2017 - Terry Black's

Texas Passions - Terry Black's Barbecue.  Season 2, episode 7.

A look at the barbecue served at Terry Black's in Austin.

I was running some errands just before lunch time one day.  I was driving on Barton Springs Road here in Austin, just south of the river when I noticed smoke coming out of a smokestack.  I rolled down the window and breathed in the sweet smell of barbecue cooking. I had eaten at Terry Black’s before, but figured this would be a good time to sample their wares again. And indeed it was. . .

You will find Terry Black’s Barbecue at 1003 Barton Springs Road, across the street from the Long Center for the Performing Arts.  Terry Black is a member of the same family that owns Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart.  His twin sons Michael and Mark run this particular restaurant.  Unlike the Black’s located just north of the UT campus, all the barbecue served at this restaurant is cooked onsite instead of being trucked in from Lockhart.

When I first parked my minivan, I noticed the smoking shed.  I poked my head in and met Josh, a nice young man who is one of their pit masters.  He said they slow smoke (13 to 16 hours) about a hundred briskets a day over post oak wood.  He was kind enough to open one of the pits where a handful of briskets had just started the long cook.  Oh, they looked good.  When Terry Black’s first opened, there were complaints from some neighbors about all the smoke.  Those people must not be from around here if they can’t appreciate the smell of Texas perfume.  Anyway, Josh told that has all been resolved and the neighbors are happy.

After making my way through the short line, I ordered my usual brisket and pork ribs.  They also had a big beef rib on the cutting table.  I could not resist the urge, so I got one of them too.  The brisket was moist and tender, with a great outer bark and a good smoke ring.  Nice smoky flavor, but not all of the fat had been rendered out.  The pork ribs were meaty and had a nice, sweet glaze on them.  And then there was the beef rib.  Fred Flintstone would have been proud of this: meaty, juicy, and full of flavor.  Sort of like a brisket popsicle.  I couldn’t finish it, so I took it home to enjoy later.  They had three types of red sauce on the table (original, sweet, and spicy).  I tried them all, but none of them really stood out.

Terry Black’s has a large indoor seating area and a good size area outside as well, but it was too hot to eat out there the day I visited.  The staff was very friendly and great to talk with.  Terry Black’s was recently named as one of the Top 50 BBQ joints in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine.  Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed this barbecue.  But there are a couple of other joints in Austin that did not make the list that serve slightly better barbecue in my opinion.

I rate this barbecue a single Hook ‘Em.

2017 - J. Leonardi's BBQ

Texas Passions - J. Leonardi's BBQ.  Season 2, episode 6

A look at the barbecue served at J. Leonardi's BBQ in Austin, Texas.

A friend called me up and asked me if I would like to go to lunch.  I told him there was a barbecue joint in east Austin that I wanted to try.  I had been hearing good things about it and needed to check it out for myself.  He said yes and I said yes, so off we went to J. Leonardi’s BBQ.  I sure am glad my friend called. . .

J. Leonardi’s opened in 2016.  They are located just behind a gas station and serve barbecue out of a trailer at 1149 ½ Airport Blvd. at the intersection of Oak Springs Drive.  My friend and I were driving south on Airport trying to find them.  I was about to keep going when my buddy spotted smoke coming from a smokestack.  As we walked up, we were surrounded by the sweet aroma of mesquite and oak.  If the smell was any indication, we were in for some good barbecue.

I ordered my usual half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs.  These were served with a cup of sauce and some pickles and onions.  The brisket was superb: great outer bark, deep smoke ring, meat so tender you could easily cut it with a plastic fork.  Really good.  The baby back ribs were meaty and tender, with a sweet glaze on them.  The meat easily pulled from the bone when I bit into it.  Their sauce was a thick, sweet red sauce that was a good compliment to the meat.

My friend got a two meat plate with brisket and sausage.  Like me, he really enjoyed the brisket.  I stole a bite or two of his sausage.  Very tasty, as were the side of beans he had gotten.  After we finished eating, Jerome the pit master gave me a quick tour of the pits.  At the time, he was cooking smoked cabbage.  My friend and I had never tried that, so Jerome was kind enough to give us a free sample.  Peppery with a deep smoky flavor.  Delicious.

J. Leonardi’s has several covered picnic tables to eat at.  They have a small stage where live music is served up.  We were enjoying music from James Brown as we ate our lunch and talked with Jerome and other members of their crew.  Their prices are very reasonable and the smiles are free.

