After leaving Jack Stack, we got back on the interstate and proceeded to NW KC to the Ameristar Casino, inside which was.......(surprisingly after a $65 meal at Jack Stack, we both remarked that we could use some decent Q for dessert)

53)Arthur Bryant's Barbecue Restaurant, Ameristar Casino, 3200 N. Ameristar Dr., KC, Mo. (Overall grade B++)

This one is a tough one to grade because of some problems with the order. As mentioned we had a trailer and the truck/trailer parking area was a long ways from the casino. Based on the pics on the web site, we drove around thinking it would be a freestanding building or, at least, on the outside of the Casino/Hotel which is quite large. Wrong. It is inside at the food court which is basically right next to casino gambling area. Makes sense if you're trying to get someone to gamble. Because of the parking problem, we decided to send Adam in to get the meat to go and I'd drive around and park waiting for a "Ready" phone call to come pick him up. I told him to get a pound of burnt ends, a pound of ribs, a pound of brisket and anything else that looked interesting. I'm not sure if it was Adam's inexperience with ordering Q or what, but the order was not what I would have wanted. The pound of ribs was ok, he got a 1/2 pound of pork and a 1/2 pound of brisket (splitting the pound of brisket up, which was ok) and a pound of burnt ends. Plus, as it turns out, examples of the 3 kinds of sauces they sell.....original, rich and spicy, and sweet heat.

The ribs were, again, quite good, almost exactly like Jack Stack's, nice color and perhaps a shade less sweet (not that Stack's was overly sweet). We both decided that, if forced, we'd give a very slight edge to Stack's.

The sliced pork and brisket were both excellent but, unfortunately, they were sliced quite thin, (I would have told them to slice it thick, but Adam didn't think about it) and it made getting a true Q sample somewhat difficult. We put a large fingerful in our mouths, sort of like loose chewing tobacco (which we don't use BTW) and, examined thus, both were very good, with the brisket having the chance to be really excellent, tender with a nice smoke, spice flavor.

Finally we come to the fiasco, the burnt ends. I don't know if this is typical, or what, but we got a little sealed plastic bowl full of a pound burnt ends (which really weren't burnt ends, see comments under review #52) that were completely coated in what we think was their "rich and spicy" sauce. Without doubt, it was the most horrible example of Q sauce I have ever had the misfortune to put in my mouth, as best as I can describe it tasted like tomato paste with a fair amount of sugar in it. YUUUUUUCK. Both Adam and I took one bite and could go no farther. We brought it home and fed the pound of burnt ends to the dogs. Without the sauce, who knows, it probably would have been at least good, based on the sliced brisket, but grading the meat was impossible.

Which brings me to the other sauces. First, the sweet heat sauce, tomato based with some spices and the very slightest of red pepper (I specify red pepper because of the next sauce) heat. I found it to be insipid, but Adam kind of liked it. I wouldn't put it on a bad hamburger, but that's my tastes. They sell all 3 on the net, probably to unsuspecting Q philes, so someone must like it and, god forbid, the other non-original sauce.

Finally we come to the "Original" Arthur Bryant's sauce which is widely known and, apparently, widely liked, just not by me. It is basically a slightly spicy/sweet tomato base, with enough vinegar to make it tart with a horrible amount of black pepper in it. I mean, I like black pepper but I don't want to bathe my
mouth in it. It wasn't hot, just VERY strongly black pepper flavored. Both Adam and I thought it was interesting and different (it's damn sure different from any other I've ever had) but Adam hated it and I thought it was an interesting dip for the ribs, but not particularly complimentary. Try it, you might like it, but I'd bet against it.

As I said, this wasn't the original location, there are now 3. I've been to the original over the years and, from memory, recalled it being excellent. I'm kind of winging it here with the B++ grade (I'm not counting the burnt ends fiasco, because I don't normally grade sauces except possibly as some type of tie breaker if there is a large difference in sauce quality) but that's the best I can do with what we had to work with. It could easily go up or down a couple of notches with the right cuts and minus the damn sauce they soaked the burnt ends in. I'd go back, but based on these samples, it isn't quite as wonderful as it's national reputation would lead the unsuspecting to believe, however, to be fair, it is a very respectable Q.

I/we had planned on visiting a couple of more Q joints (Ok Joes, and probably Gates) in KC on the way home, but we hit KC at rush hour, and with a 4400 pound vehicle on the trailer with no trailer brakes, which made any rapid stopping a real adventure, AND based on the Q we had on the way up, I decided to roll on thru and back to Texas, which we did arriving late Fri night, about 38 hours after we left with no major problems. Not bad for 1800 plus miles and a couple of Q stops plus meeting butchloc and picking up our new to us Landcruiser. It was a tiring but fun trip, all in all. Next Q expedition outside of Texas will assault Memphis, with a likely foraging expedition at Little Rock, not sure when, but before too long. Any volunteers?

You're making me hungry. I've been away too long when I start salivating over a meiocre review.

Hold on. Adam and I are leaving in the morning to go to Austin for a Q book signing, where we hope to meet Norman Conquest. Currently, subject to Norman Conquest's ideas, I am planning on eating Q at Stile's Switch in Austin for lunch, sushi for dinner, and at Pecan Lodge in Dallas on Thurs on way home. Reviews to follow. Looking forward to it.

