Carter's Bar-B-Que

LONGVIEW: Carter's Bar-B-Que
519 South Eastman Rd.
Longview, TX 75602
903-236-3271
Open M-Sat 11-7

Rarely have a seen a more skilled carver than the guy at Carter's. I was actually happy to have a line of people in front of me just so I could watch him work. It took him no time to carve through a whole brisket for the bulk orders of the hungry diners before me, but as I watched it was clear that I'd be eating some dry brisket. You could almost see the surface of the meat curling up as it dried on the cutting block immediately after slicing. When I got to the counter, the cashier raved about the turkey, so we added it to our tasting of the menu.

The beef had some smokiness in the crust, but the rest of the slice was just poor roast beef. Even with the dry brisket, the cheap and fatty commercial sausage was the worst item on the plate. Thick slices of deli turkey had a solid smokiness, but I just can't get behind using the term barbecue for something that belongs in the deli case. The boudin was good and smoky with a casing that had been smoked long enough to be crisp with just the right chew.

Overcooked ribs had the texture of stewed pork. They must have been wrapped during smoking, and the sweet glaze didn't help with crust formation. There wasn't much smokiness in the meat. They needed more help than the sauce.

The most successful menu item was the Carter's Special. This unholy sounding mash-up of chopped beef, sliced boudin, beans, barbecue sauce and onions actually worked well together. The chopped and sauced beef hid its dryness with a good sauce and the hearty and well seasoned pintos were a good addition. The dish alone would make quite a meal, but it's not enough to make Carter's a real barbecue destination in East Texas.

Rating **

Neely's Brown Pig

MARSHALL: Neely's Brown Pig
1404 East Grand Ave.
Marshall, TX 75670
903-935-9040
Open Tues-Thur 10-3, F 10-7, Sat 10-5

This wasn't a planned stop, but when I saw the simple brown pig cut-out on a pole alongside the road, I had to pull over. I didn't realize I was stepping into history until I noticed a sign commemorating the opening and learned the place opened in 1927. Their signature sandwich is the "Brown Pig" which is much like the “Pig Sandwich” first served at the old Pig Stands in Dallas and still found at the Van’s Pig Stand chain in Oklahoma. Here at Neely’s the brown pig sandwich is so popular that most folks just refer to the place as Neely’s Brown Pig.

Tables are available inside, but it just felt cooler ordering from the walk-up window and eating on the car trunk.

Hickory smoked pork butts are chopped fine and mixed with a thin red sauce then layered on a bun with shredded lettuce and a squirt of mayo. After just a few minutes the shredded lettuce had already wilted. The tender and finely chopped meat and sauces combined for a singular soft texture, but the seemingly disparate flavors worked well together. On any other day I could see myself eating a couple of these at one sitting, but we had a few more stops ahead so some restraint was in order. I'll try more of the menu on a future stop, but the Brown Pig alone makes it worth a stop, if just for a bite of history.

Rating **

Porky's Smokehouse & Grill

MARSHALL: Porky's Smokehouse & Grill
504 East Carolanne Blvd.
Marshall, TX 75672
903-927-2144
Open M-Sat 11-8

porkysmokehouse.com

Accordion brisket is a phenomenon that occurs when the brisket flat is poorly cooked and the collagen holds the muscle fibers together like a series of tiny rubberbands. When you try to pull the meat apart it should release easily, but when it's undercooked it will spring back like an accordion. The thin slices of beef at Porky's are a shining example of this. They had been trimmed of all fat and crust before they arrived at the table. The plan had been to take them to go, but a heavy rain had just begun so we opened the styrofoam box at a table near the door. Crispy onion rings and sweet beans made for a great combination of sides, but the meat was a disappointment.

Bodacious barbecue is an East Texas chain that gets more accolades that it deserves. I noticed while eating across the region that many joints seemed to emulate the Bodacious style even if they weren't officially affiliated with the chain. Not only is the over-trimmed brisket a signature, but so are the thin and dryish St. Louis style ribs covered in a sweet peppery glaze. The ribs at Porky's had this same profile, but the smoke was nowhere to be found. The meat came easily from the bone, but most of the moisture in the meat was long gone. While slightly better than the brisket, there wasn't enough to make this joint worth returning for.

Rating **