The following doesn't provide a great deal of Q information, but the lady sure is impressed with her writing skills. It's becoming the norm. Non-Texans opening BBQ/Beer restaurants in Texas getting non-Texans to write flowery odes to their cuisine and ambiance. But, if you're in the San Marcos area, they will be happy to take your money.

http://www.toursanmarcos.com/l...m_campaign=cmctxhill

It seems that she didn't eat much Q at Hay's but that is a joint that is high on my "must visit" list. It just seems that every time I could go by there, I'm tired, it's late, etc and we roll on. But I'll check it out before long.

New upscale BBQ place coming to Plano next week; called Hickory. Everyone is trying to catch the wave of BBQ popularity.

http://www.guidelive.com/food-...n-plano-chef-rathbun

Mesilla Valley BBQ Company, Las Cruces, NM

Local place turns out pretty decent food. They use pecan to smoke a variety of meats. I went for the sampler platter, which included some sliced brisket, chopped brisket, a couple chicken wings (yep, wings), some other chicken parts (smoked nuggets?), a couple different kinds of sausage, and two pork ribs. Overall, I left with a favorable impression. Good smoke flavor, though late in the day (we had dinner at 8:30), it was a bit drier than it likely was at lunch. I don't believe any of the meat was wrapped, just smoked. The rub was pleasant without being overwhelming. No sauce on the meat, but four varieties were available on the table - two vinegary sauces (mild and hot), a tomato based sauce, and a mustard based sauce that I didn't care for. Sides were pretty decent. I went for potato salad and a surprisingly tasty green chile corn bread. The ribs were the best though; I'll probably stick with those next time.

No ratings ala Gatogordo, but the meat was good enough to return for.

quote:

Originally posted by DesertRam:
Local place turns out pretty decent food. They use pecan to smoke a variety of meats. I went for the sampler platter, which included some sliced brisket, chopped brisket, a couple chicken wings (yep, wings), some other chicken parts (smoked nuggets?), a couple different kinds of sausage, and two pork ribs. Overall, I left with a favorable impression. Good smoke flavor, though late in the day (we had dinner at 8:30), it was a bit drier than it likely was at lunch. I don't believe any of the meat was wrapped, just smoked. The rub was pleasant without being overwhelming. No sauce on the meat, but four varieties were available on the table - two vinegary sauces (mild and hot), a tomato based sauce, and a mustard based sauce that I didn't care for. Sides were pretty decent. I went for potato salad and a surprisingly tasty green chile corn bread. The ribs were the best though; I'll probably stick with those next time.

No ratings ala Gatogordo, but the meat was good enough to return for.

I can live without the ratings, but it would be helpful if you gave a name and city, otherwise there is a VERY long list of possibilities.

I had lunch at the Voodoo BBQ & Grill in Frisco. It's a nice, clean place. At 2:00pm it caters mainly to soccer moms and kids.

I ordered the Zydeco Platter. You get three meats, two sides, and a drink (beer & wine not included). (If you pick brisket as one of the meats they charge an extra $2.00.) I paid $19.47 including tax for sliced brisket, spicy Cajun sausage, and pulled pork; baked beans and sweet potato soufflé, a sweet tea and a piece of corn bread.

You order at the counter, take a number and find a table.

The order came quicker than I expected.

The corn bread was fresh and moist. I liked it a lot.

The baked beans weren't anything special, but they were very tasty.

The sweet potato soufflé was sweet, and very good.

I was surprised there was no Red Beans & Rice side. I thought there was supposed to be a Louisiana influence.

The pulled pork was the best meat. It was very good, with nice bark on the exterior pieces.

The spicy Cajun sausage was OK. I thought it would be better than it was.

The brisket was a disappointment. The pieces were about 4" long, 3/4" tall, and 1/4" thick. Nice smoke ring, but a quarter of an inch of the width was fat. No bark to speak of, just a thin "skin". It certainly wasn't worth a $2.00 premium.

They had three sauces; Mojo (traditional BBQ sauce), Cane Vinegar ( a little too vinegary for my taste), and Mango Crystal Spicy sauce. I preferred the Mojo. They also had Crystal Hot Sauce if you wanted it. I didn't.

