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I can vouch for LA Barbecue. Some of the best Que I have ever had in my life. Hands down. I was blown away. Plus owners, Ali and Leann are great people to visit with. I also got the chance to visit for a long while with Pitmaster, Brendon. He was a great guy. They hooked me and my brother up with the first plates of the day, the following day because Leann "didn't want me to leave Texas with out trying our brisket!" The food was awesome. But the people there were really really great too!
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I was glad to see Evie Mae's in Wolforth get some recognition at #9. List is usually dominated so much by the big cities and central Texas that it is nice to finally have one close to home.Comment
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Can't believe Cooper's in Austin didn't make it. Probably the best restaurant brisket I've ever had.Comment
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Well, I just returned from my vacation/BBQ tour in Texas last night. I was able to hit 3 joints out of the 5 or so planned along my route, and I can give some insight and opinion on those. All of these are on the Top 50 list, except for the stop in Memphis. The two I missed were Evie Mae's in Wolforth, which was the closest to my hometown but unfortunately closed for the week that I was there, and Heim's in Fort Worth, which had just too long of a line, and I was transporting a puppy at the time. Still, I had a great time and enjoyed hitting the spots I could.
The first spot we hit, although not a Texas place, was Central BBQ in Memphis. This place claims to have the best pulled pork in Memphis as voted by the city. Me and my wife shared a 3 meat plate with smoked bologna, brisket, and pulled pork. The bologna was great, probably my favorite on the plate. Pulled pork was good too, just nothing special. Brisket was thin sliced and had obviously dried out. I would skip that next time. Looking back, I should have gotten ribs. Who goes to Memphis and doesn't order ribs, right? Me, apparently. I can't help it, if I see brisket on the menu, I'm getting it. Portions seemed small for the price. Beans were ok, and I seem to remember getting the potato salad that I really liked. Kids got pulled pork sandwiches, which came drowned in sauce, but they liked them alot. Subtractions for dry brisket and portion size. Overall grade: B+
Next place we hit, later that same evening, was Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, TX. We got there around 8:30 PM, and they close at 9, so I was half expecting there to be nothing left when I got there. I was almost right. They only had sausage, ham, and chopped brisket left. I got a pound of each and some sides to go and called it good. I was literally the last customer they let in that night, and I think part of it was because I told him I had just drove all the way from Nashville to eat some barbeque. He let me in and hooked me up! Everything I had was delicious. The jalapeno cheddar sausage was awesome. Usually not a big chopped brisket-in-sauce kind of guy, but this was really good, so I had seconds. Ham was really good as well. Wish I had made it in time for brisket and ribs, because everyone was raving about it, but maybe next time. Mac and cheese was good, bbq beans were great, broccoli salad was good. Overall grade: A
Next day we got up and headed to Cattleack BBQ in Dallas. This is the #3 place on the list, right after Franklin's, so I had high expectations. This place lived up to all the hype. I have never had Snow's or Franklin's, so I can't compare, but the quality of meat this place puts out is fantastic. Line was deceptively long, because outside was only about 15 to 20 deep, but inside, the line wrapped around the place. The entire perimeter of the joint, no kidding. It was well worth the wait. We got 2 lbs of brisket (1 lb lean, 1 lb moist), 2 lbs of ribs, 1/2 pound of pulled pork, 4 links of sausage (2 hot links, 2 regular), 2 pints of beans, and 1 pint of jalapeno cheese grits (surprisingly delicious). To me, that is how brisket is supposed to look. There were no complaints from any of us (there were 9). Ribs had what tasted like a simple salt and pepper rub. Great bite. Pulled pork had a hint of vinegar and red pepper flavor. Sausages were on point. Brisket melted in my mouth. I just have nothing bad to say about any of it. They ran out of beef ribs before we ordered, or we would have had that also, because they use Akaushi wagyu beef ribs. Overall grade: A+