J. Leonardi’s – great barbecue, super friendly staff, good music to enjoy.  A hidden gem in the Austin barbecue scene.

I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!

2017 - Valentina's Tex-Mex BBQ

Texas Passions - Valentina's Tex-Mex BBQ.  Season 2, episode 5

A look at the barbecue served at Valentina's Tex-Mex BBQ in Austin, Texas.

Every few years, “Texas Monthly” magazine publishes its list of the Top 50 barbecue joints in the state.  They recently published their list for 2017, the magazine cover loudly proclaiming that this is the Golden Age of Texas Barbecue.  Seven different joints in Austin made the list (the most of any city in Texas).  At one time or another, I have eaten at six of the Austin seven.  Looks to me like I have a new BBQ joint to discover.

Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ serves “fusion food”, in this case barbecue fused with tacos.  In Austin, we’ll wrap almost any kind of food in a tortilla.  Breakfast tacos, brisket tacos, you name it.  Somebody will probably open an Italian restaurant and serve spaghetti and meatballs in a tortilla.  Hmmm….  There’s an idea. . .

Brisket taco. . . yum yum

Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ is located at 11500 Manchaca Road in far south Austin. (That is pronounced MAN-shack. If someone pronounces it man-CHAKA, people in Austin would immediately know you ain't from around here.)  I live on the northwest side of town, but good barbecue is always worth a road trip.  And I was not disappointed.

Their menu has two sides – the Tex side and the Mex side.  

I ordered some moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs from the Tex side and a brisket taco from the Mex side.  The brisket taco was served on a homemade flour tortilla with guacamole and homemade tomato-serrano salsa.  The flavors blended together beautifully, even though the taco was just a bit greasy.  The brisket I was served was juicy, tender, and full of smoky flavor.  Covered with a dark outer bark, it went down really good.  The ribs were a little lean with a sweet glaze on them.  The meat had to be bitten off the bone, but was very tasty. There was a bottle of their sauce on the table.  It was a bit thin, but a nice compliment to the meat.  The note on the bottle said it would self-destruct if removed from the property. Cute…

Valentina’s currently serves their barbecue from a food trailer, but will soon move to a brick-and-mortar home (possibly at the same location).  The menu items on the Tex side were a wee bit expensive, but BBQ prices have been rising all across the state.  Prices on the Mex side were lower ($5 for the brisket taco).  And they had a couple of dishes on the Mex side that I will want to sample later.

Valentina’s had the music turned up – a mixture of Mexican Conjunto and rock and roll – that was fun to hear.  They have a number of picnic tables and I chose to sit in the large shaded area.  There wasn’t much of a line when I got there, but it was long and the parking lot full by the time I finished eating.  I suspect Valentina’s lines will get even longer as a result of the “Texas Monthly Effect”. 

If you are in south Austin, you gotta give Valentina’s a try. 

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I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!

2017 - La Barbecue Austin

Texas Passions - La Barbecue Austin.  Season 2, episode 4

A review of the barbecue served at La Barbecue in Austin, Texas.

So I’m driving down east Cesar Chavez Street here in Austin.  It’s going on lunch time and I need to get something yummy for my tummy.  I just happen to roll down the window and am instantly captivated by the sweet smell of barbecue cooking.  I park the van and follow my nose to La Barbecue.

When I first got to La Barbecue, I spotted their smokers and had to take a closer look.  A wonderful young man named Brendan saw me lurking around and ended up giving me a guided tour.  Their three smokers were made from repurposed fuel tanks and are worth around $50,000 – each.  He raised the lid on one of the smokers where briskets and pork shoulders were just beginning their cook.  I got to see a member of their staff trimming excess fat off a brisket as part of the two day prep before cooking.  I also got to see a batch of sausage getting ready to come out of the smoker. 

Pit master Brendan Lamb

Pork shoulders and briskets starting their long cook

After the tour, it took about an hour from the time I got in line to place my order to the time I sat down with a full plate of moist brisket, pork ribs, and a link of their sausage.  Their brisket was phenomenal: moist, tender, and full of smoky flavor.  Slow smoked over post oak, the brisket is wrapped in butcher paper towards to end of the cook to ensure a great outer bark.  Delicious.  The ribs were tender and meaty, the meat falling off the bone when I bit into them.  They make their own sausage and it has been voted the best in Austin for the last couple of years, but I am not much of a sausage guy.  Their pickles are also homemade and were very tasty.  There were two kinds of barbecue sauce on the table, but neither added much to what was already spectacular barbecue.