I'll be looking forward to it. I'll be in Austin sometime this year and looking for the best q joint. (although I've been happy with County Line in the past)

Although I haven't tried it YET, that will be Franklin's.

I'm many years out of date but I used to like a place near downtown called the Ironworks or something like that. Also a take out joint in an old gas station. I also went to the Mustang, way out on Guadelupe that was run by three enormous brothers. Anybody know if any of these are still around?

So we got a little later start than I'd have liked, common with a world champion quality teenage sleeper who is a night owl, and left here about 10 AM bound for Austin and the Q book signing.

As mentioned above, I had originally planned on eating at Pecan Lodge in Dallas (which we did, review to follow) but got to thinking about Franklins (the new Texas Monthly Best in Texas, replacing Snow's) and decided that we could use the "secret" email process, and beat the lines while picking up a few pounds of prime Q the next morning (today). So we emailed them, ordering a few pounds of the best, (5 #s minimum, and order MUST be picked up between 10:15 and 10:30) only to have a nice personal reply that the pre-order orders were completely full for the next TWO WEEKS, thank you very much. Apparently the "secret" email orders, ain't so secret anymore. Oh well, back to plan A.

So we arrived at Austin around 3, and went directly to.....

#54) Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew, 6610 N. Lamar, Austin Tx (My overall grade A---)

Stiles' is a fairly new place about 5 mi N of the real action in downtown Austin, but the decor is appropriate to an old time Q Beer Joint, it just needs more grease.....

We went in, ordered 2 pounds of brisket, a pound of beef rib, 1 pound of pork spareribs, and a draft beer for me (Firestone IPA, excellent) from the friendly counter people. I immediately remarked to Adam that the brisket looked a lot like Louie Mueller's (which ain't a bad thing) and it was very similar without the serious peppercorns. Very dark exterior bark and dead tender. We both thought it was extremely good. I think it could have used just a bit more "uumph" in the rub, even if only more salt, but it was really top quality Q. As it turns out, the pitmaster worked for Louie Mueller's for a while before branching out, so it is easy to understand the resemblance. The pork ribs were equally excellent, just a really fine eating experience. The beef rib was tender but slightly overcooked IMO, the only downer in a really fine Q selection.

The sauce was homemade, kind of runny, with chunks of cooked onions, etc slightly resembling a spicy vegetable soup. Not bad, but nothing extra.

Note: I keep mentioning the sauces, but when you're at the upper levels of Q, which this is, the sauce is, at best, a taste changer addition. We rarely use it on best quality Q.

We left with a to go box containing about a quarter of the meat off the beef rib.

Well worth visiting for the Q and beer (large selection including half a dozen drafts). The door sign says, "Thank ya kindly" on the way out and I thank them kindly for a superior Q meal.

I'm glad to hear someone describe a rib as overcooked. My pet peeve is overcooked ribs. Especially those that accomplish this by boiling the ribs before putting them in the smoker.

I second the overcooked ribs comment. Neasrly everybody overcooks them for my taste.

Gatogordo, The Wall street journal had an article and receipe for brisket on May 18-19th. The receipe is from the Smoke in Dallas. Have you been there? I may try the sauce receipe this weekend.

I am not familiar with the Smoke in Dallas. A friend of mine is sending me a copy of the article. As I said above, if it's done right, sauce is not necessary on Q but if you like it, that's all that counts.

I'm afraid the latest BBQ wave may introduce us to Yuppie Bar-B-Q; like they tried to ruin Tex-Mex. Hopefully not. http://www.dallasnews.com/ente...-new-smokehouses.ece

I'm a little skeptical of the survey mentioning Smoke. Sounds like the judges and the process was dubious at best. The blog mentions beef ribs. That pretty well ends the discussion for me. I have no interest in beef ribs.

Looks like I could get five friends and create our own list of our favorite restaurants, then post the results on my sister's blog, and we would have an equally official list.

quote:

The blog mentions beef ribs. That pretty well ends the discussion for me. I have no interest in beef ribs.

IMO the best barbecued beef ribs, as Louie Mueller does them, for one example, and Pecan Lodge for another are the absolute peak of barbecue. Obviously others may disagree.

The approximately 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pound beef rib at Louie Muellers is as close to Q heaven as you can get as far as I'm concerned, blowing away their pork ribs and edging out their brisket, both of which are exceptional.

Finally, AFA "yuppiefied" Q goes, there is little doubt that the "new" Q is the best there has ever been. Franklin's has been in business about 4 years and is a prime example. The old guys, with very few exceptions, are being left behind when you want the best anymore.

Think of it this way, at the time, the 1894 Winchester (and the Marlins) were the peak of hunting firearms. While they obviously still work, today, the more commonly used bolt actions have far surpassed their general utility and accuracy for hunting.

