weekend. He has scrapped plans to open on Shady Lane and instead will open in a trailer at:

1502 South First St.
Austin Texas 78704

He plans to open within the next three weeks and will operate out of a trailer until renovations are completed on the permanent building at the same site. At Gettin' Sauced he sold 400 links of special recipe sausage in 40 minutes, so maybe people are a little anxious for him to open.

6/2011: You may have heard that John Mueller has found an address for his new BBQ joint in Austin. It will be located in East Austin at 1109 Shady Lane (thanks Scrumptious Chef). It will be housed in the old house on the right pictured here.

Joe Nick Patoski has some opinions on John Mueller's BBQ which he shared in his recent article in the New York Times and a very old blog post from 2004 where he stated that "John Mueller sets the standard for great Texas barbecue". This was just a few sentences after scolding him for opening a second location seven long years ago. Much has also been made about the fact that John cooks hot and fast as opposed to Franklin's 18+ hours of smoking. I think all the hubbub is for naught considering that anyone who has enjoyed the meats from Kreuz Market, Smitty's or Cooper's have all enjoyed the fruits of hot and fast smoking.

This new joint certainly comes with high expectations given that John's old joint on Manor Road was one of Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ joints in 2003. It's no wonder he chose the folks at Texas Monthly for a special tasting two weeks ago. The tweet from @TMfood read "AUSTIN: We previewed John Mueller's barbecued brisket & beef ribs today--they rock & roll! He will open ~July 13 near Shady Ln & Airport." Now we all know when the rest of us can get a taste.

- BBQ Snob

2010: Back in 2001, John Mueller left the family business in Taylor (Louie Mueller Barbecue) to start his own place (reportedly without the family's blessing). He opened up on Manor Road in Austin, and was named to Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ joints by 2003. When the BBQ World Headquarters (also a TM Top 50 pick in 2003) was closing up shop, John decided to branch out to a second location in 2004. By early 2006, both joints had closed up and John Mueller was gone from Austin. JM then worked as the pit master in Bastrop in late 2006 at John Mueller Old Town BBQ, but that joint went south soon after it opened. It's really a sad tale of a great pit master with a string of unsuccessful business ventures.

Just yesterday, as I grabbed a bite of some incredible brisket at Franklin BBQ in Austin (review coming soon), John's name came up when discussing the pit used at Franklin which came out of John Mueller's place on Manor Road.

Then today comes word that he's moving back into Austin. Texas Monthly's Pat Sharpe reported the following on her blog:

"The most intriguing email of the last week came to us from John Mueller...'Have a very Happy New Year. Look for John Mueller BBQ in the very early 2010 in some form. Taking it to the streets and using Joe Nick’s advice of 1 brisket at a time.–Have a great day–John Mueller.'

So, I emailed John with a few questions and just heard back. He says: “Yes [the new operation] will be in Austin. I’m taking this slowly to ensure a successful comeback. My first plan is to vend in local clubs so I can reestablish my reputation and confidence. I will be looking for the exact right opportunity for a building.”

She got a bit more info than the cryptic e-mail I received from JM, which simply read, "I have information about John Mueller coming back to Austin. Please contact me." Either way, it looks like John is truly making his way back to a city that needs an infusion of good BBQ. I can't wait to get a bite.

- BBQ Snob

The DeMarias and DiMarias of Waco

2011-09-01T23:06:00.004-05:00

On visits separated by a few months, I visited both Jasper's and Tony DeMaria's BBQ in Waco. I made a misinformed comment about the origin of Tony DeMaria's and I recently received a note from Mr. DeMaria himself clearing up the confusion. Here is his detailed account for the history of Jasper's and Tony DeMaria's:

"Firstly, I noticed on the Jasper's review that you mistakenly wrote that Jasper's son opened Tony's down the street. This is a common misconception due to the fact that most of us Italians are inherently named Tony. The Original "Jasper" that opened Jasper's in 1919, named Jasper DiMaria later gave the restaurant to his son Tony DiMaria, who also went by the name Jasper. The biggest mistake often made is the fact that the younger "Jasper" had a 2nd cousin named Tony DeMaria Jr. when the family came to America through Galveston Harbor, the names were spoken and written in the way the immigration officer saw fit. Thus the slight differentiation in last names.

"Tony DeMaria Sr. had a grocery store and meat market at the time Jasper Sr. ran the BBQ joint. They were directly across the street from each other until the 30's when Tony Sr. moved to the building next door to the grocery store where it would remain until 1995. Both Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. were drafted for WWII at the same time so the store had to close for a while. Tony Jr. resumed business in 1946 as a meat and grocery market.

"Over time, Tony Jr. began cooking and serving sandwiches on the side. Eventually customers insisted on having a place to sit so Jr. moved a row of groceries out and put in a picnic table. After a fews years had passed, all of the groceries were practically gone and there were several tables taking there place. This is how Tony DeMaria's BBQ really found its place.

"Tony Jr. ran the restaurant for 40 years until his youngest son, Geoff, took over. Geoff, my uncle, is still the owner of the establishment and in his early years of ownership completely ended the grocery market to become a full fledged bbq restaurant. In 1995, Geoff built the metal building and brought the business to its current resting place 4 blocks down Elm Street from the original two locations."

I appreciated Tony not taking offense to my lack of fact checking and my less than complimentary assessment of his brisket. I need to get down there to give it another shot and get some of those ribs.

- BBQ Snob