Drexler's BBQ (Houston, Tx)

To contact us Click HERE
Every city has their fair share of "Hometown Heroes" that become icons among the community. One of those heroes for Houston, Tx is Clyde "The Glide" Drexler. A former NBA professional who helped us win the 95' NBA Championship during our "Clutch City" Era. He was also a pivotal member of University of Houston's Phi Slamma Jama, perhaps one of the greatest college basketball teams ever.


From what I've been told, Drexler's is a family owned BBQ establishment outside of downtown Houston that operates under Clyde Drexler's family.




Well I'm sad to say this that I drove there today and it's not there anymore. What was a waste of time...

I guess we'll never know if lived up to the Westfall standard...









Here are some blogger comments about why it shut down:

http://carey2.blogspot.com/2007/06/did-insite-miss-something-when-did.html

Anonymous said...
bad tasting food = no customers = shut down business. it is a shame because the new location was very nice inside. i supported drexlers a couple of times, but it didn't compare in taste to goode company etc;
i really wanted it to succeed, especially as a black business, but word spread fast that the bbq was NOT VERY GOOD. i don't understand why they could not hire a new cook.

Anonymous said...
the food was terrible...how u mess up bar-b-que...especially when you are in the position to afford to pay a good chef...

Anonymous said...
This happens when you boil the meat and then smoke it.

Anonymous said...
can you please put up a new picture of Clyde? something current? maybe from the dancing show or in a houston rockets jersey? come on Isiah, you are really behind the times.

Anonymous said...
Ate there once... it was mediocre and the quantity was, well, meagher. They were charging top quality price for a middle of the road product. Poor quality + poor quantity = no success in the land of a million bbq joints.

Anonymous said...
I spoke with a previous cook that work there when Drexlers first opened, he said the managers treated the cooks like crap!!! He said that he quit! He said that after he left it went down heel from there, because the other cooks didn't really know what they were doing..

Tom said...
I can attest the food was that bad I ate there on several in several months to be fair to tha brotha and I WASTED MY MONIE. Pappas BBQ is way better. the food was also over priced. It was such a relief that they closed down, I feel bad that Clydes name had to be linked to that mistake.. Its spelled hill not heel

Anonymous said...
Oh come on the food wasn’t bad, it was more commercial cooking, the appetizers were good and so were the drinks at the bar.
As far as the restaurant closing, I heard that the Drexlerl Family leased the restaurant out to another company and allowed them to use the Drexler name. The restaurant had been leased out for special events as well. I’m sad to see it go. There were some good times had there..

TOM said...
Trust me, you must have really bad taste the food was not worth the price of admission.

Anonymous said...
quit kissing clyde's ass

Anonymous said...
The food was horrible and overpriced!
2:02 AM

I give Clyde Drexler a 5 out of 5 stars for being an awesome basketball player.

Walker's Southern Style BBQ (New Orleans, La)

To contact us Click HERE
I really wanted to like this place. I really really did. But I did not.

The ribs had a great taste, an ok texture (despite the fact that they left the membrane on), and yet they SMELLED awful.

They ran out out of the brisket so maybe I'm not being fair. However, I'm just going off what I was served.

Not much left to say. The women that ran it were really sweet and there wasn't an ounce of that presumptuous attitude that lurks many New Orleans establishments.








Walker's BBQ will be receiving a 2 out of 5 stars.


p.s. I'd like to say that maybe I'll try it again someday but I'd rather smoke my own BBQ than give second chances. I will also put a disclaimer up, Walkers is known for their couchon du lait po boys. I didn't get it because this is not a po boy blog.

Thelma's BBQ (Houston, Tx)

To contact us Click HERE
Really?

This place came under the recommendation of a BBQ Documentary I watched called "Barbecue: A Texas Love Story". I took this recommendation in good faith because it was a great documentary. I'm going to have to rethink my product review on that documentary now. Thelma's BBQ was also voted in Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ in Texas. I'm also going to have to rethink my feelings on Texas Monthly magazine. Thelma's BBQ is also a BBQ staple in Houston. Again, I will be questioning the character of Houston and their BBQ from this day forward.

Thelma's was horrible. The sauce was a diabetic nightmare which tasted like Sweet and Sour Sauce from a Chinese restaurant. They just dump the sauce right on it. Imagine a red soup and you have to fish bbq out of. That my friends was my experience at Thelma's BBQ. There was more sauce than meat (and there was plenty of meat mind you).I'm a no sauce/no bullshit kind of guy when it comes to bbq. I like to taste the meat, texture, and enjoy the moistness of a good rib/brisket. I read a sign that said "Sauce on Side - $2". Yea...F* That.