After hanging out at Lake Brownwood for a few days, we stopped in Abilene to eat at Stillwater BBQ. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture before we started digging in, so what you see below is the aftermath! We got a lb of moist brisket, 1 lb of pulled pork, and a lb of smoked turkey. The turkey was based off the employees recommendation. Sides were their famous jalapeno brisket mac and cheese, and the brisket baked beans. Baked beans are not the norm in Texas. Usually it's pinto beans. But these were awesome. Chunks of shredded brisket throughout! Brisket was choice, but was still very good. Great bark, and nice peppery flavor. Pulled pork was good as well. The turkey....ohhhh that turkey! I am not a huge smoked turkey fan, unless it's Thanksgiving, but this stuff was good! Like, really good! The mac and cheese could be it's own meal. Just a little kick from the jalapeno, and smoky bits of brisket to take it over the edge. Best side dish of the trip, hands down. Overall grade: A
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Pecan lodge and Lockhart in Dallas are both top notch! I'd give a slight advantage to Pecan Lodge but the lack of a wait at lockhart is great too!Comment
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They Skipped over Lubbock
So can't be that great of an article. usually they throw Lubbock a bone and include 1 spot: "Tom & Bingo's BBQ" They do have good Brisket (thats all they do sliced or chopped sandwiches) but its very expensive I usually have to get 3 chopped beef sandwiches to get full adds up quick! but now we have 2 places (granted they are only open a few days a week and maybe when Texas monthly was in town was Mon or Tue, Days both are closed) That seems like they should have made the list??
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Evie Maes is on the list. They were closed last week to give employees some time off, but the owner actually offered to meet me there on Friday so I could get a t shirt and a sticker for the Passport book, but we couldn't make it work out timewise. Great people! -
JonnyB I stopped looking after not seeing Lubbock. But Evie Maes is in Wolfforth so they got it right I just didn't look good enough. They ranked Evie Maes as the #9 BBQ in Texas. (gave them the same score ( 4.75 out of 5) that Franklins got. Always wanted to go there now I guess I don't have to.
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My Barbecue Apprentice, Sam, and his crew went to All Seven of the Houston Area joints this past Saturday!
I went two on my way back from Big Bend National Park, Kreuz's Market in Lockhart and City Market in Luling!
#RockStarMeatComaComment
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sounds like I got some spots to hit on my road trips!Comment
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Was at Kruez's on Saturday. Been to Gatlins, Kruez's, and City Market in Lulling. Not sure how Black's in Lockhart fell off the list. Was there in the fall. The beef rib was a life-altering experience. Here is the Q from Kruez's. This trip I had shoulder clod, pork ribs, and brisket. It's the best brisket I've ever had.
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JonnyB , sos2979 said that Wolfforth made the list. I had stopped looking once Lubbock wasn't on the list. I lump Lubbock and Wolfforth into one. But really think they missed the mark. The Shack BBQ on North Frankford ave is consistently better. and should have made the list. Admittedly never had Franklins (but have been to both Lockhart Smokehouse & Pecan Lodge) BBQ which I'm betting is what set the bar (Franklins) for good BBQ. Would love to of course but wont stand in line for 4 or 5 hours they need to open a couple more so people can get it more easily. Must also say the folks at Evie Maes are wonderful talked to them the 1st time I was in there. They were very informative and nice.Comment
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These lists are definitely a labor of love, and a prescription for getting pelted with rocks. We've eaten at a dozen or more of the "Top 50" and another dozen that weren't listed -- most of them more than once. Our experiences have varied with time of day, whether we are getting the first or last pieces of a brisket, our personal tastes, etc. Overall, I didn't see anything in the rankings that struck me as totally wrong, although we might have shifted some by a quarter point. There are also the issues of price and availability. It is worth something if a place has everything all day and you can get in (like Terry Black's or Stiles Switch) versus having to wait in line for hours (like Franklin's or Snow's). Is it a plus that the brisket at City Market in Luling (or Salt Lick for that matter) is 2/3 the price of the meat at one of the top joints that have upgraded to Prime or similar beef?
Reading the comments brings these issues to the forefront, as there is little consensus among readers. That said, I think it is a great starting point, and everyone can "make their own opinion."Comment
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I have not been there but one of my best friends rates Earl Abel's in San Antonio as superior to Franklin's in Austin. Any thoughts anyone? I have yet to go to either ....Comment
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