Warning: terrible pictures ahead
Going to SXSW for the first time was exciting enough, but the chance to finally eat some honest-to-go Texas BBQ? My hands were jittery with anticipation. After asking maybe two or three locals, they pointed me to Stubb’s BBQ (whose backyard also happened to be a rather large venue for the festival itself), right on Red River and everything. The place was packed, of course, but the in-and-out seemed pretty rapid so we decided to stick around.
My exposure to the sweet, smoky meats of Texas bbq only go only as far as the Roadhouse BBQ on the eastside, which isn’t really saying much. Eating there is culinary equivalent of being told about the Mona Lisa. I understood what the meal was supposed to taste like, but it left much to be desired. Getting a slab of tender, sweet, and authentic brisket was high on my list of priorties for this trip.
The restaurant is, like most restaurants in Texas, laid out with a western rustic theme, complete with reproductions of paintings of various Americana on the wall and the longhorn mantelpieces festooning every doorway. The place is large, crowded, but not chaotic, which is a surprise.
I ordered the brisket set with a couple sides and a beer. I hadn’t really done my research when it came to the local brews, I thought Lone Star was a really classy brew (it’s not). This “real” pale ale wasn’t that great, a little toothless for my taste.
My brisket set was surprisingly cheap (I forget how much, it was south of $10), and though it wasn’t a big hunk o’ beef it did the trick. The collard greens were really tasty, hot from the vat complete with bacon bits and that briny stench that I love. The potato salad was good but nothing special really, a serviceable side for a good ol’ fashioned bbq.
Now the brisket, that’s what I’m talking about. Tender and smoky, with the look of Chinese bbq pork. The meat fell apart at the touch of my fork. The dryness and the sweet sauce really work well together, and if my mouth got too dry a forkful of collard greens did the trick. I only wished there were more, but for the price I couldn’t really complain.
My friend got a bowl of the chili and a block of cornbread. The chili was good, with bits of tender beef in a sweet and spicy concoction. But the cornbread was something else, light and golden, like something I’d been missing for a long time.
I’m a simple man at heart, and things like a really well done bbq just set my heart a flutter. Now all I need to do is find a place that serves big ol’ slabs of brisket up here.
Posted by hojodimsum
Posted by hojodimsum
