Hammerheads

KENTUCKY: Hammerheads
921 Swan St.
Louisville, KY 40204
502-365-1112
Open M-Sat 5pm - 10pm
www.louisvillehammerheads.com

Driving down a residential street in Louisville I thought I may be in the wrong part of town, but soon I noticed the glow coming out of the windows at Hammerheads along with a very large shark tacked up to the wall above the door. You'll need to duck shortly after walking through the door because Hammerheads is located in the basement of a house and has some low ceilings. A long bar is at the right and what remains is a small dining room. It gets packed and it gets loud, but before long we each had a beer and a table.

The menu is wide and includes more than just barbecue. It is expectedly meat-heavy, but there is a salad, a veggie burger and veggie tacos. We didn't order any of them. First on the table were an array of sliders. The only bite of brisket I had was a thin slice on one of the sliders. It and the pulled pork were fine if unremarkable, but it's hard to shine next to the ridiculously good duck sliders. Next up was a fried smoked cheddar grit cake which was crisp on the outside and smoky and creamy on the inside.

Giant mac & cheese balls were more fried cheesy goodness, but the grit cake just seems less gimmicky, more well conceived, and far less rich.

As the meats came out they were all served on wooden cutting boards. A rack of baby back ribs was very tender, almost too much so. The smokiness went deep into the rosy meat which was a nice counterpoint to the sweet rub and finishing glaze. There was no need for barbecue sauce.

I've seen few smoked meat items so rich on a menu as the PBLT. Four thick slices of pork belly (the PB in the equation) were beautifully smoked. The fat was silky and the ribbons of meat in between were yielding but tender. The black crust was stout and the sweetness from the rub was pleasantly restrained. I must admit that I don't know how it all tasted as a sandwich because we ate the slices of belly too quickly.

Our table was getting crowded with food, but we managed to find some real estate for the three kinds of fries. We got the original, the sweet potato and a version dusted with the famous Grippo's BBQ spice from the Cincinnati chip company. For just $3 extra, you are provided the option to get any or all of the varieties fried in duck fat. Of course we did, and they were stunning. The Grippo's version is mandatory if you're eating here.

I saved the best for last. Lamb ribs are a house specialty, and they are incredible. Lamb, especially the ribs, can be very gamey and full of unrendered fat. These ribs suffered from neither of those issues. The dark crust provided a smoky kick along with a pleasant chew to contrast with the tender meat beneath. These ribs should serve as an example to anyone serving this cut.

Hammerheads is a great restaurant with plenty of imagination and mostly spot-on execution. The items I normally judge a joint on are the brisket and pork ribs. Here the brisket was average and the ribs were a bit overcooked. In the end these were the only items on the menu I had any qualms with, and I can't wait to get back to Louisville for another visit to Hammerheads.

Rating ****

Black Diamond Smokehouse

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS: Black Diamond Smokehouse
3900 Rufe Snow
North Richland Hills, TX 76180
817-284-2374
Open Sun-Thur 10:30-9, F-Sat 10:30-11
blackdiamondsmokehouse.net

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

2013: It was several months ago when I made my first visit to Black Diamond Smokehouse. The smoky smell is strong out in the parking lot and it doesn't dissipate inside. A large array of side items outside the norm of beans and slaw were available like cucumber salad, fried okra and mac & cheese along with the standard cuts of smoked meat. It was early evening and there wasn't another person in the large dining room so I grabbed a two-meat combo to-go and took it outside for a picnic on the trunk.

The ribs were covered in a thick black bark. Each bite was intensely smoky, but the heavy rub of powdery ingredients had a burnt flavor. The meat was tender if a bit dry and it came away from the bone nicely. A jalapeno sausage was well smoked, but it was an overly salty commercial sausage. The brisket was also both smoky and a bit dried out. They had some real potential which brought me back a few months later to try it again.

