Miller's Bar-B-Q

CORPUS CHRISTI: Miller’s Bar-B-Q
10305 Leopard St.
Corpus Christi, TX 78410
361-241-4100
Open M-Sat 11-9
http://www.millersbarbq.com/

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: Michael Alanis from Corpus Christi offers his opinions on a local joint.

Miller’s BBQ has been around for a long time in Northwest Corpus Christi. While it has two other locations, we opted for the original. Walking in, we were met with a cafeteria style line and the meats right in front of us. We chose two brisket plates one lean and one moist with sausage. The ribs looked delicious so we ordered a few. We ordered potato salad and pinto beans for our sides. As we made our way down the line, the BBQ sauces (2 types) were available in plentiful pans.



The beans were decent but lacked a little salt, and the potato salad was good as it was not overpowered by any one ingredient. The meats, well that’s another story. The “lean” brisket was tender but very dry. Now I know why the sauce is so plentiful. The “moist” brisket was so chewy that I was unable to even swallow a piece. I hate to leave brisket on my plate but I had to this time. The sausage is made “right next door” said the kid slicing it. (Miller’s used to have a meat market next door). The sausage is very good and could easily replace any of the top sausage vendors at your local supermarket.



The ribs were the best thing we had this visit. They were tender and smoky with a bit of crust and not overpowered with a rub. They were juicy and flavorful; I needed to order a few more. The ribs are worthy another visit as is the sausage; take a chance on the brisket, if you must. Rating **

Uncle Willie's BBQ

FORT WORTH: Uncle Willie's BBQ
1506 Miller Ave
Fort Worth, TX 76105
866-930-8156
Open Tues-Sat 11-7
www.unclewilliesbbqtx.com


Update: This joint is CLOSED.

2011: Good smokers seem to run in the Brown family. I've had a much publicized love affair with Off the Bone in Forest Hill where Eddie Brown is owner and pitmaster. A few months back I popped into Uncle Willie's to see just what had replaced the old Adam's Rib location. After getting a heaping plate of brisket and St. Louis ribs, I noticed a few staffers with Off the Bone shirts on. A few questions later, and I learned that "Willie" was Eddie Brown's brother, Willie Brown. They had honed their craft together at Off the Bone, and it was time for Willie to branch out.



A few bites in, and I knew there was solid potential. The brisket was a bit dry, but nicely smoky with just enough fat left on each slice. The fat was still chewy, and the ribs too tough, but that great flavor was shining through. It was just two weeks after their opening at that point, so I decided to make a return visit. In between visits, Bud Kennedy beat me to the first review, but after the second visit, I now know this joint deserves some serious media coverage.



Perfect brisket was my reward on the subsequent visit. Pull apart tender, beautifully seasoned with salt and smoke with fat rendered down so well I didn't want to leave a morsel uningested. The crust was a luring shiny black, and cracked under my teeth. I was actually saddened to find only four slices, but with four ribs in this combo plate, I had plenty left to gnaw on. While Off the bone uses baby back ribs, Willie has opted for the juicier St. Louis cut. Save the need for a bit more time on the smoker to render out all that fat, these ribs were stupendous. A light rub didn't hinder a good crust formation, and the meat was tender and flavorful. There's no doubt these suckers are smoked with 100% wood. Sausage is the same as his brother's, and is just as good. One item that Eddie may have the upper hand with is sliced pork. The pork tenderloin at Off the Bone is flawless, but these pork shoulder slices were spongy in texture with tough lines of fat. The good flavor and smoke were there, but they needed more love.



Most of the love comes from Willie's deft hand at using his new homemade smoker. He had it specially built for the location, and it stands prominently in the kitchen. A visit back to this room will leave your clothes saturated with oak smoke for the remainder of the day, so beware the behind the scene tour if you have plans afterwards. With a tour or not, this is nothing short of a regional BBQ destination. Willie has risen beyond simple apprentice and has made a smudged smoky mark of his own on Fort Worth's barbecue scene.