So, after checking into our el cheapo motel (thank you Mr. Internet) we rested for an hour or so and left for the Book People Bookstore (603 N. Lamar, Austin and well worth a visit if you are a book person) for the speech and book signing by Daniel Vaughn to which Norman Conquest alerted us earlier in this thread. The free beer didn't hurt either. We had hoped to meet NC at the event, but he had a last minute job problem arise and couldn't make it. He is one of the finest metal workers in Central Texas and much in demand. Interestingly, fellow AR member, butchloc, is also a metals man and has an incredible shop which we walked through while picking up a car we bought from him in Minn last week.

At any rate, we arrived at the signing right at 7 when it was scheduled to start and found that all the free Q (provided by Micklethwaite Craft Meats, 1309 Rosewood Ave, Austin, recommended by Daniel Vaughn but we have not visited it yet) was gone, it looked like the sharks had been there and cleaned up by ramoras. Oh well, I assuaged my sorrows with a couple of bottles of Saint Arnold's Amber Ale from the Houston Brewery. Good but not exceptional, however free has a lot to be said for it.

Mr. Vaughn's speech was funny and well delivered. He is now the Q editor for Texas Monthly and just quit his daytime job of being an architect a couple of months back. Check out his "Full Custom BBQ" blog, mentioned earlier in this thread. His book, "The Prophets of Smoke" ($30 retail)which I have only skimmed to this point, is an exhaustive review of Texas Q and, even at this early stage of my reading is a absolute must read for those of us who believe that the Gods of Q reside in Texas. My only quibble is that is not easy to find Q reviews for a given town, since it is divided into regions more or less. I had mine signed to "Gatogordo" and we left. Originally we had planned on eating sushi at "Uchi" after the signing, but because of our late start and later afternoon lunch at Stiles Switch Q we both decided that we were really still too full to do a good sushi meal justice. Lucky me, that saved a couple of hundred bucks.
So we drove around a bit, appreciating some of the terrain and architecture of Austin, while winding back to hotel.

This brings me to an IMPORTANT hint, if you're going to stay in Austin, do your absolute best to stay on the side of town from which direction you will be leaving. THIS IS CRITICAL IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO SO DOING RUSH HOURS. When we left the next morning, going N from our hotel about 5 mi on the N side of downtown, while traffic was heavy we had no real problems or delays. Obviously the traffic gods can screw up any plan, but a friend who had to go to Austin quite often says he routinely allows AT LEAST AN HOUR to clear downtown. When we left the TV was flashing traffic warnings about major problems due to wrecks S going toward town and mentioned that THE EXPECTED TRAVEL TIME FOR A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 5 MILES WAS 122 MINUTES. GEESH!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

So we got up and left about 8 AM with the thought that we would arrive at Dallas slightly early for the opening hours of......

#55) Pecan Lodge, 1010 S. Pearl Expressway, Dallas Tx (Farmer's Market Shed #2)(in the new Texas Monthly list tied for #2 with Snow's and Louie Mueller (Franklin's being numero uno), some high company) (Open Thur to Sun, 11-3 or until the meat runs out)(My overall grade A--)

I had called a Q phile friend in Ft Worth to see if he would meet us for lunch. He readily agreed and got there about 10:45 and joined us while Adam and I were STANDING IN LINE for the joint to open at 11. He drove about 40 mi one way, so he is a pretty serious Q eater himself. We arrived inside Farmer's Market Shed #2 about 10:40 and there were already about 25 people in front of us waiting in line. By the time we left about an hour later the line was multiples longer stretching about half way the length of the shed, with at least 150 people in it. I mean the Q is really good, but at about $16 or $17 a pound, personally I ain't waiting in line for an extended time period for it again.

By the time we ordered some for us to eat, some for us to take home, and some for my buddy to take back to his business for his employees, our bill was over $300 and worth it. My friend and I have had a long running discussion/argument about his paying in Tarrant County. I quickly pointed out that we weren't in Tarrant County and picked up the tab. I am way ahead, so far, but other non-Tarrant County Q joints still have the siren call of smoke and I hope for our fun meal expenditures to become more even in the future.

At any rate, we got pounds of brisket, pounds of pork ribs, and 1.2 pounds of beef rib (what one rib weighed) to eat in.

The brisket, which I didn't hesitate to try ahead of the others, was really outstanding, dark exterior, dead tender, with a great smoke and spice flavor from the rub. We were all agreed. Just great!

The pork ribs were quite good IMO but my friend disagreed and thought they just didn't do it for him. They were dead tender and tasty to me. The real problem for both of us was that somewhere, and obviously at least in the later stages of cooking (sauce on ribs was very slightly damp but obviously had been in the smoke, as a side note, the sauce "soaked" into the ribs I took home and they were really better than the fresh ones to me), they were basted with their Q sauce. This lead to a slightly vinegary spicy flavor which I found to be both distracting and not as pleasant as the straight finish of the brisket. My friend was even less impressed. Adam was about in the middle of the opinion line.

Finally we come to the piece d'resistance, the beef rib. The brisket was exceptional but in the opinion of all 3 of us, the rib was even better. Dead tender, cooked correctly (not overcooked) and with that mixture of fat and converted collagen with makes good beef ribs so spectacular. I'd have to compare them side by side, but I think I would give a slight edge to Louie Mueller's.