This time around the parking lot was packed in mid-afternoon. Dining tables had been converted into poker tables and they were packed with customers clad in visors and sunglasses. I thought I might need to ante up if I took a seat, so I took it to-go once again. This time I just went for the brisket and ribs although the fried catfish and fried frog legs looked tempting. Once again the brisket was deeply smoky as well as dried out. The ribs had improved. There was still a heavy smoke flavor that verged on overkill, but a lighter rub had been applied that allowed a crisp bark to form on these moist ribs. As I concluded my meal I could still see the potential. A fattier cut of brisket closer to opening time may be great, but the slices I got were just above acceptable. The ribs seem like a safer bet.

Rating *** 

Polak's Sawsage Farm

KARNES CITY: Polak's Sawsage Farm
2835 S Highway 181
Karnes City, TX 78118
830-583-2113
Open M-Tues 8:30-8:30, Thur 8:30-8:30, F-Sat 8:30-9, Sun 8:30-3
www.polaksausagefarm.com/

If I could judge this joint on sides and items on the menu besides the barbecue, then it might get a more solid endorsement, but the barbecue at Polak's Sawsage Farm isn't worth stopping for.

A side of sauerkraut flecked with bits of smoked meat was well seasoned with just the right amount of crispness. A German potato salad was richer than expected in a good way. I finished them both. The homemade sausage links was decent, but the casings hadn't crisped up at all and there was little evidence of smoke. It made me wonder if maybe the sausage wasn't smoked. The brisket on the other hand was inexcusable. It had been sliced then rewarmed on a flat top back in the kitchen. The surfaces of the slice (singular) were browned and the edges were crispy. I cringed as I took a bite knowing that it wouldn't be pleasant. It wasn't.

Rating * 

Lil' Joe's Bar-B-Que

ROSEBUD: Lil' Joe's Bar-B-Que
212 N 5th.
Rosebud, TX 76570
254-583-7383
Open Thur-Sun 11-6

You wouldn't think that a town the size of Rosebud, Texas (population 1,412) could support three barbecue joints, but then you find the small painted wooden sign for Lil' Joe's along the highway just inside the city limits. A bit of Dallas Cowboys memorabilia decorates the small dining room, and orders are placed at a back counter. I took a three meat combo of sausage, brisket and spare ribs to go.

Out at the car I could smell the smoke which got even stronger when I opened the box. The colors were right, but the black crust of the ribs was just too much. They were overcooked and falling off the bone while also being oversmoked with a distinct taste of creosote. The brisket had a more appropriate level of smoke but it was so dry it crumbled apart. A well spiced sausage was enjoyable enough, but not enough to save the plate of what was otherwise poorly executed barbecue.

Rating **

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 *

Bunkhouse BBQ

CLIFTON: Bunkhouse BBQ
1001 South Avenue G 
Clifton, TX 76634
254-675-8409
Open Tues-Sat 11-8
www.bunkhousebarbeque.com

There is nothing more disheartening at a barbecue joint than watching the meat slicer take the back of their knife and scrape away the layer of beautiful fat cap and throw it in the trash. When the black crust on a freshly unwrapped brisket glistens with moisture it makes my heart skip a beat. No matter how many joints I've eaten at that day, my mouth waters and my stomach grumbles. I can almost feel the fat melting on my tongue as the fat jiggles on the cutting board. Then, to see that brisket violated by the back of a knife makes me want to press charges. I was on the verge of calling 9-1-1 at Bunkhouse BBQ.

I requested some fatty brisket in the hopes that some of the fat remained. I also added some ribs and pork loin to the order. Outside on the trunk it took just one bite of the beans and potato salad to determine their dubious quality. The thick ribs were tough and undercooked with a thick sweet glaze. The excessive salt and sugar blasted away any other flavors including the smoke. The pork loin was incredibly dry, but it tasted better than it looked. A dip into the homemade sauce just brought more of the excessive sweetness that was on the ribs. That brisket that could have been great was just inching beyond good. The meat was moist and had the perfect tenderness. All of the seasoning and smokiness were long gone, but it didn't have to be that way. Do us all a favor - keep the fat, keep the flavor.

