Reader Review: Pizzitola's BBQ (Houston, TX)

Faithful blog follower (and huge Texas BBQ fan) Joe Wagner sent me his thoughts on, and a few pics from, his recent visit to Pizzitola's BBQ (Houston, TX): 

I had the opportunity to dine at Pizzitola's last week.  Sending you pix from my experience. 

Terrific meal.  I got the ribs, which were the best I've had all year.  They had the best beans too.  Excellent taste.   

Couple more pix to come,   But this is the banana desert first.  Has nutmeg and a whole bunch of deliciousness.   

Tim and Betty (my server) we excellent hosts.   Highly recommended Pizzitola's and will be back soon.

Reader Review: Smokey Denmark's (Austin, TX)

My buddy Joe Wagner sent me a Reader Review (with pictures) of his first visit to Smokey Denmark's BBQ truck (Twitter):

Drew:

I was coming back from the airport yesterday to check out Micklethwait’s and John Mueller’s BBQ and went down 5^th street and found a great BBQ place that y’all don’t have on your Blog.  I think it’s really worth a visit. 

It’s called Smokey Denmark’s.  They have a wild game processing facility (see building photo) and they have a BBQ truck.  They smoke with Post Oak (my favorite) and they have an excellent product and very friendly folks there. 

Their brisket was pretty darn good and unfortunately do not have a picture of it as I had to battle the flies outside to eat it. J Joe 1 Flies 0.  J 

You ought to try it.  They are at 3505 E. 5^th Street, A-Town.  512-385-0718.  www.smokeydenmark.com 

I was so taken back by why I hadn’t heard of this place before.  Man, it was good, I hope you think so too!

Reader Review: Blanco BBQ (San Antonio, TX)

Two days ago, I posted an email and pictures from reader Joe Wagner's stop at Old 33 BBQ in Blanco. Here is his writeup writeup of another stop: Blanco BBQ in San Antonio.

"I also visited the new Blanco BBQ on Blanco in San Antonio.  See picture for my meal.

Had the brisket and sausage (they make their own sausage), beans and slaw.  I stick to what I like.  

Beautiful facility and very down home atmosphere.  Food was delicious.  Another great find on my travels in the great state of Texas.

BTW, I stopped by Choke Canyon BBQ up the street north on Blanco, but they’re not open yet.  (see picture)  Hopefully soon." 

Reader Review: Toodie's Bar-B-Que (Hearne, TX)

Reviewed by: Mark Griffin (Kerrville/Bandera-ish, TX)

I hope that this post doesn’t follow the ’law of unintended consequences’ - look what happened with Aaron Franklin! There’s a place that you absolutely have to try - Toodie's BBQ at 205 N. Market in Hearne, TX. Located a short drive north of Bryan on Hwy 6, it's about the only place to eat on the East side of the road. A small, unassuming cinder block building that is only open Thursday through Saturday, the quality of their output is unbelievably good. The staff and owners without exception were very friendly and eager to please.

We ate there twice last week, and tried all the items except the chicken. The chopped BBQ sandwich contains some of the most tender meat I've ever had on a huge bun, and adding a touch of their home-made sauce and some pickles made it perfect. The ribs were well above average, and although I have eaten and cooked better, they are still a good buy. The beans were my favorite side, seasoned and cooked perfectly. They serve some of the best sausage I have ever eaten out, very juicy without being greasy.

Finally, the brisket. I have cooked a lot of brisket, and I've eaten a lot of brisket in a lot of places. How good was James and Gina Taylor's brisket? Aaron might start looking over his shoulder. It honestly is that good.

And no, dummy here didn't take any pictures - I was too hungry and forgot.

Reader Review: Hinze's Bar-B-Que (Wharton, TX)

Hinze’s Bar-B-Que
8229 U.S. Hwy 59
Wharton, Texas 77488
979-532-2710

Reviewed by: Michael Alanis (Corpus Christi, TX)

As a 42 year old guy, there are only a few BBQ places that I can say “I’ve been to since I was little”. One of those is Hinze’s Bar-B-Q in Wharton, Texas.

