The Barbecue Chronicles: Best of Texas BBQ Tour

Brisket, ribs and sausage at Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. (Photo by Tom Fox/DMN)

By Gary Jacobson/Texas BBQ Posse

For a while now, members of the Texas BBQ Posse have strongly suspected that Dallas finally has a joint that can hang with the elite barbecue restaurants in the state.

Our recent Posse Favorites Tour confirmed that suspicion. We drove nearly 700 miles and ate at 10 top places over 48 hours. We scored brisket, pork ribs and sausage, the holy trinity of Texas barbecue, on a 10-point scale.

In the end, we compiled a list of the six top-scoring spots. Pecan Lodge at Dallas Farmers Market placed second overall, snugged tightly between Franklin Barbecue in Austin at No. 1 and Snow’s BBQ in Lexington at No. 3.

That’s stout company. Behind them in our top tier of six were Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor and Fargo’s Pit BBQ in Bryan.

The Barbecue Chronicles: Tales from the Speedtrap BBQ Tour

Here's Posse member Bruce Tomaso's take on our recent Speedtrap BBQ Tour. Bruce joined Marshall Cooper, Jim Rossman and me on a 500-plus mile trek that began at Snow's BBQ, our favorite place to start every tour in central Texas. Here are some stories from one of our best BBQ journeys yet.....

Last Friday night, a friend and I went to see Tool. My friend, a student at Texas Christian University, doesn’t have a car, so I picked him up.

I got off work and headed west on Interstate 30 from downtown Dallas to the TCU campus in Fort Worth. Then we got back on I-30 and drove east, to the concert arena in Grand Prairie. After the show, it was west on I-30 again to drop off my friend.

Then I drove home.

To Plano.

All in all, between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. I drove 150 miles.

If that seems nutty to you, then A) you’re probably not a Tool fan; and B) wait till you hear what the Texas BBQ Posse did on Saturday.

We met before sunrise and hit the road to take in five joints in five Central Texas towns – a trip that covered 527 miles in just over 12 hours.

On the tour, we discovered one new gem.

And we learned what the speed limit is on the road into Lexington.

Meeting Officer Wooldridge

Our rendezvous point was the North Dallas home of Marshall Cooper, the Posse’s pitmaster. There were four of us. Marshall, a commercial real estate broker, agreed to drive.

Marshall’s home is exactly 191 miles from our first stop, Snow’s BBQ in Lexington.

At Mile 190, we met Officer Wooldridge.

Officer Wooldridge, one of Lexington’s finest, was of the opinion that 67 mph in a 55-mph zone was excessive. He should know. He seemed to spend most of his time parked by the side of the road with a radar gun, no doubt collecting data to test his hypothesis.

After receiving a written invitation from Officer Wooldridge to appear in Lexington Municipal Court at a future date, Marshall slowly drove that one last mile to Snow’s.

Snow’s is the reigning champion on Texas Monthly’s list of the Top 50 barbecue joints in the state. (The select list is published every five years; the next one comes out in 2013.) It’s only open on Saturdays, there’s always a line out the door, and we usually make it our “breakfast stop” when we’re in the Austin area.

It’s never disappointed.

Knowing that this was the first of five planned stops, we placed a modest order: Four ribs, four slices of brisket, and five slices of pork butt. (To many aficionados, the pork is the real star at Snow’s.)

The bill came to $30. “I can spend almost that much eating barbecue by myself in Dallas,” said Jim Rossman, a tech specialist at The Dallas Morning News.

Everything was cooked to perfection. The only criticism came from Marshall, who thought the meats didn’t present enough smoky flavor.

“It’s tender. It’s juicy. It’s delicious. There’s just no smoke,” he said.

Marshall cooks brisket with the best of them. He’s been doing it for almost 30 years. His palate is well-trained, and when he talks, the Posse listens (unlike Officer Wooldridge, who ignored Marshall’s polite apologies and perfectly legitimate defense: “We’re on our way to eat barbecue.”)

So we took his observations to heart.

As we devoured every last morsel on the tray.

Heading south to Giddings

Next was a return visit to a place that we knew deserved one: City Meat Market in Giddings.

The Posse had been there in November 2010, on a tour that took in eight Central Texas joints in just over 24 hours. The last stop on that trip was City Meat Market. We got there late in the afternoon, owner Gerald Birkelbach had sold out of everything but sausage and pork, and by that time, we were about as close to barbecued-out as any of us get.

And it was still darned good.

This time, Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins, the News photo editor who plans our trips, made sure he scheduled City Meat Market on the front end.

As we had at Snow’s, we ordered brisket, ribs and pork. We found a table and dug in, surrounded by regular customers: Lots of Wranglers and work boots, not a designer logo anywhere (unless you count “Dickies”).

Barbecue lovers can argue endlessly about whether this joint is better than that joint. The arguments rarely settle anything -- that’s one reason they’re fun. With its Top 50 list, Texas Monthly sets itself up as a sort of authoritative arbiter, but c’mon. Can they really know that Buzzie’s is a 4.5 (out of 5), while Bubba’s is a 4?

The Posse’s consensus was that on this day, Snow’s was slightly better than City Meat Market. But we knew that the next four guys who came through the door might come to the opposite conclusion.

And neither would be wrong.

I thought City Meat Market’s brisket was too dry, which was puzzling, since Birkelbach stores his meats in pans of broth between servings.

Chris, sampling the very same brisket, said: “The flavor of this is just tremendous.”

He liked the pork butt even better.

“I don’t want to sound like my kid brother who’s always saying, ‘Man, this is the best thing ever,’ ” he said.

“But the taste of this pork may be the best ever.”

Meeting Mary Vrazel

We hoped for an under-the-radar find with the next spot on our itinerary, Gil’s Bar-B-Que Shack in Ellinger. It certainly looked promising. It’s in a tiny, reddish wooden building that really is a shack. It’s festooned with faded plastic American flags. The sign out front is hand-painted.

Inside, three small tables share the crowded space with haphazard stacks of foam cups, empty cardboard crates, and 12-packs of Dr Pepper.