Rating **

Doc's BBQ

SCHULENBURG: Doc's BBQ
US Hwy 77 & Co. Rd. 225
Schulenberg, TX
Phone?
Open ?

This joint is already CLOSED, but here are the photos. It was on a empty stretch of highway between Schulenburg and Hallettsville.

None of it was good, and the sauce didn't help. It's always sad to see a joint close, but when it's as secluded as Doc's was, they really need to make it worth the trip, and this wasn't.

Rating *

Conger's Smoke Shack

SAN ANTONIO: Conger's Smoke Shack
2347 Nacogdoches Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78209
210-829-8448
Open M-Sat 11-3
kateconger.wix.com/congercatering

A smoker attached to the back of this food truck parked under an old gas station canopy in the shadow of the interstate was belching out oak and pecan smoke. This was a good sign. I was wearing a t-shirt that read "I love BBQ" when I ordered through the window. You'd think this would be a clue to give me the good stuff, but what I got was a mixed bag...at first.

The pork ribs were a great start. They are served either glazed or naked depending on your request, so I went for a half and half. The whole rack was beautiful, but those glazed ribs had an extra shimmer. They looked as if they'd been prepared for a photo shoot. A well formed bark was on both versions, so I took a bite of an unglazed rib first. It was exquisite. The meat peeled away from the bone easily without falling off, and even without the glaze they were very moist. Smokiness pervaded every bite, but the sweetness of the rub was a perfect balance. The sweetness was enhanced by the glaze, but it wasn't needed. The naked rib was perfection.

First Brisket

Not as much could be said of the first brisket we received. The meat was a bit dry and the flavor was washed out. There was a great crust and nicely rendered fat, but it just tasted like old brisket. By this point the owner had come out to the table to see why we were taking photos. I gave him a card and he asked our honest opinion on the meat. I was honest and he quickly got up to get some more brisket. While I could have chalked this up to good customer service, I knew that most customers wouldn't have gotten this level of service.

Second Brisket

I was more annoyed when he came back with some slices from what he called a "fresh brisket". It was obvious that I was being fawned over, but there was no contest between this replacement brisket and the first one. The meat was smoky, well seasoned and had perfectly rendered fat. This was some great brisket.

Along with the new brisket was a sample of pulled pork. The moist and smoky meat came along with some sweet mustard sauce for dipping. Both the sauce and meat were excellent alone, but it was an even better combination. I got a nervous note from the owner the next day to see how I liked things. My response could be used as words of wisdom for many pitmasters who are striving for greatness. When excellence is your goal then you need to know when to make the hard decision to either throw out a brisket or just turn it into chopped beef. There's no room for serving your best stuff to some customers while others dine on your mistakes. If he heeds my advice, then this joint could be a five star place. At this point, the ribs are some of the best in the city, but given the spotty quality of the brisket it's just not to that level yet.

Rating ****

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 ** 

The Big Bib

SAN ANTONIO: The Big Bib
2427 Austin Hwy
San Antonio, TX 78218
210-654-8400
Open Tues-Sat 11-8, Sun 12-6
www.thebigbib.com

The first time I saw the listing for the Big Bib, I just assumed it was a typo and it was supposed to be the Big Rib. Not so. A few barbecue folks around town directed us here, so on the way out of town we stopped at this tiny storefront. What is pictured below is far less than what I actually ate. As I ordered at the counter they asked if I'd been there before. When I said no they started setting out samples of nearly every meat they served, although I had only ordered a simple combo plate.

It was hard to remember all of those rapid-fire meat samples, but the turkey was moist and smoky whole muscle meat. The pulled pork was juicy and studded with bits of crust. The sausage was forgettable, but the chicken was smoky and better than I expected. Back in the car I had a bit more time to contemplate the brisket and ribs alone. The baby backs had a generous rub, but a nice crust was still allowed to form. The meat had great tenderness, but had dried out a bit. It needed a bit more smoke, but was a good rib overall. The brisket also needed some of that smoke, but the meat was well cooked with a good crust, nicely rendered fat, and good flavor overall.