La Barbecue serves barbecue out of a food trailer located at 1906 East Cesar Chavez.  It is owned by LeAnn Mueller, daughter of the legendary Bobby Mueller, and granddaughter of Louie Mueller, the god father of central Texas barbecue.  You may have also heard about her brother John, but that’s another story.  They have a lot of shaded picnic tables around the trailer for people to use.  There was a large cross section of people there enjoying the barbecue.  It was neat to see many of the them taking pictures of their food.  La Barbecue has been ranked as one of the very best joints in Texas and I wholeheartedly agree.  

This outstanding barbecue gets two Hook 'Ems!

2017 - Waco Road Trip

Texas Passions - Waco Road Trip. Season 2, episode 3 

A review of the barbecue served at Tony DeMaria's Barbeque in Waco, Texas.

My wife and I recently took a short day trip to Waco so she could see and shop at The Silos at Magnolia Market.  If I have to do the Chip and JoJo thing, then I need to eat some barbecue.

I was in Waco back in November 2016 to see Tyler play Klein Collins in a high school play-off game (Texas Passions 2016, episode 14), I had tried to eat at Tony Demaria’s then, but they were closed for the Thanksgiving weekend.  I made sure this time to pick a day for our trip when DeMaria’s was open and serving barbecue. 

Tony DeMaria’s is located at 1000 Elm Street in Waco, a little west of I-35 and north of the Brazos River.  They originally opened in 1946 as a grocery store and meat market.  Son Geoff took over the business in 1985 when Tony retired.  In 1995, they moved to their current location, dropped the grocery store, and began operation only serving barbecue using the same recipes and cooking techniques from back in the 1950s.

I ordered my usual half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs.  Unfortunately for me, they only smoke pork ribs on Wednesdays (all you can eat) and we weren’t there on a Wednesday.  My brisket was served on butcher paper and was mising some of what I look for in good brisket: not much of an outer bark, no smoke ring.  But what it did have was a great smoky flavor.  Slow smoked over hickory wood, the brisket was super moist and tender and was easily cut with a plastic fork.  They had two kinds of sauce on the table: a typical tomato based sauce (very mild, not much kick) and a spicy sauce that was a little watery.  What made this barbecue special was that it was served with a side of “gravy” – an au jus made from the meat juices themselves.  Dipping a bite of brisket in the gravy added extra richness and depth to the meat.

 

My wife ordered a two meat plate with brisket and turkey.  Like me, she really enjoyed the brisket.  The turkey was also very tender and full of smoky flavor.

Tony DeMaria’s has a large indoor eating area, but no dining area outside.  We arrived just before 11 AM and there wasn’t a line to speak of, but there was a long line of diners by the time we left.  It was really neat to see a wide cross section of people there to eat lunch.  The staff was very friendly and it was great talking with them and some of the other patrons.  I enjoyed their BBQ, but can only give them a single Hook ‘Em! Since I did not get to sample their ribs.  I’ll try to time my next visit to a day when ribs are being served.

2017 - Houston Road Trip

Texas Passions - Houston road trip. Season 2, episode 2 

A review of the barbecue served at The Brisket House in Houston, Texas.

My wife and I attended a wedding in the greater Houston area.  We had lived in Houston in the late 1970’s and had eaten at The Brisket House back in the day.  We liked their food then, so we thought we’d give them a try this trip.  We didn’t find out until later that The Brisket House then is not the same as The Brisket House now that first opened in 2010.  No worries. . .

There are three editions of The Brisket House in Houston.  The one located at 3301 Cypress Creek Parkway (FM 1960 west) opened in April 2016.  It was fairly nearby where we were staying and it only took us 30 minutes to drive there in Saturday morning traffic.  Keep in mind, I’m talking about Houston and “nearby” is a relative term.

I ordered my usual half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs which were served on butcher paper.  I scooped up a helping of sliced onions and pickles and a cup of their sauce from a side table.  The brisket was tender to the touch, had a succulent dark outer bark, and a rich smoky flavor.  The ribs were short, but loaded with tender meat that easily pulled from the bone.  Their sauce was a typical tomato based red sauce with a touch of peppery spice.  It didn’t add much to the meat, but then again, the meat tasted great without it. 

My wife ordered the two meat plate – brisket and turkey – with beans and fried okra on the side.  She liked the brisket and enjoyed the sides.  The turkey was tender and smoky, but we brought the bulk of it home to enjoy later. 