Atmosphere was horrible. Granted it's in the middle of the hood, but I don't like watching talk shows and listening to AC window units in the background while I try to enjoy my food.

My advice. Skip the BBQ at Thelmas and go down the block to Frenchies which is closer to U of H...it's like a home cooked menu from Popeye's.




Also, I stepped in horse shit on the way out. That's never helped anyone.

Thelma's will be receiving a 2 out of 5 stars.

12 Mile Limit - Shortall's BBQ (New Orleans, La)

To contact us Click HERE
This place is a bit confusing. No, it's not a haunted house. It's not a BBQ establishment. What it is is a really awesome bar located in Mid-City. They have really great cocktails, beer, cupcakes, and some BBQ...!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Once upon a night I decided to fight through my daily dose of crackheads to get over to Mid-MID-City and try some BBQ over there. I was told that the Pitmaster hails from Texas and smokes on a webber grill...I've never seen or heard of that, so I reserved the right to make a judgment on that information. It was nice to see fellow Texans pop into the joint such as Rex Gregory and Mike Girardo. But native Texan's within proximity of BBQ will not help out a score on this blog. Shortall's is the last name of the Pitmaster. That is how BBQ (or any product) should be. Putting your name on your product. A lot of people put out shitty products knowingly and hide behind the product under another name cowardly. Who want's to put their name on something shitty? Taking pride in one's work is a lost art in America. So I respect that. When I open my BBQ business it will bore the Westfall Logo. Shortall is a man without an ounce of Bullshit in his body...a True Texan.


Sides
Mac and Cheese - Honestly, I've made kraft in a microwave that tasted better.
Cole Slaw - Perfection (and I'm not a fan of coleslaw)
Potato Salad - Pretty Good (but not house, so you can't hold that against him)


and now the Brisket...
The brisket was a little dry with a microwaved texture and fell apart in little tiny pieces. But, the bartender told me he microwaved it.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches.
Look, Cattle is King. Pork is for the children in Carolina. But I've made exceptions to that rule. Some "people" (The "Yankee" Southerners in The Carolinas) put coleslaw on their pulled pork sandwiches. I've had that a few times and was unimpressed. Call me a Muggle but I've always thought that was pretty stupid. But, I decided to push my pride to the side and eat the pork sandwich with the coleslaw on it anyway. Low and behold, it was one of the better pulled pork sandwiches I've had in my day.

Look yall, I've had god awful BBQ in New Orleans and this doesn't deserve to be ranked among them. However, I don't think this ranks among the top tier in Central Texas. New Orleans is lucky to have a place like this.

12 Mile Limit/Shortall's BBQ will be receiving a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Leatha's (Hattiesburg, Ms)

To contact us Click HERE
o·ver·hype
tr.v. o·ver·hyped, o·ver·hyp·ing, o·ver·hypes Slang
To promote or publicize to excess: People grossly overhyped Leatha's BBQ.

I gave this place a second chance due to it's hype. Both times I have been let down. I don't get it, I just don't get it.

The food is fall off the bone greasy and flavorless with a sauce so sweet that the only thing you'll be getting early for Christmas is diabetes. Don't let the pictures of celebrities on the wall fool you.


If you're in Hattiesburg and want BBQ...make it to Tango's at The Shell Station...




I don't care who likes Leatha's BBQ, that place is no good. I'll stand by that till the day I die.








Leatha's BBQ will be receiving a 1.5 out of 5 stars.

Fork in the Road Food Truck – St. Paul, MN

To contact us Click HERE
Food Truck Wednesday! Since it’s getting colder, I think the food truck party in downtown St. Paul is slowing down (at least for the vendors, not for the eaters). When we arrived at our usual lunch spot (Wabasha and Kellogg), there were two trucks, instead of the usual 5-7. Bummer. Thankfully, both trucks were winners. Un-thankfully, this meant the lines were 15+ people long. Sigh…