The sauce was home made, tomato based with a bit of hot pepper and a couple of fairly obvious notes of a spice that we could not identify. To our tastes, good but not as good as the unsauced meat.

At any rate, great Q and if the pork ribs hadn't of been "sauced" I might have given it my highest rating yet. Worth a visit, but I might take a chance on a later time and hope the lines had died out but I wouldn't bet on it, since the newest Texas Monthly rating issue just came out. Would I stand in line again, well, maybe for 15 minutes but the wait time for some of the people in line when we left would have been well over an hour. As a friend of mine used to say, that would be too much sugar for a dime for me.

Best ribs article......well, everyone is entitled to their opinion...... best ribs

I visited the original Arthur Bryant's this past Sunday. It was my fourth or fifth visit there and the first time I had overcooked ribs. I like some texture but these were very flavorful and smoky albeit on the dry and tough side. It was the first time I'd seen the line run out the door and onto the sidewalk so maybe that had something to do with it. At least the brisket was excellent as usual.

Gato I agree the Original sauce is different but I am in the "like it" camp. Most of the sauce up here is like slightly darker ketchup so maybe that is why I enjoy it.

Definitely try Okie Joe's if you can.

RIP

New Q article in USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/story/...o-try-where/2402117/

Last Sunday Adam, his current girl friend, and I took Anne to her new dorm room at UT Austin for the above mentioned 1 month long intensive UT Summer Academy in Architecture "Intro. into the Profession" course (if you'll recall that's the one that scheisskoph (cleaned it up for our sensitive reader Conifer)SR4759 said is so easy to get into without bothering to supply any facts)which began on Monday AM. She had to buy a set of supplies and, after getting that taken care of we decided to have an early dinner since Adam, girlfriend, and I were going back home that evening. 700 miles in one day ain't as easy as it used to be, I noticed.

At any rate, we voted for sushi (to start as it turned out) and went to Uchi, which is widely reviewed to be one of the better sushi places in not only Austin but Texas, a place where the rich, famous, and assorted gentlefolks go to see and be seen. Since we didn't fit any of those categories, I wasn't as impressed as we were supposed to be. We had a selection of happy hour appetizers which were well presented but only one of the 4 really blew my skirts up, the Walu, which was a small piece of cooked fish and was truly superb. OTOH, the sushi was ordinary at best, not overly generous in the cuts and cost roughly twice what sushi at most places costs. The boquerones (spanish sardines) and the wagyu were interesting and very good tho. I am not fond of being overcharged for what I don't consider to be extraordinary food so when we had finished our first assault, I suggested that we rethink our position on dinner, paid the $180 bill and headed out for some more Texas-like food, to wit Q.

I had heard and read enough about it that, of the Qs that are open on Sunday afternoon/evening, I suggested that we try.....

#56)Lambert's, 401 W 2nd St, Austin, Tx which is really MUCH more of a higher end restaurant than an actual Q joint. However it received a 4.25 out of 5 in the 2013 Texas Monthly Q list and was in the top 50, according to them. (My overall rating, B+ for Q, probably several notches higher if you want fine dining only and don't care about prices or quantity)

So we drove downtown to Lambert's and left Adam to his devices to find a parking place, which is a problem in that area (cost us $15 for less than a couple of hours in a parking garage). While we waited I ordered a Bloody Mary from the front downstairs bar, specifying hot and spicy and it was superb at ONLY $7 because of happy hour ($2 off), my compliments to the mixologist who certainly deserves the title. After we all reassembled, it was getting a bit later and we elected to take a seat in the outside patio which was pleasant at that time of day, early evening.

Since we had already had a fairly heavy portion of sushi, we elected to keep it simple and pass on the selection of sides at $7 each and ordered a plate of sliced brisket, a plate of pork ribs, and Anne had the Muscovy Duck which was quite good. Girlfriend opted to taste only.

I can see why this is known as a fine dining establishment and not a Q joint. The rib plate which came with 3 decent sized but not large ribs was $18 and the brisket plate which came with 4 or 5 small slices of the fatty brisket along with a bit of tasty escabeche was $16. The ribs MIGHT have weighed 7 or 8 ounces and the brisket COULD NOT have weighed more than 6 ounces max, probably closer to 4. I think it would be a fair statement to say that I was not overwhelmed with the quantity but the quality was very good.

Along with the Q, they served 3 types of Q sauce in small pour bottles, one tomato based and more or less mild, one with mustard as it's main ingredient, and one habanero. I didn't try the mustard, which Adam said was good without an overpowering mustard taste. He said it was similar to most "red" Q sauces. Both the tomato based which had obvious and tasty overtones of chipotle peppers, and the habanero which was obviously habanero based but not as extremely hot as one would expect were very good.

The brisket was quite good, nice smoke ring, very tender and all in all a very decent example of the art, if you don't mind paying large prices for small samples. Personally, I do.

The ribs were slightly better than the brisket, very good, with a sweet but not overpoweringly so exterior. Even tho sweet on ribs is not my favorite, these were really damn fine eating, if you didn't eat much.....with only 3 ribs at $6 apiece for the 4 of us, we didn't have that problem.