When you place your order they ask if you want the New Orleans spices added to your food; or you can get it on the side. I got it on the side, but then added it to the meat and beans anyway. It made everything a little tastier.

I'll probably go back once more to try the baby-back ribs with my family, but I don't believe they've hooked me for good.

The perfect dessert after a plate of BBQ?

Brisket Cheesecake -

http://www.guidelive.com/food-...aple-vals-cheesecake

Following our AR Q experts advice, the GF and I met up w/ a friend on Sat at Killian's BBQ in south Houston.
K's opens at 11 and we arrived at 11:20. There were many folks who had the same idea. We stood in line for over an hour.
We ordered (1) lb of Brisket, (2) lbs of pork ribs, (1) huge beef rib, (2) links of sausage and Mac & cheese, baked beans and potatoe salad. This was a lot of food for 3 people.
The brisket was fork cutting tender, nice dark bark /w mild smoke ring and smoke flavor.
The pork ribs had a good rub and were tender.
The giant beef rib had good color and was very tender. It reminded us more of a pot roast texture and flavor wise.
The sausage was tasty, but it was sausage.
The sides were good and the servings were large.
There were (3) sauces on the table. Tangy, spicey and coffee flavored. I did not sample them and focused on the meat.
All said, the brisket was by far the best. Very tender, juicy/moist w/ a serious bark.
Being a Q cooker myself, I would have preferred more smoke. Their wood racks were full of Oak. I just prefer a little more smoke in my Q.
In our opinion, Killian's is the Houston Q joint for brisket and Pizzatola's the Houston Q joint for pork ribs

Went back to Voodoo BBQ in Frisco and had the Half Rack of Baby Back Rib - Platter. The two sides were Corn Pudding (it was good) and the Sweet Potato Soufflé (it was better than good). With a drink the cost was $14.48 plus tax.

The ribs were very meaty and had a nice glaze on them. I probably should have added some extra sauce, but didn't. The ribs were good and the portion was ample; more like 3/4 Rack. While the ribs were better than average, they didn't jump out at you.

I asked why they didn't have Red Beans & Rice as a Side, although it does appear in the Louisiana Legends section of the menu as a LLS. The girl told me that had I asked, I could have gotten it on my platter. I could also have gotten BBQ Jambalaya as a Side. On the menu Louisiana Legends Sides list Red Beans & Rice, BBQ Jambalaya, and Gumbo. Those Sides are the same price as the other Sides list. I don't get it. Why have two lists???

Anyway, I won't be going out of my way to stop back in, but if I was in the area and craving BBQ I might be persuaded to go again to try the Louisiana Legend Sides.....if someone else was paying.

Robb Walsh and other's view on current best Houston Q.... here.

My son and I made a quick trip to check out a new addition to our place in S Texas. Not to waste 1200 miles of driving, we went looking for new Q joints.

I arrived in Austin about 1:30 on Tuesday and we decided to try John Mueller's (closed, sold out), then La Barbecue (closed, sold out), so I searched my memory banks and we went to....

90) Micklethwait Craft Meats, 1309 Rosewood Ave., Austin, Tx. Tmbbq rating 4.25/5. My Rating 4.25 +/5 I originally was going to give it a 4.5 but then carefully considered everything and especially the quality of the brisket and lowered it by a quarter point. (see note about my new rating at end of review).

Micklethwait's (pronounced without the "th") is a relative new arrival on scene in Austin, but has been producing quality Q our of his trailer and surrounds since December, 2012.
He is well known for his sausages but also hand makes all of his sides, etc.

Be aware that Micklethwait's is a trailer Q operation, there is no inside, one porta pottie, and quite a few picnic tables, some under a tree and some with shade tops. I'd say the tables could seat about 50 if everyone was friendly. Also he shares the minimal parking lot with 2 other business's and has only about 5 or 6 parking places available for his business. The others are "YOU WILL BE TOWED", so if someone visits at a busy time, then they will probably have to park on the street and might have a walk to get there. I'd say it would be worth it, and this is from someone who thinks walking was abolished by the internal combustion engine. While it was a balmy 101 when we were eating at one of the shaded tables, it was not unbearable, but warm.