I compared both posted menus for both trucks and decided I wanted the pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich from Fork in the Road. It sounded delicious. I had to wait much longer than usual to get to the front of the line, but it eventually happened. And then we had to wait for the backlog of food to be made. I understand it isn’t Fork in the Road’s fault. I truly do and am not complaining – I’m allowed to take a slightly extended lunch if I need to (especially when my boss is on PTO…)
The food arrived and smelled absolutely delicious. It also came with a side of potato chips, which I hadn’t expected. I ate some of the chips to let the sandwich cool – they were just alright, nothing fancy. As I waited for the sandwich to cool, I noticed a couple of onions in the meat. No biggie and I figured I wouldn’t even worry about them. (I am slightly allergic to onions, even though I like the flavor). Well, it turns out there was a HUGE amount of onions in this thing. It wasn’t written on the menu at all. Just pulled pork and grilled cheese. Even the other sandwiches explained ingredients and toppings and sauces. This one, I thought I was safe with.
Fortunately, this thing was delicious, even with the onions I couldn’t pick off the sandwich (just too many). LOTs of pulled pork with really good BBQ sauce on it. And plenty of melty tasty cheese. I WILL order this sandwich again and I will try to order it without onion (not sure if they’re adde3d later, or if they’re mixed in with the meat. But, this is a good grilled cheese. I’m a fan, even though it encouraged my guts to claw their way out of my body later that afternoon. Worth it.

www.forkintheroadtruck.com

Yo-Yo Donuts and Coffee Bar – Minnetonka, MN

To contact us Click HERE
If you didn’t know, I love donuts. I’ll, of course, argue with you about whether cake donuts are real donuts (they’re NOT – they’re cake circles), but I love raised fried donuts with frosting, glaze, sprinkles, filling, cereal, or whatever you’ve got for me. I found out there was a donut place very close to my office in Eden Prairie that I hadn’t been to. If there’s any reason at ALL for me to get up early for work, it’s donuts.


The store is in a strip mall, sort of off the beaten path in Minnetonka. It’s actually quite a large space, especially compared to many donut places I’ve been to. They also roll a lot of business through here, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. People were ordering two and three dozen donuts for their offices and Yo-Yo never seemed to run out. They have quite a selection of donuts, rolls, twists, bear claws, and yes, those damn cake circles.

I ended up with a vanilla frosted donut with chocolate drizzle and a large cinnamon twist. I also ordered a white milk and a chocolate milk. I assumed the milks would be small cartons, or even small bottles. They weren’t. They were in huge 18 oz cups with lids poured out of a jug. Whoops! It’s a good thing I love milk. Hahahahaha



I know it’s difficult to do anything different with donuts, but these people have perfected the donut. TONs of glaze on the cinnamon twist and lots of cinnamon and sugar on the inside. The outside was crunchy and the inside was super soft. And the flavor of the dough itself was something special. I'm not even sure what it is about them, but they just have a "brighter" flavor to them. Maybe it's the fact you can actually TASTE the dough, as opposed to just sugar and/or grease, but it was fantastic. I was really surprised how much I liked this thing.
The same went for the vanilla frosted donut. Tons of frosting on it and the donut itself had the perfect texture. I think some donuts can be helped by heating up or making the outside moist. I disagree with that, in this case. They were perfect they was they were.
Uh… I think I have a new favorite donut place…
www.yoyodonuts.com

C.G. Hooks Eatery – White Bear Lake, MN (Bar-B-Quest 2012)

To contact us Click HERE
It’s been a while since we’d had a Bar-B-Quest outing, thanks to a ton of busy summer schedules. But we’re back on track to finish this whole thing up. I won’t do a complete review of C.G. Hooks, since HotGirlsBrother and I went there a previous round and declared them fantastic. Basically, we had to bring LowVee here so she could verify we weren’t on crack and so she could compare it to the upcoming bracket (see the below bracket if you’re confused by this).
 C.G. Hooks serves wine and beer, as well as 1919 root beer. That's got to give it some points, right????  We started with some Dixie Chips (basically JoJo fries). (I’ll forget to mention I was late and LowVee and HotGirlsBrother had to order these as their own appetizer so they wouldn’t starve to death while I rolled in 15 minutes late). They had good flavor to them, since they were sprinkled with the dry rub seasoning C.G. Hooks uses on its ribs. Great flavor, but they were a little floppy. I wished they were super crispy and then we would have raved about them for sure.  The food is another thing though. The sides are soooooo good. The baked beans are filled with GIANT beans, some kind of meat, delicious seasonings, and probably something else magical. We love these beans and they will not disappoint. The coleslaw is also delicious. It’s got some tang to it (they might have changed their recipe since the last time we were there), and the right amount of pepper and celery seeds. Really quite a good showing so far.  The corn bread is described as “fishy”. Don’t be alarmed, it isn’t dipped in fish guts or anything. It’s just shaped like a fish. It’s also really sweet. My pieces was a tad dry for my liking, but it comes with butter, so I fixed that right up. Thankfully, the flavor is top notch and made my mouth happy. The ribs were being anxiously awaited by all of us. The last time we came here (as a group)(I’ve come a couple of other times – don’t tell those guys that), we got a small dipping container of one sauce. The sauce was good, thankfully. This time, we had our choice of six different sauces. THAT’s what I’m talking about. And we tried ALL of them, including various combinations of them. Here they are lined up in order of our democratically-voted preference.