Mary Vrazel has been running Gil’s, named for her husband, for 36 years. She smokes the meats, cooks all the side dishes, runs the cash register and makes sure she has a cheerful word for everyone who comes in. She also bakes a heavenly lemon cake – moist and airy, sweet and buttery, with a delightful citrus tang.

The barbecue was, to be kind, passable. The brisket fought back against a plastic knife. The first ribs that Mary served us had spent way too long in the pit, or in a warmer afterward. There wasn’t much to them but bone and a stiffly caramelized outer layer. Later, she brought us a bigger, juicier sample, one that hadn’t been overcooked, and the difference was night and day.

If I’m ever that way again, I’ll stop in for a slice of lemon cake.

Desperately seeking Ruthie's

From Ellinger, we headed northeast to Navasota. We were looking for Ruthie’s Pit Bar-B-Q. We only sort of found it.

Ruthie’s had been closed for several weeks, re-emerging recently as Rattlers Pit Soul Food House. (The yellow-and-red sign out front, however, still says Ruthie’s Pit Bar-B-Q.)

They still serve barbecue – and pretty good barbecue, at that – on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sunday is soul food day, with oxtails, smothered pork chops, and the like. There’s also a standing menu of quick, inexpensive fare: burgers, fried wing baskets, stuffed potatoes.

The brisket had a dark, flavorful bark and a pronounced pinkish smoke ring – signs of attentive cooking by a skilled pitmaster.

Our favorite, though, was the peppery sausage. Its dark red casing had a snap when you bit into it, and the inside was tender and juicy.

“It’d be great with an ice-cold beer on a warm day,” Marshall said.

There was one off-note: On some of the brisket, we thought we detected the faintest whiff of charcoal starter. It wasn’t everywhere on the platter, and it wasn’t strong enough to ruin the meal. Still, there’s a reason many top pitmasters stay away from lighter fluid when building their wood fires. You ever taste that stuff?

Saving the best for last?

It was mid-afternoon by the time we pulled up to Fargo’s Pit BBQ, on a forlorn stretch of North Texas Avenue in Bryan.

We told owner Alan Caldwell about our day’s tour. We told him that his place was our last stop.

Caldwell smiled knowingly and said in a quiet voice, “You should have started here.”

Once we tasted his barbecue, we could see his point.

“Fargo’s,” as Chris put it, “can hunt with the big boys.”

It deserves to be on anyone’s list of the best barbecue joints in Texas. In the annals of Posse tours, it could be a Top 10.

Caldwell declined to give us a tour of his pit, which is housed in a metal shed out back, behind a six-foot fence topped with strands of barbed wire.

We don’t know his secrets for turning out briskets and sausage links and slabs of ribs with a flawless, aromatic crust of deep reddish brown.

What we do know is that his food looked good enough to grace a magazine cover – and it tasted even better.

There’s no seating inside, so we opened the back of Marshall’s SUV and tailgated as we watched a steady steam of customers drop by for bags of take-out.

We had no difficulty making our way through our fifth barbecue meal in less than six hours.

Marshall was particularly fond of the ribs. At last, he said, he’d found a plate that packed the wallop of wood flavor he’d been craving.

“They’ve got a great balance of rub and smoke,” he said. “Juicy. Tender.”

Jim concurred. As we were packing up to head contentedly home, he said: “It took us all day, finally, to get our smoke.”

Fellas, if it’s smoke you wanted, you should have been at the Tool concert.

The Speedtrap BBQ Tour itinerary

6:30 am: Leave Dallas.
9:30 am: Unscheduled stop on the outskirts of Lexington for a visit with Officer Wooldridge.
9:45 am: Snow’s BBQ, 516 Main Street, Lexington TX 78947. Phone: 979-773-4640. Hours: Sat, 8 am until the meat runs out.
11 am: City Meat Market‎, 101 W. Austin Street, Giddings TX 78942. Phone: 979-542-2740. Hours: Mon-Fri, 7:30 am-5:30 pm; Sat, 7:30 am-4 pm.
12:15 pm: Gil’s Bar-B-Que Shack, 399 E. State Highway 71, Ellinger TX 78938. Phone: 979-378-2366. Hours: Sat-Sun, from when the meat is ready (usually around 9:30 am) until it runs out.
1:30 pm: Rattlers Pit Soul Food House (formerly Ruthie’s Pit Bar-B-Q)‎, 1106 W. Washington Ave., Navasota TX 77868. Phone: ‪936-825-7770. Hours: ‬Tue-Thur, 11 am-4 pm; Fri, 11 am-8 pm; Sat, 11 am-4 pm; Sun, noon-4 pm.
3:15 pm: Fargo’s Pit BBQ, 1220 N. Texas Ave., Bryan TX 77803. Phone: 979-778-3662. Hours: Tue-Sat, 11 am-7 pm.
7 pm: Back in Dallas.

Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

Dallas is raising its BBQ game

We've commented in the past about the lack of great Texas style -- real wood-fired -- barbecue in Dallas. But during the Posse's "Impromptu Best of Dallas BBQ Mini-Tour" Saturday, one conclusion was clear: Big D is raising its game.

Over a period of about four hours, we ate at three joints. Each smokes with a different kind of wood. The Pecan Lodge at the Dallas Farmers' Market uses mesquite. Meshack's Bar-B-Que (OK, it's in Garland but we're counting it as Dallas) uses pecan. And Lockhart Smokehouse in Oak Cliff uses post oak.

Admittedly, these three places were already our favorites in town, but we had never before eaten at them back-to-back-to-back so we could directly compare them.

It was a split decision. The best brisket of the day was served by the Pecan Lodge. Some of us thought it was in the same league as Franklin's of Austin, which smokes the best brisket in the state.

The best pork ribs were at Meshack's. A couple of us even thought Meshack's ribs were better than the Lodge's brisket.

The best sausage was at Lockhart, which also served the coldest (and only!) beer. That's why we finished the tour there.

We began about 11 a.m. at the Pecan Lodge, which was reintroducing barbecue to its menu after a hiatus of a couple months. The Posse, eight strong at that point, ordered brisket, ribs, sausage and even fried chicken.