Unfortunately they don't have beer. (I don't know if BYOB is permitted or not, I didn't think to ask, and who knows what regulations the idiots who run Austin have made). They do have various soft drinks, including Mexican Coke, Topo Chico, etc. For those non-Texans, Topo Chico is supposedly a naturally carbonated water from Mexico, comes in a soft drink sized bottle. Very fine. Mexican Coke, made in Mexico, , is made with real sugar, not corn syrup and is distinctly better than American Coke in the opinion of many who have tried both. I had Topo Chico and Adam had the Mexican Coke.

Unfortunately, he was out of sausages, so we ordered a pound of brisket, a pound of pork ribs, and a pound (wound up weighing a pound and a quarter) of beef rib.

Plus, since he is well known for hand making all sides on sight, I ordered a medium order of cheese jalapeno grits and a small poppy seed lemon cole slaw.

No one would ever eat Mac and cheese again if they could get his cheese jalapeno grits instead. Very smooth texture (my only quibble, I like more "bite" with my grits) and just flat wonderful tasting, not overly spicy. Very highly recommended.

The slaw was normal type slaw with a lightly lemon flavored dressing with poppy seeds. Good, but nothing extra as we say in Texas.

The meats:

The brisket was tender, well smoked, but really didn't have anything to distinguish it. Decent but the worst of the three by a substantial amount.

The other two were MUCH better, the ribs (short) were really fine with a good rub. Adam commented that they should have used the same rub on the brisket.

The beef rib, as usual, was massive and cooked to perfection. It was fine but just not quite up to the best beef ribs, such as L. Mueller's or Pecan Lodge.

It was a close call, I think I preferred the beef rib, Adam, who is no stranger to Q, especially living in Austin, preferred the ribs. I couldn't argue with either choice. Really fine eating.

Sauce was tomato based, with both tones of vinegar and sugar, while being slightly spicy. I liked it better than the average, but not in the top tier IMO.

Micklethwait Custom Meats is certainly worthy of a visit, but I'd try to go at night, or fall, spring, or winter. 4.25 +

NOTE: I am changing my over complex A,B,C, with all the pluses and minuses rating system to better compare with that used by Texas Monthly and TMBBQ.com (highly recommended site run by Daniel Vaughn). I am adding a plus or minus to my system, which goes by quarter points, from 1.0 (anything that low or less you would probably review from the ER) to 5.0 (among the best in Texas). For instance, in the last 2013 Texas Monthly review, there were 4 Q joints that had 5.0 ratings in their top 50. I am adding the plus or minus as a refinement which I hope to use sparingly.

To slightly change the ratings first used by Daniel Vaughn on his old site, Full Gospel Custom BBQ (still worth visiting but no longer updated).

1.0 would be horrible, don't even consider it.

2.0 would be barely tolerable, but probably won't make you sick.

3.0 would be the starting point of decent Q. It would be the equivalent of some of the better chain's products.

4.0 or better would be much better Q than average. Worth driving out of your way for and the higher the rating, the farther the drive could be.

5.0, as stated, would be among the best in Texas, which would, of course, make it the best in the world. Worth planning a trip around.

5.0 + would be Q nirvana, worth planning a honeymoon around, and the Q might be the best part.

So, the next day on the way back, I made the command decision to go a bit out of way to visit a joint I'd been wanting to try for a while.

#91) Hays and Co. Bar-B-Que, 2601 Hunter Rd (on service rd on W side of I 35), San Marcos, Tx. It was ranked in Texas Monthly's Top 50 in the 2013 issue with a 4.0/5. My overall ranking 3.75.

We pulled in about 5:30, big parking lot, probably because they have a live music pavilion behind restaurant.

We went in and looked menu over, prices were a bit more reasonable than most these days and we ordered a pound of brisket sliced thick, a pound of pork ribs, and 4 rings of sausage, 2 jalapeno and cheese, and 2 regular. They had beer and since I was turning my driving over to Adam, I had Budweiser Select with my Q.

Frankly the brisket was disappointing. It was tender, well smoked, but just didn't have anything to distinguish it. A quality product but not a superior product.

