Like a mushroom field after a cool rain, barbecue joints in Texas just keep popping up (and for some going away). It seems guys grow tired of the competition circuit and decide to settle in a trailer, or a guy goes to work for one of the established joints and decides he can do what they do even better. Whatever the case I just happened upon one close to home that I didn't know existed until I ran across them on YouTube.
Bellville is a classic, small central Texas town of about 4,200 souls that has two things going for them. One they are the county seat for Austin County and second, they have this really cool meat market. I make the 45 minute journey from my house to said market a few times a year. Their sausage is worth the drive and the scenery and small town vibe just helps break up the big city monotony of Houston.
My usual late night ask of YouTube to put me to sleep found me watching this barbecue pitmaster doing his thing in a small Texas town. Didn't really catch the name of the town until part way through they mention Bellville and my ears perk up. The guy and his place looks to have an identical setup to the Bar-A-BBQ place in Montgomery which is about 35-40 minutes to the east. So what the heck, I saddle up and figure I'll kill two birds, do my semi-annual trip to get some sausage and check out Bird's Barbecue.
I got to Bellville about 30 minutes or so before opening time and caught Jacob "Bird" Graham tending his 1000 gallon Centex smoker. Introduced myself and had a nice conversation about his opening of this place and how he saw the business going. Instead of me going on about his past and what led him to craft barbecue for a living, I'll let him tell his story in the videos below.
I went ahead and got the 3 meat plate, was hungry. Price was $27 bucks which is not too terribly bad these days. To my surprise I got a ton of food, way more than I could finish; (3) large ribs, about a quarter pound of brisket and (2) 6" sausages. Sides where on the smaller side but I wasn't there for beans and mac and cheese (although the beans were amazing!).
Out of a scale of 1-10, 10 being Aaron Franklin's mama, here was my rating of the food and the place;
Ribs - solid 9, maybe 9.5. Cooked perfectly, nice bite without falling too easily off the bone. Really nice sweet/heat glaze.
Sausage - 8.75 - I really like jalapeno cheese and these did not disappoint. Good snap to the casing as well.
Brisket - 7.75 - Really rather bland, seemed under seasoned. I noticed he foil wrapped. To me that makes brisket soft and moist but ruins the bark and makes for a pot roast-like finish. Really didn't think much of the third protein.
Sides - 9 as well. The borracho style beans were awesome with the mac and cheese very creamy.
Bang for the Buck - solid 9 once again. I could not finish the meal, took about a third of it home for the next days' lunch. Man did not skimp on his portions.
Atmosphere - 8.5. I really like these small Texas town trailer operations. Had a nice remodeled frame house next door for indoor dining. Really nice place.
All in all I give Bird's a solid rating, I will definitely return. As mentioned I go to Bellville often so it's worth the drive. I love these small Central Texas towns, may find myself living in one in the near future, who knows. I'll keep my eye on this guy, I really think he may be the next Bar-A-BBQ joint, one that continues to rack up the accolades.
Bellville is a classic, small central Texas town of about 4,200 souls that has two things going for them. One they are the county seat for Austin County and second, they have this really cool meat market. I make the 45 minute journey from my house to said market a few times a year. Their sausage is worth the drive and the scenery and small town vibe just helps break up the big city monotony of Houston.
My usual late night ask of YouTube to put me to sleep found me watching this barbecue pitmaster doing his thing in a small Texas town. Didn't really catch the name of the town until part way through they mention Bellville and my ears perk up. The guy and his place looks to have an identical setup to the Bar-A-BBQ place in Montgomery which is about 35-40 minutes to the east. So what the heck, I saddle up and figure I'll kill two birds, do my semi-annual trip to get some sausage and check out Bird's Barbecue.
I got to Bellville about 30 minutes or so before opening time and caught Jacob "Bird" Graham tending his 1000 gallon Centex smoker. Introduced myself and had a nice conversation about his opening of this place and how he saw the business going. Instead of me going on about his past and what led him to craft barbecue for a living, I'll let him tell his story in the videos below.
I went ahead and got the 3 meat plate, was hungry. Price was $27 bucks which is not too terribly bad these days. To my surprise I got a ton of food, way more than I could finish; (3) large ribs, about a quarter pound of brisket and (2) 6" sausages. Sides where on the smaller side but I wasn't there for beans and mac and cheese (although the beans were amazing!).
Out of a scale of 1-10, 10 being Aaron Franklin's mama, here was my rating of the food and the place;
Ribs - solid 9, maybe 9.5. Cooked perfectly, nice bite without falling too easily off the bone. Really nice sweet/heat glaze.
Sausage - 8.75 - I really like jalapeno cheese and these did not disappoint. Good snap to the casing as well.
Brisket - 7.75 - Really rather bland, seemed under seasoned. I noticed he foil wrapped. To me that makes brisket soft and moist but ruins the bark and makes for a pot roast-like finish. Really didn't think much of the third protein.
Sides - 9 as well. The borracho style beans were awesome with the mac and cheese very creamy.
Bang for the Buck - solid 9 once again. I could not finish the meal, took about a third of it home for the next days' lunch. Man did not skimp on his portions.
Atmosphere - 8.5. I really like these small Texas town trailer operations. Had a nice remodeled frame house next door for indoor dining. Really nice place.
All in all I give Bird's a solid rating, I will definitely return. As mentioned I go to Bellville often so it's worth the drive. I love these small Central Texas towns, may find myself living in one in the near future, who knows. I'll keep my eye on this guy, I really think he may be the next Bar-A-BBQ joint, one that continues to rack up the accolades.
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