It might be a tiny joint, but the Big Bib displayed some hospitality in a big way. Their barbecue was better than average which is worth noting in a city that doesn't have a huge number of great barbecue options. I'd be happy to return.

Rating *** 

Balderas Grocery & Bar-B-Que

WAELDER: Balderas Grocery & Bar-B-Que
419 W Us Highway 90
Waelder, TX 78959
830-788-7155
Open M-Sat 6:30am - 9pm

Update: This joint is CLOSED. It will open on 04/15/13 as Crossvine Market & Bar-B-Que.

2012: I read about this joint on another blog and it really got my hopes up. Even if the old Eureste's had changed hands, we were hoping for some well smoked meats at the new version called Waelder Grocery. When we pulled up to the parking space along the street we noticed that it had changed hands again, and the new name was Baldera's Grocery. A guy working the register motioned towards the back of the store when we asked about the barbecue. Through a couple of doors and past a make-shift dining area we found the pit room. The old brick pit looked well worn which kept hopes high, but it took a few minutes before someone showed up to get our order.

The brisket was so over cooked that it came apart in chunks. A bit of mashed potatoes and gravy would have been more appropriate accompaniments than barbecue sauce. It was just sad roast beef. Pork ribs were so dry that edges were frayed as they were cut from the rack. They had been wrapped up tight for some time, so what once was bark was now wet and gummy. The only saving grace was a well spiced sausage with some kick from garlic and spices along with some unexpected herbal notes. It had good smoke, but like everything else had dried out considerably. It might be the same building and the same pit, but it didn't seem like this joint was up to the level of the other joints that have called this building home.

Rating ** 

C&J Barbeque

COLLEGE STATION: C&J Barbeque
4304 Harvey Rd.
College Station, TX 77845
979-776-8969
Open M-Thur 10:30-8:30, F-Sat 10:30-9, Sun 11-3
www.cjbbq.com

C&J is a mini-chain around the Bryan/College Station area that gets plenty of love from the locals. I'd been told the best brisket in town could be found here, so I had to check it out. Service was in the classic cafeteria style with meats being cut on a back counter that was still in view. That allowed me to get some good lean slices and a few fatty chunks as well.

The lean brisket had plenty going for it. The slices looked great with a good crust and thick smokering. They were moist, nicely tender, and somehow they were almost flavorless. It just tasted like a mass of wet, unseasoned beef. The fatty chunks had at least a hint of smoke, but the fat was poorly rendered and still chewy. At least the sides of loaded mashed potatoes and a vinegar-heavy slaw were interesting.

The ribs were a step up. They also looked great, and this time the seasoning came through. A nice bark and tender meat beneath made for a great texture, but the smoke was just too hard to discern. I guess they must rely too much on the gas assist in that gas smoker. A few more sticks of wood could have made this some above average barbecue.

Rating **

Blue Moon BBQ

EDGE: Blue Moon BBQ
18746 E. OSR
Hearne, TX 77859
979-549-4800
Open W 11-4, Thur-Sun 11-7

To call this an out-of-the-way joint would be an understatement. It's address is in Hearne which isn't exactly close, and the closest town is the unincorporated Edge, Texas whose cemetery has a higher population than the town. Blue Moon's owner Rick Moon said his family immigrated to this area a few generations back, so he couldn't think of a better place to open this joint when he moved back from Houston five years ago.

I started with a bacon wrapped jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and brisket. The bacon was crisp, the pepper tender, and the filling adequately meaty. I should have ordered more than one.

Slices from the brisket flat were very dry, and the pitmaster explained that he was trying to catch up and get his briskets done by cranking up the heat. He let them go a little long, then admitted he didn't have time to let it rest before slicing it. I guess the lunch service around here is more brisk than I assumed. The brisket had good smoke, as did the pork loin which remained a lot more moist. The well seasoned cut had a nice ring of rendered fat around the edges and an exemplary smokering. Baby back ribs had a good bark along with a heavy rub. The subtle sweetness didn't overpower the smoke, and the meat came cleanly from the bone. These were some great ribs.