"The chicken is great," Posse member Michael Lindenberger told co-owner Diane Fourton as she came over to our table. She told Mike it was her grandmother's recipe.

As we ate, a diner wearing a gold cross around his neck and a sleeveless t-shirt approached. He had just finished his meal. "Is this the best barbecue in Dallas or what?" he said, asking and answering his question.

He wouldn't get much argument from the Posse on this day.

"I would call that holy shit brisket, man," Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins said later, describing his reaction to his first bite. Pecan Lodge pitmaster Justin Fourton delivered on all fronts: taste, tenderness and a terrific crusty crust.

Justin's ribs, which we ranked second to Meshack's, were also very good as was his sausage, a new item introduced Saturday.

We jumped on I-30, just south of the Farmers' Market, and headed to Garland.

For Travis and Donna Mayes, who run Meshack's, these are exciting times. They were just featured in Garden & Gun magazine as having one of the best barbecue sandwiches in the United States.

"People are driving all the way down down from Arkansas just to eat his barbecue," a Meshack's regular, who goes by the moniker Tree Man, said. Tree Man said he has known Travis Mayes since 1982 and splits all his wood.

Mac Hargrove, making his first posse tour, would later pronounce Meshack's ribs the best single thing he ate all day. They had a nice savory rub and were cooked perfectly tender.

The one drawback to Meshack's is the service. It took nearly 15 minutes after ordering to get our food, and then, because there is no seating, we drove to a nearby park to eat.

"Painfully slow service," Wilkins said.

We took the scenic route to Oak Cliff, via Garland Road and the White Rock spillway.

With the temperature in high 90s, Wilkins and I detoured to Lockhart's bar, where several kinds of beer were on ice, before sampling barbecue.

Posse veteran Michael Gluckman, the general manager of Fearing's at the Ritz-Carlton, was very impressed by Lockhart's sausage but not as much by the brisket.

"Good tenderness, good taste, no smoke," Gluckman said.

The ribs were chewy and could have used more cooking time, Hargrove pointed out.

Still, it was a very nice ending to a very nice day. We got to eat great Texas barbecue at three different joints and never left town. Dallas is indeed raising its barbecue game.

Impromptu Best of Dallas BBQ Mini-Tour itinerary June 11. 2011

11:00 a.m.: Meet at Pecan Lodge, 1010 South Pearl Expressway, Farmer's Market Shed #2, Dallas, TX, 75201, (214) 748-8900. Open: Thur-Fri 11am-3pm, Sat-Sun 9am-3pm.

1:30 p.m.: Meshack's Bar-B-Que Shack, 240 E. Ave. B, Garland, TX, (214) 227-4748. Open Tues 10:30 am-5 pm, Wed-Sat 10:30am-7pm.

2:30 p.m. : Lockhart Smokehouse, 400 W. Davis, Dallas, 214-944-5521. Open every day from 11am till they're done.

Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

The Barbecue Chronicles: Back to East Texas where we find proof that wood rules

It had been a few months since the Posse’s last barbecue tour. So, we reminded ourselves to be conservative and not overeat at the first stop.

“I’m just going to have one rib,” said tour veteran Marshall Cooper as he drove east from Dallas on I-20.

His passengers laughed.

“Well, if they’re good I might have four or five,” he conceded.

In the end, somehow, Texas barbecue always manages to bring out the truth.

For this chapter of our barbecue chronicles, we traveled 290 miles over 10 hours on a beautiful spring Saturday that was chilly when we started and warm when we finished.

We ate at five places in East Texas, including four of Texas Monthly’s Top 50 joints in the state: Stanley’s in Tyler, Stacy’s in Jacksonville, Baby J’s in Palestine and Cripple Creek in Athens. We had been to Stanley’s before, but not the other places.

Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins, a photo editor at The Dallas Morning News who planned the itinerary and served as chief navigator, also left some room for serendipity.

“I know we’re going to find something,” he said. “Keep an eye out for smoke.”

Our first stop was Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, located near the medical center. The Posse, a dozen strong, converged in four vehicles, just after 10:30 a.m., a half-hour before the doors opened. Tour veteran Jim Rossman, a tech expert for The News, cut a fine figure riding solo in his wife’s red Miata. A big guy, he looked like a teen-ager who had outgrown a childhood toy. To fit, Rossman rode with the top down.

“It got a little cool on the way over,” he admitted.

Also on the tour were veterans Bruce Tomaso, Ahna Hubnik and Gary Barber, who all work at The News, and Gary’s brother, Michael, making his first trip. For the Cooper family, barbecue is a family affair so Marshall, a commercial real estate broker, was joined by his wife, Sheilagh, and their seven-year-old son, Mark.

Two other first-timers made the trip: Phil Lamb, an attorney, and Chris Post, a banker. They are regular readers of the Posse’s blog www.texasbbqposse.com.

Stanley's in Tyler

The last time we visited Stanley’s, about a year ago, the ribs were sold out by 11:30 a.m. and we didn’t get any.

“Sold out,” of course, can be a relative term in barbecue. Before our first visit, pitmaster Jonathan Shaw had cooked only a half-dozen racks. Since then, Stanley’s ribs have won a Texas Monthly competition and Shaw is cooking a lot more racks.

“We won’t run out on you today,” Shaw said as he greeted us outside while we waited for the place to open. Owner Nick Pencis was away on a catering job.

Along with the ribs, we were anxious to sample Stanley’s turkey breast, the favorite from our first visit, and the Brother In Law sandwich, a Stanley’s specialty made with chopped beef, sausage and cheese.

We ate outside on the big patio. “A great spot to start the day!” Sheilagh Cooper said.

Post said he never would have thought to combine the sandwich items and he liked the turkey so much that he bought a pound to take home.

The ribs, finished with a glaze, were nicely tender and had a slightly sweet taste. Marshall Cooper admitted eating four, “maybe five.”

Rossman called the ribs the best he had eaten in months. He ate five and most of a brother-in-law sandwich. Then he went back and bought a rack of ribs to take home.

Before moving to Dallas, Rossman said he lived in Tyler for 10 years, less than a mile from Stanley’s. He worked for the Tyler newspaper, but never ate at Stanley’s. “I’m kicking myself if it was always this good,” he said.

