Another day that ends in "Y". Another great day for barbecue. Here's my video from my adventure in Ovilla, Texas at Franks Holy Smoke Bar B Que.
My sister told me about a barbecue joint in Ovilla,
Texas.After visiting my 92 year old Dad
in the DFW area, I figured I would check this place out on my way back to
Austin.Ovilla is a tiny speck of a town
south of Dallas.It might have a traffic
light, but I didn’t see one as I drove through town.However, they do have Franks Holy Smoke Bar B Que.This is not to be confused with the
Holy Smoke BBQ joint in the small Swedish town of Nyhamnsläge.
The Texas version of Holy Smoke is located at 705 West
Main Street in what used to be a small general store. Abraham Franks started
off selling barbecue next to a car wash in Ovilla.He moved uphill to the current location after
two other barbecue joints came and went.I arrived there around lunch time.Daughter Rhonda prepared my order of moist brisket and pork ribs and
gave me a big helping of pickles and onions.I got some iced tea and settled in to eat.
The brisket was a little fatty, but had a really good
smoky flavor.Tender, with a nice outer
bark.A lot of barbecue joints serve St.
Louis style ribs where the outer flap of meat has been removed. Not here.The outer flap was chewy and had a rich smoky
flavor.The meat on the bone was very
tender and juicy.Good ribs.There was a squeeze bottle of sauce on the
table.A typical tomato based sauce with
a nice savory taste, it went well with the meat.
A. D. Franks
After I ate, I had a chance to meet and talk with Mr.
Franks, a big man with an easy smile.He
was kind enough to take me out back and showed off his big smoker.He grew up in Lockhart and started barbecuing
when he was a kid.Like we do in central
Texas, he uses post oak for smoking his meats.He and his family are super people who love what they are doing.Their pride shows through in the barbecue
they serve.
When you drive through Ovilla, be sure not to blink or
you might miss it.Better yet, roll down
the car windows and let the sweet smell of barbecue guide you in.Frank’s Holy Smoke Bar B Que – good barbecue,
great people.
It's getting hot in Texas. Think I need to cool down with some great barbecue. Here's my video from a recent trip to Ft. Worth.
It was that time again when I needed to travel to the Dallas
– Ft. Worth area to visit my 92 year old Dad. I decided I would drive through Ft. Worth this
time around.It is actually ten miles
closer to Austin than Dallas is.Ft.
Worth is also the home of Heim Barbecue, one of the Top 50 best joints as
ranked by Texas Monthly in 2017.
I had the pleasure of eating at Heim in October 2016
(Texas Passions episode 7).This was just
a couple of months after they moved into their location at 1109 Magnolia
Avenue, just south of downtown.This
area is seeing a renaissance as new restaurants and boutique shops open.On that first trip, I got to meet and talk
with Travis Heim.I told him how much I
enjoyed his barbecue and mentioned how good it might be once they figure out
what they are doing.
The restaurant was packed with people when I got
there, but there was no line.Cody took
my standard order of a half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork
ribs.When my order was ready, I went to
get pickles and onions, but they were out of onions.I waved at the folks at the counter and
Lauren quickly refilled the bin with sliced onions.I got some iced tea and wedged my way in
between some other patrons.
The brisket was unbelievably good.Buttery, great outer bark, smoky flavor,
tender and juicy.Absolutely delicious.The pork ribs were equally impressive.They had a rich, sweet flavor, the tender
meat easily biting from the bone.I got
a squeeze of their sauce just to say I did, but was so taken by the meat that I
can’t really say anything about the sauce.
After I ate, I had a chance to talk with Eric.I told him the barbecue was even better than
I remembered.He said Heim will be
opening a second location in October 2018 that will be three times the size of
their current restaurant and will include a music venue.I asked about quality control and he
responded that the same team who made the current smokers are at work making
them for the second joint.
Emma and Travis Heim
The good folks at Heim Barbecue have certainly figured
things out.Their barbecue is outstanding
and they easily rank among the elite of the Texas barbecue joints.
