Thursday, January 3, 2013

Lone Star BBQ


MCALLEN: Lone Star BBQ
3619 North 10th St.
McAllen, TX 78501
956-664-9988
Open M-Sat 11-8:30


Not many joints in South Texas smoke with anything but mesquite, but Lone Star BBQ has chosen pecan as their wood of choice. We stopped in late at night to grab a final to-go order for the day. A grapefruit pie was on the menu, but they were all out of desserts except the peach cobbler. We settled for a two-meat combo without the sides.

Photo by Nicholas McWhirter
The large pork spareribs were covered in a sweet glaze and were way overcooked. The bones slid free when I tried to pick one up, so I grabbed a few fingers full of peppery meat. The smoke was fleeting and the meat was mush. Brisket was sliced thick but still fell apart after a long day of poor storage. The crust and smokering were well formed making me expect some good smoke, but that pecan just wasn't shining through. The beef wasn't bad, but nothing about it made me want to keep eating. I should've just gotten the cobbler.

Rating **

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DISCLAIMER:

Each joint is judged on the essence of Texas 'cue...sliced brisket and pork ribs. Sausage is only considered if house made. Sauce is good, but good meat needs no adornment to satisfy. Each review can only be based on specific cuts of meat on that particular day. Finally, if the place fries up catfish or serves a caesar salad, then chances are they aren't paying enough attention to the pits, so we mostly steered clear.

-THE PROPHETS OF SMOKED MEAT