The pork ribs were full sized well smoked and had a better flavor than the brisket. They were tender, just not fall off the bone. I thought they had a nice bite but Adam thought they could have been more tender. Youth!
They were very good IMO.

The sausage was another meat that was not quite up to the billing IMO. Adam preferred the jalapeno and cheese, chunks of both which were highly visible inside, and I slightly preferred the regular. They must have a source for "no heat" jalapenos because the sausages with them in it had none. Needless to say, I'd have preferred more heat. Both were good, but I thought both were a bit dry. I usually prefer less fat in my sausages than the typical running down your chin style that seems to prevail in Central Texas Q joints, but these could have used a tad more fat content IMO. Nevertheless they were a good product.

They had 2 styles of sauce on table, hot and sweet. Both tomato based, not all that much difference between them. We both preferred the hot variety, but I thought it was just slightly above average. Supposedly they have a fine mustard based sauce. If so, I missed it.

All their sides are in coolers in styrofoam containers on the sides of the room. I dunno, it's probably just me, but I found this a bit offputting, but it is a fairly common arrangement. We didn't order any so can't comment on quality.

All in all, a good Q meal, but not as good as the outside reviews would lead you to believe. I'd certainly go back, very decent Q, just not great Q. 3.75

It's good to have you back with the BBQ reports. I know you were down in Argentina having fine asados and some Quelmes.

Well, actually we mostly drank Isenbeck which we prefer to the various permutations of Quilmes.
The asados were fine and we had a good time, but unlike what the general opinion is, Pappas in Dallas has nothing to worry about.

Thanks for the welcome home and we would enjoy buying you a meal sometime in the DFW area. Pecan Lodge, optional.

Coming to DFW.

http://www.guidelive.com/food-...-opening-dfw-airport

My personal opinion of Argentinians is that they can ruin a good piece of meat faster than about anyone I know. One of my son-in-laws is from the Santa Fe area. He, and his family and friends are typical in that they like their meat well-done, and if it has a hint of pink, they will throw it back on the fire and further destroy it. And of course they like cooking the parts of an animal that most of us throw away. (Another trait is that they hate spicy food. They seem to love Tex-Mex and Asian but only as long as there isn't a hint of spice. Kind of defeats the purpose.)

I gave my son-in-law my old "oilfield" smoker, and watched him try to start a fire for steaks with about six charcoal brickets, while fanning it like an SOB with a piece of cardboard for about an hour; kind of the old street-vendor approach. When it looked like lunch was going to become dinner, I stepped-in and fired that puppy up.

For every 5 or 10 new barbeque joints that open, an old one folds.

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews...55-is-for-sale.html/

Never tried Mac's. Too far away, and too many Bar-B-Q joints between here and there. The 1955 prices the final day sounds like a hoot though.

For those in the Austin area. You will need to act fast this morning.

http://www.guidelive.com/food-...ly-barbecue-festival

Thanks for the heads up, but I just tried to buy 5 VIP tickets and they were sold out. Rather than fight a giant crowd, (VIPs get in an hour early) I decided to do my own Q fest. I don't like crowds anytime.

Gato,

Sorry for the tardy response. I'll meet anyone anywhere for the smoked meat. I had a hearing in Fort Worth today and couldn't resist Railhead. It was just off the interstate and I was hungry.

DCS:

Thanks for the reply. I like Railhead's Q. How was your meal?

I am coming to believe that Pecan Lodge has the best Q in Texas, at least of those I've tried, which is all of the normally mentioned top 5. PM me and maybe we can meet there next time I am in the area.

New Kansas City style BBQ joint in Dallas.

http://www.guidelive.com/food-...-maple-avenue-dallas

I get the feeling chefs are just throwing darts now in terms of menu items, and BBQ innovations. I don't believe I'll invest in this one. There is only about twenty-five BBQ joints as it is between me and them.

Global Warming or BBQ beef? I believe in both, but I'll vote for BBQ.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/29/...o-degrees/index.html

Douchebag shittiots. Only on the clinton 'news' network

Pretty hard for me to believe that, as stated, "globally 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions" is from livestock. Are you telling me that cattle emit more greenhouse emissions than hundreds of millions of cars, power plants, billions of people (they fart too). I flat don't believe it.

