C&C Trading Post BBQ

CORSICANA: C&C Trading Post BBQ
4095 S. US 287
Corsicana, TX 75109
903-872-6222
Open M-Sat 7-7, Sun 8-3
www.cctradingpost.com

The family was headed south for a ranch field trip where BBQ was being served. My wife's not a fan of smoked meat, and I wasn't looking forward to what I knew would be presliced and reheated brisket. We were in mutual agreement that a stop at The Diner in Corsicana would be in order. Chicken fried steak and burgers were what we were craving, but the bottom of the menu featured 'Trading Post' BBQ. I would soon learn that the Trading Post was just a few miles east of town on Highway 287.



Just as many customers were placing orders for live bait as those ordering BBQ. A few seats inside were mostly full of folks eating large burgers while I waited for my order of brisket and sausage. They were out of ribs at noon, or maybe they never had any. The lady working the counter was short on explanation, so I went to the well stocked cooler for some refreshment. Looking past my normal BBQ accompaniments of Dr. Pepper or Big Red to the bright azure glow of Big Blue.



I couldn't tell the difference between it and Big Red, so it went with the BBQ perfectly. The brisket was more chunked than sliced, and had heavy smoke. The meat was a bit dry, but the flavor was good. A dunk into their spicy sauce was the perfect compliment. The sausage was standard mass production grade stuff with high fat content and a very fine grind, but the flavor was heightened to an even enjoyable level by the heavy smoke that penetrated the skin. It may have even had too much smoke from the creosote induced numbness left on my tongue, but I kept eating anyway. The joint is certainly worth a stop. Let me know how the ribs are if you do.

Rating ***

Rump's BBQ

PALESTINE: Rump's BBQ
120 FM 3328 (at FM 645)
Palestine, TX 75803
903-928-2227
Open Tues-Thur 5am-2:30, F 5am-7, Sat 7am-5

These days I find myself taking the back way to most far away destinations just so I might happen upon places like Rump's. About 6 miles outside of Palestine, Texas along sparsely used FM road 645 is a sign with a giant pink pig painted upon it and the words "Rump's BBQ". Rump's was opened by a couple from the DFW area who decided to move out to the country. Carlos McGriff is the pitmaster, and a few of his trophies from BBQ competitions in and around Little Elm decorate the walls. The smoker is within its own detached building, but I couldn't get a look at it.



Sides were certainly homemade. The crunchy slaw was lightly dressed with a sweet mayo mix while the dirty rice was spicy and earthy. Ribs were recommended by the staff, but ended up a bit undersmoked with too much unrendered fat. They needed more time to develop smokiness and tenderize, but had good flavor from the rub. Smokey and dense brisket slices were better. A light coating of sauce on the top of the neatly stacked slices allowed most of the meat to remain untainted. A deep black and crispy crust had developed that held a good amount of smoke, and the overall flavor was great. These slices were a bit dry and completely trimmed of fat, so order yours from the fatty end with no sauce if you have the chance to stop in.

For the rating, it was right on the cusp of 3 stars, and I decided to put it over the top since most everyone wouldn't find there way here without going out of their way.

Rating ***

Regional Rib Rub Challenge

I heard from a friend that local superstar chef Kent Rathbun had a line of BBQ rubs and sauces available at Central Market. After finding several other commercial rubs available from regional producers, I decided to pit them against one another in a "Rib Rub Challenge".



Here's the line-up:
Angelo's Pork Ribs and Poultry Bar-B-Que Seasoning; Fort Worth, TX
Sucklebusters Competition BBQ Rub; Coppell, TX
Kent Rathbun Elements Barbeque Rub; Manor, TX
Big Fatty's Mistress Karlita's Spanking Rub; Valley View, TX

I also threw in a control sample of fresh cracked black pepper and kosher salt at a 4:1 pepper to salt ratio.



I fired up the smoker with some hickory and apple wood, and rubbed five half racks of baby back ribs.





When they were done, I packed them all up to go to the park and meet a fried who'd smoked a pork shoulder with a hefty dose of Kent Rathbun's rub.



The Rathbun rub had a good kick of spice, so it worked well on the pork shoulder that had a high meat to surface area ratio. The pork was pulled on site, and was good and juicy. I'd recommend this rub for the same cut, but it needs to go on pretty lightly. All of that paprika (first ingredient) created a powdery coating that just can't soak into the meat if the rub is too heavy. A dip into any of Rathbun's three sauces didn't improve the flavor, so we enjoyed it without sauce.

That same powdery character became even more apparent on the ribs, and the importance of salt became paramount.



I had planned to get some photos of each half rack after cooking, but when it came time to eat we were just too quick. All I got was this shot of the Angelo's rubbed ribs, which was the favorite for the commercial rubs. Having salt as the first ingredient was key to its win. The paprika and other spices were there more for color and to add a hint of flavor so they didn't gum up the texture of the bark. The basic reason for this is that rub ingredients like salt and sugar dissolve into the meat and flavor it, while powders like paprika, garlic and onion powders sit on top of the meat and do not dissolve. If those powdery ingredients make up too much of the rub, then the result is a grainy texture of spices rather than a good bark. This was the main reason for Kent Rathbun's rub to take the next spot down. It's got the most coarse texture and has paprika as the first ingredient. Sucklebusters came next. The rub smelled of Lawry's seasoned salt, and the finished product didn't have enough saltiness which makes sense since salt is its fourth ingredient. With salt and sugar as the first two ingredients, you'd expect Big Fatty's to have a fine showing, but this rub was just too spicy to be enjoyable. None of the other flavors could compete with the heat from four types of pepper.

In the end, the basic salt and pepper rub was the winner, and was the only half rack that was finished off. Here are the full results:

1. Salt & Pepper
2. Angelo's
3. Kent Rathbun
4. Sucklebusters
5. Big Fatty's

- BBQ Snob