More Austin BBQ!!!

Last week was another trip to my favorite city.  I just love Austin.  My readers know by now that when I go to Austin, I always look for BBQ!!  My trip this time was no different.  

I decided to try out a pretty popular BBQ place that I have heard a lot about.  I know this place is ran by a pretty famous and popular pitmaster, John Mueller.  He owns and runs a trailer on E. 6th st in Austin called John Mueller Meat Co.  I figured with all of the press this place has gotten, it would be packed but I was pleasantly surprised that the wait wasn't too bad.  The business was very steady but the wait was relatively short. One of the things I like about BBQ is the experience and this place does not disappoint. The smoker is right there and you can smell that wood just burnin'! I got to the window and knew I had to try some of everything.  Everything was very good.  The brisket, unsurprisingly, was smoked perfectly and seasoned with a very good rub.  You better love your rub here because it is generously applied.  The sausage and ribs were awesome.  It is beef sausage and is moist with a nice peppery flavor.  The sides were so very good.  Potato salad was a mustard potato salad and I practically inhaled it! 

John Mueller Meat Co.

Overall, you have to love BBQ from a pitmaster that has been doing it for a long time.  If you are in Austin and over on E. 6th, you have to stop by John Mueller's Meat Co.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed and will leave with a full stomach!!  

Got a good BBQ story?  Share it with me.  Would love to hear it.  And hey.....

KEEP ON SMOKIN'!!!!!

Great BBQ in DFW? Yes Please!

Father's day was last weekend and it was a great day.  The day was filled with messages from the kids, a great movie, wonderful time with my wife and some great BBQ.  

If you read my blog, you know I am a huge fan of Central Texas BBQ.  Just love the way it is smoked and the simple flavors combined with excellent make it good enough to eat without sauce.  I think that is the best way to judge great BBQ.  Do I need sauce to make it good, if so then it may be good but not great. (note to sauce lovers out there.  Nothing against sauce just like it better if I don't have to use it.  I do love a good sauce though).

So let's talk about great BBQ in DFW.  Dallas/Fort Worth has some good BBQ but I think there is definitely a gap between D/FW and Central Texas.  Well I made a little adventure for Father's Day.  Shannon and I headed down to Pecan Lodge in the Farmer's Market in Dallas.  We walked in to see quite a line.  A 2 hour wait in line later revealed the wait to be worth it.  Pecan Lodge is a little unique in that they have things besides BBQ like fried chicken.  So to use Shannon's words (she got the chicken.  She is a huge fan of fried chicken and maybe I will get her to write a blog about Gus' in Memphis someday), the chicken was ok which is code for,"I should of gotten BBQ".  Now on to the good stuff.  The BBQ.  I will start with the brisket. It has a generous amount of rub on it to form a very nice bark.  This brisket is by far the best I have had in DFW.  The rub was almost a little too thick but it had great flavor.  I will say that Franklin's is better in my opinion but it was very good.  Now let's go to the ribs.  The ribs were spare ribs and they were phenomenal.  I really liked the ribs because they didn't have sauce on them and the flavor was outstanding with a lot of meat on the bone.  The rib sauce that is served on the side (nice!) was really good.  Vinegar based sauce with just a right mix of sweet and heat.  Really enjoyed that!  Last meat was the pulled pork.  Again, the meat was great.  They make their pork meat a little more salty and that taste is just so good with the pork.  The pulled pork was super tender and juicy.  I won't say much about the sides because honestly they were nothing spectacular.  Just your ordinary BBQ sides.

Summing it up, the food was very good and by far the best BBQ in DFW in my opinion.  However, the experience left a little to be desired.  I'm not talking about the wait.  That is expected with good BBQ but the overall experience felt a little cold.  I love watching the slicer slice my order up and serve it up. At Pecan Lodge, the order is placed and then sent to a back kitchen and produced through a door. You can't tell them  lean or moist or anything like that so you lose the experience somewhat.  Would I recommend Pecan Lodge?  You better believe it!  Great food and great BBQ in Dallas.  Finally!

Thanks and let me hear what you think.  Keep on Smokin!!!

Southern Soul is Southern Taste!

I have to say that I love Savannah and St. Simon.  I had to go there for work this week.  The geography here is just beautiful.  Quick side note, Savannah is a very cool town from the architecture to the history.  Could spend a lot of time in Savannah just studying. Luckily, the food is just as beautiful.  

I went to a well known place called Southern Soul.  It is in St. Simon and has just a cool and funky feel to it.  It has been on several food shows on TV so I of course had to check it out.  I went there this afternoon and tried the sampler platter.  I asked the young lady what they are famous for and she of course said, wait for it, ........the pulled pork!  I got pulled pork, ribs, sausage, fried okra and potato salad.  The food was all very good.  I think the sausage was best.  The pork was excellent.  Tender and juicy.  I will say, as with a lot of pulled pork, you need the sauce to really give it the kick you want.  The sauce was excellent.  They had a spicy mustard based sauce that was really good with just the right amount of kick.

