Texas Pride Barbecue

ADKINS: Texas Pride Barbecue
2980 E Tx-1604-Loop S
Adkins, TX 78101
210-649-3730
Open Tues-W 11-8:30, Thur-Sat 11-9:30, Sun 12-7
www.texaspridebbq.net

Texas Pride is quite a drive from San Anotnio, but given the endorsement of Guy Fieri from Diner Drives ins and Dives, I was willing to make that drive. Although it looks like an ancient gas station, the place has only been smoking since 1996 when the owners built it has an homage to their parents' old gas station. Word has it that this place really gets rocking on Friday and Saturday nights with live music and plenty of bikers, but I opted for the day after New Years on a quiet Saturday morning.



The sign that greets you once you enter the cafeteria style line had my hopes up. All of the meats are on display behind a glass window, and I was surprised to see very little bark on any of the meats besides the brisket. They smoke with all mesquite wood, but it's all done in a gas fired rotisserie according to my friends over at Man Up Texas BBQ, who happened to be visiting the same day. Ordering is done with the knife man, and he carefully weighs each meat. I opted for the three meat plate which promises 3/4lb of meat, and they didn't skimp a bit.



Back at the table I dug into the mound of ribs, brisket and turkey along with sides of green beans and potato casserole. Both sides were incredible, but the meat was not. The baby back ribs had a meager amount of meat with a few shiners in the bunch (bone showing through the top of the meat). A heavy rub of salt and pepper provided a good flavor, but the meat was dry and lacked smokiness. The brisket was a bit better with mild smokiness in the crust of each slice, and decent flavor throughout. The meat was well cooked with rendered fat and a moist tender texture. Sausage, stolen from my wife's plate, is a proprietary mixture that had good spice and decent flavor, but again, little smoke. Turkey may have been the best option with a hint of smoke and moist tender slices, all with great flavor.

While this place gets all the hype, stay tuned for my next review, and you'll learn about the gold mine just down the street that Guy Fieri missed altogether. It's a true dive that really deserves the attention.

Rating **

Riscky's Bar-B-Q

FT. WORTH: Riscky's BBQ Stockyards
140 E. Exchange Ave.
Fort Worth, Texas 76106
817-626-7777
Open M-Thur 11-10, F-Sat 11-12am, Sun 11-9
www.risckys.com

Over a year ago, I tried Riscky's in Sundance Square without being impressed. I'd heard from a few sources that the Stockyards location was superior so I headed over to give it a try. This Riscky's is part of a larger complex of eateries, some of which are owned by the Riscky's family. Inside this large joint you'll find friendly service and plenty of people watching. The menu item that caught my attention was the hefty three meat platter, and I ordered it loaded with sliced brisket, pork ribs and Riscky's famous beef ribs.



The beef ribs were big and meaty with plenty of beefy flavor. The large amount of intramuscular fat was well rendered, and much of the chewiness had been smoked out of these tender rib. Pork ribs were also good with a nice texture and decent smokiness. The flavor was a bit more bland than the beef ribs, but it was a decent rib nonetheless. What really shined were the big thick slices of brisket, literally. I think some of the brisket rippings, or some other liquid was brushed on the brisket just before serving. This might be considered cheating, but the great flavor that it imparted on each slice was magnificent. A nice line of beautifully rendered fat was left at the bottom of each slice. The protein held together well, but needed the slightest tug of the tooth to yield. These were some exemplary slices of beef save the need for a bit more smoke.

If you've got the choice between this location and the Sundance Square location, make your way down to the Stockyards and get a heap of meat on your plate.

Rating ***

Ultimate Bar-B-Cue

FT. WORTH: Ultimate Bar-B-Cue
5733 Crowley Rd
Fort Worth, TX 76134
817-551-5300
Open Tue-Sat 11-8, Sun 11-5

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

2009: I'd heard from a reader about this joint in south Fort Worth, so I made the trek. It was nearly empty at 2:00 on a Wednesday as I ordered up a two meat plate from the front counter. My food came out quickly, already in a styrofoam container. Along with sliced brisket and ribs, I got a quality mac & cheese and some nicely flavored green beans. roast beef, bland ribs



The meat was another story. The brisket slices had all of the crust sliced away, but plenty of poorly rendered fat attached. The slices were dry and tasted like little more than smokeless roast beef. The ribs were a bit better with a hint of smoke to the crust. The fat was well rendered throughout, but the flavor was missing from these poorly seasoned ribs. An addition of the sweet, smokey and spicy sauce provided the needed kick. The meat overall was forgettable, but the considerable amount of smoke coming from the stack on the roof makes me think this could have been an off day.

Rating **