I still remember the trips from S. Texas to Houston on Hwy 59. It was a treat when we rounded the corner and I could see Bar-B-Q sign. I knew it was time for lunch and that we were going to stop. Boy, those memories are still vivid in my mind.

Well that memory was a reality for me this past weekend, as we made our first trip (by car) to Houston in over 3 years. On the way home I told my wife and kids that “lunch” was going to be Hinze’s Bar-B-Q, and so it was.

As we pulled up on a Sunday afternoon, the parking lot was full as was the drive thru lane. While pressed for time, I wanted to go inside and take a look around. I needed to see that “tree” growing inside the building again. It had amazed me as a kid and I wanted to see how much it had grown. I know I sure had.

The line was out the door and folks were waiting patiently for their turn at one of the order takers. I studied the menu but already knew that we wanted brisket and ribs. What more can you want? For some reason, I watch what folk’s order, just so I can get a sense of who is a local and who is a tourist. Most of the people in front of me didn’t need a menu and ordered right away. When I heard “how does this work?” I knew they were “newbies”. It can be different at places that sell by the pound and those who sell plates, so I understand. I watched the employees walk back and forth, shuffling plates, adding sides and most importantly, serving the brisket and the meats.

Finally it was my turn. “Brisket and Ribs plates to go” I said. While sides aren’t really too important to me, I asked for beans, potato salad and green beans. Yes, you get three sides at Hinze’s. I paid for the meals and got my drink, sweet tea of course. Now, like most BBQ places you can order the meat by the pound, at a great price I might add.

I took time out to walk around the dining room. It still looks the same as I can remember it. The trees growing inside still are cool to look at, and so are the photos and “cartoons” on the wall. During my wait, I got to speak to the owner Mike Hinze. I had watched him orchestrate the employees for some time and wanted to let him know that I had been trying to get Hinze’s added to the Texas Monthly BBQ App. He was very appreciative and genuinely kind.

My order number was called and I picked up my plates to go. Out the door I was.

In the truck the kids and my wife were anxious to taste this “BBQ” I had raved about for so long. It didn’t take long before everyone was digging in.

I’ve always enjoyed Hinze’s Bar-B-Q and today was no different. As I looked at my plate and meat, I could see that it was fresh, moist and tender. I started out with the brisket. It had a nice crust with plenty of pepper as the main rub. The smoke ring wasn’t as thick as some like but you could smell the smoke. You could also see that it was moist and tender, yet kept it’s consistency. The brisket smelled and looked delicious. It was. The taste of the spices, mixed in with the right amount of smoke made for a super brisket. No sauce needed on this plate!

The ribs were also spiced just right with pepper. Clearly they are cooked to perfection with just a bit of top crust, as I call it, that they have a bit of a “crunch” as you take a bite. I will say that the ribs are a bit small, but they make up for it in taste. The ribs were the first to go on everyone’s plate. The kids even asked for more. Yes, they are that good. The two-meat plate is plentiful and very good for the price.

As for sides, I gave them a taste. The potato salad was very sweet and to my liking. The pinto beans and green beans were good as well.

I’ve traveled to many BBQ places in the last few months looking for great brisket, sausage and ribs. I knew that a trip back to Hinze’s would not disappoint and I was right. So if you are on Hwy 59 near Wharton, do yourself a favor and stop on in and take a bite. I am sure that you will enjoy the BBQ. They’ve been making it right for over 37 years now.

P.S. The “tree” is also cool to look at.

Reader Review: The Smoke Pit (Fort Worth, TX)

Reviewed by: Brett Helweg

I figured I would at least submit a BBQ restaurant in the DFW restaurant that doesn't fall into the category of "chain"; considering that is basically all we have. The restaurant is on 2401 E. Belknap, FTW TX 76111. They have daily specials, and the only items I have had off of the menu are the Smoked Chicken and Rib Plate (pork). Also, the waitresses walk around in bikini tops, which is a plus.

The smoked chicken was nothing less than brilliant; which takes place on Thursdays ($7.95, comes with a side of fries). The ribs are also excellent; which I thought were on par with some of the BBQ places we tried during our trip in May (that Jacob, Teddy, Heath, and Steve submitted reviews for).

