New Zion Missionary Baptist Church Barbecue

HUNTSVILLE: New Zion Missionary Baptist Church Barbecue
2601 Montgomery Rd
Huntsville, TX 77340
936-294-0884
Open Thur-Sat 11-7

Sometimes known as the "Church of the Holy Smoke", this joint is a destination for BBQ lovers all over the state. It has made it onto countless "best of" lists when Texas BBQ is being discussed, and the church's incredible story has been told in magazines and television. Needless to say, this was a must see destination for myself, Smokemasterone, and Smokey D. The trip down to Huntsville flew by on a rainy Saturday morning, and we got into town before they opened. We spent our extra time at McKenzie's BBQ down the street since it opened earlier. We paced ourselves at the warm-up joint, so we were salivating when we pulled into the parking lot and drove past the prominently placed smoker.

The place was empty right at 11:00 when we entered, and we could see smoked meat piled into warming cookers behind the counter. The obvious choice was to get a sampling of meats which included sausage, chicken, brisket and ribs. Buttermilk pie could not be resisted, nor could a few cans of Dr. Pepper.



As the meat arrived at our table, we couldn't wait to dig in. I grabbed a pork rib first. It took quite an effort to pry meat from bone, but the huge spare ribs had a good level of smokiness. Cooked too fast and too short, there was still plenty of unrendered fat. Chicken had decent smokiness and overall flavor, but the white meat was terribly dry, and the skin on all the cuts was still chewy. Sausage was the best with plenty of black pepper and a nice snap. I tried the brisket last hoping for the best. I could see the gray slices sitting on the platter while I ate the other meats, and the lack of guttoral sounds from my tablemates was a bad omen. The slices were chewy and lacked any sort of crust, smoke ring, or smokiness. The meat tasted like nothing more than baked roast beef.

After all the hype, our carload of hopefulness was dashed. I know that the place is run by the church, so the staff is not always the same, but I'm not sure of the role of pit master is shared. If so, it may explain why our trip was so disappointing, but I'd assume they'd have their "A" team working on a Saturday. Either way it's going to be hard to justify another three hour drive to test the theory. If you make the trip, by all means I want to hear about your experience. Just be sure to get the sausage and buttermilk pie in case all else fails.

Rating **

McKenzie's Bar-B-Que

HUNTSVILLE: McKenzie's Bar-B-Que
1706 11th St
Huntsville, TX 77340
936-291-7347
Open M-Thur 10:30-8, F-Sat 10:30-9
www.mckenziesbarbeque.com

McKenzie's was more of a convenient stop in Huntsville rather than a destination. We were on our way to New Zion BBQ, but McKenzie's was open a bit earlier, and they're just down the road. We were glad we stopped in this odd strip center which includes a Tractor Supply Company, a local gym and a McKenzie's Burger location.



Sliced pork is not often found on Texas BBQ menus, so we opted for that as the fourth meat in addition to ribs, brisket and a hot link. The moist and tender pork was very good with a good smokiness and and incredibly flavored crust. The ribs had a heavy black pepper rub, and most of the flavor came from that and the sweet glaze rather than smoke. The meat had good tenderness and was nicely moist. The brisket had a great crust with some fat left on each slice. The bark almost broke when I bit into it, and it had a nice level of smoke. The slices were moist and had great overall flavor. The medium grind hot link had great flavor and a late heat. The natural casing gave it a nice snap, and it was the best of the meats.

This joint was a good warm-up to New Zion. We didn't know until our visit to the Church of the Holy Smoke that McKenzie's is the better 'cue in Huntsville.

Rating ***

BBQ in the News

Texas BBQ has been in quite a few news stories over the last month.

The Dallas Business Journal did a profile on Sadler's Smokehouse, which was a recent contestant in this blog's Vacuum Packed Brisket Battle.

The Dallas Morning News' food critic, Leslie Brenner, made her way down to Huntsville for some 'cue at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church a.k.a. The Church of the Holy Smoke. She loved the meat, and appreciated the value as well.

NewsOK.com did a video profile and a very positive review of BBQ Chop Shop in OKC.

Robb Walsh of the Houston Press christens Mustang Creek B-B-Q as the joint with the best brisket in the state. It's a long drive from here to Louise, Texas, but I'll make it a point to get there when I'm in the area.

Finally, a group from the Dallas Morning News used Full Custom Gospel BBQ as their guide for a trip to the mecca of BBQ, Central Texas. Read about their road trip here.

- BBQ Snob

Saveur: The Texas Issue

Saveur Magazine's June 2009 issue (#121) is dedicated to Texas cuisine. As you may have guessed, Texas BBQ is heavily represented. BBQ was featured in no less than 6 of the 24 things they liked best about Texas. Whether they were discussing mesquite wood, Texas beef, slow smoked brisket, or the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, my mouth was watering from cover to cover. One of my favorite books, Texas BBQ, even got a mention.

Also, while looking back at other Saveur issues, I found this one on different rib cuts in issue #118. Good stuff.

-BBQ Snob