Beautiful late spring weather in Texas.A perfect time for a barbecue road trip. Below is my video from my trip to Luling and Lockhart.
City Market - Luling
I had heard good things about the barbecue served at
City Market in Luling. They made the
Texas Monthly Top 50 list in 2017, so I pointed the minivan south and made the
hour long drive. City Market is located
at 633 E. Davis Street, right at the intersection with US Highway 183 and just
before you cross the railroad tracks. Like
many barbecue joints in Texas, City Market started off as a grocery store that
cooked and served barbecue as a way to unload unsold meat.
The restaurant is divided into two halves. Up front is where you get chips, sodas,
etc. The back part is where you order
your meats. I walked inside the enclosed
area and was hit with the sweet smell of barbecue. I ordered my standard half pound of moist
brisket and a couple of pork ribs which was served on butcher paper. I also got some sweet pickles and onions,
then found a table. I bought myself some
fritos and a soda from the ladies up front and sat down to eat.
The brisket was very good: great outer bark, deep
smoky flavor. It was tender and juicy,
but some slices were a bit stringy. The
pork ribs were outstanding: super tender and juicy with the meat falling off
the bone. I have heard that their sauce
is really good, but there wasn’t any on my table and I did not see where any
was kept. No matter, the barbecue really
didn’t need it.
When I finished eating, I walked around back and met
Joe, one of their pitmasters. He was
pulling racks of ribs off the pit. Like
most all barbecue joints in central Texas, they smoke their meats using post
oak wood.
A few random thoughts. . . City Market is cash only. They do not take credit cards. They do have an ATM machine inside if
needed. This is a no frills kind of joint. If they serve side dishes, I didn’t see any
except for banana pudding. A small café
down the street advertised their daily lunch special being meat loaf and two
sides. That might be the place to go for
side dishes, but City Market is the place for good barbecue in Luling.
I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!
Kreuz market - Lockhart
On my way back to Austin, I drove through Lockhart and
right past Kreuz Market. They also made
the Texas Monthly Top 50 list in 2017 and I got to thinking: when might I just
happen to be driving this way again? So I
decided to stop in and make it a barbecue two-fer.
Kreuz Market is currently located at 619 North
Colorado Street, but that’s not where they started out. Charles Kreuz opened a grocery store in 1900 in
Lockhart and started serving smoked meats on butcher paper. In 1948, long time employee Edgar Schmidt bought
the market. He sold the business to his
sons Rick and Don in 1984. When Mr.
Edgar passed away in the late 90s, his daughter Nina Sells inherited the
property. The sons and the daughter got into
a disagreement, a “barbe-feud” if you will, that was settled by her retaining
the original location (now the home of Smitty’s BBQ) and the boys keeping the
name. Long time pitmaster Roy Perez
helped drag a washtub full of coals a quarter mile to the new location to keep
the 100 year old fire still going.
My tummy was already full from a bunch of barbecue in
Luling, so I ordered only a quarter pound of moist brisket and a single pork rib. I paid for the meat and took my butcher paper
bundle into the dining room. There I got
pickles, onions, some ice tea, and found a squeeze bottle of their sauce. Both
the brisket and rib had a good smoky flavor, but each was rather chewy. Their sauce was a thin tomato based sauce
that went well with the meat.
I have seen football stadiums smaller than their new
location. Out back, they have stacks and
stacks and stacks of post oak wood. I
don’t think they will run out any time soon, but they are famous in central
Texas and do a lot of business. Kreuz Marketin Lockhart – serving Texas barbecue for more than a century.
My wife and I had tickets to see a play in Lockhart. This gave me a golden opportunity to eat some great barbecue. Here's the video of my latest adventure:
Lockhart is a quiet Texas town about an hour’s drive
southeast of Austin.At one time, it was
considered the center of the barbecue universe, with several great joints in
town.For this trip, I wanted to sample
the offerings at Black’s Barbecue.I
have eaten at their Austin “outpost” several times, but this trip gave me the
chance to eat at their original restaurant.
