The BBQ Thread

[BubbleVisionBiff]

Had takeout from Hill Country DC at a neighbor's backyard party on Sunday. When my wife said she was going to get sauce for the brisket, I regretted that I was too far away to cover our daughter's ears.

[DFW HOYA]

Jul 12, 2012 11:48:29 GMT -5 AustinHoya03 said:

If you ask me, the best five barbecue joints in Texas right now, in no particular order, are:

Franklin Barbecue (Austin)
JMueller Barbecue (Austin)
Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor)
Pecan Lodge (Dallas)
Smitty's Market (Lockhart)

The next five would be:

Kreuz Market (Lockhart)
Stanley's Famous (Tyler)
City Meat Market (Giddings)
Snow's Barbecue (Lexington)
City Market (Luling)

I finally made the trip to Pecan Lodge and the brisket is first rate. The pork sausage was a little fatty compared to the leaner central Texas beef sausages, but next time I'll try the ribs.

A very good list. I'd place Kreuz ahead of Smitty's, as much for brand loyalty as well as the fact that Smitty's lean brisket can really dry out sometimes. City Market in Luling may be the most consitent of them all, and it's probably right on the edge of the top 5.

[kchoya]

Aug 1, 2012 13:50:33 GMT -5 AustinHoya03 said:

A Texas barbecue blogger reports on the Manhattan location of Hill Country:

tmdailypost.com/article/food/bbq-snob-takes-manhattan-hill-country-barbecue-good

$22.75/lb for brisket.

Actually, to clarify, it's $22.75/lb for moist brisket. Is dry brisket less expensive? Do burnt ends costs more or less? (does Hill Country even do burnt ends?)

[DFW HOYA]

Aug 1, 2012 16:53:02 GMT -5 kchoya said:

$22.75/lb for brisket.

Actually, to clarify, it's $22.75/lb for moist brisket. Is dry brisket less expensive? Do burnt ends costs more or less? (does Hill Country even do burnt ends?)

$22.75...ugh. Before barbecue went upscale, $9.00/lb was the accepted standard at many of the top places. Franklin's in Austin is the highest I've seen at $16, but he could charge DC prices and still sell out.

"Moist" brisket is a euphemism for "fatty" brisket, where the outside deckle cut is marbled by the fat, or "lean", where the inner cut has little or no marbling, but the taste is less juicy than a marbled cut. Another type of cut, the shoulder or "clod", has even less fat, but if not cooked properly can cook very dry. The Hill Country locations in NY and DC sell shoulder clod but I'm not sure many people know what it is. Generally, brisket and clod are priced the same in the East although clod is generally a cheaper cut of meat.

(Nutritionally, 8 oz. of moist brisket has approx. 50g of fat, a half pound of lean brisket from 20-24g, a half pound of clod about 12g.)

Burnt ends comes from the break in the brisket and can contain even more fat than the moist brisket--caveat emptor if you're on a low fat diet. And if you really want to tempt fate, you can order a moist brisket sandwich topped with burnt ends.

blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2012/01/great_scott_pecan_lodges_off-m.php

[AustinHoya03]

Jul 12, 2012 15:59:17 GMT -5 hoyainspirit said:

As wonderful as the food is in New Orleans, the BBQ sucks. Went to a BBQ joint connected to a church (Mt. Zion?) in Huntsville, TX. Thought it was good, but not great, but I'm no BBQ expert.

Yeah, that has to be Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church Barbeque, a.k.a. Church of the Holy Smoke. It's still very good, but is generally considered to have declined in quality after the original pitmaster retired a few years ago. The new guys also drown your plate in sauce unless you ask for it on the side.

Still, it's a super cool place. One of the best barbecue joints in terms of atmosphere in the state, in my opinion. Low slung building right next to the front of the church, always packed with friendly folks, and the smoker's right out front.
___________________________________________________

Aug 1, 2012 15:28:02 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

I finally made the trip to Pecan Lodge and the brisket is first rate. The pork sausage was a little fatty compared to the leaner central Texas beef sausages, but next time I'll try the ribs.

A very good list. I'd place Kreuz ahead of Smitty's, as much for brand loyalty as well as the fact that Smitty's lean brisket can really dry out sometimes. City Market in Luling may be the most consitent of them all, and it's probably right on the edge of the top 5.

Yeah, the sausage at Pecan Lodge is not my favorite style of sausage, but the casings snapped and the fat oozed in just the right way when I ate there. You should definitely try the ribs at some point; they're great. Pecan Lodge's brisket reminds me a lot of John Mueller's, with a nice, thick crust on the outside.

I suppose every Texan has to decide whether he or she is a Kreuz or Smitty's fan at some point (anyone who says Black's is better is just being contrarian). Although the product at both joints is very similar, I give the edge to Smitty's because I don't like the new Kreuz barn/building and I once got a weird cut at Kreuz when I asked for lean brisket. Other than that it's more or less a draw.

FWIW, my wife and I ate a 1/2 pound of moist brisket, a sausage link, and a pork rib for lunch at JMueller BBQ today, and it cost us around $15.00. That's more expensive than Texas barbecue used to be, but it's still a pretty damn good deal considering what I'd be willing to pay for it ($22.75/pound is not that far off). On road trips to rural parts of the state, a similar order usually costs me around $10.00, which is pretty unbelievable in 2012 if you ask me.

[SSHoya]

Anyone have an opinion about Rocklands or is it not even in the conversation with Hill Country or the late Capital Q?

[fsohoya]

I've had Rocklands a few times, but not in a while. My recollection is it was better than Capital Q, but not as good as Hill Country. You should also steer clear of Pork Barrel in Alexandria, at least based on my one visit there. Pretty flavorless.