Now, I'm not BBQ expert or connoisseur, but I've been around enough of my Dad's & Grandad's BBQ enough to know what would fall under quality. Personally, I have enjoyed the only two items I have ordered in the past (Half Smoked Chicken and the Pork Rib Plate); the Smoked Chicken especially. I can't say I have been to many BBQ restaurants that serve half chicken on the bone that isn't dry, but The Smoke Pit does it right buddy.

Also saw today that happy hour is 2PM to 9PM Monday - Friday, and all day Saturday ($2 dollar drafts, $2.50 Longnecks) at this place. So if some people that follow your blog check this place out and don't like the food, they can at least get some cheap beer to forget about it. I've personally never been to this place outside of lunch, but I would imagine the happy hour (or 7 happy hours) would be an interesting experience.

Reader Review: Blue Ribbon Barbecue (Austin, TX)

Reviewed by: Joe Wagner (Lakeway, Texas)

Hey, just went to Blue Ribbon BBQ on 4th.

They smoke their meats in Taylor and then rush ‘em downtown to the store.

It is missing some of the ambience of some of the classic joints, but thought that the food was very tasty. They were giving out free banana pudding with the purchase of lunch and free coffee with the purchase of a breakfast taco. So I got breakfast and lunch (I’m fond of banana pudding)

Brisket was smoky, well marbled, had a nice bark on it and was tasty. A bit on the dry side, but I think that they’re still working out their operational logistics. Bobby Cavo himself was there and the whole crew was very friendly and attentive.

The cole slaw was sweet, not too creamy, but a perfect compliment to the meat.

Didn’t have the other sides, but will in the future.

Highly recommend the banana pudding. Damn good.

*Don't forget to enter to win prizes from Blue Ribbon in our Texas BBQ Giveaway.

Reader Review: Chisholm Trail Lockhart Bar-B-Q & Hot Sausage (Lockhart, Texas)

Reviewed by: David McDonald (Giddings, TX)

Chisholm Trail Barbeque in Lockhart is the ultimate barbeque afterthought.I have been driving by for years and finally a business lunch took me there. The big question is, how do you make it in the same town as the lockhart Holy Trinity. I got some answers in the form of lots of sides, catfish, chicken fried steak and reasonable prices. Now about the barbeque. I got a brisket and sausage plate and the brisket is legitimate stuff which would be top shelf in lesser markets although a bit dry. I am going to assume the sausage I got was an accident. It was either a smoked sausage cooked on the pit or just a very over cooked fresh link. In other words the casing was a candidate for Tony Lama. All things considered I would probably stop here again if I went through Lockhart often, didnt have time to stand in line or was not looking for Que.

Reader Review: The Barbecue Station (Cuero, Texas)

Reviewed by: David McDonald (Giddings, TX)

Hwy. 77 south of I-10 is a long stretch without much in the way of BBQ. After intending to do so for years I scheduled an 11am stop at The Barbecue Station in Cuero. To keep it short I got the big brisket plate so did not try other meats. There was a good variety of decent sides to go along. Now down to that brisket. I was asked if I wanted lean or some fat and I got with fat. This brisket gave up just too easy so I suspect it was wrapped or steamed. Just not a proper texture but for sure not tough. It lacked any sense of seasoning and so the sauce and even the salt shaker were in use. Smoke flavor was faint. So to sum up: Not an elite brisket and maybe the other meats are better, but on that long stretch of road on the way to Corpus Christi this may just be a good alternative to some chain burger place.

Reader Review: Hard Eight BBQ (Coppell, Texas)

Reviewed by: Stuart Malone (Dallas, Texas)

OK, as promised, and as I mentioned at lunch the other day, I'm sorry I never responded to your original email below, but frankly I was wasn't really comfortable reviewing Hard 8 on one meal since we were basically the last call that one night, it was almost deserted, and I was pretty tired (of course that never stops me from eating my weight in brisket, but...you know).