We really enjoyed our lunch at The Brisket House.  They have a large dining area inside and places to eat outside as well.  The staff was very friendly and I had fun chatting with them.  Their meats are slow smoked over a combination of pecan and oak woods.  They had a slightly sweeter taste than what I am used to eating in central Texas, but it all went down real good.  If you’re in the Houston area, keep The Brisket House in mind for good barbecue.

I rate this barbecue: two Hook ‘Ems!

2017 - Seattle Road Trip

Texas Passions - Seattle road trip. Season 2, episode 1 

A review of two barbecue joints in the Seattle, Washington area: Jack's BBQ in Seattle and Rhodie's Smokin BBQ in Preston, Washington.

My wife and I spent a week in the Seattle area visiting our daughter.  If I am going to be away from Texas for that long, then I need to find some barbecue to eat.  Before we headed off on our trip, I checked the google to see if there are any barbecue restaurants in the Seattle area.  Turns out there are several, but the one that caught my eye was Jack’s BBQ.  They advertise that they serve Central Texas style barbecue, cooked low and slow.  Got to check this place out.

Jack’s is located at 3924 Airport Way S, Seattle, Washington 98108.  Before I ate, I walked around back to see where the smokers are kept.  Their pits would rival any we have in Texas.  I had a chance to talk with Joseph, one of the pitmasters.  He told me members of Louie Mueller’s crew had gone to Seattle a few years back to train Jack’s crew on the art of slow smoking barbecue.  I was already looking forward to lunch and this made me even more eager.

We started off with their rib tips.  Nice smoky flavor, very good.  In addition to my usual brisket and pork ribs, I also wanted to try their beer belly sausage.  The brisket was delicious – great bark, rich smoky flavor, tender, and juicy.  The ribs were also fantastic – just a wee bit chewy, but juicy and full of flavor.  Their homemade pickles were excellent.  My wife had some of the pulled pork.  It was good, but then again, I’m not much for pulled pork.

As good as this was, not everything was perfect in paradise.  The beer belly sausage was pretty lifeless – no snap, no juiciness, no spiciness.  Just kind of sat there.  I am grateful that their BBQ sauce was served on the side (as we do in Texas).  It would have made a great enchilada sauce, but had way too much cumin and other spices to qualify as a barbecue sauce.  My wife and daughter had some of their side dishes and they were so-so.

Jack’s has two large dining areas inside (one with a large window overlooking the barbecue pits) and a smaller area outside.  The staff is super friendly and great to talk to.  They have recently started serving breakfast tacos to add to the Central Texas flavors.  It’s obvious Jack’s team learned their lessons well from Louie Mueller’s people.  When my daughter gets a craving for a taste of Texas, she now has a place to visit in the Seattle area.  While Jack needs to improve on his sausage and BBQ sauce, he can open a place in Austin anytime and I’ll be there.

I give Jack's BBQ my highest rating: Two Hook 'Ems!

We got a chance to eat BBQ a second time while we were in the Seattle area.  After touring Pete Nelson’s tree houses, we needed some lunch.  The good folks at Treehouse Point recommended Rhodie’s Smokin’ BBQ that was just up the road.  Sure, what else are we doing. . .

Rhodie’s is located at 30375 SE High Point Way, Preston Washington 98050.  They are in a small strip shopping center in what appears to be an old hamburger joint next to a gas station.  I ordered my usual half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs.  The gentleman serving us said they usually shred the brisket and serve it in sauce much like pulled pork, but my brisket was sliced and the sauce was served on the side.  The brisket was a little stringy and a bit greasy, but had a nice, smoky flavor.  The outer fat had been cooked to crunchiness and tasted pretty good.  The ribs were big and meaty.  They were smoky, but did not have any spices on them.  I think Rhodie’s would benefit from a good spice rub.  Their barbecue sauce was actual BBQ sauce, thick and red with a spicy little kick.  Not sure if they make it themselves or pour it out of a bottle, but it wasn’t enchilada sauce.

I did not know what to think when we first pulled into Rhodie’s BBQ.  My expectations were not very high, but I was not disappointed with the BBQ I ate.  While my daughter will not go out of her way to eat at Rhodie’s like she would for Jack’s BBQ, Rhodie’s was actually pretty good barbecue.

I rate Rhodie's Smokin BBQ a single Hook 'Em!