Heavy's BBQ

HONDO: Heavy's BBQ
1301 19th St.
Hondo, TX 78861
830-426-4445
Open M-Sat 11-8, Sun 11-3
heavysoutdoorbbq.com

The former McBee's in Hondo has gotten a new lease on life. Heavy purchased the joint after moving back home from Austin where he had worked at Bert's BBQ. He using the same methods of indirectly smoking with mesquite on the same brick pit used by McBee's, but the results are incredible. I was worried when we stopped in at 11:30 to find only two other customers, but once we left an hour later the joint was full with a line out the door.



We got a sampling of meats which included sausage, pork loin, ribs and both fatty and lean brisket. The sausage was gray denoting fresh sausage with no preservatives. It was smoky, juicy and perfectly seasoned. I thought it might be homemade, but instead Heavy has fresh uncooked links delivered from Pollok's in Falls City, Texas twice a week. It's worth the shipping cost. Pork loin is a lean cut that's apt to dry out, but this one was juicy with a deep smokiness. The simple seasoning of just salt and cracked black pepper served it and the other meats well.



The spare ribs were perfectly tender with a nicely rendered fat layer. The bark gave them a deep smokiness and they were tending towards dry in a good way. A thin tomatoey sauce had plenty of black pepper and vinegar with just the right amount of sweetness. It was so good I was drinking it from the cup, but the irony was that I wouldn't dare use it on any of the excellent smoked meats.



As I watched the deep black crusted brisket relax onto the cutting board I knew I was in for something good. Heavy's knife glided effortlessly as each slice fell gently onto the next. The beef neither quivered nor bounced. The fat melted onto my fingers as I brought a few fingers full to my mouth. I braced in anticipation and it didn't let me down. Even the thick fat that remained was good to the last bite holding onto the smoke tightly. The beef was buttery tender no matter if it was from the moist or lean end, and every slice had a deep smoky flavor. I was even more impressed when I learned that he smoked with all mesquite and refused to pre-wrap the meat in foil while cooking, otherwise known as "the Texas crutch". To manage a mesquite fire in this way takes real skill. If I'd just ordered brisket, I would have been ridiculously impressed, but with all of the other excellent meats Heavy's is a must visit from anywhere in the state.

Rating *****

Broussard's Links + Ribs Bar-B-Q

BEAUMONT: Broussard's Links + Ribs Bar-B-Q
2930 S 11th St
Beaumont, TX 77701
409-842-1221
Open Tues-Sat 10:30-8
www.broussardsbbq.com

From north to south, East Texas is a wasteland for decent sliced brisket, so when you find one that even edible it's a discovery. They may be famous for the beef links at Broussard's, but they know how to do brisket too. This small building on a busy corner on the south side of Beaumont does all of its business through two take-out windows, and only a few picnic tables on a side patio offer a place to sit. Most orders are taken to go, but we were eating in.



Broussard's is famous for its East Texas style spicy beef links (for more info read here). These links are beef through and through. The meat, the fat and the casing are all beef. They have a bit more girth than your normal pork casing, and the casing is noticeably tougher. Most folks trying them for the first time would probably prefer to remove the casings first, but these links had been smoked to a point of crispness that was easy enough to bite through and chew. An unfamiliar seasoning mix without black pepper creates deep red drippings and a heavy garlic pungence. I'd learn over the next few stops in Beaumont that the old style links much heavier in fat and more loosely packed are the norm for this style of link, but there's little fault to find here in these taught links. They're certainly drier and more cohesive, but I couldn't stop eating them. A link of boudin had good seasoning and a pronounced smokiness, but wasn't exactly unique.



What was unique here at Broussard's was good smokey ribs and brisket. While both were doused in a thin sweet and spicy sauce, the smokiness of the dark hued ribs shined through. The meat was ultra tender, but still stayed on the bone. Fat throughout was well rendered, and every morsel from rib to tip was worth savoring.



I can't say the brisket here is near the top of the Texas list, but it's commendable for this region. The crust provided a nice smoky flavor, but the sauce was needed for the lean and somewhat chewy meat that was quickly drying out. Eat it fast or combine it on some white bread with a chunk of beef link and you'll certainly enjoy it. The only bad news is that I'm now craving spicy beef links something fierce.

Rating ****

Mac's Bar-B-Q

BRADY: Mac's Bar-B-Q
1903 S Bridge St
Brady, TX 76825
325-597-2164
Open Sun-Thur 10:30-8, F-Sat 10:30-9

The Texas Hill Country is dominated by direct heat mesquite cooking. Up until a few weeks ago, Hard 8 up the street from Mac's had been cooking that way since they bought out Lone Star BBQ some years back, but they're now closed. Now Mac's is the only joint in town and they're smoking with oak. Colette McBee had been running the joint with her husband for several years, but a recent divorce gave her the reigns eight months ago and she's riding the business for all it's worth. The barbecue business is a tough one that can really kick your ass, but you can hear it in her voice that the petite Colette is kicking right back. When asked if the barbecue is any better since she took things over, her answer without hesitation was a confident "Hell yes!" In a state with few women pitmasters, it was nice to see Colette working the pits with authority while still being self-conscious of her bad hair day.



From then on the meat did the talking. Stopping in at 4:30 in the afternoon could have meant dried out lunch leftovers, but this meat was all good. Slices of briskets from the flat had a nice quarter inch line of smoky fat clinging to firm, flavorful meat. A good bark and a thick smokering made the brisket irresistable to the whole table at the end of a long BBQ day. Thick spare ribs with a deep red hue also had great smoke and deep flavor from the generous seasoning. The meat and fat could have used more time on the smoker to soften a bit, but the ribs were still commendable. Beans were forgettable, but the potato salad that was dyed and sweetened with French dressing was a great complement to the meal.



I thought the prospect of moist chicken at this hour was out of the question, but these pieces had both crisp skin and moist meat beneath, even the white meat. Good smoke and a nice salty pop from the rub took the chicken to another level. A commercially made sausage has nice snap in the casing and a good bit of smoke. The meat was juicy, but not fatty and had some aggressive black pepper seasoning. I didn't catch the supplier, but they chose a good one.

I can't believe it took me three trips to Brady to finally stop here, but it was worth the wait. Now that they're open seven days a week, you've got no excuse not to stop. Colette will not disappoint.

Rating ****