Gnarly Head Rippin' Ribs BBQ Tour

What does a California winery know about barbecue? Well, Gnarly Head in Lodi wants to learn a little from you in their Rippin's Ribs BBQ Tour where you can enter your favorite rib recipe at any of six competitions around the country. After tolling arund their website, I found that they may know a little about smoked meat already. Number 5 on their list of Old Vine Wisdom says "Does Your Rib Meat Fall Off the Bone? – Well then, you may have cooked it just a little too long." My sentiments exactly. Here's more info directly from their press release:

"Who’s got the gnarliest pork rib recipe? Gnarly Head is on a cross-country mission to find out. ‘Cue Masters from Seattle to Memphis are challenged to perfect their best pork rib recipe and showcase their smoking skills in the annual Gnarly Head Rippin’ Ribs Recipe Contest. Contestants can choose to compete in the regional BBQ cook-off of their choice for a chance to win the ultimate grand prize of $5,000 in cash and a spot on the grill-obsessed (and sometimes raucous) Gnarly BBQ Team at the Memphis in May World Championship of Barbecue in 2012.

Here’s how it works. Anyone who claims to have a ribs recipe worthy of praise—from home chef to self-proclaimed grill master—is encouraged to enter at www.rippinribs.com. From there, the list of recipes is chiseled down to Five (5) Semi-Finalists for Five (5) different cities along the Rippin’ Ribs Tour, where one winner from each city will advance to the final round.

The Five (5) Finalists from each tour stop will win an all-expense paid trip to the legendary American Royal Barbecue Competition in Kansas City (9/30/11 – 10/1/11). From this bastion of BBQ, one ultimate winner will be chosen to join the Gnarly BBQ Team and strut his/her BBQ stuff in the world’s most prestigious BBQ competition, Memphis in May, in 2012."

A list of the competition sites (none in Texas? Come on ya'll!) is below.

Memphis in May, Memphis TN
Contest timeframe: 3/1/11 – 4/10/11
Event: 5/13/11

Food Lion Speedstreet, Charlotte NC
Contest timeframe: 3/1/11 – 4/25/11
Event: 5/28/11

Ribfest, Chicago IL
Contest timeframe: 3/15/11 – 5/15/11
Event: 6/11/11

Safeway BBQ Battle – Washington DC
Contest timeframe: 4/1/11 – 5/30/11
Event: 6/25/11

Bite of Seattle, Seattle WA
Contest timeframe: 4/15/11 – 6/15/11
Event: 7/16/11

Good luck out there.

- BBQ Snob

Memphis Airport BBQ

While most of my flying time is direct between DFW Airport and my destination of choice, a couple weeks back I had a flight connecting through Memphis. Can you believe that the first thing I thought about were my BBQ options? I had about a half hour to scarf down some pork from two of Memphis's most famous names.



Corky's is one of the few Memphis joints I've eaten at. That trip back in 1999 was underwhelming, so I wasn't hoping for much at their airport outpost. Corky's was proof that even low expectations can lead to disappointment.



This was undoubtedly steamed pork on a cold white bun. A squirt of sauce didn't help the tasteless meat. Don't waste your time here.



Interstate BBQ is probably best known to BBQ fans and frequent viewers of the Travel Channel as a place to enjoy the oddity of BBQ spaghetti. I wanted to try the more traditional options, and assumed that the spaghetti would only be available as a meal. They must have gotten the memo that people may just want a taste because they offer a scant 6 six ounce portion as a side item.



My opinion of the pulled pork may be tainted by the substandard version at Corky's just a few gates away. The meat was decent with a bit of smokiness, but the sauce overwhelmed. Luckily, they made a good pair, and some cole slaw and bread made for a very successful quartet of flavors. Overcooked ribs with very little flavor of their own were less memorable.



What is BBQ spaghetti? As far as I could tell, it's a mix of shredded pork, pasta that's way past al dente, more of that sweet BBQ sauce, and a few dashes of hot sauce to bring it all together. While it was an enjoyable dish, it certainly wouldn't fill a comfort food void that requires smoked meat. After this brief intro, I can't wait for my proper trip to Memphis at the end of the month to see what the rest of the city has to offer. - BBQ Snob

Meshack's Bar-B-Que Shack

GARLAND: Meshack's Bar-B-Que Shack
240 E. Ave. B
Garland, TX 75040
214-227-4748
Open Tues 10:30 to 5ish, W-Sat 10:30-7ish

Update: Travis Mayes, the pitmaster at Meshack's, poked hid head out through the side door to ask when he'd get his fifth star. He knows the power that his BBQ has over the locals, and he was feeling his oats today. No wonder with all of the accolades, long lines, and calls from the Food Network who are planning a shoot in the near future. Even with that success in this far corner of Garland, the Mayes family is looking towards Dallas, more specifically East Dallas to find the right place for a new location that is more easily accessible to the larger Dallas population. They also yearn for a place with interior seating, since on a chilly day like this one I had to bid my regards to eat in my normal spot - shielded from the wind in the driver's seat.