As we were leaving, we asked Shaw how he was able to keep the turkey breast so moist. He said he puts them on the pit after most of the other meats have come off. He cooks them for about three hours at 300 degrees, until the internal temperature reaches 165.

“We use a little more mellow fire because we don’t want too much smoke on them,” he said.

Oh, yes, one other important development. Stanley’s now serves Big Red on tap.

Stacy's in Jacksonville

From Stanley’s we drove south, through town, and got caught a mid-day traffic jam in southern Tyler. “The traffic is as bad as Plano,” Wilkins said. “It wasn’t like this when I was growing up here.” Wilkins now lives in Plano.

Stacy’s Barbecue is located in an old house, near a shopping mall on Highway 69 in Jacksonville. As we walked through the front door, we saw a small jar of ashes on a shelf. A note said: “Ashes of unruly customers.”

Nearby, a sign read: “This is not Burger King. You don’t get it your way. You take it my way or don’t get the damn thing.”

We liked that attitude, but the meat under whelmed us.

“I just don’t know how brisket can look that good and taste that bland,” Tomaso said. Lamb echoed the sentiment.

After we ate, owner Ron Davis showed us his two, nearly 30-year-old gas-fired pits, which, he said, can cook a total of up to 100 briskets at a time. He said he doesn’t use rubs or seasonings. “We throw some hickory on for flavor,” he said.

Davis said Stacy’s, named after his father, once used only wood, but that meant staying up most of the night tending the fire. If the pit crew lost control of the heat, there were problems.

“One day the briskets would be like charcoal and the next as raw as can be,” Davis said.

It’s much easier cooking with gas, he said. Set the temperature, go home and sleep. And, he said, his customers like the food.

We found Highway 79 and headed southwest to Palestine.

Baby J's in Palestine

There, just outside of town, we ran into the most unusual pit any of us have seen. A giant black metal box on short stilts with a smokestack reaching 20-feet high, located just out the side door from Baby J's Bar B Que and Fish.

With a flick of his wrist, Jeremiah "Baby J" McKenzie toggled one of the huge counterweights and a door magically lifted, exposing eight rotating cook racks filled with chicken and ribs.

An identical cooking chamber was on the opposite side. "That's just heaven," said Marshall Cooper, clearly smitten with pit envy. In Cooper's case, that takes some doing. He owns a Jambo J-3.

McKenzie calls this unique smoker Big Baby. He can load 10 logs at a time in the converted firebox underneath.

"This had gas when I got it," he said. "We don't want gas."

Nearby was another pit, unused this day, housed in a trailer. “Danger men cooking,” said a sign on the side.

You gotta love barbecue humor.

McKenzie then led most of the Posse on a slow procession to the parking area in front of his building where a more conventional, tank-style pit was smoking away.

"The big one don't pass my test on brisket," Baby J said. "For chicken, ribs, it's perfect. But for brisket, this one here made my reputation."

He removed a padlock from one of the cooking chambers and started unwrapping a couple of the foiled briskets.

"This still has about an hour or so to go but you can get an idea," he said as he cut samples and passed them to reaching hands.

The pieces were hot, dripping in juices, and a little more than one bite in size, which made for some interesting contortions as we tried to eat without burning our mouths or getting grease on our chins and clothes.

"Outstanding," said Lamb. "Can I buy half of that brisket?"

Baby J nodded yes. He explained that he cooks his briskets for 18 hours or so, never allowing the temperature to go above "boiling."

"I never get in no hurry," he said.

McKenzie, the youngest of eight children, therefore Baby J, said he learned his craft from relatives at family gatherings and has been cooking since he was a kid. (He said he turns 39 this month.)

He started his joint in 2007 and made Texas Monthly's Top 50 list in 2008. He closed for a while but opened again last year.

Enticed by his brisket samples, we anxiously went inside and ordered from his menu.

Post called the pulled pork “exceptional, very smoky and surprisingly moist.” Lamb called the catfish the best he had ever tasted, unexpected on a barbecue tour. “But you learn to take what the tour gives you,” he said.

The brisket was tender but not as tasty as what we had right off the pit. McKenzie said he uses a machine to slice an entire brisket at once and then lets the slices sit in a secret broth -- “Baby Juice,” he called it – before they are served.

The ribs were tender and tasty. The pies were wonderful.

“Who made the pies?” asked Hubnik after eating a slice of coconut cream.

“They’re homemade,” Baby J said.

“But who makes them because I want to hug her,” Hubnik said.

“She’s not here,” Baby J said.

Later, his wife, Linda, the pie maker, arrived and Hubnik delivered her hug.

Baby J also offered samples of his sausage, chicken, ribs right off the smoker and beef jerky, all very good. The ribs were better than those we had ordered earlier.

“You’re like a crack dealer,” Rossman told McKenzie as he took a sample of the jerky. Wilkins and Lamb each bought some to take home.

For a decade, McKenzie has also been pastor at One Way Apostolic Church in Palestine.

"Do you ever use barbecue in your sermons?" we asked him.

"Yes," he replied. "I say in the Christian religion, you can't be fast. You gotta go slow. When you go fast, you mess up."

We could have stayed longer, but we finally said good-bye to Baby J and headed north on Highway 19, toward Athens.

Butt Nekkid in Montalba

In a few minutes, as we passed Montalba, Wilkins spotted smoke on the side of the road. He had been crying wolf all day long with false sightings of cool joints, but this was the real deal.

"We probably should turn around,” Wilkins said. Wheelman Marshall Cooper, leading the Posse procession, obliged.

And so we pulled into Smokin' Jay Galloway's Butt Nekkid BBQ.

"We don't put anything on our brisket except smoke," Galloway said, explaining the name.

Open about a year, Galloway said he cooks every night and sells out every day. He offers a chopped beef sandwich special with chips and a drink for $5, sales tax included.

He was out of ribs when we arrived about 4:30 p.m. We ordered some of his brisket and sausage and decided it would be nice to visit again when he still had ribs.

