2018 - Vandegrift vs Cedar Ridge

 A look at the barbecue served at Stiles Switch BBQ and a recap of the district game between Vandegrift and Cedar Ridge.  Here's my video from this adventure:

I went to Vandegrift High School to see the Vipers in action against their district rival, the Cedar Ridge Raiders.  It was pouring down rain before game time, but no matter.  Still a great time for football and barbecue. . .

The Barbecue

I have eaten at Stiles Switch BBQ a few times before and was never very much impressed.  But it’s been a couple of years and they were named to the Texas Monthly Top 50 list in 2017.  And they added Braun Hughes, formerly with Franklin’s Barbecue, to their pit master crew a few months ago, so I figured what they hey, let’s try ‘em again.  And I’m glad that I did. . .

Stiles Switch BBQ is located at 6610 N. Lamar Boulevard, part of the Violet Crown shopping center.  This shopping center has a great little history of its own: built in 1951, Violet Crown was the fist shopping center built in Austin and it served as the production hub for the movie “Dazed and Confused”.  There’s lots of nostalgic pictures and memorabilia all around the restaurant. Pretty neat.

I ordered my usual moist brisket and pork ribs.  My wife was with me and she ordered a three meat plate with brisket, pulled pork, and turkey.  We got tea from a side table, then found a cozy spot to eat.  My brisket was phenomenal: great outer bark, super moist and tender, with a deep smoky taste.  Almost buttery and a little hint of sweetness to it.  The pork ribs were good, but a little small.  They had a peppery rub and were a little chewey, but tasted real good.  My wife enjoyed their lean brisket.  I am not much on pulled pork, but I got a bite of my wife’s and it had a nice little kick to it.  I stole a bit of her turkey and it too was tasty.

A word about their sauces. . .  Our meals came with a side of sauce that was pretty much just red water.  There were two types of sauce on the table.  One was a mustard based sauce that was basically just mustard.  The other was an mango habanero sauce that was pretty much all vinegar.  Thankfully none of the meats needed any sauce to be enjoyed.

As I said before, Stiles Switch has a lot of history and charm.  You can’t help but feel good when you walk inside and look around.  Now they have upped their game to where the barbecue is on par with the history and charm.  You feel real good when you walk out because you just ate some excellent barbecue.

I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!

The Game

The key word for this game is “opportunities” – opportunities lost and opportunities taken advantage of. . .

The rain stopped as the game began.  Cedar Ridge took the opening kickoff and marched downfield.  Quarterback Jalen Brown threw 41 yards to a wide open Jaylen Ellis for a touchdown.  The extra point gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead.

On their first possession, Vendegrift quarterback Dru Dawson fumbled.  The Raiders recovered, but were unable to take advantage to pad their lead.  The first half ended with Cedar Ridge holding a 7-0 lead.

In the third quarter, Chris Vaughn picked up huge yardage on a screen pass.  His long run on the next play gave the Raiders first and goal from the Vipers’ five yard line.  But a fumble by Jacoryn Isaac ended the threat.  Later in the third quarter, the Raiders picked up a first down on the Vipers’ 13 yard line.  Brown’s pass on fourth down was short of the yardage needed and the Raiders turned the ball over on downs.

Dru Dawson’s pass was intercepted by Devin Taylor.  As the third quarter ended, Brown avoided the rush and threw downfield to Ellis.  Brown scored on a quarterback keeper to push the Raiders’ lead to 14-0 with 11:56 left to play.

Dawson made big plays with his legs and his arm to pick up first downs and move the Vipers downfield.  Isaiah Smallwood took a direct snap from center to score from two yards out.  The extra point made it 14-7 with 7:43 to play.

The Raiders could not move the ball and were forced to punt.  The Vipers took possession on their 40 yard line and moved downfield.  On fourth and eight, Dawson threw to Smallwood to set up first and goal from the eight.  Smallwood ran it in from there and the extra point tied the game at 14 with only 1:15 remaining in regulation.

The Raiders took a knee to kill the clock and set up overtime.  They got the ball for the first possession, but could not move.  Jalen Brown was sacked on third and fourth downs.  Cedar Ridge failed to score.

Now it was Vandegrift’s turn.  Runs by Smallwood moved the ball closer to the goal.  Tim Barney’s 33 yard field goal was good and the Vipers claimed the 17-14 overtime win. 