• Memphis – we’re not a fan of cinnamon in our sauce, which was why it was voted bottom of the list.
• Carolina Gold – a mustard based sauce that just didn’t trip our trigger.
• Pineapple Sauce –which I really WANTED to like, but didn’t care for it as much as I had hoped. Maybe with something other than ribs it would have been awesome.
• Carolina Vinegar – really an excellent sauce (vinegary, oddly enough).
• Ghost sauce – This one brought the heat, but thankfully, also brought the flavor. We liked this one in moderation.
• Sweet K.C. – really tasty sauce that we thought was probably the best if you had to pick one.

We didn’t have to pick one, which ruled. We decided the best option was one part ghost, two parts K.C., and a splash of Carolina Vinegar. Mix that up, and you’ve got Jesus in a dish.  Aside from the sauce, the meat on the ribs was melt in your mouth kind of stuff. The dry rub had an incredible flavor (told you so, LowVee) and there was very little fat to contend with on the bones. We knew this place was going to get a high rating from LowVee when she actually finished her entire half slab. It may not have been that she was hungry, but more the fact that she didn’t want to share these ribs with anyone. ANYONE. These are seriously delicious ribs. And to top everything off, we had room for ice cream. C.G. Hooks is partly an ice cream shop and has really fun non-standard flavors of ice cream. After much sampling of flavors, I finally decided on the Cookie Dough and also a scoop of Blue Moon (it’s fruit loop flavored ice cream – why the hell WOULDN’t I get that?). Soooo good. I’d also recommend the cake batter one that LowVee and HotGirlsBrother got. All of us were pretty darn excited after this particular visit.
This Bar-B-Quest is going to be a really difficult decision when we get to the final rounds. I’m looking forward to it more than I should be.  

Burger Jones – Minneapolis, MN (Poutine Crawl)

To contact us Click HERE
When you’re on a year-long poutine crawl, you need to hit up at least one poutine restaurant per month to keep on track. This month it was Burger Jones. Our people descended on this place late one Tuesday evening after people finished with work, derby practice, and yelling at the television for having soooo much pink being shown on the NFL during October. I won’t mention any names…

We did our usual thing where we order enough poutine at our table to cause the cooks to panic. Thankfully, they’re a big operation, so they were able to handle our orders without any problem. We also got a lot of drinks. Sometimes that happens at the poutine crawl.

A few people ordered burgers, as well as their poutines, but I played it cautious. I had seen how large their portions were at previous visits to Burger Jones, so I decided I’d see how hungry I was after I finished the ‘tine and then order a burger if I needed to (I didn’t).
The poutine here looks pretty delicious. A serious mound of crispy fries on a platter with a pretty good gravy, a nice helping of bacon, and a few curds. Here were our issues: we thought there needed to be more gravy – the flavor was decent (no complaints from the peanut gallery), but we wished there were enough to have some on every bite. The plates cleaned up pretty well, which unfortunately mean there isn’t enough gravy to coat everything. Secondly, there was a discussion about the curd ratio. Some thought it needed more curds, some thought the amount was right, but it needed to be in smaller pieces. I, for example, had an enormous curd (which I cut into 7 or 8 smaller pieces – literally) and then two additional curds. That sounds like 3 curds, until you factor in the cutting process. Other people just wanted more cheese altogether. I vote for BOTH!!!! The curds held their shape and texture (and a little squeak) through the baking process, which was nice. We don’t like it when they melt into nothingness. And the bacon was delicious and most thought the appropriate amount. Enough to give it flavor, but not so much as to be overwhelming.
It’s a pretty good showing of poutine. I’d give it some sort of ranking, but everyone at the table had a different opinion on where it ranked. Id’ put it about three-quarters of the way to the top. It was good, but not the best, in my opinion. I’ll eat it again, though. That was never a question.
www.burgerjones.com