The joint itself, with its loose brick entryway and hand-strung, lighted "BBQ" sign, is unique. Some would call it cute or quaint. Sheilagh Cooper called it "eclectic." Tomaso said "faux rustic."

However you describe it, it's one of a kind.

Cripple Creek in Athens

Our final stop was Cripple Creek BBQ in Athens, where the specialty is hog wings, a unique cut of pork that Rossman described as a “meat lollipop.”

We each had one. The meat itself was bland. No smoke. But the sauce – Mae Ploy – was great.

“I drank that sauce,” Marshall Cooper said. Several in the Posse bought bottles to take home.

Calling out Texas Monthly

Driving back to Dallas on Highway 175, we were stuffed, but also reflective about what we had learned on our tour.

"Someone needs to call out Texas Monthly on its Top 50 BBQ joints," one Posse member said.

We were discussing the huge difference in taste between the gas-fired joints (Stacy’s and Cripple Creek) and the wood-fired (Stanley’s and Baby J’s). To us, the gassers didn’t come close. Yet they all were Top 50, according to Texas Monthly. How could that be?

"They should have separate lists," someone said.

"They shouldn't include the gas guys," another said.

"They should at least tell you when the place uses gas," another said.

None of the criticisms came lightly. We consider Texas Monthly's once-every-five-years ranking the bible of Texas barbecue. But we also think that real Texas barbecue means wood-fired.

The day after our tour, the Coopers asked their son, Mark, if he had a favorite place.

"I liked Baby J's but the ribs were salty and didn't have much flavor,” Mark answered. “I liked Stanley's ribs best, but they were a little sweet.”

No mention of the gas-fired joints. Even for a 7-year-old, wood rules.

East Texas II BBQ Tour itinerary April 16. 2011

9 a.m.: Leave Dallas
11 a.m.: Meet at Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, 525 S. Beckham Ave., Tyler, 903-593-0311. Open Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-til the meat runs out.
1 p.m.: Stacy's Barbecue, 1217 South Jackson Street (Hwy 69), Jacksonville, 903-56-1951. Open Tues-Sat 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
2:30 p.m.: Baby J’s Bar-B-Que & Fish, FM 2419 at U.S. 287, Palestine, 903-729-8402. Open Tues-Sat 11 a.m.-8 p.m.   (Note: this joint is now closed. 7/14)
4:30 p.m.: Smok'n J's Butt Nekkid BBQ, Hwy. 19 at FM 321, Montalba, 903-373-2956. Open Wed-Sun 10 a.m.-7 p.m. or when the meat runs out.   (Note: this joint is now closed. 7/14)
5:15 p.m.: Cripple Creek BBQ, 500 S. Palestine Street, Athens, 903-677-4226. Open M-Thur 11-8, F-Sat 11-9.
7 p.m.: Back in Dallas

Story by Gary Jacobson
Photos by Chris Wilkins

The Barbecue Chronicles: Central Texas 5-Star BBQ Tour, 8 joints in 26 hours

Some of us didn’t know what good smoked brisket was until we ate at Snow’s during our first Barbecue Posse tour a year ago. Since then, the Lexington place has been our unanimous standard. Nothing compared.

But after a recent two-day, 555-mile “anniversary” tour to Central Texas, there’s a new favorite for several of us: Franklin Barbecue, a trailer joint at 34th street and I-35 in Austin.

Over a 26-hour period, we ate at eight places, including lunch at Franklin and breakfast at Snow’s BBQ the next morning. Tour organizer Chris Wilkins, a photo editor at The Dallas Morning News, planned it that way so we would have a good basis for comparing the two places.

Sheilagh Cooper, making her first posse tour, called Franklin’s brisket “salty heavenly goodness.” Posse veteran David Woo, a photographer for The News, said he “began to drool” like his old basset hound when he watched proprietor Aaron Franklin cut the meat.

Franklin’s, located behind a former gas station, has been open about a year. Two trailers house barbecue pits. Everything is served from a third trailer. Aaron Franklin said he hopes to soon move into a permanent building.

“I’m telling friends they should visit Franklin as soon as they can,” Bruce Tomaso, an editor at The News, said. “The trailer experience will never be duplicated in a restaurant; and the brisket might not be, either.”

We’ve made six barbecue tours around Texas in the past year, covering nearly 2,000 miles. More than any other, this was a trip of contrasts. In addition to small joints like Franklin, Snow’s and the Taylor Cafe, we visited a classy restaurant, Lambert’s in Austin; a big-box barbecue outlet, Southside Market in Elgin; and classic butcher shop/BBQ combinations like Prause Meat Market in La Grange and City Meat Market in Giddings.

There was some very nice central Texas scenery, too, especially during the early Saturday morning drive from Taylor to Lexington. Steam rose from the creeks and farm ponds. Patches of fog covered the grass meadows. The air smelled of sage.

And if you like railroads, there are plenty of train-watching opportunities, particularly the switching yard just outside the doors of the Taylor Café in downtown Taylor.

The tour started at Franklin. Some of us had eaten there before, but the posse hadn’t yet made it a stop. The place opens at 11 and usually sells out within a few hours. This Friday, the sold-out sign was posted at 12:30. Impressive, considering that Aaron Franklin said he had cooked about 325 pounds of brisket that day, in addition to ribs, sausage, and pulled pork.

Fortunately, posse member Mike Gagne, who lives in Austin, had ordered ahead. And when the main contingent from Dallas assembled about 1 p.m., a whole brisket, a rack or ribs and sausage were waiting for us.

A dozen strong, we dived in.

On taste and tenderness, it’s hard to choose between Franklin and Snow’s brisket. What gives the Austin joint the edge, most of us said, was the nice crust. Aficionados call it bark.

After we finished eating, Aaron Franklin came out from his serving trailer and talked to us. We learned that after a few hours of smoking, he wraps his brisket in butcher paper and continues smoking until it’s done. The theory is that butcher paper doesn’t trap moisture to the same extent as foil, which is used at many other places, including Snow’s. That allows for a crispier crust.

Franklin said he built his two smokers himself, from large propane tanks. And, he is working on two more smokers that he said he plans to incorporate into his new location.