We shared a couple of desserts at $8 apiece, the Valrhona Chocolate Cake and the Banana Bread Pudding. I thought the Cake was good but not exceptional, albeit very dark chocolaty flavor and appearance which was nice. The Pudding was quite good with sort of a bananas foster flavor. We let it settle for a few minutes enjoying the darkening evening, paid our $125 bill (with tip) and left for N Texas after dropping Anne off at her dorm.

The restaurant was two floors, nicely appointed with a finely antique refinished interior, and the patio. The only bathrooms are on the second floor up a long flight of stairs which I didn't particularly enjoy. Second floor was not quite so decorative but has a small stage for live music, mostly in evenings I believe. It was just starting as we left. Our service was excellent and there is a waitress upstairs that would convert me into a regular if I was 30 years younger and unmarried and could afford the maintenance. She, at the very least, matched the quality of the food.

I mean, as a Q joint, that, AFAIK does not sell any Q by the pound or to go, I can't get by the prices for what you get. Based solely on quality of Q I guess I'd have to give it an B+++ but because it is so high end price wise, and my Q tastes ain't into social climbing, I downgraded it to B+. However, it is a very fine restaurant, if you've won the lottery or had your own oil well blow in. I'd certainly go back again and enjoy it if someone else was buying, but it would be hard to fill up on Q (or anything else) there and not feel like you were sticking it to the bill payer. On my dime, probably not, there is too much good Q in Austin and surrounds that comes much more reasonably priced. I guess I've been out in the country too long to enjoy big city restaurant pricing. You can take that tendency into account as you read these blurbs.

Sorry guys, my son just came down for a visit and stopped in Memphis on the way. He ate ribs at three different places and said everyone of them would make you throw rocks at Texas BBQ.
You see, there's a little more to it than taking some hog ribs and pouring catsup on them.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Sorry guys, my son just came down for a visit and stopped in Memphis on the way. He ate ribs at three different places and said everyone of them would make you throw rocks at Texas BBQ.
You see, there's a little more to it than taking some hog ribs and pouring catsup on them.

Everyone has their own tastes but your son obviously hasn't tried good Texas Q. But I'll visit Memphis before long and give you my absolutely unbiased opinion.

BTW name the places and I'll be sure to try them. 3 places on one driving trip.....hmmmmm.

Cooking good ribs is so easy compared to brisket that it isn't even on the same level of difficulty.

our sensitive reader Conifer)[/QUOTE]

WHO???......ME?!!
My wife would STRONGLY disagree.

Well, he's been living in Round Rock for about the last 10 years. When I have gone to visit, we've gone to Stubbs and Rudy's and several other places that I can't remember the names of.He actually stayed in Memphis for a couple of days. Seeing mud island, Graceland, etc. I'll get the names of the places he tried and let you know. When he checked into his hotel, he asked the clerk where the Rendezvous was? She asked him if he was wanting real ribs? When he said yes, she pointed him out to a couple of other places which he tried with good results.
I had told him to get really good ribs, you had to go to a coloured joint. He stopped in some no-name café he happened by --he was the only white guy in the place-- and got a slab of ribs which he said was the best of the bunch.

Like I said, to each his own taste, but if he's taking his Dad to Stubb's and Rudy's for Q, and he lives in Round Rock he doesn't know much about Texas Q.

Even the worst of Texas Q I have tried doesn't "take some hog ribs and pouring catsup" on it. OTOH they did worse than that in KC to some burnt ends I tried at what many people WRONGLY consider to be the best Q place in the country.

Come on, GG. The old “you should have been here last week” ploy. I told my son that you thought he was dumber than a sack of rocks and he thought it was pretty funny considering that he was raised in TN. And grew up with exposure to a lot of different BBQ joints in west TN. Plus the modest efforts of his father who’s roots lie in tidewater VA and NC.
According to him, Rudy’s or Stubbs (I forget which) was voted to have the best BBQ in TX. This was in some TX magazine. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that because of the volume business they do (there might just be a reason for that), there’s no way their BBQ can compare to Uncle Jimmy Joe Jack’s rib shack that’s up a holler that you need a 4 wheel drive to get to and who, once a week, takes out a half slab of hog ribs, pours a little catsup on them and sticks them in a smoker. And you’re required to drink at least 4.5 beers before he serves your ribs.
But he sez, if you don’t want to make a pilgrimage to Lambert’s or Franklin but just want a good plate of BBQ, Rudy’s or Stubbs do just fine.

To repeat, his knowledge of good Q in Texas is piss poor at best which means his ability to rate ribs in Memphis is also highly suspect.

Please source "some Texas Magazine" that voted either Stubb's or Rudy's "Best Q in Texas". It might have happened but believe me, I won't hold my breath. Rudy's does serve a very decent commercial Q, but that's all it is. I haven't eaten at Stubb's but the reviews don't give me any reason to try it either. Neither made the top 50 list in Texas Monthly whose reviewers tried, according to them, 658 Texas Q joints and traveled 33,000 miles doing so. My opinion: They've forgotten more about good Q than you and your son know.

