More from Mac's

Sunday, October 18, 2009: Mac's Barbeque (Brady, Texas)

On a Sunday drive from Abilene back to Austin, Amber and I hit the town of Brady right at lunch time. Not knowing what Brady had to offer, we had resigned ourselves to fast food on the main drag, until we saw a little BBQ joint to our left. We knew nothing about Mac’s Bar-B-Q but feeling a little crazy and adventurous on a lazy Sunday in the “Heart of Texas,” we stopped in, undeterred by the fact that this would be my 4th and her 3rd BBQ meal of the weekend.

The ribs weren’t the most tender, but they had a nice, smoky flavor. The turkey wasn’t the most flavorful, but it wasn’t dry. The chicken (particularly the dark meat) was quite nice. Easily my favorite of the three. I liked the sauce, and though I’m not a big potato-salad fan, I really liked theirs. Why? 2 words: French dressing. That’s right: Mac’s mixes French dressing into their potato salad, giving it a unique orange hue. Also, I can count on one hand the number of slices of bread I’ve had on our BBQ outings, but I had one at Mac’s. I loaded that bad boy up with smoked turkey, pickles, jalapenos, beans, (orange) potato salad, and sauce. It was a masterpiece. Amber tried to emulate, to no avail.

Mac’s doesn’t have an atmosphere you write home about, but Amber said she felt like she was on the set of Friday Night Lights, with all of the Brady High homecoming decorations (“If Coach Taylor had been there, I would have told him what I thought of the plays in their last game.”)

The entire staff was friendly, and I enjoyed meeting the owners and checking out the smokers out back. I can’t declare that Mac’s has the best BBQ in Brady (b/c I haven’t checked out the BBQ joint across the highway), but our visit was a nice break from a long drive.

Amber’s scores – Turkey: 8.2; Sides: 7.75; Sauce: 8; Overall experience: 7.9

Drew’s scores – Turkey: 7.8; Pork ribs: 7.4; Chicken: 8.9; Atmosphere: 6; Overall experience: 7.8

Overall Man-Up Score: 7.85

New blog feature: Texas BBQ Wannabes

From time to time, I see, hear, or read about a BBQ joint outside of Texas whose name has "Texas" in it. I read of one yesterday and decided to start a list of non-Texan BBQ joints that so badly wanna be Texan that they put "Texas" (or anything else sufficiently Texan: Hill Country, Lone Star, etc.) in their name. If you know of a place that fits the bill, email (manuptexasbbq@yahoo.com) or leave a comment, and I'll add it to the list. To those who end up on the list: don't get too upset - it's all in good fun. As a sign of good faith, I'll start the list with a place in my home state:

1. Texas Smokehouse (Decatur, Alabama)
2. ???

The rest from Harold's

Harold's menu: then and now

More from Harold's

Saturday, October 17, 2009: Harold's Pit Bar-B-Q (Abilene, Texas)

I’d heard for some time about a hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint in Abilene whose proprietor sings gospel music a capella inside the restaurant from time to time. The joint also made the latest Texas Monthly Top 50 list, but, since that list has left many of us scratching our heads from time to time—and since I hadn’t heard much fanfare about the food—I had a feeling that in-house gospel might be a big reason the joint made the cut.

As luck would have it, our noon trip to Harold’s Pit Bar-B-Q in Abilene was on the Saturday that all three Abilene universities held their homecomings. As such, when we arrived at noon, the line was well out the door. While we were outside, Harold made his way to the single-room dining area and sang a nice rendition of “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” The door was open, so we could hear, and I watched through the window. We had a nice time visiting with folks in line with us and, needless to say, were ready to eat by the time we finally made it to the counter around 1:00.

The food did wonders for my cascading blood sugar, but I wouldn’t say that it was worth the wait. The food was flavorful enough, but it was all pretty pedestrian, at best. I ordered ribs, even though Harold warned me that they were kinda off that day – and they were. They were so soft that they didn’t stay on the bone when you picked them up, and, given that they (like all the meats) were covered in sauce (which was too sweet for my taste), they ended up just being a sloppy mess. The ham wasn’t bad but would’ve been better sans sauce. Amber’s slaw and potato salad were much better than my greens and green beans. Having to swat flies wasn’t a highlight of the meal.

