Barbecue Station

SAN ANTONIO: Barbecue Station
1610 Northeast Loop 410 
San Antonio, TX 78209
210-824-9191
Open M-Sat 11-9
www.barbecuestation.com

You could smell the smoke in the parking lot of Barbecue Station. It's all mesquite and oak smoke coming from the wood-fired pits, so I was hoping for some good stuff. The joint was nearly empty in the mid-afternoon, so my order came out quickly. For just some brisket and ribs, my bag felt heavier than expected. I'm guessing they were a little generous with the 1/2 pound of each that I requested.

The two huge spare ribs may have weighed in at a 1/2 pound each. The meat was juicy, but the rub was so heavy that it overpowered any hint of smokiness. They hadn't gone light on the salt for sure, but the ribs mostly tasted like roast pork.

The brisket was also plenty moist, but had been overcooked to the point of falling apart. The crust and smokering looked as if the slices might pack a smoky punch, but it was more like a light shoulder tap just to remind you that it was smoked meat. I may have gotten more meat than I paid for, but what I really needed was the smoke that I smelled in the parking lot to find its way to the meat.

Rating **