So, I went back recently on a Sunday afternoon and two Saturday afternoons to get some fresh bbq "hot off the presses". Like I mentioned overall it's 50/50 - it was pretty decent half the time and pretty bad the other half. In each case Helen and I arrived right at 12:30 (they open at 10:30AM on Sundays). We stayed until almost 2 hanging out and sampling the goods. I'm not sure if it was b/c of the cold weather we've been having recently, the recession or what, but on all except the last trip (which was two weeks ago) it was still very quiet despite being the middle of the lunch hour on the weekend. Decent sized crowd, but nothing like I was expecting given the size of the place.

I'm going to have to put the overall atmosphere at 8.5 (OK). I'm putting the ambiance slightly higher at 9 based on all the Texas kitsch. Tacky...sure. Appropriate...you bet! Service was fine at a 9.5. Given that's it's primarily a self-service operation, they can't really screw that one up.

We ate a lot (imagine that). We sampled the brisket, pork ribs, hot and regular sausage, chicken, poppers (chicken breast chunks with jalapenos wrapped in bacon), coleslaw,and beans.

Brisket - Sucked (sorry Duke if you ever read this). I had a hard time with this, especially since I remember it was quite good from the first time I went. Despite getting what was in all likelihood the first batch of the day, the brisket was very dry with very little flavor. Granted, there were pockets of lovely moist meat with great looking smoke rings, but too few and too far in between. I'm going to average my four times there to give a cumulative 8.

Pork ribs - I'll go a little bit higher on the ribs with a 8.25 on the high end of the OK scale. It's the same story as the brisket (most of their food really) - every now and then you get a really tasty bite, but without any consistency. Most of the ribs were overdone and far too salty.

Prime Rib - N/A (I've never had a good experience with smoked prime rib, so I just stopped eating it a few years ago)

Sausage - 8 (don't bother)

Overall Experience - 8.75

FYI although not on your list below, the best thing I ate was the poppers (chicken breast chunks (maybe some thigh in there too) with jalapenos wrapped in bacon). They were super tasty - I'd put those at a 9.75! Also, for fans of cabrito (grilled kid...that's baby goat) Hard 8 is well worth the drive - 9.5.

Reader Review: Iron Works BBQ (Austin, Texas)

Reviewed by: Mike Nasi (Austin, Texas)

Beef Ribs - 9.85

I may be too emotionally connected to give an unbiased assessment of the ribs, but I have long been convinced (like 20 years long) that Iron Works has the best beef ribs within the City Limits of Austin (and competes well state-wide). My emotional connection originates from the fact that I have been eating there for two decades and the sheer size of their ribs brings a manly-man smile to my face. It is like stepping into a Flintstones cartoon and sitting down with Fred and Barney to chow down on some kind of dinosaur leg. Simply awesome. Beyond the size, it is the texture of their ribs and the fact that they don't try to do too much to spice or flavor them. It is all meat, baby. And if you like the way quality beef tastes, you will like these ribs. In fact, I would probably rank them close to a "10" if it weren't for the fact that, sometimes, I feel like I am eating a pot roast on a stick because they can come off as "too straightforward" if you know what I mean. That is quickly solved by their sauce, which I generally try to steer clear of when eating BBQ.

Sides - 8.15

I jump to sides because, other than a couple of samples of other folks' plates, I don't ever remember eating any other meat than beef ribs. As for the sides, they have standard quality beans/slaw/potato salad and some decent green beans. Nothing special, but worth plate real estate to balance out the meal.

Overall - 9.25

Because Iron Work is another rare downtown quality BBQ joint, I give them points for location. Although they have some patio seating and I have had some good meals out there, the view of Waller Creek can be a bit scary depending upon how many diapers, beer cans, and milk cartons you can see on the banks of the creek. I cannot give a fair assessment of Iron Works on food because I never order anything but their beef ribs because they are better than any other place in Austin City Limits. I also don't think they can compete with the experience at Lambert's (although they are cheaper, so I don't hold that against them too much).

