Had Blood Bros today for the first time. Pretty good. 7.5/10. Do not recommend the cucumber salad. Brisket was the star. No wait at all, showed up at 11:30

I had Brisket and Rice on Wednesday and this was a step up for sure.

Went to Stiles as we were dropping off my kiddo at camp. Beef rib was absolutely bomb. Super friendly staff too.

We just tried the pork. Here's a picture off of google I found

Went to the criminally overlooked Smokey Joe's in South Dallas today. They were Top 10 last time and remain in the Top 50 this time. No line.

Brisket was insanely rich, sausage excellent, ribs honestly slightly tough today (but still very tasty), and the greens are to die for. And the girl child approved very much of the nachos (caught her mid bite.)

I was able to hit Dayne's on my way back from Stephenville today. I decided on the Trinity Platter ($48 for 2 small sides, 1/2 lb brisket, 1/2 lb ribs, and a sausage link) and an OG Burger. This must be common because I didn't get a funny look ordering $70 in food for myself.

OG Burger is insanely good but you already have heard that I'm sure.

Brisket was among the best I've ever had at a restaurant. They ask whether you want fatty or lean...stupid question. I went fatty.

Ribs were decent. Nothing to write home about.

Jalapeno Havarti sausage was my least favorite. I make a ton of sausage though so I'm a snob about it. Flavor was great but there was absolutely no snap to it at all and the casing was kind of tough to chew through. Maybe it got that way sitting in the warmers.

Mac & Cheese was good. I think it would have been great without the crunch stuff they put on top.

Frito Pie Beans were legit. Kudos to JCRiley for talking me into the beans. I didn't think I would like these, but they truly are special. Not sure what it is but it all works together very well.

Gold sauce. This is just a weird sauce. Has some sort of Asian something in it. Anyone know what that weird flavor is?

Regular sauce is pretty good but on the vinegar-y side of sauces.

Made a few BBQ stops recently...

First trip to Lavaca's location in Victoria:

This was like 2PM on a Friday and it was top notch! They had such a cool menu too. I WILL be going back. The brisket was spot on. The Big Red Ribs were delicious. I've had "big red ribs" before, but these actually tasted like Big Red. And it worked so well. Very good food. Very good menu.


Evie Mae's in Wolfforth:

What is there to say? They've been consistent for a decade. Another late lunch, so they were out of ribs. But everything else was spot on. Great space too. Haven't been since they moved.


Mike Cotten's in Calallen:

This was a to go order for dinner, so the presentation isn't great. This used to be as good as it got in South Texas. But they've been passed by in recent years. Still, good enough for Calallen.


Levant BBQ (Mediterranean style Texas BBQ) in Houston:

First time here. Sunday about 5:30PM. The menu was cool. 3 different types of lamb (Shank, Neck, Chops), but the other meat was basic Texas BBQ (No pork ribs). The sides leaned more eastern Mediterranean. The meats were just fine. Even the lamb - fine. Nothing special. The rice was bland, but the fasoulia was delicious.

On one hand, I really appreciated the interesting menu and style. But, the meat didn't give me a compelling reason to return.

Interstellar from Sunday.

Got in line at 9:30 and we were eating by around 11:30. Pork Hash and Lamb were both new to me and both delicious. Brisket and Pork Belly were excellent as always. Tomahawk Steaks were the special, but no way we were gonna eat that on top of the BBQ we ordered.

I have a story that's somewhat on topic.

This past weekend I was in Dripping Springs for my stepmom's retirement party. I was in charge of cooking the ribs on night 2. I've cooked ribs many times and have my process down.

My sister brought her boyfriend, and turns out he is best friends with one of the owners of Burnt Bean and used to compete. Pretty cool stuff.

I rub the ribs with some meat church all purpose and put them on the BGE (nice pit for an AirB&B) and go about my business. I come back an hour later and the temp on the pit is rocking at about 250. Not too bad.

I open the pit and check the ribs. The tops looks good so I check the bottom. 2 out 3 racks are BURNT CRISPY. I then realized that there is no baffle and the ribs have been receiving direct heat this entire time! ***** Nothing I can do about it now. I foil boat them thinking this will help, but it didn't. I then wrap them with some vinegar sauce to finish cooking. The vinegar sauce burns inside the foil, which I've never had happen before. Overall I just really underestimated the direct heat.

Cutting the ribs with my dad, the edges are VERY crispy. I'm thinking "I can't serve this." It was like the turkey scene in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. But thankfully, there was enough overcooked meat to go around and for the 12 people there to eat around the burnt bits. Everybody was kind about it. But man, that was embarrassing, especially with Burnt Bean's Bestie there. Oh well, better luck next time.

Nightmare scenario lol