Minnesota Stars FC soccer game – Blaine, MN

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I’m a nominal fan of soccer having had played it growing up through high school (I broke a LOT of pairs of glasses back in the day). When I moved up here to Minnesota, the Thunder had folded and moved on, along with the Lightning (the women’s team), so I was pretty bummed that I wouldn’t get to see any big games for a while. Thankfully, the Minnesota Stars popped on the scene and actually won the championship last year. That’s a BIG deal for the North American Soccer League. So yeah, Minnesota has a rockin’ team.

I’ve got friends with season tickets to the games, and who travel to see them out of town, so it was only a matter of time before I made it to a couple of games. I made it to the season opener for my bachelor party, but it was in the Metrodome and not the same feel as being outdoor at the National Sports Center in Blaine – their home field.

The night started with some tailgating with A-Wow, Killsbury Doughboy, and David Deckhim. Actually, the night started by sitting in traffic after leaving work and driving to the stadium, but you all don’t want to hear about that. Tailgating consists of drinking beer (Surly is a big sponsor) and eating chicken wings (Buffalo Wild Wings is also a big sponsor). We consumed both of those things.

Then we went inside the stadium to eat and drink some more. The Anchor Fish & Chips food truck is parked in the “beer garden” and provides a whole host of British-ish footballer food. I’m a major fan of their restaurant, so this movie version put a smile on my face right away. You basically have your choice between a battered and deep fried sausage or a meat (or veggie) pasty. A-Wow and I decided we’d split one of each between the both of us. That was a smart move.
The deep fried sausage is pretty delicious. It’s exactly what you’d think it is and not much surprising about it. It’s good – end of story.
The pasty is a deep fried meat packet. The insides were a little mushier than I expected, but thankfully, the flavor was also good. So, clearly, you can’t go wrong with either thing. Next door to the food truck is the beer truck, which serves really cheap Lime-A-Rita’s (Bud Light’s version of a margarita). So we filled up on those – Trashy AND tasty.
The belligerent-fan cheering section at the Stars’ games are known as the Dark Clouds. As in “everywhere you go, there’s a dark cloud following you.” These are the die hard fans that wear all the gear, make homemade flags, pay to have professional flags made, bring smoke bombs, and drink like fish in the stands. Additionally, many of the Dark Clouds bring band instruments, including various drums, trumpets, and noisemakers – which they play almost non-stop during the games. On top of all this, the group’s unofficial ringleader (Ben) keeps the Dark Clouds chanting various cheers and singing various songs with the lyrics changed. The entire time. Seriously, the entire game. This is why the NASL reporter has described the Dark Clouds as “what a marching band would be with a three drink minimum.” It. Is. Awesome.
And it isn’t even as if the actual game part is secondary. Somehow, they manage to keep it ALL at the front-of-mind and maintain focus on game action, heckling players (including their own) and refs, singing, chanting, lighting smoke bombs during goals, and parading huge flags made out of Hot Nuts wrappers around the field. All at top volume. So much fun, I can’t even describe it adequately.

During this particular game, the Stars beat Puerto Rico 4-nil and you can imagine how loud these fans got. The Minnesota Stars are still an awesome team, so it makes it that much more fun to watch! There are as many people in the cheap seats with the Dark Clouds as there are in the fancy grandstand stadium across the field. My suggestion, sit with the Dark Clouds and meet your three drink minimum (of lime-a-ritas).

That was seriously some of the best fun ever. I can’t wait to go back.

www.mnstarsfc.com

Rusty Star BBQ

To contact us Click HERE

WACO: Rusty Star BBQ
10600 North River Crossing
Waco, TX 76712
254-848-7827
Open M-F 10:30-8
rustystarbbq.com

We missed Ted Nugent by five minutes. It was a running joke as we were driving here since the only reason I'd heard of the place was because I saw The Nuge sharing some brisket here with Anthony Bourdain on an episode of No Reservations a few years back (check the 7:25 mark of this video). As I ordered at the counter, Nick shot some photos around the place and the owners said that we were a few minutes late with the camera since The Nuge had just left. I thought they were joking at first, but we had in fact had some poor timing. We ate quickly and had the odd experience of trying to hunt down the most famous modern hunter in Texas after the meal, but he had already left the hardware store down the road.