Several people help him prepare the meats, side dishes, and serve, but the proprietor himself is indispensable.

“When I’m sick or not here, we’re not open,” Franklin said.

Our next stop was a short drive away, Lambert’s in downtown Austin.

Without a doubt, Lambert’s has the classiest bar we’ve ever seen in a barbecue place. It offers many brands of single-malt Scotch, including Oban, several high-end tequilas, like Reserva de la Familia from Jose Cuervo, and Blanton’s bourbon.

“Excellent sausage, damn good shots of whiskey,” said tour veteran Marshall Cooper, who is married to Sheilagh.

We arrived too late for the regular lunch menu, but we were able to sample several barbecued meats. We loved the sweet and hot wild boar ribs, served with a touch of blue cheese.

Normally on barbecue tours, we’re not much into side dishes. But posse member Libby Jacobson, my daughter and an Austin attorney and regular at Lambert’s, said we shouldn’t miss the mac and cheese. Even though it wasn’t on the abbreviated bar menu, she talked them into preparing some.

“That was sublime,” said posse veteran Jim Rossman, a tech writer at The News.

The short drive to Elgin, east of Austin on Highway 290, was complicated by rush-hour traffic, and we arrived at Southside Market at dusk. In business since 1882, Southside is proud of its sausage. It says it has made so much that it could circle Texas with links.

Marshall Cooper wasn’t impressed. “You gotta sauce this to get some flavor,” he said. “That’s bad.”

Southside did have something we had never seen before: an automatic plastic utensil dispenser. Hit a lever and out pops a fork.

From Elgin, we drove north on Highway 95 about 16 miles to Taylor. When we walked through the door of the Taylor Café about 8 p.m., Vencil Mares was holding court, much as the octogenarian has for more than half-century as owner.

Don Kovar, who assists Vencil, gave us a tour of kitchen. He said Vencil’s methods haven’t changed much over the years. “Ask him what’s high-tech and he’ll tell you turkey sausage,” Kovar said.

No one in the posse had much room left for barbecue, but a couple of us ordered small plates.

“This place is a bargain,” said Rossman. “$6.50 for a brisket sandwich and two beers. Vencil’s got it going on.”

We stayed at a motel in Taylor, about a 40-minute drive on Highway 112 from Lexington, home of Snow’s.

A year ago, we thought brisket for breakfast was odd. Not anymore. It tasted just as good as we remembered.

We told owner Kerry Bexley that we had eaten at Franklin’s the previous day.

“I’ve met him, but never eaten his stuff,” Bexley said. “I hear he’s putting out good stuff.”
Prause Meat Market, on the town square in La Grange, is still operated by the same family that founded the business a century ago. Tourists use the front door, locals the back, just like at Smitty’s Market in Lockhart, the barbecue capital of Texas.

We sampled the sausage and pork. Both were good.

The dining room serves as a community bulletin board. “Deer Pictures Bring Yours! Other critters welcome,” said a hand-written sign on one wall. Above it were dozens of photos of hunters posing with dead deer and wild hogs.

On the opposite wall, there was a long cord. Notices were attached with clothespins: A big barbecue at the VFW, a course for concealed hand gun permits, La Grange’s Schmeckenfest featuring the lighting of the tree and Santa, a 24-hour family crisis hotline, and a hand-written plea for a community member in need. “She has cancer, needs prayer,” the note said.

If we lived in La Grange, we’d make Prause a regular stop.

Probably not Zimmerhanzel’s Bar-B-Que in Smithville. The line for food was long when we arrived, just after noon. And, talking to the locals in line, they loved the place, especially the ribs. But there wasn’t any atmosphere. Just a big room with tables.

By the time we ordered, the ribs were gone. We ordered chicken to take out and went to a city park to eat. There was some nice smoke taste, but we didn’t finish our order.

Our last stop was City Meat Market in downtown Giddings. Snow’s buys its meat there. We passed the place earlier in the day on our way to La Grange and probably should have stopped then.

By the time we arrived, 3 p.m. or so, they were out of everything except sausage and pork. Both were among the best we had on the trip.

“I have a feeling that City Meat Market might be right up there with the best places we visited,” Tomaso said. “I’d like to try it again when they’re not almost out of meat, and when it’s not my eighth barbecue meal in 26 hours.”

As we left City Market, Marshall Cooper, a commercial real estate broker and amateur barbecue master, asked if there was any place he could buy butcher paper. The server behind the counter gave him some.

A few hours later, back home in Dallas, Cooper fired up his smoker to test Aaron Franklin’s method. His verdict: Great crust, butter tender, but too smoky.

“Need another test or two,” Cooper said.

Central Texas 5-Star Anniversary BBQ Tour itinerary

Friday
10 a.m.: Leave Dallas
12:30 p.m.: Lunch at Franklin Barbecue, 3421 N. I-35 (old address), Austin, (512) 653-1187. Open Sun-Sat, 11 a.m.-until the meat runs out. (New address is 900 E. 11th, Austin)
2:30 p.m.: Lamberts Downtown Barbecue, 401 W. Second, Austin, (512) 494-1500. Open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
5:30 p.m.: Southside Market BBQ, 1212 U.S. 290, at Hwy 95, Elgin, (512) 285-3407. Open Mon-Thur 8 a.m.-8p.m., Fri-Sat 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun 9 a.m.-7p.m.
7:30 p.m.: Dinner at Taylor Cafe, 101 N Main St., Taylor, (512) 352-847. Open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat-Sun 10a.m.-11p.m.
Overnight in Taylor.

Saturday
8 a.m.: Breakfast at Snow’s BBQ, 516 Main St, Lexington, (979) 773-4640. Open Sat. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. or until the meat runs out.
10:30 a.m.: Prause Meat Market, 253 W. Travis, La Grange, (979) 968-3259. Open Mon-Wed & Fri 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Thur 7 a.m.-1 p.m., Sat 5:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
12:30 p.m.: Zimmerhanzel’s Bar-B-Que, 307 Royston (Hwy 95), Smithville, (512) 237-4244. Open Mon-Sat 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
3 p.m.: City Meat Market, 101 W. Austin, Giddings, (979) 542-2740. Open Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
4 p.m.: Head back to Dallas

Story by Gary Jacobson
Photos by Chris Wilkins

The Barbecue Chronicles: BBQ tour to the Brazos and beyond

Consensus is probably a mission impossible on a barbecue tour. Too many people. Too many sensibilities. And let’s face it, rib people are different than brisket people.