Overall, I would say you can’t go wrong with some Southern Soul!!  Now, they do have some other things besides BBQ, like some very unique sandwiches.  If you find yourself in St. Simon, stop by.  You will be glad you did!!!

Keep on Smokin, ya’ll!!!

Finally!!!

Finally means two things in this little blog.  First, it means I finally got to eat some BBQ again.  I had a friendly little reminder from a person in a lab coat that maybe I should slow down on eating (not making) BBQ. So I did for a while so I FINALLY had some BBQ last week.  FINALLY Frisco Texas has some good BBQ. 

Shannon and I went to 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House in Frisco last Friday.  I have to say that it was very good.  The ribs were awesome.  Dry rub but nice and sweet with a bit of a kick.  The beef sausage was ok but the jalapeño cheddar was incredible.  The beef sausage was just a bit dry but that can be expected.  The brisket was cooked perfectly with a nice smoke ring but I thought it could use more flavor.  It did need sauce so if you are a sauce fan, rock on. And speaking of sauces. They have two. Regular and spicy. Both are good but spicy could be spicier.  The pulled pork was good but needed sauce too but that is ok for pulled pork. The creamed corn was awesome as was the cucumber salad.  The potato salad, something a BBQ place should pride itself on, tasted like it came from a grocery store. 

Overall, this place is a great addition to a very weak BBQ presence North of Dallas.  3 Stacks, thanks for stepping up to the plate.  Shannon and I will definitely be back!!

Time to Testify!!!

Last weekend was a big weekend for a little girl in my life.  Well, she is 24 so not so little but always little to Dad.  It was her bday and she was moving to a new apartment (which is an awesome apartment and when she gets done decorating, it will look amazing.  She is really good at that stuff that Dad just doesn't care that much about.  :)  ).  A birthday and moving weekend so what better way to celebrate some big days than with BBQ, right?  I decided to take her and Shannon to a world famous BBQ place, Mt. Zion Baptist Church BBQ in Huntsville Texas.  Nicknamed Church BBQ. I have eaten there several times and it has won several awards as best BBQ in the state and the country.  We tried all they had to offer.  They got a new smoker recently and we were the first ones there so maybe that explains the so so fare.  The food is usually top notch but today it left a little to be desired.  The ambience is always cool because you are in the followship hall of a church.  The food was in no means bad but just not, "Wow!! This is great.  GIve me more."  The sauce was great and you get plenty of it when they smother the meat in it.  So if you want some Texas BBQ history, give Church BBQ a try.  Here are a couple of pics for ya....

Let me know some other famous Texas BBQ places to try and always.....

KEEP ON SMOKIN!!!!!!!

Sauced!!!

Sauced!!

You would think that sauced would mean something else that you did way too much of and now you have a headache!  Well not for this blog.  It was a few weeks back but Shannon and I went and attended the Gettin' Sauced BBQ Sauce competition in Austin at Hops and Grains brewery.  What a great time.  We tried so many sauces that you forgot what was what.   I got to meet Kent Black from Black's BBQ.  It was nice getting some info on making a good beef sausage.  We loved some of the sauces from North Carolina.  The crowd was awesome.  The bands that played were great.  Most importantly, I learned a ton!!  I learned what I do and don't want to do.  Trinity BBQ will be a player next year.  Look out because our sauces are going to bring it.  So next fall, run on down to Austin and participate in Gettin Sauced.  You can see us there.  We will be the one with the big trophy!  Keep on Smokin!!!

Follow some of the participants and organizers.  Here are some handles:
@GettinSauced @manupTexasBBQ @hopsandgrain @tmbbqfest

Movin' on up!

I sat down today to write my blog.  I've been in the kitchen today and last night working on getting things ready for my first real BBQ catering job.  (more are lined up so look out!)  I got to thinking that things are starting to roll here and was thinking "what should I title this outburst today?"  And it hit me.  Movin' On Up in honor of one of my favorite shows as a kid. "The Jeffersons" and Sherman Hemsley.  I will walk around like him all day today.  No pictures please.  So Chad and I are doing our first real catering event Saturday.  I am very excited.  We are catering for 50 people and I hope they love it as much as I love cooking it.  I decided to jar up some of my sauce to send with the BBQ.  Take a look....

So it looks like we are becoming a real business.  As you can see in the picture, I named this first sauce " Shannon's Sauce".  It is sweet and sassy just like my lovely wife.  If you want the whole story of why I named it that, drop me a line.  I will say that she inspires me daily so some of her has to be a part of what her and I are building.

Well, ya better get crackin' on hitting us for your BBQ.  The calendar is filling fast...well, it is filling.  Drop us a line and let us help you.  So keep on smokin and let me know if you  want to hear a story of strength and courage.  Until next time, hook 'em!