Back at the Rusty Star, the food was damn good. Creamy pea salad was made with plump frozen peas instead of mushy canned ones. A potato salad was mashed in texture and brought some heat with the addition of jalapenos. Good stuff. Meats were smoked over pecan in a Southern Pride rotisserie. The ribs didn't fare so well in the gas cooker. A crust hadn't developed over the rub that tasted of poultry seasoning and was too heavily applied. It just wasn't good. The chopped/pulled pork had great smokiness from the crust and good smoke, and was the best meat on the plate. A well cooked brisket was better than expected. A good crust surrounded the moist meat giving it some great smoky flavor. The meat was tender and the fat well rendered, but it just needed more salt. Even with the small quibble, it was some of the better brisket I've had from a gas cooker. After this visit I could see why Uncle Ted is a regular, I just wish I could have gotten his recommendations first hand.

Rating ***

Wilhite's Barbeque

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CREEDMOOR: Wilhite's Barbeque
4903 D FM 1327
Creedmoor, TX 78610
512-243-2703
Open W-Thu 10:30-3:30, F 10:30-9, Sat 10:30-3:30

Robert Wilhite is both mayor and resident pitmaster in Creedmoor, Texas. He runs one of the few restaurants in town, and I'd guess this is the best one. Don't let the adjoining Valero station fool you into thinking this is some fly-by-night barbecue stand. Robert's dad started this place back in 1962 and it's been smoking ever since. These days the meat is smoked in one of two custom designed cylindrical smokers that function like a lazy susan for meat. They are fed with all post oak wood, and there's not a gas line in sight. The smell of smoke was strong as soon as we got out of the car and only increased once we were inside. Ordering is done at the counter and a cutting board isn't too far away. This allows a few for a few special requests while the meat is being sliced. We were just here for meat and soon a pile of sausage, ribs and sliced brisket were piled high on butcher paper.

My photo

(I've included both of these photos so you can take notice, as I often do, how much better Nick's photos are than mine.)

Photo by Nicholas McWhirter

When I saw the jet-black brisket on the cutting block, I knew it was gonna be good. The smokiness permeated the silky fat-cap that remained and a rub heavier in salt than pepper woke up the meat. Each slice was superbly moist and cooked to that perfect point of tenderness that allows one to pick up a full slice, but then tear it down the middle with only a modicum of effort. A couple of folks at the table were skeptical of the generous brisket fat that remained on each slice, but after just a bite they saw the light. Sometimes "melt-in-your-mouth" is the only way to say it. Pork ribs weren’t as dark but just as smoky. Meat came off the bone nicely without falling off, and every bit of the nicely rendered fat was edible. These ribs were epitome of beautiful simplicity on a bone. An all-beef sausage comes from Meyer’s in Elgin, and I laughed with Robert about how much better it was than what we got at Meyer's the day before. He noted that the Meyer’s delivery driver preferred the Wilhite's version too. This is what can happen when a barbecue joint bothers to order good quality raw sausage and do the smoking themselves instead of buying the pre-cooked stuff. Across the board, this was outstanding barbecue, and Robert had done right by the Texas trinity.

Steve Dean on the Roof by Nicholas McWhirter

We were about to jump back in our caravan of vehicles when a stiff and sudden wind blew in and took our friend Steve Dean's cowboy hat straight off of his head and deposited it directly on the roof. We found a rickety ladder out back and Steve went up to retrieve it. He brushed up next to the exhaust from the smoker, so we got the pleasure of smelling him for the rest of the day. Once he was safely down off the ladder we set our sights on the next barbecue destination with the knowledge that we'd probably just had the best meal of the day.

Rating *****

Fermin's Smoked Bar-B-Que

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ODEM: Fermin's Smoked Bar-B-Que
1016 Voss Ave
Odem, TX 78370
361-368-2416
Open M-Sat 7-5

I should have known what to expect when I saw the business card on the front counter as I waited for my order. The trio of businesses on the same card were Fermin's BBQ, Mexican restaurant and trucking company, but the screened in smoker out back gave me hope.






In short, it was awful. Baby back ribs that even looked promising were so tough it took significant effort just to take a bite. The brisket was little more than steamed roast beef. A warmed link of V&V sausage was fine, but that had more to do with the sausage stuffer back in Cistern, Texas than the skill of the pit tender here in Odem. A side of rice and beans seemed like an interesting choice that might give the plate a multi-cultural flavor. I've had Dasani with more flavor than the watery beans that were so washed out it was puzzling. Don't bother stopping.

