Loco Coyote Cafe

GLEN ROSE: Loco Coyote Café
1795 County Road
1004 Glen Rose, TX 77713
254-897-2324
Open Thur 5-8, F 4-9, Sat 12-9, Sun 11-3

On a rainy day, the family headed out to BFE with some friends to get some dessert after feasting at Hammond's in downtown Glen Rose. I, of course, was planning to order a combo plate all along. I just didn't know what kind of portions I'd be up against. The Loco Coyote is definitely out of the way, and it has some out of the way accommodations as well. The floor is dirt covered in sawdust, seating is at picnic tables, and nose powdering is done in an outhouse.

Each dessert order was followed by an inquisitive yell from our less than polished server to his cohorts in the corner. "Do we have (blank)!" After our choices were narrowed we settled on blackberry cobbler, banana pudding, and a $16 combo plate (the only combo option) of brisket, ribs and sausage.



The meats are smoked over a mixture of mesquite and pecan, and they're left on long enough to soak up plenty of smoke flavor. The brisket was sliced so thick each slice must have weighed in at 1/2 lb each. The slices from the flat cut were all tender with a nice line of rendered fat along the edge. A robust beefyness melded well with the smokiness and the salty rub. The giant spare ribs were even bigger, and three of them were piled on top. The meat took some effort to get off the bone, but it was worth it. The crust was well formed on the firm meat with layers of nicely rendered fat throughout the meat. Sausage was good if unremarkable. It may have just paled next to the superior options on the plate.

Sides were not memorable, but the desserts were great homemade versions of Texas classics. A huge dish of sweet blackberry cobbler came with a crumbly crust and a scoop of (not Blue Bell) ice cream. Banana pudding that could serve three was served in Mason jar, and was full of banana slices and still firm Nilla wafers.



Lines can be long here given the limited seating, but we had no trouble at 3:00 in the afternoon. If you can get beyond the spotty service by the not so knowledgeable staff, the high prices, and the far away location, you'll be able to enjoy great food in huge portions.

Rating ****

Kenneth's True Pit Bar-B-Q

FT. WORTH: Kenneth's True Pit Bar-B-Q
4645 Dick Price Rd
Fort Worth, TX 76140
817-478-8741
Open M-Sat 11-8

A oddly picturesque drive through heavily wooded areas, gravel pits and a landfill. It seems to be the only food option in the somewhat remote area of southeast Fort Worth known as Kennedale. Business was less than brisk on a Saturday at lunch time when SM1 and I shared some of their smoked meat.



It was all-you-can-eat ribs day, but we opted for two meat plate of ribs and sliced brisket along with a sausage sandwich and a couple of cold Dr. Peppers. The sausage was standard Eckrich fare, but was well smoked for decent flavor. The brisket and ribs arrived sauced with a wan sauce that offered little to the flavorless meats. Both brisket and ribs were plenty (maybe overly) tender and very moist from well rendered fat. What they both lacked was smokiness and overall flavor. The brisket even lacked a simple roast beefyness, and the barkless ribs had little pork flavor. The rating of two stars is given simply because it's doubtful most folks will find themselves in the neighborhood, and if you are, there are few other options.

Rating **

Cousin's Barbecue

FT. WORTH: Cousin's Barbecue
5125 Bryant Irvin Road
Fort Worth, TX 76133
817-346-3999
Open Mon-Sat 11-9
www.cousinsbbq.com

This is the second Cousin's location that I've tried, and it's the better of the two by a slight edge. After coming from Bill's in White Settlement, my mouth desperately needed some edible meat. Waiting in line, I could smell the smokiness, and my mouth watered as I watched slice after slice of brisket makes its way to other diners' plates. My plate quickly filled up with some of that sliced brisket, fanned out artfully, and some of the thick St. Louis style ribs.



The brisket has a substantial black crust with a deep smoke ring creating a robust smoky flavor. The meat was trimmed a little to clean for me, but still had good moisture and it was just chewy enough to be satisfying on the teeth. Ribs would have had the same crust, I'm sure, if not for the thick rub heavy on the chili powder that it applied far too liberally. The meat beneath it was beautifully red and juicy. Each bite had good smoke flavor with a hint of sweetness from the rub, but there was just too much rub competing for the attention of my taste buds. I wanted more of that good hickory smoke to shine through. Cousin's has a good reputation for a reason, and they're one of the few chains that does it right, so I would surely stop in again for another serving of that brisket.

Rating ***