Corkscrew BBQ

6/27/13 11:15am - I am 22 deep in line 15 minutes after the open sign went up.  Congrats on making 2013 Texas Monthly top 50.  The 95 degree heat is not enough to keep patrons from lining up to taste some serious "que.

I scored Corksrew a 92 out 100.  Grand Champion Texas BBQ no doubt.

Smoke:  Red Oak.  Steel Barrel wood fired REAL PIT bbq. Amen.  They guy that took my order looked like he was into a whole different kind of Cheech and Chong style of smokin.

Brisket:  Very Good.  This is border line Excellent brisket.  A disappointing 1/8 in smoke ring was the 1 point this brisket needed from making Excellent.  Nearly perfect tenderness, snap apart, no knife needed masterpiece.  Bark was thin and soft. Ring and meat was dark.  Smoke was Goldilocks:  not too much, not too little, just right.  Overall flavor was above average and no sauce is needed.  I got a burnt end but it did not tasted any different than the slices.

Ribs:  Very Good.  Near perfect tenderness, soft bite, clean bone, no tearing.  It had a nice salty porky flavor.  Good smoke.  No sauce needed.

Sausage:  Good.  Typical course ground pork sausage with traditional spice and average after taste. A Little greasy.  Decent smoke and good flavor.  No sauce needed.

Sauce:  Excellent.  This BBQ is really good, but its when you apply the sauce do you understand why people stand in line in 95 degree heat.  This sauce would make the gravel you stand on taste good.  A onion, vinegar, lemon buttery tomato base sauce sauce that is good enough to drink.  Nothing here needs the sauce but when applied you fall in love.

Mo's Bar-B-Q

6/19/13 12:28pm - Its Juneteenth and that means BBQ is on the menu. I was near the humble area for a meeting so I scoped out this place on yelp.

I scored Mo's a 77 out of 100. This is Regional Texas BBQ.

Smoke: ???? who knows. No visible stacks, no listing on menu or website. Suspicious. The smokers are on the side. I could not make out the manufacture. They had the suspicious exhaust vents. Hidden from view inside. I am guessing these are gassers. Evidence leans to gas fired rotisserie.

Brisket: Good. They got the tenderness right but most gassers do. Little smoke, no rub just beef flavor. You don't have to drive out to humble to get this slice of roast beef. Use the sauce.

Ribs: Fair. They got the tenderness right but that is all. Remember when your mom used to make meatloaf and she spread ketchup over the top and came out of the oven a dry paste goop? Well they do the same with their ribs with the sauce. Ribs are finished "wet" with their sauce reduced to a paste goop. If they tasted great I would have scored them higher. Skip all together.

Sausage: Very Good. They one thing they purchase is the best thing on the plate. A great German sausage with bold traditional spice and nice after taste. Snappy casing. No sauce needed. I totally support BBQ joints buying Texas made sausage. I also support they proudly advertise where its made. Its good for Texas

Sauce: Good. A dark ketchup thick sweet and smokey sauce in the Kansas City style.

Boogie's Chicago Style BBQ

6/15/13 11:28am - Who can resist a joint with a name like Boogie's? Still not sure what "Chicago" style means cuz this is some good ole Texas 'Que.

I scored Boogies an 86 out 100. This is Reserve Grand Champion Texas BBQ

Smoke: Oak and Pecan. Wood fired barrel REAL PIT smoker. Amen

Brisket: Good. 1/4in smoke ring. Tested tough of tender which always hurts the score. Not fork tender, used a knife. Perfect balance of smoke and rub. When I had a bite of bark, fat & beef I nearly fell out of my chair. This brisket was so good i finished it before i open the sauce. The harmony between the full smoke and salty rub is to die for. No sauce needed at all ever.

Ribs: Excellent. Once again the balance between rub and smoke made this St Louis rib one for the record books. This is the first rib that the aroma alone made me stop an look. I bet I smelt that rib three or four times before i took first bite. Heaven. Eating it was better than smelling it. Flavor was over the top. Near perfect tender, a little over cooked fall off bone. No sauce needed at all.

Sausage: Very Good. A fabulous homemade pork/beef sausage with strong traditional spice and good herb flavor. A nice after taste and decent smoke ensure you eat every slice. No sauce needed at all.

Sauce: Good. A brown thick sweet sauce. A Strong honey brown sugar syrupy sacue that stuck to everything that came into contact with. It masked the great BBQ flavor of the meats. Sauce at Boogies is an after thought. They really don't need it and this stuff hides the over the top flavor.

The staff was friendly and help with some photos. I asked what Chicago style meant, and he replied "its all in the way we cooked it, we don't cook no brisket 17 hours or nothin" Well, I guess that's the difference between 4 star and 5 star. So close.

Houston Barbecue Company

6/11/13 Revised
6/10/13 12:10pm - A great sauce can hide a multitude of sins. This simple BBQ truth applies here.

I scored Houston Barbecue a 74 out of 100. This is Regional Texas BBQ

Smoke: Oak? Got that off a website. I could not find a stick of it anywhere. An old review mention that they use wood only to fire pits. Then where is the wood? (on the roof) Where are the pits? (hidden). Its wood fired BBQ, check out the photos posted after my review.

Brisket: Fair. 1/16in smoke ring. Tested tough of tender and finished dry. Bark had little smoke and flavor. Use the sauce.

