Saturday, January 2, 2010: Texas Pride Barbecue (Adkins, Texas)

Before making our way to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, Brad and I hit up Texas Pride Barbecue in Adkins. It was Man Up’s first visit to TPB and our first outing of 2010. For the country setting and old-time-filling-station atmosphere alone, it was worth the trip. There is pretty much nothing nearby. Just a kitschy old country store, surrounded by nothing but beautiful country. If you’re a photographer (meaning, if you know how to take more pictures than just close-up shots of small pieces of meat between your thumb and middle finger), you should stop by and shoot for a while.

Service was fantastic. The guys cutting the meats were quite amiable, and Tara was kind enough to give us the full tour, including showing us out back, where there are, well, lots of things going on. Huge area with picnic tables. Old-time, country décor and knick knacks. Would be a great place to throw a private party or hear some music.

As for the food, the chicken was outstanding. Hot, moist, smoky. Didn’t need a bit of sauce. Didn’t need pickles or bread. Awesome by itself. The turkey and brisket were fairly solid (I'd choose the brisket over the turkey, b/c the turkey was a tad too dry.), but I thought the pork ribs were the weak link. They were fall-off-the-bone baby backs, but, flavor wise, they were unspectacular. Definitely needed sauce. I liked all 4 sides we ordered. Overall, the food was in the 8 range, but the atmosphere and service bumped up the overall experience.

Drew’s scores – Chicken: 9.7; Turkey: 8.9; Brisket: 8.5; Pork ribs: 6.4; Sides: 8.4; Atmosphere: 9.83; Service: 9.75; Overall experience: 9.22

Brad’s scores – Brisket: 8.25; Pork ribs: 7.75; Atmosphere: 9.5; Service: 9.85; Overall experience: 9.25

Overall Man-Up Score: 9.235