Cripple Creek B-B-Q

ATHENS: Cripple Creek B-B-Q
500 S. Palestine
Athens, TX 75751
903-677-4226
Open M-Thur 11-8, F-Sat 11-9

This little joint in Athens is known for "Hog Wings", and they are incredible. Petite pork shanks cut to resemble chicken legs are rubbed and smoked to a perfect tenderness and served with a sweet and spicy asian mae poy dipping sauce. The smoky meat didn't need the additional sauce, but they did work well together.



Other meats are offered including the standard brisket and ribs. The gray ribs failed to impress. A hint of smoke could be found in these tender ribs, but a well formed crust was lacking as was any complex flavor. The tender brisket was better with a nice smoke line, and a good smoky flavor. The crust had been nearly removed, so the robust flavor was lacking, but these were solidly good slices. Besides the standards, a great version of hot links that are available. These links have no resemblance to the hot dog like versions found so often elsewhere. The coarsely ground meat had a deep red line below the casing, and a good black pepper kick contributed well to the flavor of these great links.



The sides here all seemed to start right out of the can, but they had all been doctored up a bit to make them Cripple Creek's own. The baked beans had flecks of dried onions, and the potato salad had a good mustardy kick. Service at the tables was also friendly. I was offered a free hog wing as a starter just for asking what they were.

While the brisket and ribs didn't exactly wow us, the hog wings and the hot links were so good we just had to bump up the rating.

Rating ****

And here is the rest of it.

Blowin' Smoke 009: Beef and Pork

I just wanted to share a few great articles that I've come across recently where are friends the pig and the cow are the main subject. The first article is about the science behind butchering a cow, and how those in the butchering biz are trying to find new cuts of beef that may be hidden gems. The article, by Kim Severson, is entitled "Same Cow, No Matter How You Slice it?".

The next article is about a tasty breed of hog that is quickly regaining popularity, not because of its cuddly features, but because of it well marbled meat. Mangalitsa meat is not yet available in stores, but a few chefs are highlighting it on their menus. I can't wait to smoke some.

The final article is from NPR about a class on whole hog butchering. I think I'm going to need a bigger kitchen.

- BBQ Snob

Jasper's

PLANO: Jasper's
7161 Bishop Rd
Plano, TX 75024
972-591-4888
Open M-Thur 11-10, F-Sat 11-11, Sun 11-9
http://www.kentrathbun.com/jaspers/plano/

This not an official review, because Jasper's is not a BBQ joint. What they can claim is that they serve one of Bon Appetit Magazine's three best ribs in America along with 17th Street Barbecue in Illinois and the Rendezvous in Memphis. With accolades like that (even if they were from 2007), I just had to go try 'em.



My wife was nice enough to join me for a nice dinner in north Plano on Saturday night. Even in this economy, expensive "backyard" grub is popular with a 1-hour wait required for a table inside. We sat outside, and enjoyed the weather. A full rack of ribs arrived stacked three bones high with a side of baked potato salad. Like any true backyard food, these ribs had been grilled and absolutely drenched in sauce. Scraping some of the sauce away, I inspected the cross-section of the meat for any evidence of smoking, but no smoke line was to be found.



The tell-tale "falling off the bone" tenderness tells me that these ribs had either been parboiled or baked before being thrown on the grill. The resulting flavor was satisfying in the same way that grilled cheese sandwich is satisfying. You can't deny that it tastes good, but it's not complex nor a great example of a food genre. My proclivity to the deeply smoky ribs that emerge from Central Texas smokers may make me a poor judge of this style, but I could hardly say that these are the best ribs in the Metroplex, let alone the nation. With that said, I will certainly make a point to finish the leftovers.

- BBQ Snob