A sixteen year odyssey across the backroads of America during the ultimate College Football roadtrip.

Tag: BBQ (Page 7 of 9)

Country Tavern BBQ

Country Tavern is a bit of a legend among Texas BBQ joints, and while not located in the famed “Barbecue Triangle” of Central Texas, it’s still widely considered one of the preeminent pit stops for purveyors of smoked meat. Tucked a few miles off Interstate 20 in Kilgore, Country Tavern made for the perfect diversion during our four hour jaunt out to Grambling.

Like any Texas Barbecue joint worth its chimney, Country Tavern is not without a bit of controversy over the last few years. Having been in business since 1939, Country Tavern has earned its reputation among the best in the state by churning out high quality cue’ for eons. However, a few years ago, they abandoned 70 year old location in favor of a squeaky new building. The stodgy faithful of Country Tavern have been quick to assert that the new location doesn’t quite turn out the same quality meat as the old location. Unfazed, we decided to give it a shot anyway and we strolled into the shadowy interior of Country Tavern and settled into a plush booth.

I was quite pleased to discover that regardless of the new building, the quality of the food was still top notch. The sausage was pleasantly spicy with a good snap to it, though I would have preferred they not slice it prior to serving. The brisket was solid, but not exceptional. It had a solid depth of smoky flavor throughout and just the right amount of rendered fat, but a more pronounced crust and smoke ring may have preserved some of the moisture a bit better.


The ribs were probably the winner overall for me despite the fact they were a bit non-traditional from a Texas sense. The ribs were tackified and sweet on the outside having been basted during the smoking process (the sauce had completely crusted onto the meat and fortunately they were not wet). The result was a sweet, almost candy coating on the outside of the ribs, which, paired with the inherent saltiness of the meat and infused smoke, created a delightfully complex flavor experience. They were actually very reminiscent of Chinese style spare ribs, but with a more robust smoke profile.

The only surprise at Country Tavern, unfortunately, was the ticket the waitress gracefully handed off to me at the end of the meal. I nearly spewed Big Red through my nose when I looked down and saw nearly fifty dollars staring back up at me in black and white. Our meat plates were nearly twenty dollars apiece…. I immediately calculated how much Snow’s brisket I could get for that hefty price, or a new snowblower.

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Blue Pig BBQ

I can’t quite remember where I first heard about Blue Pig BBQ, but I know it was on one of those “Best BBQ” lists that are routinely forwarded to me from friends and relatives. The problem with such lists, is that 99% of them are generated on hype and reputation alone. The author, usually of dubious credentials (like being from the North, or raving about “sauce”), has likely never even visited half the places on their list. The fact that Sonny Bryans still manages to make “best of” lists and television shows is proof of this abhorrent and misleading practice. Therefore, as a rule, I generally ignore such lists at face value, and I usually screen for multiple data points about a BBQ joint before adding it to the esteemed ranks of the Pigskin Pursuit list. One only has so much stomach space, after all.



Unfortunately, pressed for time, Blue Pig did not undergo my usual scrutiny for selecting a BBQ establishment and this one certainly slipped through the cracks.

I knew I was in trouble when I walked through the door and nary a hint of smoke greeted my nose. My fears were confirmed when my three meat tray arrived with a pile of nondescript meats that barely resembled BBQ. The jalapeno cheese sausage had fallen straight off the Sysco truck, and a quick nibble confirmed its mediocrity. The ribs were dry, lacked any hint of smoke, and flopped sloppily off the bone likely from sitting under a heat lamp for a few hours. Finally, there was this other grey matter that they referred to as “Brisket” on my tray. Like a five year old choking down peas, I winced through a few bites of the meat substance before paying it the ultimate insult – I “sauced” it. (Then I made a sandwich out of it.)

For those unfamiliar with the blog, for me to “sauce” any BBQ meat is an insult of the highest order. Roughly equivalent to walking into the kitchen, shooting the chef’s dog and scissor kicking him in the chest.



In fact, the best part of the meal was the cheesy potato concoction, which was actually the only thing I finished. Does Kreuz Market even offer side dishes? I wouldn’t know because I’ve never gotten past the meat. So if I’m telling you about the side dishes at a BBQ joint – take it as a warning and eat at the Denny’s across the street, or grab a pack of Combos from the Quik Trip.



Sorry Blue Pig, you’re not up to snuff.



http://www.bluepigbbq.com/



The moral of this entire story is of course quite simple: Never trust Barry Switzer.

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Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch and RV Park

When I first read about a BBQ joint that doubled as an RV Park, I got one of those twinkles in my eye that only comes from uncovering yet another unique roadside gem on the college football tour. If it’s one thing I’ve been searching for, it’s a place to enjoy some delicious smoked meats in the comfort of my opulent, fiberglass mobile palace. Mind you, I don’t actually own an RV, but the allure of eating BBQ in an RV park was simply too much pass up. Oklahoma: home of catfish noodlin’ and BBQ RV Parks.

In my imagination, the pitmaster for Smokin Joe’s would be a folksy hybrid character mashup of Uncle Eddie from “National Lampoons Family Vacation”, and the famous youtube celebrity “Winnebago Man”. Draped in a vintage leisure suit this character would surely dish out my BBQ with a toothy grin and a profanity laden tirade. Reality set in quickly however, when two extremely pleasant and polite women behind the counter took my usual three meat order.



While the combination of a BBQ and RV Park is an alluring story, it’s the pile of the meat on that tray that ultimately matters. I’m here to tell you that ol’ Smokin Joe ought to consider flipping the breaker on the RV hookups because this guy flat out knows how to BBQ.

The sausage was probably the most common of the three meats. I opted for the spicy sausage, which had a decent snap to it, but was clearly packed too tightly to be made in house and chewed a little too commercial for my taste. The brisket, however, was fantastic. Note the well established crust on the brisket and deep smoke ring. Clearly Joe has spent some time perfecting this finicky meat. The only drawback was that he trimmed his brisket, so it doesn’t have quite the same moistness that some of the Lockhart notables do. Finally, the ribs stole the show. These ribs were perfectly cooked, had a deep smoke ring and silky texture. Additionally, they were enormous and meaty (the pictures don’t really do them justice) and I had all I could handle to finish three of them.


It’s always nice to discover a place north of Austin that actually serves respectable cue’. Oklahoma can be a bit of an enigma when it comes to BBQ (due to the Kansas City influence from the North), so it’s quite a treasure to discover more traditional Texas style BBQ this far north.



http://www.smokinjoesribranch.com/


Now if only we could get one in Dallas



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Snow’s BBQ – Going back for seconds…

The only thing better than checking the #1 Barbecue place in Texas off your list, is returning a few months later for another lip smacking round of Texas finest smoked meat.With Snow’s BBQ a paltry fifty miles away from College Station, you can bet I set the alarm early on Saturday morning for a hearty breakfast of the smoked variety.

For those of you fresh to the blog, Snow’s BBQ is considered the best barbecue establishment in Texas.The pitmaster is a charming 70 year old woman named Tootsie, the joint’s only open on Saturdays, and you need to get there before 10am or they sell out of food.

You can refer to my previous post for a little more backstory, and the original review.

http://pigskinpursuit.blogspot.com/2009/09/snows-bbq.html

This time, I tried to do a better job of capturing the food in photos. All the food groups are well represented, chicken, sausage, pork ribs and beef brisket. Pay special note to the deep crust and uniform color on the brisket at the bottom.There is a reason this stuff is considered the best, and my review this time around is eerily similar to the last.

Amazing.

http://www.snowsbbq.com/

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