Rating ****

Mama Faye's BBQ

DALLAS: Mama Faye's
2933 Commerce St
Dallas, TX 75226
214-486-9846
Open Daily 10-10

Update: Many changes have come to Mama Faye's recently. A new coat of brick red paint on the exterior, a new Bewley pit in the kitchen, and a new menu that includes soul food favorites starting this month. Based on the lunch traffic on several visits, I understand their desire to expand the menu, but the BBQ can now stand alone.



The addition of that brand new Bewley pit was certainly a hefty investment, but after a few weeks of breaking it in, it's showing some dividends on the brisket front. The meat was well smoked with nicely rendered fat. Slices were tender and moist, and certainly the best of any of my visits. Now, both spare and baby back ribs are available. I tried both and enjoyed the deeply smokey baby backs. They came easily off the bone with a little tug. Spare ribs needed more smoke, but the sauce was the perfect complement.



Sides and dessert always stand out here. Having the soul food menu brings more options like greens, mac & cheese and vegetable gumbo. A whipped cream cake was moist and sweet on this visit, but I prefer the peach cobbler or the earthy sweet potato pie. While the sides and desserts have always impressed, the meat made another step forward since the new pit arrived. Now I just hope they can find some customers to feed it to.

Rating ***

2010: You may have already heard about Mama Faye's in a previous entry on this blog (using the wrong business name) or in the Texas BBQ Posse's first look a couple weeks ago. Given the wild variation in my first two visits to their new brick and mortar location, I had to make a third (it's just 5 minutes from my office, after all). One thing that remained the same on all three visits was the utter lack of patrons in the worn out interior. I sat at the bar with the only other soul there one day at lunch when they were out of nearly the entire menu (they stay open until 10 pm), so my order of chopped beef, chicken, potato salad and peach cobbler was the only option. A Mountain Dew was the only thirst quencher available, so I sucked down the citrusy goodness to cut the heat from their honestly hot sauce. Chicken was a bit dry but nicely flavored and perfectly smokey. The chopped beef was some of the best I've eaten. There were fatty bits and crispy pieces of oh so smokey crust mixed with the moist and tender mound of beef. I was thinking three stars for sure, but I had to come back and try the ribs. This wasn't a big deal since I knew the homemade peach cobbler would be waiting.



On the second trip I took an order to go. This time I asked for the hot sauce on the side, but when I went to dig into those ribs my mouth was on fire from the generous hot sauce lathered over the meat. It was hard to distinguish the rib's flavor under all that sauce, but the extreme level of smokiness was evident. These ribs were tough and chewy, and tasted as if they'd been smoked hot and fast rather than 'low & slow' like the sign outside touts. Ironically the brisket had very little smoke and had been overcooked to the point of dryness. Smokey Denmark's hot links (I think that's what I tasted under the sauce) were adequate, but nothing special. So which place was it? I needed another visit.



Tempted by a free lunch (sandwich specials are $5) a friend joined me on a cold Monday afternoon. The space had been transformed with a new sign showing of a cool logo, a fresh coat of interior paint and a great meat-centric mural on the back wall. They had also expanded the menu to include three more pie options, all of which are homemade just like the cobbler.



Even though I had my choice of sides, I asked if peach cobbler could be my other side and was obliged by the cashier. This time an $8 two meat plate (cash only) was offered, so I went for another shot at the brisket and ribs. Again the ribs were intensely smoky, but were still a bit tough with undrendered fat. The flavor was good, and now it wasn't adulterated by the sauce which had been kept on the side. A dip into the mild sauce showed just how much these folks love the heat. It wasn't as scorching as the hot, but could have easily passed as a hot sauce at most other joints. Brisket was in serious need of the sauce. The meat lacked smoke and overall flavor, and had been cooked to a roast beef texture but remained moist.



In true East Texas style, the chopped beef sandwich that I longed for on my lunch partner's plate is the strong point here. I'd return anytime for a soft bun piled high with meat and (mild) sauce with some of the smokey sweet beans alongside. I'll certainly use it as an excuse to get back there just to try some of those pie options, but I can't rate the joint any higher based on the sliced beef and ribs.