Reader Review: McBee’s Bar-B-Que & Country Cooking (Pleasanton, Texas)

Reviewed by: James K. Merriman (Mesquite, Texas)

Let me start out with I am the self proclaimed BBQ king. I have 45 years experience cooking on and with everything you can imagine and then some. I and my 86 year old stepmother went to try the BBQ at McBee’s in Pleasanton, Texas. Upon seeing the outside it looks and is very charming and warm. The smokers are outside in a court yard and you can view what is going on at all times. The inside is pretty much like all BBQ places except in south Texas they try to put southern hospitality in all they do. We each ordered the three meat combo, yea my little stepmother weighs 92lbs and can eat with the best of them. The sausage was dry, tasty but to dry. The brisket was good, good smoke ring, tender and good flavor. The ribs were very good well prepared, tender with good rib flavor. The sauce was just a little thin but flavorful. All in all I give it a B+. They don't serve beer and that is a negative, but livable, try it.

New feature unveiled tomorrow morning: "Reader Reviews"

Tomorrow morning will be the first installment of a new blog feature. "Reader Reviews" will feature the reviews, scores, pics, etc. of some of our readers' visits to BBQ joints around the state. If you're feeling a little wild and crazy, email us: manuptexasbbq@yahoo.com.

Reader Review: Dickey's Barbecue Pit (Terminal C, DFW)

An email from my good buddy Whitt, of Peachtree City, Georgia, who had a layover Sunday at DFW:

The old adage goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” In applying this saying to my brief layover in Texas, I knew I had to find some BBQ. Fortunately, my plane pulled in only two gates away from the Dickey’s Barbcue Pit at C6.

The menu offers several options but I chose a 2 meat-2 side plate. Available meats were brisket, spicy or regular sausage, and ribs. Sides included corn on the cob, green beans, mashed-potato casserole, coleslaw, and something I could not determine. For my meal, I chose the two meats most associated (at least from what I have read) with traditional Texas BBQ…brisket and spicy sausage. I also added some potato casserole (a delicacy with cheese, bacon bits, onions, and potatoes) and the coleslaw (which had a tinge of spice as well) to finish off my plate.

I must say that I was satisfied by my meal. I did not know exactly what to expect from the sausage as the BBQ joints I have frequented in the past never offered it. Was it going to be the same as the sausage patties on my McDonald’s biscuits or those my grandmother used to make me for breakfast? I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the spicy sausage very tasty, the nice Jamaican lady at the counter gave me an extra half a sausage to boot. I am not sure if that was due to my striking good looks (probably not) or the fact that I mentioned one couldn’t come to Texas and not try to BBQ.

The brisket left a little to be desired. I was expecting a mouth-watering treat that would knock my socks off (especially since I had some really good home-made “Texas style” brisket just two days ago in Colorado). However, the meat was rather dry and not that tasty, until I bathed it in the sauce that was provided (at my request) on the side. I knew from reading this blog that many Texas BBQ joints don’t even offer sauce since they believe the real challenge in making great BBQ is to allow the meat to speak for itself, not the sauce. I guess if you add enough sauce, you could make anything taste good (kind of like I do with Splenda packets and gas station cappuccinos). I will admit though that the sauce was pretty good!

The best thing on my plate (not good when its not one of the meats) was my potato casserole. It was really good!!! It was like taking a loaded baked potato and smashing it in a pile that just begged me to take another bite. Unfortunately for me, the nice lady only gave me a small portion of this. Next time I will ask her to fill the “meat portion” of the tray with the casserole and the “side portion” with the sausage. I’ll probably leave the brisket off altogether.

The coleslaw was good, but let’s be honest, who cares about coleslaw? No one reads this blog to find out which places know best how to mix cabbage and mayonnaise and whatever else is in the stuff.

All in all, I am glad I had time to stop by Dickey’s to temporarily appease my appetite for Texas BBQ. I know I have to make my way to the Austin area to really get the real deal stuff, but for now this will have to do.

Brisket: C+
Spicy Sausage: B+
Potato Casserole: A
Coleslaw: B-
Bread (it was just white bread or untoasted Texas Toast but was stale, & I only took one bite): F
Sauce: A-
Service: A

Just a thought for all you who make baked beans: Try putting some pickled relish in there. I had some the other night in Colorado (made by the same lady who brought the homemade brisket) and it really was pretty good. It was unlike any baked beans dish I have ever tasted.