Rating *

King's BBQ

To contact us Click HERE

DEER PARK: King's BBQ
1322 Underwood Road
Deer Park, TX 77536
281-478-6851
Open Daily 10-9
kingsbbq.biz

A trip up to the top of the towering San Jacinto Monument nearby that was marred by thick fog, and it was a rough day of barbecue. We were looking for any sort of high point to finish the day with, and smoke was pouring from the side of King's BBQ. After we parked I noticed the Southern Pride smoker. The smoke was coming straight for our car, so I turned off the AC and cranked up the vent to let the smoke in case my car didn't smell enough like it by then. I turned off the car, we walked in and quickly had a three meat plate in our possession.


We sat inside in the sparsely populated dining room to sample our options. It was nice to have some greenery with the side of zucchini and squash and the beans were very good. A thick spare rib was decent, but tasted more roasted than smoked. The seasoning was too heavy for a good crust to form. Brisket was also passable with a hint of smoke, but nothing special. Slices of juicy turkey were the best item on the plate. It had better smokiness than either the brisket or ribs, and it was sliced from a real breast of turkey instead of the usual deli loaf. I'd order it again, but turkey alone isn't really enough to get me back here.

Rating **

Baker's Ribs (Deep Ellum)

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DALLAS: Baker's Ribs
3303 Main St.
Dallas, TX 75226
214-748-5433 
Open M-F 11-7, Sat 11-9, Sun 10-2
www.bakersribs.com

You may have been familiar with the Baker's Ribs location in Deep Ellum. It stood for decades in a brick building on Commerce Street with a large pig painted on the side. They leased that building, but were looking for a permanent home, so they bought a building just a few blocks away in the same Deep Ellum neighborhood. I made a couple of stops to see just how well they've dealt with the transition.


Some things have changed for the better like the addition of the Original Fried Pie Shop inside the restaurant (more on that later) and some things have thankfully remained like the all hickory-fired Bewley smoker that they brought over from the old location. It was so clean and shiny I thought it was new, but the lady doling out the food orders said they just gave it a good cleaning.


I've always liked the brisket here from a smoke standpoint. Baker's knows how to get the smokiness into the meat, but it's harder to also keep the meat moist and tender. The beef on this day was no different than I'd expected which is to say that it had a great looking black crust and ruby-red smokering along with a strong smoky flavor, but it also lacked good seasoning, good fat and it was just too dry. An unexpected meat option of fried turkey was outstanding. They smoke a seasoned turkey breast then dunk the whole thing into a fryer to finish it off. The result is juicy turkey whose slices have thick crispy edges. It was some of the better smoked turkey I've had. No word whether or not fried brisket will make it on the menu.


The ribs were also excellent. The meat was moist and came from the bone perfectly. A subtle sweet rub allowed a good dark crust to form and the meat was very smokey. I included the photo above to show how a well cooked rib will look after a bite is taken. The bone should be exposed easily, but the meat on either side of the bite should remain intact. It should not fall of the bone entirely, nor should there be meat left on the bone where the bite was taken.


On a subsequent visit I ordered a plate of both lean and fatty brisket. If they could just mix the supple texture and richness of the moist brisket with the smokiness of the lean slices, then they'd be onto something. Neither cut was great on its own, however. All of the sides here are good from a simple creamy mac & cheese to crispy cole slaw and a potato salad heavy with dill. Don't forget about dessert either.


If you want one of these famous fried pies you have to order them at a second counter at the back of the restaurant and pay for them separately there. A wide array of filling options are offered and all pies are made to order. This allows you to create flavor combinations, which is actually encouraged. The lady frying the pies on this day confirmed that I could combine any fillings together in one pie since it would be made fresh. Brisket and pulled pork are filling options and I really wanted to try the shredded beef in pie form. I thought pecan and blackberry might be complementary flavors so I asked for what was probably their first order of a brisket, blackberry and pecan fried pie. This masterful combination of ingredients landed on the table just as were polishing off the barbecue. It was hot, flaky, and rich from the overflowing filling. The sweet blackberry, nuttiness of the pecan and the smoky beef were a better match than I'd ever imagined. This was an excellent dessert but could easily double as a hearty main course. I'm thinking apricot and pulled pork for my next visit.

Rating ***