The Barbecue Posse, though, almost reached consensus when we visited the Loco Coyote Grill near Glen Rose on a summer Saturday. It was part of a 9-hour, 210-mile barbecue tour that took us southwest of Dallas, to the Brazos and beyond.

“Those ribs were the bomb,” R.J. Hinkle, a free-lance photographer making his first trip with the Posse, said of Loco Coyote.

Another tour newcomer, Michael Gluckman, general manager at Fearing’s at The Ritz-Carlton, said the ribs were “perfectly tender.”

Tour veteran Michael Hamtil called the joint “magical.” Another veteran, Tom Fox, said: “This is the first time that I’ve liked everything on the platter.”

Added Bryan Gooding: “I can’t believe this isn’t a top-50 place in Texas Monthly.” He referred to the magazine rankings that serve as a Bible for Texas barbecue lovers. Loco Coyote wasn’t listed in the most recent (2008) rankings.


From Gooding, that’s especially high praise. The producer for Quad/Photo can be a tough critic. On a previous tour, he said the ribs served at one very popular joint looked as if they had been “extruded.” He also has some serious barbecue cred. Gooding has eaten at about half, and counting, of Texas Monthly’s top 50 joints.

Because of the food (superior smoked meats), the drinks (iced buckets full of Coronas), the atmosphere (pasture land with a bandstand), and the music (wall-to-wall Waylon and Willie), we didn’t want to leave the Loco Coyote after we finished eating.

If you had a one-day fantasy barbecue tour, this is the place where you would want to end it, Gooding said. Many in the group said they wanted to return soon.

Of course, there wasn’t complete consensus. Marshall Cooper, a commercial real estate broker and tour veteran, just smiled politely as others raved.

Later, when pressed, Cooper agreed that the back-woods setting was “incredible.” And while he called the food better than most places, he said he would not rate it “excellent or outstanding.”

Bottom line: The Loco Coyote comes close, but the Posse is still looking for that perfect barbecue joint.

In this chapter of our Barbecue Chronicles, we ate at four places and saw lots of pretty hills following Highway 67 from Dallas to Stephenville and then returning on Highway 377 and I-20.


The Posse numbered nine at our first stop, The Red “Chew-Chew” BBQ & Grill in Cleburne, grew to 12 at Loco Coyote and the Hard Eight in Stephenville, and finished with six at the Ribshack near Granbury.

Trip planner Chris Wilkins had wanted to make this a Blue Highways adventure, with the Hard Eight as the only pre-planned stop. But we had four carloads of folks, some coming from different directions, so we shifted to a pre-set itinerary. That’s lucky for us. We never would have found the Loco Coyote unless we were looking for it.

In Cleburne, The Red “Chew-Chew” is located across from a city park that has nice horseshoe pits and a giant steam engine. If you’re a railroad fan, the old Santa Fe steamer is worth a look.

We ordered plates of brisket, chicken and sausage to share. The place doesn’t serve ribs. The hot links and a side dish of beans were good. But when we left, meat remained on all the platters. Not encouraging. We were looking for true smoke flavor. We didn’t find it.

We continued on, wistfully passing a couple of interesting-looking joints in downtown Glen Rose. “Are we sure we don’t want to stop?” someone said. The turn for Loco Coyote is about seven miles outside of town. Then we drove about another three-quarters of a mile.

“Location, location, location,” tour veteran Bruce Tomaso observed as we walked up to the front door of the rustic building. A couple of small dwellings were nearby, but the place really is in the country.

At the entrance, a sign said: “If you are in a hurry or have an attitude, you are in the Wrong Place.”


Inside, the floors were covered with sawdust. We settled on the sheltered wooden deck, near an old, dented coke machine. Giant fans blew a nice breeze.

Waylon Works, our waiter, said he had worked at Loco Coyote, off and on, for 13 years. He also builds hot rods. Works touted the ribs and told a story about a customer with no teeth.

“The guy asks what’s the best thing here?’” Works said.

“’The ribs,’ I tell him.”

“’I can’t eat them,’ he says.”

“’Yes, you can,’ I said. ‘They’re very tender. If you can’t, I’ll buy your meal.’”

The customer paid, Works said.

While we waited for our platters of ribs, brisket and sausage, Works walked by with a barbecue Po-Boy sandwich for another table. It looked awesome. Several of us know what we’re going to order the next time.

Occupying a newer building at a busy highway intersection, The Hard Eight is the favorite barbecue joint of Jewel, the singer, according to People magazine. She lives nearby. “I take all of my out-of-town guests here, and they rave about it,” she told People. “In fact I think they visit me just for the barbecue.”


Maybe so. We found the food pretty good and the performance art captivating.

Near the entrance, the place has eight smokers in plain view. Customers can watch everything. While we were there, one cook, Keith Baker, wheeled over boxes of fresh brisket and loaded 16 – each weighing a dozen pounds or so – onto one smoker.

Baker then shoveled a layer of hot wood coals from two nearby firing towers directly under the meat and closed the lid. The temperature gauge soon read 500 degrees. Baker said that after an hour or so, the meat is turned and cooked some more. Then it’s seasoned, cooked some more, wrapped in foil and transferred to another smoker, where the temperature is lower.

The whole process takes roughly half the time of the low temperature and slow cooking methods that require 12-15 hours or so. And it consumes a lot of wood. Barrett Joiner, a manager, said the place burns about 12 cords of mesquite a day.

“Great barbecue is a kind of art form that is very unique to each person who makes it,” observed Gluckman, the Fearing’s general manager. “People want to see how it is made.”

Watching the cooks in the kitchen didn’t spoil the meal. But, frankly, the Hard Eight had a tough act to follow after Loco Coyote. We liked the ribs and brisket, but not as well. The prime rib looked terrific, but the taste was bland. The thick pork chop was very tasty, but dry. Tom Fox remedied that by having his chop dipped.