"Pilgrimage", it is to laugh, which tells me either you, your son, or both don't know where you're at, especially as it relates to Texas Q. Franklin's is as close as Stubb's to Round Rock, and Louie Mueller in Taylor is CLOSER to Round Rock. The second location of the Salt Lick is IN Round Rock.

Let me know what you think when you've joined your son and eaten at those 3 and we'll talk again. In the interim, if what you think is good Q is good enough for you and your son, it suits the hell out of me. Bon appetit!

So, having been adrift from any Q for about a week, I decided to go try this new place that one of my fellow jurors said was "really excellent". I've been around long enough to not believe all the locals ratings, but nonetheless, I drove over to Texarkana and pulled into.....

#57) Billy Sims BBQ, 3747 Mall Dr., Texarkana, Tx (just S of I-30 off Richmond Rd Exit, approximately 200 yards W of Robinson Rd)
(My overall rating B+)

Went in there at about 1:30 and there was a line, took about 15 minutes to get served. Hmmmm, normally a good sign, but this is Texarkana which is in a Q desert. Everyone was friendly but kind of rushed because of the crowd. Since I was in no rush, I order a "Running Back" plate (normally $12.99 but perhaps because of my general good looks the cashier lady discounted it to
$9.99), which was 1/2 slab of ribs, 6 nice meaty ribs including 2 sides, I got green beans and BBQ beans (both very ordinary) and a pound of brisket ($12.99) sliced thick. I didn't watch them slice brisket since I had moved on to choosing sides for plate, but they took me at my word, it was at least 5/8 inch thick.

Brisket, which was not the fatty end, was very good, slight smoke ring, good rub, medium tender, not bad for a non-fatty cut, but not great.

Same for ribs, very good rub, not tough, but certainly not really tender, but acceptable. Very good flavor.

Had 2 kinds of sauce, mild and hot. Both tomato based, I tried the hot, and if it was hot, I'd hate to try the mild, since the "hot" was quite sweet to my tastes and had basically zero "hot". I suppose it is possible they put the wrong sauce in the Hot bottle, but probably not. Sauce had faint smoke flavor....could easily have been some re-worked Kraft or similar. Not a plus, but a lot of people would like it.

For those who don't know, Billy Sims is a local product of Hooks, Tx which is about 15 mi W of Texarkana. He went on to be a great football player at Ok U, and then to the Detroit Lions. He made some very bad investment and personal decisions over the years and probably is just getting a small percentage for lending his name to this chain, which started around Ok City. There are over 30 locations, most in Ok, now. I have some serious doubts about how the meat is cooked but really don't know for sure. However, the end product is a very decent commercial Q. Nothing exceptional but worth a stop if you're Q deprived and in or going thru Texarkana.

quote:

Originally posted by gbanger:
Gatogordo, sorry for highjacking your thread. This is the last non Q post I'll make. One other East Texas cousine memory I have is a hotlink joint in downtown Pittsburg. Dad took me there. It was the greasiest nastiest eating place I had ever been in. This was in the early '70s and nobody then had heard of cholesterol. You got a sleave of crackers to eat with your hotlinks and believe me, you could have rubbed them on a cardboard refrigerator box and been able to read the model and serial numbers. The place was considered an institution, though. All the courthouse crowd and other bigwigs ate there. Also, so I won't have to make another post, I enjoyed seeing a real old fashioned syrup making operation. They used a cane press and cooked it off in open kettles under a shed. For a young man who grew up on Mrs. Buttersworth, the blackstrap was a little strong, but I really liked the ribboncane. I bet you would have to look far and wide to find that nowdays.

That place in Pittsburg is still there... I ate there in October of 2011. "Home of the world famous Pittsburg hot links"... don't remember the name of the place, but it's still as greasy as ever...

I had an interesting eating experience the other night. Still in the final throws of a move. My cook said the kitchen was closed, and she wasn't hungry, so I was on my own. Catfish was on my mind. I stuck the particulars in my GPS and took off. Fifteen minutes later I pulled-up at the correct address. It was now a Mexican Food joint. Tried to find more catfish. Gave up. Turned to Q, decided to give Hutchins a second try in McKinney. Fifteen minutes later I get to the front door.....two minutes after closing time.

Back in the truck and point myself towards Rudy's, by Cabela's in Allen. Drove right by a good-looking seafood place, Rockfish, but couldn't find a way in through the construction, traffic, and darkness.

Twenty minutes later I'm eating the worst ribs I've ever stuck in my mouth; almost unchewable. Actually one piece was unchewable.

The bottle of sauce had to be shaken and pounded for ten minutes to get any reasonable amount of sauce out. The second bottle was no better. If you're stingy with your sauce, and I can't chew your food, you've lost me. I will give them credit for their brisket and corn on the cob, but that's not enough to get me to come back.

Apparently a lot of places don't do any good after 9:00pm around here, because they close the doors.

I've never been in the restaurant business, but I see some strange practices. In Garland near where I lived the restaurants weren't open for lunch except Cheddars and Olive Garden. Outback Steakhouse, Road House, On The Border, Texas, and others, not open. This is right along George Bush Tollway. Cheddar's and Olive Garden enjoying the crowds, and laughed their way to the bank.