Black’s is located at 215 North Main Street, just a
couple of blocks north of the big county courthouse.Opened in 1932, it is the oldest barbecue
joint in Texas still owned by the same family.Texas Monthly had previously named them as one of the 50 best joints in
the state, so I was looking forward to this. . .
When you first walk into Black’s, your nose is hit
with the sweet, sweet smell of barbecue.At the end of a short walkway lined with photos, you grab a plate and
choose any side dishes you might want: beans, cole slaw, mac and cheese, rice,
etc.I normally skip the sides, but I
had to see if their pecan cobbler is as good as what they serve in Austin.Then you make your way to the cutting board
where you order your meat.Kirkland
oversaw things as I ordered a half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork
ribs.
The brisket was superb: very tender, delicious outer
bark, deep smoky flavor.My taste buds
were in heaven.The ribs were also
impressive.The meat had a sweet, smoky
flavor and was very tender, easily biting from the bone.My wife gave me a bite of their smoked
turkey.It was a bit dry, but also very
smoky.They had sauce on the table, but
I never used a drop of it.And the pecan
cobbler – oh boy was it good.After I
ate, I had a chance to speak with Kirkland and the cutting crew.Really super people.
Edgar Black and his wife Norma Jean managed the family
business for over sixty years.They were
very proud that they were the first business in Lockhart to integrate,
believing anybody, regardless of race, can work hard and do good if given the
chance.Mr. Black passed away in 2017 at
the age of 91.The Black’s are now into
their fifth generation of family members working and running the
restaurant.
Great barbecue, great people. . .it’s easy to see why the famous, the not so
famous, and the infamous have made the pilgrimage to Lockhart for all these
years.Oh and by the way, the play we
saw that night was also a lot of fun.Black’sBarbecue in Lockhart. . .a classic
Texas barbecue joint.
Another beautiful day in Texas.Another great day for barbecue. . . Here's the video of my latest adventure.
It was just after lunch time as I drove through Belton
on my way back home to Austin after visiting my 92 year old Dad. I remembered hearing that Miller’s Smokehouse
had moved to a new location. This seemed
like the perfect opportunity to eat some great barbecue and check out their new
digs.
I exited off I-35 and found my way to Miller’sSmokehouse at 300 E. Central Avenue.
Their new location is big and bright, with a large covered patio and
dining area. They had several dessert
cases filled with cakes, pies, and cheese cakes that looked awfully good, but I
resisted the temptation and ordered my usual half pound of moist brisket and a
couple of pork ribs. They only sell ribs
by the half or full rack. A half rack
would be too much for me to eat at one setting, so what should I do? The answer was simple enough: order another
half pound of brisket to take home with the extra ribs. Very clever marketing strategy on their part.
The brisket had a nice outer bark and a good smoky
flavor, but was a wee bit chewy. The
pork ribs were the star of the day: big and meaty, with a rich smoky flavor. The bark had a hint of pepper that added an
extra zing. The meat was very tender and
easily bit from the bone. Their sauce was
a typical tomato based red sauce that went well with the meat.
As I was finishing up, a member of their staff came by
my table to ask how I liked things. I
looked up and saw that it was Armando, the gentleman I had met when I first
sampled Miller’s Smokehouse in October 2016 (Texas Passions season 1, episode
5). He remembered me as the guy who
makes the barbecue videos. We spoke for
a couple of minutes, then he offered to show me their new smoking shed. I couldn’t pass up that offer, so we walked around
back. At their old location, the pits
were located in an alley next to the restaurant, but now they have an enclosed
area attached to the kitchen with five big smokers working their magic. Armando introduced me to Johnny, one of their
pitmasters. Johnny and I talked a few
minutes, then I had to get back on the road for Austin.
So what did I learn?
Miller’s Smokehouse new digs are really nice. They still serve great
barbecue and their spot on the Texas Monthly Top 50 list is well deserved. And Miller’s has some super friendly people
working there who love what they are doing.