The quality of the sausage wasn't noteworthy on previous visits, but the flavors that have been highlighted in these Smoky Denmark links by the deft hand of the pitmaster was amazing. I've eaten many versions of these name brand hot links, but never have they been so perfectly crisp and juicy at the same time. They even seemed to have a bit more kick than normal. What was lacking was the normal Meshack's brisket. While these slices from the lean end looked exemplary, they were missing the signature smokiness and nicely rendered fat that I'm used to here. The meat was plenty tender and moist, but only a few choice bites, thick with crust from the narrow end of each slice released that pecan smoke flavor.



A hearty and pleasantly chewy bark on the ribs held loads of flavor. The fat had melted into the meat for a lusciously moist texture, and the seasoning and smoke had melded together to form and excellent collection of ribs and tips. Given the frequency of my BBQ meals, there is seldom a time where I'm a member of the clean plate club anymore. However, on this day every bite was consumed.

Since my first positive review, the Mayes have always shown their gratitude for my coverage whenever I stop by. There's no family I'd rather validate with a fifth star than this one, but I know Travis wouldn't want me to just give it to him. Given the perfectly smoked ribs and tantalizing sausage, the brisket just needs a slight improvement for that coveted additional star. Since I've eaten far better brisket on several occasions here, I know Travis has it in him and it will just be a matter of time before I find smoked meat perfection at Meshack's.

Rating ****

11/2009: During a recent trip to the Garland area to run some errands, I convinced my wife that a side trip to pick up some brisket was a necessity. Arriving a few minutes before opening, I found owner Travis Mayes working to get things ready for what he assumed would be a busy Saturday. Ribs and sausage each needed about another 1/2 hour on the smoker, so I grabbed a pound of unsliced brisket and some potato salad. While waiting for my order, I was invited inside the tiny shack to check out the operation.



Travis showed off his huge brick smoker which takes up an entire wall of the place. He also noted that the now beige interior had been painted stark white when they opened back in May. The smoke that tints those walls smelled great in the morning and really got my appetite working.

Rushing home I could barley keep myself from digging into my newly procured hunk of meat. I immediately got to slicing when I arrived home, and the meat did not disappoint. While it was slightly dry, the texture was perfect and the flavor was deeply smokey from the black crust, and the fat on the edges had been well rendered. This was a nearly perfect brisket.



I just can't wait until the next visit to get a rack of those ribs. If you stop by, be sure to grab one of their new menus which features the BBQ Snob and this blog's 4-star rating on the cover. It was a small thank you for all the business they've received after the publicity, but I assured them they deserved all of my gratitude. The Mayes' are the ones who do all the work, and they do it well.

08/2009: I can't tell you if the name Meshack's refers to one of the three thrown in the furnace in the Bible's story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, but I can tell you that this man uses plenty of pecan wood to stoke his 100% wood burning furnace, and has to sweat through the heat in his AC-less shack.

This tiny shack is run by Travis "The BBQ Man" Mayes and his wife Donna. Travis claims to be well known in the Garland area (please comment if you're familiar with this man's work) from his first venture in this same spot which closed in 1996. He has recently reopened under the name Meshack's in May. Food is take-out only, and ordering is done through a screen window. I grabbed a sack with a sliced beef sandwich and a rib sandwich.



Unwrapping the foil, I could already smell the smoky meat. Lifting the limp white bread revealed slices of beautiful crusty brisket with a substantive smoke ring. Each slice was tender with perfect moisture and line of perfectly rendered fat at the base. There was even a bit of meat caramel evident on some of the slices. This was some damn good brisket!



Ribs were nearly as good. Some unrendered fat and dryish texture kept them from perfection, but the crust and meat were both smoky to the core. Each rib had a bold flavor, and may have just been seasoned with smoke. Next time I can't wait to try Donna's "famous" potato salad and baked beans.

If Mr. Mayes wasn't well known enough to keep his joint going before, he should get a name for himself soon with the good stuff he's churning out these days.