Central Texas Bar-B-Q

2/10/14 11:30am - Some places are just pass their prime.  The barbecue that made Central Texas successful for four decades (1969) was not the barbecue I had today.

I scored Central Texas a 76 out of 100.  This is Regional Texas BBQ.

Smoke:  Hickory. Actual central Texas BBQ joints prefer Oak, but who am I to judge. Real wood fired brick ovens!  I love how the smoke stack chimney is painted with the Texas flag.  Brick pits are rare around Houston so this was a real treat to see one. After lunch is was real disappointment my barbecue was smoked on these pits.

Brisket: Good.  A nice 1/4in smoke ring under a thin black bark.  Tested dry of tender.  Overcooked to point it fell apart just by touch.  The fork could not pierce and hold the slice.  A spoon would have been a better choice.  The bark had a slight bitter smoke flavor.  I could not detect the presence of a rub.  Use the sauce.

Ribs:  Fair.  Once again overcooked and dry of tender.  The ends were burnt.  There was a the presence of a rub but it's flavor was long gone.  Bitter smoke and burnt were the dominate flavors.  Use the sauce or skip all together.

Sausage:  Good.  An average run of the mill grocery store quality link sausage.  Mild traditional spice flavor and very little after taste.  A pleasant link for the dinner table but not for a BBQ joint.  Use the sauce.

Sauce:  Very Good.  Call it mighty mouse sauce because it "saved the day".  A tangy tomato vinegar based sauce. Served warm its a citrus tangy sauce with cider vinegar, lemon.  They serve their BBQ covered in the sauce, just let them do it.  Its OK.

 

 

 

Decor:  I do not write nor care about restaurant decor but it would be an omission error not to mention this place.  I do not know how to describe it.  The words that come to mind are quirky folksy bad dream but not quite a nightmare.  The interior resembles a junky antique mall with interesting one of a kind pieces.  All the dining tables are actual home furnishings covered with cut glass.  Beneath the cut glass are pictures of family?, friends?, locals?, strangers?, rednecks?, psychopaths?  Anyway they are hard not to notice and every customer leaves with the question "Who are these people?".  There are interesting carnival type one of a kind antiques that will bring a smile or a laugh.  The decor is so strange that it is a masterpiece to itself.  I would never recommend going some where just to check out the decor, but this is the one exception.