Ribs: Good. Near perfect tender, clean bite, clean bone. Little smoke and little flavor. Use the sauce.

Sausage: Poor. Big disappointment. This is a handmade beef sausage in the central Texas style. It looked great and I could not wait for my first bite. I had to eat a few bites before my eyes believed my taste buds. It was one dimensional in flavor. Mushy beef. A little smoke and maybe garlic but that's it. No salt. No black pepper. No herbs. Zero after taste. No bold flavor. Nothing Nada. Use the sauce.

Sauce: Excellent. A mustard vinegar orange sauce in the style of Luling and Salt Lick. Very tangy with strong cider vinegar honey flavor. It tasted great by the spoonful and I had a more than a few spoonfuls. They should rethink the butcher paper. They should go to plates so they can drown the BBQ in this sauce.

Pappas Bar-B-Q

6/7/13 11:54am - Franchise Texas BBQ for the low information masses. This is Pappas BBQ #19.

I scored Pappas a 78 out of 100. This is Regional Texas BBQ.

Smoke: Hickory. No secret here, the big black Olyers are proudly displayed behind the glass. Wood fired BBQ.

Brisket: Good. A big thick smoke ring on the edges and 1/4in thick in the middle. Great bark with rub. A little tough of tender but moist. I got a yummy burnt end. Good smoke and good flavor. No sauce needed. A good product for franchise BBQ.

Ribs: Good. Tough of tender, tearing and dirty bone. Sticky sweet and nice rub. Decent smoke. No sauce needed. Brown sugar hides a lot of sins No sauce needed.

Sausage: Good. Traditional spice fine ground pork sausage and mild after taste. A little greasy. Average. Average. Average. Use the sauce.

Original Sauce: Fair. A bitter burnt ancho chili based disaster. Who thinks this stuff is good? I wonder how many plates of decent BBQ they have ruined over the years by pouring this medicine over it. They have a sweet version which is same sauce with molasses. Two disasters to choose from. Skip it all together or bring your own.

Ray's Real Pit BBQ Shack

6/6/13 12:17pm - Mercedes, Hummers, cop cars, King Ranch pickups and clunkers like mine start filling up precious parking space around lunch time. The combination of Texas BBQ and down home cooking is a winner no matter who you are.

I scored Ray's 81 out 100. This is Regional Texas BBQ.

Smoke: Hickory. The words "real pit" are in the name, but there is little evidence for wood fired barbecue. This place has all the hallmarks of gas fired rotisserie. Smoker is hidden from view, no visible stacks of wood, 1/8in smoke ring and the exhaust vent on the roof. I call bunk on "real pit".

Brisket: Good. 1/8in brown smoke ring. Nice thin bark. Dry of tender, starts out moist but finishes dry. Brisket falls apart. I suspect foil wrap and long cook time. Descent smoke, rub and good flavor. Use the sauce.

Ribs: Very Good. Very tender, clean bite, clean bone. A salty rub and good smoke. No sauce needed.

Spicy Sausage: Excellent. Biggest surprise of all. This may be the best spicy sausage in Houston. Its the best I've had. A homemade, coarse ground pork sausage with great herb flavor and red pepper flake kick. Lasting after taste. Casing was crisp and smokey. No sauce needed at all. Package it and sell it at HEB. Its that good.

Sauce: Excellent. A sweet sauce with Tabasco kick. Different and delicious. A thick tomato base with honey, brown sugar and molasses flavors. It did not work well with the sausage but gave the beef and ribs a great flavor boost. Dip the first bite and you will dip every bite after that.

PS: Potato salad was so good I forgot there was barbecue on the plate.

Rudy's Country Store & Bar-B-Q

5/24/13 11:49pm - I have noticed a lot of Yelpers use Rudy's as their baseline to compare other BBQ joints. I support that. Rudy's is all about the flavor. I have always been a Rudy's fan long before they started expanding all over Texas. My hunting buddy and I planned many a trip home making sure we passed through Leon Springs during lunch time. I am impressed how they have duplicated that experience everywhere.

I scored Rudy's an 89 out 100. This is Reserve Grand Champion Texas BBQ

Smoke: Oak. Big stacks taking up precious parking space. This location had 3 big black Olyers. I snuck a peek behind the sheet metal fence and saw the blue smoke oozing out of the fire box.

Brisket: Good. A picture perfect piece of brisket. Rich thick black bark with bright red 1/4in smoke ring. A little tough of tender. A great rub and full smoke flavor and you forget you used a knife. No sauce needed at all.

Ribs: Good. A little touch of tender and slight dirty bone. Great peppery rub and good smoke flavor. No sauce needed.

Sausage: Excellent. This was the biggest surprise of all. I am always looking for something a little different and this hit the mark. Strong traditional spice with some awesome subtle nutty flavor. I could not tell what it was but it was sooo good. There was a hint of smoke and it had a great peppery after taste. No sauce needed.

Sauce: Excellent. I have to give Rudy's a perfect score because my own personal recipe was created to taste like Rudy's. This has always been my favorite sauce in Texas.

In a nutshell, Rudy's is all about flavor. Everything tastes great all by itself. If this is your standard of great Texas BBQ, you are right. And since they are popping up all over the Lone Star, get use to phrases like "just as good as Rudy's", "better than Rudy's" and "not as good as Rudy's".