went to a place called Big Jakes in Texarkana today... on the Arkansas side... the brisket was average but the ribs were very good.... I'll go back for those ribs... and they have some kick [censored] sweet potato fries

Also went to Rudy's in Tyler for dinner... it was great. Their moist brisket was very good for East Texas. The quality of barbecue that I am eating at the Rudy's locations is going up lately... I'm happy with their moist product... especially for a chain store.

i liked rudys when i lived in denton.

anyone ever heard of the country tavern near kilgore? went there a few times while hunting and the ribs and sides were awesome.

Is that the place on Hwy 31 before you get into town? If it is, it's been there a long time and has had good brisket for 30 years!

thats the one, great food

Meshack's makes Texas top 50 BBQ joints!!!! I told ya'll it was good!

stopped at King's BBQ in Baytown... ordered ribs and deckel / fat brisket sliced..... they smoke on red oak... brisket was good and moist.... above average.... not on the central TX level but worth eating.... ribs flat out sucked.... dry and without flavor. The sides were excellent. I had the baked cream corn and a red potato dish with cheese.... it was amazing.

I'd love to try it... I just never get up there to McKinney

meshacks is in garland. hutchins in mckinney is real good too though.

Louis Mueller may be one of the best in Texas, but the Taylor Cafe still reigns as best in Taylor.

I don't know why the Country Tavern in Kilgore doesn't ever make the list. It has fantastic ribs.

I have to tell you brother, I love Mueller's..... love it... but I went one night and they had sold out early.... so I went to the Taylor Cafe.... and it was terrible. I spoke with the old man there and he had some good tid bits of info but the brisket was really dry and really tough. Maybe it was just a bad day.

anyone ever been to salt lick in round rock by the stadium? i heard it was pretty good..... they said they only serve flat, no deckle.... but said it was excellent..... any word?

stopping by Coopers in Llano tonight. Can't wait!

I ate lunch with 2 friends today at Baby J's in Palestine. The joint made the Dallas Morning News Top 10 in Texas, but it didn't make the Top 50 for Texas Monthly Magazine.

The sliced moist brisket was perfect: good bark, smoke ring, and rendered fat. It needed NO sauce and was the stand-out winner today.

The pork ribs were tasty and well-seasoned, but they were too dry and hard to get off the bone. They needed sauce.

The sausage was OK. One of us loved it. For me....MEH.

The sauce was thin and peppery but was a little too sweet for my liking. The sides were very good.

All in all, a nice experience at Baby J's. But it won't make you forego Louie Mueller's, or even Stanley's.

I appreciate the report on Baby J's... I was in Palestine last Monday and wanted to go there and try it but they are closed on Mondays..... I go there once every month and a half or so and I have yet to go by Baby J's.... sounds like I need to make it happen. It's all about the brisket for me.

Smoked a brisket this weekend and it turned out really good. It was an angus select grade brisket from brookshires.... 11 pounds.

My normal rub consists of freshly ground coarse pepper and coarse kosher salt. This time I did the same, but I added organic brown sugar. After I pulled it off the smoker, I wrapped it up in towels and placed in my cooler...... this time for 8 hours.... that's right I said 8...... I was down at Buzzy's in Kerrville and they were telling me that sometimes they will leave then in the cooler to simmer and tendorize all day.

Here's a photo

finally made it down to Coopers in Llano last Friday. The rain I guess kept several people away which I am ok with...but it was well worth the trip down there! Those porkchops were amazing!

Been to the Salt Lick next to the Dell Diamond in Round Rock several times when business clientele have come into town, usually alternate between there and the County Line (known for their beef ribs) on the Lake in Austin off FM 2222. I love the Salt Lick’s pork ribs, their sausage is really good too and their brisket is above average but not in my top 10.

thanks for the word on that.... appreciate it. I will probably just keep hitting Louie Mueller's and the Round Rock Rudy's location when i'm in that area..... Louie Mueller's being the first choice and Rudy's being the backup. I've had real good luck with the moist brisket there at that Rudy's

That looks excellent my friend.

looking good! a friend of mine that does brisket (~30/week) for his daughter/son-in-laws restaurant smokes with live oak for 12 hours, wraps in double aluminum foil, then buttons up his pit real tight as the dies down over night ... tenderest brisket I have ever had with great smokeyness goodness

Thanks FFF21.... and PMK, that's good info, appreciate it. I prefer to use only oak but I have a lot of pecan so I mix it in with my oak.

by the way, I stopped by Southside Meat Market in Elgin a couple days ago for dinner, on the way home and it was good. The moist sliced brisket is above average. I really like the jalepeno cheese sausage and the potato salad is excellent. Definitely worth the stop when Mueller's is closed.

FW Bob,

Your brisky looked fantastic.

4W

On a Memmorial Day weekend trip to Austin, our goal was to try eating at a different BBQ place each day. We got to Austin too late to try Franklins. That will be a good excuse for another trip. But we were highly impressed with The Salt Lick in Driftwood! Of all the places we have ever visited over the years, it is now our all time favorite! We also tried Buzzies in Kerrvile. good, but not on our top ten. There's a place I have not seen listed that really deserves a mention, called Opie's ( on highway 71 in Spicewood). Their brishet is awesome! Sliced thick, tender and very smokey. Better than average coleslaw and you can choose butterbeans as. Bean choice. plus a great choice of homemade cobbler or a variety of about 10 cakes. OpieS and Salt lick will take up 2 top spots on our list for a long time to come! Try them!

Opies in Spicewood is good. My buddy had his rehearsal dinner there about 4 years ago and we are from Dallas.