[AustinHoya03]

Aug 1, 2012 18:52:16 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

Another type of cut, the shoulder or "clod", has even less fat, but if not cooked properly can cook very dry. The Hill Country locations in NY and DC sell shoulder clod but I'm not sure many people know what it is. Generally, brisket and clod are priced the same in the East although clod is generally a cheaper cut of meat.

I had shoulder clod for dinner at Kreuz Market last Friday on my way down to the Gulf coast (they had run out of brisket). Even Kreuz can't make this cut of meat something that I want to eat on a regular basis, especially when brisket is available as an alternative.

[Problem of Dog]

Aug 2, 2012 6:45:08 GMT -5 SSHoya said:

Anyone have an opinion about Rocklands or is it not even in the conversation with Hill Country or the late Capital Q?

Rocklands, meh.

[SFHoya99]

McBricks and I spent all Saturday grilling five different variants of ribs.

We did four different variants of a rib recipe by an 11-time Memphis in May winner (McBricks cooked on the team that won last year) as well as a Polynesian style to mix it up.

Eight racks across three people was possibly too much meat, but between the grilled lemonade, the beautiful day and the impossible to beat ribs, it was fantastic.

This thread has been almost completely about restaurants -- which I find to be almost universally overpriced and not nearly as good as what I can do in my backyard. I've never done brisket, but my pulled pork is as good as any restaurant and I prefer McBrick's or my ribs to anything I've really had in any restaurant.

Anyone else cook?

[PhillyHoya]

I've managed to figure out a decent Carolina style pulled pork at home. I leave brisket to the experts though.

[hoyawatcher]

Pulled pork at home is a piece of cake. All in the sauce. Making decent brisket is not that hard. I do that reasonably often. But I can't get it anywhere near good TX restaurant level though. Kids and family still love it even though I can tell the difference. Getting better at it all the time with practice.

[thebin]

Going to be in lewisville tx this week. Is there a great bbq place nearby?

[Boz]

Brisket is actually extremely easy, but you need to have a smoker. Even an electric smoker will do. Cooking brisket in any other way is just not right.

Also, you need to find a butcher who will sell a WHOLE brisket, including the fat cap. That is where the tenderness comes from.

If you've got all that and a good dry rub recipe, it's pretty much just pop it in at a low heat and wait for the deliciousness to come....about 8 hours later.

[DFW HOYA]

Aug 20, 2012 7:24:48 GMT -5 thebin said:

Going to be in lewisville tx this week. Is there a great bbq place nearby?

Not really, just chain restaurants. If you've got a half hour to drive into central Dallas, here are two good options:

www.pecanlodge.com/
Downtown, lunch only--expect lines but it's very good (see above)

www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/
5-6 min. south of downtown--longer drive but no lines

I found this one on Yelp--have not heard of it before, but the reviews are mostly positive and it's right off I-35 in Lewisville:

www.yelp.com/biz/fat-cow-bbq-lewisville

[thebin]

Thanks Dwf.

[AustinHoya03]

Aug 20, 2012 10:56:38 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

Aug 20, 2012 7:24:48 GMT -5 thebin said:

Going to be in lewisville tx this week. Is there a great bbq place nearby?

Not really, just chain restaurants. If you've got a half hour to drive into central Dallas, here are two good options:

www.pecanlodge.com/
Downtown, lunch only--expect lines but it's very good (see above)

www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/
5-6 min. south of downtown--longer drive but no lines

I found this one on Yelp--have not heard of it before, but the reviews are mostly positive and it's right off I-35 in Lewisville:

www.yelp.com/biz/fat-cow-bbq-lewisville

There's also a Hard 8, which is a decent chain that smokes with direct heat, just down the road in Coppell.

Welcome to Texas. I'm sorry that you'll be spending your time here in Lewisville.

[thebin]

I've heard Hard8 recommended by a couple of locals, might try them for lunch Thursday. Headed out with colleagues to Saltgrass steakhouse tonight. Any recommendations?

Got a chance to see uptown Dallas last night which was fun.

[Just Cos]

Any BBQ recommendations for San Antonio? Will be spending a lot of time there for work so other non-bbq recommendations appreciated.

[AustinHoya03]

Aug 23, 2012 0:25:16 GMT -5 Just Cos said:

Any BBQ recommendations for San Antonio? Will be spending a lot of time there for work so other non-bbq recommendations appreciated.

The Smokehouse (3306 Roland Avenue) is the best I've had within the city limits. Barbecue Station on Loop 410 is also serviceable. B&B Smokehouse is on my list of places to try, and is reportedly very good. Fair warning: if you're in town on business, the surrounding neighborhoods at the city barbecue joints may not impress your clients.

If you want really great barbecue, take I-10 out to Luling and go to City Market. (Do not get confused and go to Luling Bar-B-Q, an imitator located nearby.) Their sausage is the best on the planet and totally worth the drive.

Assuming you're staying downtown in San Antonio, some good nearby bars/restaurants are:

Downtown/Riverwalk
Biga on the Banks
Boudro's (get the guacamole)
Esquire Tavern (one of the few bars on the Riverwalk not crawling with tourists)

Southtown
Rosario's
Cascabel
Liberty Bar
Taco Haven (for breakfast tacos)

Midtown
Chris Madrid's (best burger in town)

Alamo Heights
Paloma Blanca

East Side
Tommy Moore's (best fried chicken in town)

ON EDIT: One oversight: Bohanan's Steakhouse downtown is your best bet for red meat.