Flies notwithstanding, the place has character – from the hole-in-the-wall feel to the gospel singing to the pictures on the wall. And Harold and all of his staff were friendly. It was nice of Harold to make the rib disclaimer and to offer to make me a new plate after I got a plate covered in sauce, after ordering sauce on the side. Considering I ordered the ribs anyway and considering I declined his offer to remake my plate, without sauce, I guess I can’t really complain too much about either…so discount some of what I wrote above.

To sum it up, Harold’s is a joint to visit more for the experience than for the food – although the food was better than what I had at the only other Abilene joint I’ve been to (Sharon’s). If you knew that Harold would be there, Harold’s is worth a trip, if only to hear some gospel and meet some friendly folks.

Amber’s thoughts: “Ambiance: the hour long wait, pictures on the wall, fellow customers sharing their Harold stories and of course Harold himself singing were all great... but the flies on the condiment station killed it for me. (I don't know why plastic bags with water work, but they need to get some!) Service: Harold, his wife and crew could not be nicer people but the orders were messed up for the people in front of us and ours. I took the plate even though it was covered in sauce because I hate to see food go to waste. Sides: jalapeno poppers were good, hot water cornbread is just not my style, potato salad was of the cold mashed potato variety, coleslaw was solid, green beans limp but flavorful. Sauce: too sweet and, again, flies all over the crockpot at the condiment station. Turkey: good flavor and tender. Pork ribs: Fall off the bone tender but covered in sauce.”

Amber’s scores – Pork ribs: 8.6; Turkey: 8.7; Sauce: 8.4; Sides: 8; Service: 8.75; Atmosphere: 8; Overall experience: 8.4

Drew’s scores – Pork ribs: 7.5; Ham: 7.75; Sauce: 6; Sides (mine): 5; Sides (Amber’s): 7; Service: 9; Atmosphere: 8.5; Overall experience: 7.5

Overall Man-Up Score: 7.95

To Stubb's or not to Stubb's? That is the question.

Recently, Jason sent me this email:

"Guys, I ate at stubb’s this past Friday and I must say… we need to go there! I was quite impressed w/ what I had. I didn’t think it’d be good...but man was I wrong. Sausage is $! Brisket is average. And pork rib was tasty!!!! I propose a manup trip to the legendary Stubbs BBQ!"

This got me thinking about how we're in Austin and have never made a Man-Up trip to Stubb's Bar-B-Que, which is in downtown Austin. I've been to Stubb's twice. Once was years ago, well before I moved to Austin. The other was after I moved to Austin, but I just ordered a stew. Both visits underwhelmed me, at best. I guess that's why I haven't proposed a Stubb's visit. But, then again, neither has anyone else, until Jason's email.

So, I want to hear your thoughts on Stubb's. How does it stack up in the grand scheme of Texas BBQ? How does it fare against other Austin joints?

More pics from Brew Nite at Opie's

Friday, October 16, 2009: Mills County BBQ Company (Goldthwaite, Texas)

As has been the case each time I’ve been I’ve visited, my latest stop at Mills County BBQ Company was a great one. Amber and I got to spend some good time with the owner, Chris, who showed us the early stages of the outdoor seating he’s building out back (inspired by his recent outdoor-dining experience at Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap). A couple of additions since my last visit: Chris has added a fajita night (Tuesday) and a ribeye night (Friday).

The food, which we got to go, was stellar, as always. MCBC consistently gets ham and turkey right: always fresh tasting and always full of moisture. We downed both in the car within about 10 minutes; and, with Brad’s help, we worked on a whole brisket for days.

Amber’s scores – Ham: 9.75; Turkey: 9.9; Blueberry pie: 9.25; Overall experience: 9.8

Drew’s scores – Ham: 9.5; Turkey: 9.8; Overall experience: 9.75

Overall Man-Up Score: 9.775