I had to make a quick run over to Gainesville today to meet someone about some business so, not to waste a trip, I drove 4 miles further West to Lindsay, and, since I had already eaten at Dieter's (review #71, grade B) I went to....

#92) The Smokehouse 307 E. Hwy. 82, Lindsay, Tx. This Q joint is a hundred yards or so W of Dieter's, separated by a gas station. Judging by the lunchtime crowd it MIGHT be just a tad more popular. However, they apparently went to the same Q cooking school and their products are fairly similar. Dieter's rated a solid B in my old grading system, and I rate The Smokehouse in the same area with a 3.25.

Went inside (they have a drive in, first Q drive in I recall) to an old fashioned, spacious, fairly dark dining room. As luck would have it, I got a wonderful waitress (they don't have the standard walk up and order counter found in most Q joints, seems the norm is to sit down at a table and order your choices). While she wouldn't win any beauty contests, she was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. Certainly in the top 10% of ALL waitresses I've ever had.

I perused the menu for a bit, and instead of a plate with 2 sides, I ordered 3 plates, each with a pound of Q, brisket, ribs, and sausage.

They serve some of the cheaper Q in Texas these days, each plate with a pound of meat was $11.00 and came with a cup of sauce, and a couple of slices of Texas toast, raw onion, and a pickle. I had unsweet Tea and it was refilled promptly and the waitress insisted I needed to take a free to go cup full with me, at no charge, so I did. All that is the good news, the bad news was the meats. Just like Dieters, the ribs and brisket were nothing extra at best and the sausage was exceptional.

The brisket was fairly smoked, had a decent flavor, but was somewhat overcooked. Not really to the point of no return, but I don't like overcooked anything, especially Q and steaks. Maybe on another day, but this was at prime lunch hour and theoretically should have been right. I'd rate it as a decent commercial product at best. Edible but in no way to be recommended.

Ribs (the pound consisted of 5 fair sized ribs, but I wondered if they really weighed a pound, it didn't look it to my eye) were quite a bit better. Good smoke, nice color, old fashioned style and a very decent product.

Sausage, sold as German style, was really good. Worth going back for IMO. As at Dieter's, not the typical fat dripping stuffed effort of S and Central Texas, but a very fine solid product with good seasoning.

The sauce was homemade, tomato based, not thin, but thinner than ketchup, fairly sweet with some background spices. I don't really like sweet in a sauce but this one would rate about in the middle of the road AFA I'm concerned. Not too sweet, would be substantailly better with some heat, but that's my taste, not theirs or their customers. So it is what it is.

I also ordered a HALF order of french fries for $1.75 which were very good and a bargain for the quantity received. The half order almost covered the plate and was about 5 times the size of an order of fries at McDs which cost nearly the same.

The waitress did her best to get me to try the coconut meringue pie, but I resisted after working on the Q. I ain't Daniel Vaughn with a bottomless pit. She suggested she could pack it to go, which nearly breached my defenses, but I thanked her with a big tip and fled before I tried it. I love Coconut Pie, I'll have to go back to try their's sometime.

Certainly worth stopping for if you're in the area, which would typically be while driving N or S on I-35 towards Ok. City or Dallas, for the sausage but the brisket lowered my overall grade to 3.25. If I hadn't of been towing a boat, I'd have gotten some Q from Dieter's and done a side by side comparison. Because it's been so long, I'd hesitate to say one was better than the other, but I THINK I'd give the edge to The Smokehouse, based on my wonderful waitress if nothing else.

We ate dinner Saturday night at The Green Mesquite BBQ south of Austin, Texas; just off I-35. I was disappointed in general.

I had the 3-meat plate for $12.49 (ribs, brisket and sausage). The ribs were slightly underdone, as was the brisket. The brisket flunked the pull-test. They also sliced their brisket very thin, about like the roast beef at Arby's.

The sausage, on two bites, had something in there that shouldn't have been. The sauces; original and spicy, were both good, but thin to my liking.

My Sides were a cream-like corn, and jambalaya. The corn was OK at best. The jambalaya was excellent.