Last week I was watching a financial news program interviewing the CEO of Outback Steakhouse. They had done an intensive study and their in-house experts had determined that they would make more money if they opened for lunch. No sh*t! (I guess they must have gotten hungry around then and stood in line for a half hour outside of Cheddar's.)

While taking a trip to the Victoria/Seadrift area to hopefully buy a fishing camp in Seadrift, (we didn't), we stopped by Mumphord's in Victoria on the way back from our unsuccessful auction attempts. So here is my review of.....

#58) Mumphords Place Restaurant, 1202 E. Juan Linn St, Victoria, Texas (ranked in the top 50 in Texas on Texas Monthly's 2013 list with a 4.0 out of a possible 5.0) (My Rating, B)

The owner and other family members work the front and his brother-in-law , Bubba, runs the pits. They cook with direct heat, which is different from most Q joints and it produces a slightly different but not unpleasant style of Q. Everyone was friendly and his Q prices are some of the cheapest around, at $9.49/lb for ribs and brisket, a bit less for sausage. We ordered a pound of ribs and brisket, and since we had the time, a 1/2 pound of sausage.

I'd like to give this joint a higher rating, but I have to work with what I got and what I got just wasn't nearly as good as the "top 50 in Texas" rating would lead you to believe.

The ribs looked great but really didn't have all that much of a Q flavor and, probably due to direct heat cooking, were solidly edible but a bit less tender than other methods. Good but not all that good.

The brisket, which I ordered sliced thick, was a real disappointment. It had a great taste and appearance but was simply somewhat overcooked. Cooked right, it would have been a very decent offering. I mean, the first rule of Q is don't overcook it, it dries it out and loses that tenderness which is a trademark of good Q. If the brisket had been cooked right, the rating would have easily been B++. But that's a big "if".

The sausage, which appeared to be homemade were a solidly decent product, not overly greasy with a slight smoke flavor.

The sauce was tomato based, somewhat sweet, with a undertone of spices and smoke flavor which made it just over average to me. My wife thought it was too sweet. I told her, if she thought that was sweet, she'd really not like some of them I'm exposed to.

At any rate, nice people but a disappointing Q experience. Hopefully we just caught a bad batch but based on what we had, I'd only go there if I was Q deprived and was driving by, which ain't all that easy to do unless you're going S from Victoria.

While not Q related, I feel that I should mention a very decent Thai restaurant we had dinner at in Victoria......Noot's Thai Kitchen. 6360 N. Navarro St, Victoria, Tx. It is in the rear of a somewhat oddly arranged shopping center, but is easy to find if you know that it is just North of the HEB grocery store.

Excellent food, we ordered everything "Thai Hot", the hottest of the 4 levels they offered (not hot, medium hot, hot, and Thai hot) and the nice Thai waitress asked us twice to be sure we knew what we were talking about. But when I said, "pet, pet" (Thai for "hot, hot") she knew we weren't rookies. She said she could only eat it hot, not Thai hot, but she is from Southern Thailand. Food was solidly hot, but not so hot that it was unpleasant to eat. If it is really maximum hot, then you had better be used to eating Thai or you won't be able to handle it very well. I had steamed mussels and red curry with squid and it was fine eating. We are a little short of Thai restaurants in our area, the closest being a decent example in Mt. Pleasant, about 50 mi away, so we were a little apprehensive on the heat level, but it was great, damn hot but not unpleasantly so.

If you like Thai food and you're in Victoria, I can solidly recommend this place with the caution that if you think Mexican food is hot, then I would suggest that you not order Thai hot levels until you've tried a small order of something with that level of peppers first. Hot Thai food will burn most Mexican dishes to the ground.

Gato
What are those long, thin dark peppers used by most Thai restaurants. They are hot!

They are usually just called "Thai Chiles" but they are also a type of bird's eye chiles. They are hot, but not nearly as hot as habaneros but I sure wouldn't want to eat a handful of them just for the fun of it.

If they are really long, they are probably cayennes. While there are certainly different species, all peppers originated in N and S America and were spread around the world by the Spanish and Portuguese.

Interesting bit of knowledge passed on to me by my preacher concerning the invention of the tortilla. In the 1500's when Cortez + his ilk took over Mexico + beyond, the inquisition was still in full swing back in Spain. EVERYONE was a (professed Catholic)especially the jews.When they immigrated to get away they had to keep a low profile. Like baking unleavened bread.....thus the tortilla. A good story,whether true or not. But is sounds reasonable.Don't bother with Wickapedia;I don't believe anything they say.

I wouldn't believe everything your preacher says either. It makes sense to me that corn tortillas would pre-date the arrival of the Spanish by many centuries since corn was a new world plant and corn growing was an important food product of Aztec culture and many others long before Colombus. Making them out of wheat, ummmm......maybe.

Speaking of that, we were just down in Norman Conquest's area yesterday for a quick trip to look at a boat for sale in Burnet. I didn't buy the boat, but came back to I35 via 29 to Georgetown.

Not to waste any opportunity to try a new Q joint, we stopped by Miller's Smokehouse in Belton on the way there which brings us to review.......