“I don’t know what was in that vat but the chop was one of the best I’ve had,” Fox said. The dip appeared to be, largely, melted butter.


We headed back toward Dallas on Highway 377. We initially missed the turn (Old Acton Highway) for the Ribshack and had to double back.

Bob Wherry, who runs the Ribshack with his wife, Debbie, said his operation started a few years ago, catering to crews on gas drilling rigs in the area. Their specialty was pulled-pork pizza.

More recently, they remodeled an old barn into a restaurant. The corrugated steel exterior of the building screams BBQ joint. Out back there is a stage for live music, a dance floor, horseshoe pits and fire pit. Like the Hard Eight, the Ribshack offers free beer. “My favorite kind,” Gooding quipped.

We sampled the ribs and brisket, which were o.k., and the Shack Attack sandwich (pork, chopped beef, sausage and cheese) which was very good.

The best dishes, though, were desserts (banana pudding, pecan cobbler and blackberry cobbler) and some enticing homemade pickles.

“Hey Bryan, pass those pickles down here,” R.J. Hinkle said after tasting one. He wanted more.

Barbara Watts, who took our order, said she knew we’d like the pickles.

“They’re like Texas women, “ she said, “sweet and hot.”



Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour itinerary

9:45 a.m.: Leave Dallas
11 a.m.: Red Chew Chew BBQ & Grill, 811 Hillsboro Street, Cleburne, (817) 558-2439. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
12:30 p.m.: Loco Coyote Grill, 1795 County Road 1004, Glen Rose, (254) 897-2324. Open Thurs-Friday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
3 p.m.: Hard-Eight Barbeque: 1091 Glen Rose Road (Hwy 67), Stephenville, (254) 968-5552. Open Monday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday to Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
5:00 p.m.: RibShack BBQ, 4021 Acton Hwy, Granbury, (817) 326-4752. Open Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
7 p.m.: Back in Dallas

Story by Gary Jacobson
Photos by Tom Fox, R.J. Hinkle & Chris Wilkins

The Barbecue Chronicles: Blues, Bandits & BBQ festival, the Posse's first cookoff

As the Texas BBQ Posse, a small group of us from the The Dallas Morning News, and friends, have traveled much of the state in search of the best smoked meats we can find.

Then we tell readers what we think of the joints we visit.

Anyone can talk a good game, some readers have gently reminded us since we began our Barbecue Chronicles in late 2009.

So we decided to see if we could also walk the barbecue walk. Last September, we entered our first competition, the Blues, Bandits & BBQ festival in Oak Cliff.

It was an exhausting, but totally fun time as we camped near the corner of Davis and Clinton for two hot, sweaty days and one largely sleepless night.

During the day, two popup canopies protected us from the brutal sun, but our close proximity to our two smokers, which we steadily stoked for nearly 30 hours, magnified the mid-90s temperatures and our sweat.

Thankfully, as Sheilagh Cooper observed afterwards, “hickory smoke masks any and all other odors.”  Sheilagh is married to Marshall Cooper, our head pitmaster.

“Not one of you stunk! At least not from the distance I tried to keep,” added Martha Gooding, wife of Posse member Bryan Gooding.

Over the two days, we cooked 250 pounds of brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage for friends, family, judges and festival goers, who numbered at least 2,000, by our estimate, and probably more.

Most of what we cooked was regular meat, with plenty of fat, from grain fed animals. “Raised on Cheetos and day-time TV,” cracked Bryan Gooding.

For the judges, however, we had to cook organic meat, much of it grass fed. It was provided by Urban Acres, a store located across Davis Street from the festival site.

Generally, organic meat is very lean and can have a gamey taste. One of the racks of ribs we were issued looked, with only a little imagination, like strips of bacon connected by bones.

We had done several test runs before the competition with different kinds of organics. We knew we would have to cook the brisket and ribs much longer than normal to achieve tenderness, and that we would have to spice up the rubs to boost taste.

Cooper added extra kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic and cayenne to the brisket rub. Gooding brined the chicken in a mixture of water, vinegar, salt and sugar.

We used a spicy hot rub on the ribs and, in a departure from our normal practice, wrapped then in foil halfway through their six hours in the smoker. During one test run, we didn’t wrap the ribs. Mistake. They were dry and tasted awful. We threw them away.

Internal meat temperatures are also critical. The chicken had to hit 160 degrees. The brisket, which weighed 16.5 pounds and was wrapped in foil after about five hours of heavy smoke, had to reach 205 degrees. After nearly 20 hours, it hit 203. We pulled it from the smoker and put it in a warmer, where it rested another 5 hours.

During down time, we talked to, and learned from, competitors on many of the other 21 teams, both pros and backyard barbecue kings, like ourselves. It was especially fun talking to some of the professional cooks, like Justin Fourton from the Pecan Lodge at the Dallas Farmers’ Market, who won for ribs, and Rick Fairchild at Lagarto Catering in Highland Park, who won for sausage and was Grand Champ.

Big Rick described how he cooks brisket for ranch hands during round-up. He digs a pit and puts in a bed of hot coals. On top of that he puts a layer of rocks and then the meat, wrapped in foil.

“We used to wrap it in burlap,” he said.

Then comes another layer of rocks and more coals. He covers everything with dirt.

We also learned a valuable tip from Oak Cliff’s Heavy Metal Cookin’ Team, which won for brisket. They were directly across the street from us and their hammock sure looked inviting at 3 a.m. It would be a good addition to many backyard setups, too.

The judges, generally, didn’t care for much of the organic barbecue they scored. In comparison to regular meat, it fell short on all counts: taste, tenderness and look. They thought the chicken and sausage entries were better, on the whole, than the brisket and ribs.

We would agree. Many of us thought Bryan’s chicken was the best we had ever eaten, organic or otherwise.

In the end, we placed first in chicken and second in brisket. Not bad for a maiden voyage. And it was fun. That's why we’re planning to do a few more cookoffs this year.


Story by Gary Jacobson
Photos by R.J. Hinkle & Chris Wilkins