A review is a structured editorial regarding a specific visit to a joint. In addition to the commentary, each joint is given ratings for main fare, other fare, and atmosphere.
Main Fare: Sausage is VERY good! A meaty flavor explosion with this beef/pork mix. This has a good flavor profile, and great spice on the finish. Excellent. Brisket is stand-up type. Firm, but clean and tasty. Rib is big, chewy, and fatty. We arrive early, and these look really excellent, but still need more time …
Main Fare: Brisket is falling apart tender… It has been sauced and sitting in a steam tray for quite a while. It seems silly to go to the trouble of preparing real pit barbecue, and then slicing it and holding in a steam tray. Folks in Kansas City love this method, but Texans generally want …
Main Fare: Brisket – Finally, somebody using a dry rub. Lean, flavorful, and accordian tender. Rib is very smokey and fully rendered. Nice flavor and texture. Crisp/chewy on exterior, and moist and tender inside. Sausage has a similar taste to homeade bologna or salami.
Main Fare: Brisket is chunky, chewy, and sweet The rib has a pork chop consistency… chewy & needs more time to fully render. It has a sweet glaze on the finish, but that can’t make up for the chewy rib. Sausage has a course grind, and a nice blend of spice and heat. Very good! Pork …
Main Fare: Brisket has a good tenderness, although seems a bit dry on the finish. May be just a tad of bitterness in the meat. Above average. Sausage is another standard commercial product (Eckrich?). Rib is extremely hot to the touch… reheat? Meat is tender and pulls away from the bone easily. Good colors on …
Main Fare: Brisket is firm, but sliced quite thin. Some bitterness is present in the meat. Sausage is more salty and less sweet than the Hillshire Farms (Eckrich?). Still, this is a commercial product. The hot link has a yellow/orange color to it… and a different flavor profile at work here. Hmmm. Similar in texture …
Main Fare: Brisket has clean flavor. It could use a bit more time to render a velvet texture, but this is DARN GOOD brisket! Huge, Flintsonian rib… but the time has been taken to finish it properly. The right amount of rub does not overpower, but brings out rib flavor. Nicely done. Sausage is salty and greasy… …
Main Fare: Lean, stand-up style brisket. It is tough to chew with a bit of creosote, especially on the crust. This is a big rib that is trimmed St Louis style. It also has a ‘tang’ associated with a dirty (smothered) fire. This rib is chewy and tough… not fully rendered. Sausage – Hillshire Farms …
Nice setup, but more of a cafe than a joint. Help is great. Meats are very good as are the traditional sides (although the CS is kinda dry). And then they bring out the desserts. Thank God this is the last joint of the tour. These folks can flat-out bake. Never seen a single crew …
Artwork starts you off right: Framed picture of Nolan Ryan whipping Robin Ventura’s ass, captioned, "This is Not a No-Hitter." Large lithograph of the Duke Sides and help are all great. Meat is slightly creosoted.