#59) Miller's Smokehouse, 208 N. Penelope, Belton, Texas (one of the current top 50 in Texas in Texas Monthly with a 4.25/5.00) (My rating B++)

We walked in about 1:30 and there was a small line in front of us with about 6 to 8 people in it. A good sign. We got up to cash register and ordering area....place is laid out a bit strange, 5 or 6 tables in front room, cash register, than it opens up to a larger room with more tables and the kitchen/serving area but AFA I can tell, all orders go thru the cash register area, where you pay and get a number if you're going to sit down and eat. Since we got ours to go, I am not certain of all the details.

At any rate, we ordered a pound of brisket and a pound of ribs, but were dismayed to find out that ribs are only served on Fri and Saturday. So we fell back to an order of a pound of the on site made jalapeno and cheese sausage. Even tho Texas is beef country, I would think that pork ribs are an important part of the Q menu, but it ain't my business and he is apparently doing well with his approach.

The brisket, offered in both fatty and lean cuts (always get the fatty if you're going to eat it while it's hot), which we got sliced thick, was really excellent. Great flavor and spiced rub with a dark color. Not a really thick smoke ring and, while it was a superior product, the only thing that kept it from the exhalted level of exceptional was just a tad less smoke flavor than I would have liked. However, this is a very personal evaluation and it was smoked, for sure.

The sausage, which, as I've mentioned before is not one of my Q standbyes, was also very good. Lrge chunks of cheddar and smaller pieces of jalapeno throughout with some garlic in there, I believe. Nice flavor and lightly smoked. Personally I thought it was quite salty, but my wife didn't agree, so maybe it was just me....Nah....it was pretty salty.

Sauce was only real downer. Tomato based, watery, and quite sweet. Not horrible, but it won't win the Diabetic Foundation's seal of approval.

Well worth a stop and you can always try Schoepf's a few blocks away. We didn't this trip because of time constraints but reviewed earlier in this thread. Both are worth visiting, but I'd like to try Miller's ribs next time I get a chance. The lack of ribs and the slightly less smoke than I would have preferred on the brisket kept them from a triple B plus, but it was close. Recommended and not far from the death trap known as I-35 which is becoming more and more like a fast moving bumper car ride from I-20 South of Dallas to San Antonio. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that taking the cross country route, while slower is worth the loss of time in less wear on the nerves and psyche.

I had to make a quick run over to Dallas to pick up an ebay boat I bought. In order to make the trip more fun, I detoured a bit and went up to Garland (suburb city of Dallas, N of Mesquite) to find a Q joint that was on the current list of Texas Monthly's Best 50 in Texas. After some false starts (street it is on is one way and it's not as simple as you would think to find it if you're not familiar with the area, which I definitely was not), I came to......

#60) Meshack's Bar-B-Que, 240 E. Avenue B, Garland, Tx. Texas Monthly Top 50 with a grade of 4.25/5.00. My overall rating B+

This is an old style black owned Q shack, no inside at all, all food is sold thru a window with bars (might say something about the neighborhood) and there are a couple of pecan stumps and one bench to sit on while you're waiting.

I arrived at about 12:30, waited for the 3 or 4 people in front of me to finish (luckily it was still the cool of the day, only about 98 degrees since there is no shade) and stepped up to order my standard pound of ribs and pound of brisket, only to be informed that some inconsiderate person had cleaned them out of brisket, so I fell back and ordered a pound of ribs and a pound of sausage. Then in a minute, lady at the window said they had one pound of brisket left if I wanted it. I said sure and paid again. Waited a few minutes and was handed one white and one brown bag, the white had the sauce (had choice of hot or not, I chose hot) and the brown had the meats and plenty of slices of bread.

So I went back to my, thankfully, air conditioned truck to try it out. The brisket, which was the lean end, was good, tender, but not exceptional.

The ribs were better, very well cooked, with a nice taste and color. The best of the 3 meats by far.

The sausages which I don't think are made on sight were well smoked, cut up into bite sized pieces and coated with sauce. A little salty to my tastes, but not bad at all.

This place smokes ONLY with pecan, which is somewhat rare in the Q world. Unlike what the TM reviewers said, I think pecan leaves a milder flavor than oak. Very pleasant but not outstanding.

The sauce was somewhat thinner than normal, certainly made on sight, and had a small bit of heat to it, which is more than I can say for most "hot" Q sauces these days. Better than average, but not special.

AFA I could tell, there was very little if any rub on the meat, Meshack's lets the meat and smoke speak for themselves, the old way of Qing. The grade of B+ was close, it could have gone to ++ if I had been able to get the fatty brisket. This is very edible Q made the old fashioned way. Because of it being out of my normal driving area, I probably won't be back, but it is worth a trip, to try the pecan smoke out if you're in the area.

This was very solid Q but not up to the best of modern standards IMO. Frankly I think political correctness has sneaked into the TM 50 ratings and they are spreading their choices around geographically speaking. The best Q in their list is, undoubtedly, really excellent, but getting a bit farther down, it becomes much closer to ordinary in a hurry. However, ordinary Texas Q is still pretty darn good. Until the next time, smoke on.