One of the oddest sides I've seen is on this menu. Onions, tomatoes and chopped brisket are sauteed together in a skillet then cornbread batter is poured in for a kicked up skillet cornbread. To serve it they cut a wedge, cover it in cheese and give it a quick zap to melt the cheese. It wasn't as bad as it looked, but it was also more unique than good.

Back in the pitroom I got to check out the huge steel barrel smoker that was still putting off some post oak smoke. A fresh brisket was on the cutting board and Rick cut off a couple slices from the fatty end. It was far superior to the lean stuff I got with my meal and showed just what their high end was. I know the profit margins are low, but Blue Moon would do themselves a favor to turn some of those bad briskets into chopped beef and serve the good ones that I know they have in the back.

Rating ***  

Chuy’s BBQ

EDEN: Chuy's BBQ
606 W. Broadway
Eden, TX 76837
325-869-5200
Open W-M 8-8

I'll spare you all the details here. Chuy owns the joint and he's a past champion at the goat cook off in Brady. He doesn't normally do goat for the restaurant because of its high cost, but if he can truly do a mean smoked goat then he should stick with it.

Dry brisket was bad and the mushy ribs were worse. If I'd just stuck with the sausage and sides it would've been a good meal. A scoop of potato salad was so rich with egg it tasted deviled in a good way. The beans had some good spice and a piece of freshly baked bread was a cross between a butter biscuit and a dinner roll. Chuy gets the sausage raw from a meat market in San Angelo and smokes it well. The meat has great spice and it gets plenty of good smoke with a stout casing. So, when you stop at Chuy's get some sausage and hope for some cabrito on the pit because the brisket and ribs were pretty hopeless.

Rating **

Packsaddle Bar-B-Q

SAN ANGELO: Packsaddle Bar-B-Q
6007 Knickerbocker Rd.
San Angelo, TX 76904
325-949-0616
Open W-M 11-9
www.packsaddlebbq.com

With just the menu in hand, I was impressed. A surf-and-turf platter featured sliced brisket and fried catfish, there were meats aplenty and fresh cut fries. It was all sounding like the day in San Angelo might end on a high note, then the food arrived.

The catfish looked great and had a good crisp batter, but the fish needed a good rinse to get rid of the overly earthy flavor. The fries were fine once a generous sprinkling of salt was added. The thick slices of dry brisket were beyond help. A dark crust was plenty smoky, but there wasn't much else to like about it. All of the fat was trimmed off, the meat was cut thick making the tough texture even harder to chew, and it lacked seasoning.

Pulled pork was truly 'pulled' into large chunks, but the flavors were just of roast pork rather than smoked meat. A few slices of deli turkey came on the recommendation of the server. It's hard to fathom what folks find appealing with warmed over lunch meat, but I wasn't won over. The sausage at least had some good flavor and a pleasant snap.

I'm usually a fan of homemade onions rings, but so much flour had been dredged onto this hovel of onions that every bite came with a puff of raw flour.

The spare ribs weren't about to save this meal. A good bark, rosy meat and a a generous amount of meat made them look promising, but it took just a bite to know that they needed a few more hours on the smoker to render out the thick fat and tenderize the tough meat. The meat selection may have been generous, but I'd have rather had one item that was done really well.

Rating **

Bubba’s Smokehouse

SAN ANGELO: Bubba's Smokehouse
1801 Ben Ficklin Rd.
San Angelo, TX 76903
325-617-2913
Open M-Sat 10:30-8

There wasn't much that stood out here at Bubba's. Rarely do I have a meal that is so thoroughly mediocre. There's usually a high point and/or a very low one with one of the items, but these were all equally inoffensive and forgettable.

The ribs were well cooked, but the cumin-heavy glaze overpowered any of the smoke that may have existed. The jalapeno sausage had only a superficial cayenne heat and nothing more. Brisket wasn't so much slices as pulled into chunks. The meat was overly salty with little smoke. It would have been good with some gravy and mashed potatoes. Green beans from a can, grocery store potato salad and an overly sweet commercial sauce did little to bring it home.

Rating **