House Park Bar-B-Que

AUSTIN: House Park Bar-B-Que
900 W. 12th
Austin, TX 78703
512-472-9621
Open M-F 11-2:30

houseparkbbq.com

If you followed Mike Sutter's Austin City Limits BBQ search over at Fed Man Walking, then you've seen the gist of this review. Mike put this jint into a context of Austin barbecue as far from the city's best, and it was also disappointing on a statewide level. Owe it to the very limited hours, but I had this place at the top of my to-do list for some time. This Dallasite had little chance of ever eating here during a weekday lunch until I happened to be in town on a Tuesday on other business. Nick and I met Mike out front at one of a few picnic tables that provide most of the joint's seating. Inside we ordered at a counter in the small interior that was bathed in oak smoke. Just by the smell, my anticipation heightened.

We soon had two plates. One with sausage and fatty brisket and the other with a the trio of smoked chicken, lean brisket and pork loin. The trinity of Texas BBQ sides - slaw, beans and potato salad  - graced the first plate. These were the best items on the menu.

Of the meats, we found the sausage to be the only one worth a second bite. The generous fat kept it from drying out completely like the rest of the meat, but you better believe that casing was crisp. These links come from the same Texas Sausage company where Franklin Barbecue has their links made, and the similarities (strong beefy flavor and loads of black pepper) are obvious. Ribs are the hardest of the usual Texas BBQ menu to screw up, but they aren't offered here. The rest of the menu highlights how easily the other classic barbecue items can go off the rails when they aren't tended to properly. Lean brisket was hopelessly dry. My mouth couldn't produce enough saliva to get it down without the aid of some iced tea. Some of the oakiness could be detected in the portions of the crust that weren't trimmed away, but the overall flavor was muddled. Fatty brisket to the rescue, right? Wrong. It too was dried beyond the point where the poorly rendered fat could do any good. The explanation is most likely that it was less than fresh.

Skin-on chicken is a challenging item to smoke well in order to crisp the skin and keep the meat moist. These mahogany skinned pieces provided neither of these positive qualities. The meat from the legs tore away like string cheese while my molars squeaked a bit while trying to down a few bites of white meat. The pork loin's surface was that of shag carpet. All of the moisture was gone which would otherwise bind the errant strands of protein like a squirt of hair mousse on a frizzled dome. These were meats beyond their prime and beyond repair. You may get by without 'teef' to eat this beef as their sign advertises, but you'll definitely need plenty to wash it down with.

Rating *

Hardeman's BBQ (Garland)

GARLAND: Hardeman's Bar-B-Que 

4122 Broadway 

Garland, TX 75043 

214-703-0188 

Open M-Thur 11-10, F-Sat 11-midnight, Sun 11-5

The Hardeman's chain once consisted of four locations in Dallas. Until late last year the only one operating was in Oak Cliff on Westmoreland. In this newer location in Garland an old Sonic was hastily renovated. An Oyler smoker (a good sign) was plunked down beside the building and a few banners were hung. The old Sonic awning is still there, but don't sit out there waiting for the car hop. They ain't coming.

Inside is a small counter with a steam table holding the veggies. I ordered a combo plate to go and it was prepared in the back. The sauced and foiled meat was accompanied by cabbage and greens (I was running low on roughage) and after having such good luck with banana pudding at the Westmoreland location, I grabbed an order here.

There's no seating inside, so I dined on the car trunk once again. Brisket was so overdone that I couldn't grasp a solid slice. The beef was dry even with the sauce bath as were the ribs. Odom's in West Dallas, which used to be a Hardeman's and is still run by the family, has some of my favorite saucy ribs in town, but I doubt these bones in Garland were what Chester Hardeman envisioned when he started the business in 1930. Besides being dry they lacked smoke and were most likely smoked the day prior. On a good note the sides were both excellent in their simplicity and the pudding was as good as I remembered from the other location. I still can't nail down where the unique tanginess comes from, but there's got to be some buttermilk or cream cheese in the recipe. There may be many reasons to visit a particular barbecue joint, but banana pudding alone is not reason enough here.

Rating *

Smitty’s Pit Bar-B-Q

EL PASO: Smitty's Pit Bar-B-Q

6219 Airport Rd

El Paso, TX 79925

915-772-5876

Open M-Sat 10:30-9

Barbecue joints in El Paso can be commended for a couple of things - staying open late and serving beef ribs. We rolled into town late, but still made it to Smitty's and hour before closing time. I know that barbecue is at its best around lunchtime, but if you're going to be open late then you should make some provisions to be able to put out good food all day. I placed an order for three meats a la carte at the bar then went outside to dine on the trunk.

The blazing exterior lighting didn't do much to make the food look appetizing, but their wasn't much to enjoy. The brisket had the texture of a soaked sponge after hours under the heat lamp. Not a lick of the mesquite smoke was evident on the meat. I couldn't stomach more than one bite. The pork ribs were a workout. A heavily salty rub covered the super tough meat. These bones didn't want to be exposed. Beef back ribs are rarely cooked long enough to get the measly bit of meat between the bones to a pleasingly tender point, and Smitty's hasn't mastered these behemoths. Ripping a bite form the stringy beef was a chore without a payoff. I had literally taken a half dozen bites from this box and I was done. We left with the hope that some of El Paso's other late night options would prove more skilled with the mesquite smoke.

Rating *