There are better BBQ joints in Austin. Locals say the quality varies at the three Green Mesquite locations.

I wasn't impressed with their website either (menu particularly). If I was in the area again around dinner time, I would move to another area.

This might be worth putting on your calendar for early March 2016, in Ft. Worth. I like the sound of Bacon Burnt-ends and Brisket Kolaches. Smoked beef-tallow French fries might work too. Nothing wrong with bourbon and whiskey in my book either.

http://www.guidelive.com/food-...rant-fort-worth-2016

We've tried to go by their trailer (current location) a couple of times, but missed their closing or whatever.

Gato, will be at DSC and staying at the Fairfield Inn, Market Center. Anything good close by?

Jim

Plenty, depending on what you mean by close by. Number one on the list would be Pecan Lodge, which is, ummmmm, maybe 3 or 4 miles away on E side of downtown (Deep Ellum). My current opinion is that Pecan Lodge is probably the best in Texas, which, of course, makes it the best in the world. I'll check for more after a while, have to go to daughter's HS volleyball match right now.

Second Pecan Lodge. There are also two places just south of the convention center: Off the Bone and Baby Back Shack. Also in the area of Pecan is Baker's Ribs. It's a chain, but I think well done. There's also a Mama Sue's in the area. Mac's is close to Fair Park and is closing once the real estate sells after being around 60 something years.

Because each one has his own pitmaster (usually) you never can be sure about how any given location of a chain will be, but based on my experiences at other Baker's Ribs, I'd put it near the bottom of the list.

Another one that is quite close that has some good recs but that I haven't tried is The Slow Bone, 2234 Irving Blvd.

Not too far away is Lockhart Smokehouse, 400 West Davis, Dallas. I don't think it is quite as good as Pecan Lodge but it has very presentable Q and good beer along with a bar.

Be aware that Pecan Lodge or Lockhart will VERY LIKELY have a line at normal hours and if you are there at prime time the wait can be long. Especially PL which becomes more famous all the time. Also be sure to check hours before going. Bring friends so you can order a bunch and share. DO NOT GO WITHOUT GETTING AT LEAST ONE BEEF RIB (THEY ARE LARGE, typically weighing 1 1/2-2 1/2 pounds per rib)!

Thanks, my mouth is already watering. Will have my truck so I will be able to drive there.

See you at DSC?

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
Because each one has his own pitmaster (usually) you never can be sure about how any given location of a chain will be, but based on my experiences at other Baker's Ribs, I'd put it near the bottom of the list.

Another one that is quite close that has some good recs but that I haven't tried is The Slow Bone, 2234 Irving Blvd.

Not too far away is Lockhart Smokehouse, 400 West Davis, Dallas. I don't think it is quite as good as Pecan Lodge but it has very presentable Q and good beer along with a bar.

Be aware that Pecan Lodge or Lockhart will VERY LIKELY have a line at normal hours and if you are there at prime time the wait can be long. Especially PL which becomes more famous all the time. Also be sure to check hours before going. Bring friends so you can order a bunch and share. DO NOT GO WITHOUT GETTING AT LEAST ONE BEEF RIB (THEY ARE LARGE, typically weighing 1 1/2-2 1/2 pounds per rib)!

I agree; Baker's can miss. I normally just get the special of a pulled pork sandwich (Memphis style) and it's always good. The potato salad is great. It's dill mayonnaise and not mustard based.

Slow Bone, Lockhart, and Pecan Lodge are all great, but I prefer a lunch under $20. Maybe I order wrong.

quote:

Slow Bone, Lockhart, and Pecan Lodge are all great, but I prefer a lunch under $20. Maybe I order wrong.

Or, maybe you're just honoring your Scottish ancestors.

Just tell me how anyone, anyone could travel to and try Q in every place in existence and try it!! Literally impossible so the term "best" is meaningless.

quote:

Originally posted by jkingrph:
Just tell me how anyone, anyone could travel to and try Q in every place in existence and try it!! Literally impossible so the term "best" is meaningless.

Are you a lawyer or simply a pedant, or, worse luck, both?

I don't remember Gato ever mentioning that any one place was the best.

I think Gato is doing us a great service.