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.
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.
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