It’s spring time in Texas.While there is no football to watch this time
of year, there is always time for barbecue. . . Here's my latest video:
I recently drove up to the Dallas – Ft. Worth area to
see my 92 year old Dad.Checking the
Texas Monthly Top 50 list, I saw there was a barbecue joint in Waxahachie that
looked promising, so I thought I’d give them a try.
Harris Bar-B-Que is at 220 S. US 77 in Waxahachie,
just south of the downtown area. Don’t
be fooled by the modest red building.Inside they are serving some outstanding barbecue.
I ordered my usual half pound of moist brisket and a
couple of pork ribs.While I waited for
my order, I got myself some tea from a side counter, then picked a table.My meat was delivered with sides of pickles
and onions and two types of sauce.
The brisket was phenomenal.Very tasty outer bark, nice smoke ring, so
tender the slices easily cut with a plastic fork.Each bite melted in my mouth and made my
taste buds do a happy dance.The ribs
were equally good: big and meaty, tender, with a great smoky flavor.Both sauces were rich and savory, the spicier
sauce having a little extra zing to it.
The staff at Harris Bar-B-Que was very friendly and
polite.I was called ‘sir” so many times
while I was there I wondered if I had recently been knighted by the queen. After
I ate, I had a chance to talk with Kelvin Harris, the owner/pitmaster.
Kelvin Harris
He said he uses a combination of oak and
pecan woods to smoke his meat, depending upon what kind of wood he happens to
grab off the stack.He’ll sometimes use
mesquite in the winter because it burns hotter, but he doesn’t want to over
smoke the meats.He wants his customers
to taste the barbecue on the way down and not later all day when they burp.There might be some madness to his method,
but the results are tremendous.
As I left Harris Bar-B-Que, a patron called out to Mr.
Harris: “You must have known we were coming today and cooked up the good barbecue.”Something tells me Mr. Harris smokes great
barbecue every day.
A look at the barbecue served at Butler's BBQ in
Killeen and a recap of the fourth round play-off game between Liberty Hill and
La Vega. Here's my video of this adventure:
I went to Buckley Stadium in Killeen, Texas to see a
fourth round play-off game between the Liberty Hill Panthers and the La VegaPirates. Winter is officially two weeks
away, but a cold front moved through Texas earlier in the week, bringing rain
and dropping temperatures. It was 47
degrees at kick-off, but with no clouds in the sky, it was going to get colder
as the game went on.
\
Liberty Hill is coached by Jeff Walker and enters this
game with a 10-2 record. Walker is in
his first season as the Panthers coach.
He replaced the legendary Jerry Vance who coached the Panthers to state
titles in 2006 and 2007. Walker was the
offensive coordinator for those teams and was the head coach at Rogers before
returning to Liberty Hill.
It seems Willie Williams has been associated with the
La Vega program since the Millard Filmore administration. He is a graduate of La Vega and has been
their coach since 1990. His 2015 team
claimed the state championship. The 2017
team is perfect on the season at 13-0.
These teams know each other well, being from the same
district. They met in week 5 with La
Vega winning 33-18. Can the Pirates do
it again and keep their drive for state on track? Will the Panthers atone for that midseason
loss and keep their dreams of a state championship alive? Panthers and Pirates. . . it should be a good one.
But before we get into football, let me show you the
barbecue I enjoyed earlier in the day. . .
The
Barbecue
Football in Killeen, huh. . . I’ve never been to or through Killeen before,
so I turned to my friend the Google and found recommendations for Butler’sBBQ. Sounds good to me, I’ll give them a
try. After a nice drive in the country,
I made it to Killeen and wound my way around town to 3006 Lake Road. The burglar bars on the store front were a
little intimidating, but I wasn’t going to let that slow me down. I needed some barbecue.
Butler’s has a really neat mural on the walls, a nice
size indoor dining area with several picnic tables, and a couch and love seat
to relax on. I was greeted at the
counter by Angie, a wonderful young lady with a big smile. She probably called me “darling” more times
while I was there than I’ve heard in ten years.