2018 - Taylor vs Lockhart

A look at the game played between the Taylor Ducks and the Lockhart Lions.  Plus a review of the barbecue served at Davis Grocery & Bar-B-Q in Taylor.  Here is my video from this adventure:

The 2018 football season is underway.  The Friday Night Lights are shining brightly all over Texas.  What a great time for football and barbecue. . .

I traveled to Taylor, Texas to see the Taylor Ducks in action against the Lockhart Lions.  The Ducks dropped their opening game to Robinson 41-21.  The Lions won their first game in a rout, a 54-7 win over Austin Travis.  I had been in Taylor for the last game of the 2017 season as they turned the lights off in their old stadium for the last time after 100 years of use.  This was the Ducks' second game in their new stadium.  

The Barbecue

Davis Grocery & Bar-B-Q is located in a plain white building at 400 S. Robinson Street in Taylor.  I would have driven right past it if not for the Google Maps.  There are a bunch of picnic tables out front and I poked my head around out back to check out the smokers.  Then I headed inside.

Two ladies sat alone eating when I first walked in.  One of the ladies, Ms. Marty Denman, got up from her meal and took my order.  She cut several thick slices of brisket for me.  The pork ribs were so tender some of the bones were pulling away as she cut a couple off the rack for me.  I did not complain even a little bit when she trimmed the ribs and gave me an extra couple of nibbles.  She handed me a squeeze bottle of their “Come back” sauce – so good you want to come back for more – and I found a table.  As a bonus, she gave me a big chunk of their homemade sausage to sample.

All of the barbecue had been slow cooked over mesquite wood and had a deep, smoky flavor.  The brisket had a nice smoke ring and tasted great even though it was a bit dry.  Had it been served warmer, it no doubt would have been juicier.  The pork ribs were big and meaty.  Not much chewing required.  The homemade sausage was outstanding.  It had a good snap when I bit into it and a spicy kick that was not overpowering.  Very nice.  The “Come back” sauce was rich and savory.  All the meats went down real good with a dab or two of sauce on them. 

As I ate, I had a chance to speak with Ms. Marty and watch her in action with other customers.  She is full of good humor and super friendly.  She spoke highly of the owners and pitmaster crew.  When she mentioned they serve pork steaks, I realized I need to get back here with my wife.  Her pride in the barbecue served at Davis shone through brightly.

Davis Grocery & Bar-B-Q is a true hidden gem in Taylor.  There may be larger, more famous joints in Taylor, but the barbecue served at Davis stands up with the best of them.

I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!

The Game

Taylor opened the scoring with a 54 yard touchdown pass from Cole Harms to Santiago Estrada.

Lockhart answered in the second quarter when Daequan Ellison scooted 58 yards to tie the game at 7-7.  Ellison went 52 yards to score again in the second quarter.  The point after snap was wide, but the holder caught it and scored two to make it 15-7.

In the third quarter, Ellison ripped off another long run, scoring from 43 yards out to make it 22-7.  Taylor answered with a long drive that ended in a 38 yard field goal by Ryan Hanson to cut the lead to 22-10.  After the kickoff, Jesus Aldana carried the ball 69 yards to set up another Ellison touchdown.  That pushed Lockhart’s lead to 29-10 late in the third quarter.

As the fourth quarter began, it started to rain.  Many of the Taylor faithful headed for the exits.  I dug my windbreaker out of my bag, put it on, and the rain immediately stopped.  The gentleman sitting next to me was a local farmer.  He said his fields had such large cracks in them, you could hear someone speaking Japanese.  I took my windbreaker back off and it started to rain again.  And Taylor turned the ball game around.

The Ducks ended a 56 yard drive with a two yard touchdown run.  The extra point cut Lockhart’s lead to 29-17.  After an exchange of punts, Cole Harms completed a long pass to the Lions’ two yard line.  Harms scored on a two yard keeper, but the extra point was blocked.  The Ducks were down 29-23 with only 2:29 left to play.

Needing the ball back, Taylor ran a successful onside kick.  

Harms led the Ducks downfield into the Lions’ red zone.  His jump pass to Jailen Tealer with only 14 seconds left to play tied the game at 29.  Ryan Hanson’s extra point kick was good and Taylor won the game 30-29.