Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Jake 'N' Boo's Backdoor Bar & Grill


ROSEBUD: Jake 'N' Boo's Backdoor Bar & Grill
341 W Main St.
Rosebud, TX 76570
254-583-7827
Open Thur 11-8, F-Sat 11-9, Sun 11-6


There's something ironic about the feeling I get after seeing the walls of a barbecue joint lined with competition trophies. This should be a good sign that several panels of judges have found the owner's barbecue enjoyable, albeit in a different setting. Unfortunately, there rarely seems to be a correlation between barbecue competition prowess and great restaurant barbecue, which is why I was suspicious when walking into Jake 'N' Boo's. There were trophies and plaques everywhere and not another customer in sight during our mid-afternoon visit. We sat down after ordering a meat sampler plate at the bar.


Just as important as the cooking of barbecue in a restaurant setting is how it is held through the day. This isn't a challenge on the competition circuit where the meat is sliced, plated and served immediately after smoking. One method for holding is to keep the meat in a broth or drippings, or to use those drippings to brush the meat. This can awaken dry meat and provide an extra oomph of flavor. An overly salty broth can also overwhelm the meat. This was the case at Jake 'N' Boo's where every item we tasted had a similar greasy film and overly salty flavor. The chicken stood out as being extremely overcooked and mushy while the rib and brisket were both incredibly dry despite the added moisture. It was just a sad plate of barbecue, and I can't say that I saw enough potential to think it would have been much better a few hours earlier.

Rating *

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

To those of us who are true BBQ lover's unlike the BBQ Snob person above Jake N Boos Backdoor Bar and Grill has the best food around. The sirloin steak that they make is so heavenly. It has a very juicy flavor. We eat there at least once a week and have never had a bad dish yet. The onion rings are so tasty! The BBQ ribs they make must be the best I have ever tasted! The cole slaw is truly homemade a very yummy! My Husband and I have been to a number of BBQ cook off's where people agree in numbers that Jake and Boo make some mighty tasty beef, chicken and even beans!!! They can back up every one of their trophies proudly displayed in the restaraunt. You can find the streets lined with cars in front and around the restaraunt! If you haven't tried the food their you must go NOW!!!!!

Chris said...

This comment made me LOL.

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