City Meat Market

7/13/13 9:00am - Whose says you cant have brisket for breakfast?  First stop on my BBQ crawl through central Texas.  City Meat Market has made Texas Monthly top 50 for 2008 and 2013.  Its all about the meat market heritage and mystique.  Its like stepping back in time.

I scored City Meat Market an 85 out of 100.  This is Reserve Grand Champion Texas BBQ.

Smoke:  Post oak.  One large steel box pit and one brick pit both with glowing orange fire 10 feet away from where you place your order.  There is now doubt this is some serious wood fired BBQ.

Brisket:  Good.  A 1/4in smoke ring underneath a thin bark and mild rub.  Tested tough of tender but overall flavor was good.  No sauce needed.

Ribs:  Excellent.  A flavor explosion in your mouth.  A thick salt and pepper rub over a delicious bark and near perfect tender rosy pink thin spare ribs.  The smoke, bold rub and salty pork came together in a fabulous rib experience.  These ribs alone are worth the stop.  No sauce needed at all.

Sausage:  Very Good.  Typical central Texas style loose packed beef sausage with good garlic flavor and mild aftertaste.  Casing was wrinkled and crispy.  Good smoke.  No sauce needed.

Sauce:  Very Good.  A tangy vinegar tomato based syrupy orange sauce.  You cant go wrong with a sauce like this.  It does its job well and enhanced the meat and my BBQ pleasure.

PS:  This place is special because of its historical link to our states great BBQ heritage.  The name says it all.  Its a meat market. This place still has a butcher shop in service though its seen its better days.  German and Czech butchers migrated to our great state 160 years ago and set up these meat markets.  Without refrigeration they smoked and sold the tough cuts that didn't sell. When you walk through the front door you get the feeling that nothing not much has changed for the past 100 years.