They don’t sell meat by the pound, so I go their brisket plate and some
pork ribs. Rather than serve me sides,
they just threw on more brisket. It came
with pickles and onions, a big piece of cornbread, and sauce on the side. I got myself a glass of “brown lemonade” –
tea mixed with enough lemonade to make anybody pucker.
While my order was being prepared, I got a chance to
talk with a gentleman named Clarence Jones.
He’s a local who assured me I had picked a good barbecue joint. As we talked about different barbecue we’d
eaten across Texas, a nice lady put two big plates in front of me. One with brisket stacked high, the other with
ribs. Time for me to go to work.
The brisket was excellent. Smoked over mesquite, it did not have much of
an outer bark. But it was very tender
with a deep smoky flavor. The ribs were
also delicious. Cooked over oak, they
were meaty, juicy with a bit of sweetness, and so tender the meat easily bit
from the bone. The barbecue was served
with a typical tomato based sauce, not too spicy and not too sweet. The cornbread was wonderful. I did my best to eat as much as I could, but
had to take the rest home. My wife and I
both liked munching on it the next day.
To top it all off, my whole meal came to under $15. Such a deal. . .
Butler’s BBQ is what Texas barbecue is all about:
great food prepared by super people who take pride in what they serve and love
doing it. Guess I now have an excuse to
go back to Killeen sometime.
I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!
The
Game
Despite the
falling temperatures, it was a great night for football at Buckley Stadium. . .
On their second drive of the night, La Vega picked up
a big first down on a pass from quarterback Jamal Williams to Johnathan
Brown. A run by Kemoche Hobbs to the 2
gave the Pirates first and goal. Hobbs
scored from there and the extra point put the Pirates ahead early 7-0.
In the second quarter, La Vega was on the move
again. Williams threw to Taequan Tyler
for a big gain. Hobbs made some great
cuts to score on a 21 yard run. The
extra point extended the lead to 14-0.
Komache Hobbs runs 21 yards to extend the Pirates lead to 14-0
Late in the second quarter, the Liberty Hill offense
started to get untracked. Running back
Kyle Harrison picked up big yardage on the ground. But the drive stalled and the Panthers
settled for a 35 yard field goal. The
teams went to half time with the Pirates leading 14-3.
The teams traded possessions to begin the second
half. La Vega running back Cameron Henry
fumbled and the Panthers recovered.
Harrison burst through a hole in the Pirate defense and scored on a 38
yard run. Elijah Davis scored on a sweep
for a two point conversion to make it 14-11 midway through the third
quarter. Now we’ve got a game. . .
Kyle Harrison runs up the middle for 38 yard touchdown
While Liberty Hill needed a stop, La Vega turned to
their punishing ground game to move the chains and eat up clock. John Richards ground out the last 21 yards
for a touchdown. The extra point widened
the Pirate lead to 21-11 with 1:32 left
in the third quarter.
John Richards steps off for 21 yards and a touchdown for La Vega
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, the
temperatures had dropped into the upper 30s and the curtain was about to drop
on the Panthers. Neither team could
sustain a drive and both turned the ball over on downs. La Vega took possession on their 41. John Richards swept to the right, found a
hole, raced past the defenders, and high stepped it into the end zone for a 59
yard touchdown. The extra point pushed
the Pirates’ lead to 28-11 with less than six minutes to play.
John Richards ices the game for La Vega with this 59 yard scoring romp
The Panther offense is not designed to score a whole lot
of points in just a little time. They lose
precious time in the huddle and have difficulty throwing the ball
downfield. They used over four and a
half minutes to score on a 1 yard plunge by Trenton Seward. Liberty Hill tried an onside kick, but the
ball was recovered by La Vega. The
Pirates killed the clock and claimed the victory, 28-18.
Congratulations to Liberty Hill for their fine season
under first year coach Jeff Walker. Best
of luck to Willie Williams and the Pirates as they get ready to face defending
state champion Carthage for a spot at Jerry’s World.
