Barbeque, BBQ, Bar-B-Q [Houston, Texas]

These folks agree, I’m seriously mouth watering over this chicken taco and I’m just not a taco fan. The beef fat tortilla sounds amazing though.

Houstonia

Glad you found this – I was going to bring it up. I agree on the beef - the shredded cheddar and sour cream sounds like a Taco Bell thing. I’d tell 'em to leave it off, probably.

Re: accommodations and comfort. Not sure how many the place seats but it’s not large. Try to miss hitting right at the lunch hour. All seats indoors, I think, are just plain wood; outdoors, there are fixed stools at a counter on the ‘patio’ that are steel. Comfort either depends on how much natural padding you bring with you or how engrossed in the food you are. I don’t have much padding anymore but I wasn’t bothered by the hard seats :grin:.

I’ve stopped at New Zion a number of times, although not in several years. Always got moist brisket, sausage and a couple pork ribs. Thought it was all pretty good - not in my personal top tier but solidly second. And those church ladies sure can turn out the pies so I always used to pick up a couple to schlep up to Dallas for the relatives. It may have gone downhill but it used to be for sure worth a stop. Although not worth a special trip. Like Luling.

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Gatlin’s is adding smoked bologna to the menu. (TMBBQ blog)

Isn’t this known as Oklahoma brisket???

As a sausage fanatic, I have to get up there to try this :yum:.

Count meeeee, out.

It looks awesome all fried up crisp like that! My bud who has a couple of restaurants out west serving Texas brisket is always making this for himself.

That doesn’t really have the texture of bologna.

FTA:

As Wallace puts it, “It’s literally just a giant sausage.”

And like BSW, I love sausuches.

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Yeah. Doesn’t look like bologna but I want it.

Next up: smoked pickle/pimento loaf, smoked olive loaf and smoked deviled ham. :yum::yum::confused:

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I went to Gatlins on W. 19th once. The brisket and ribs were excellent. I could not get by, take your pick, molasses, tortoise, or glacier like service.

There was one guy in front of me with a small order and my a la carte brisket and ribs. It took twenty-five minutes, plenty of staff, no mas Gatlins.

I read other horror stories but it seems that the service has been fixed at the new locale.

I’ll give them another shot for those good ribs and brisket but you people are going to have to convince me that the baloney is better than the traditional BBQ.

Texas Monthly’ s Top 50 BBQ joints is due out at 8am this morning.

Almost sure to cause consternation and controversy.

('Cause that’s what sells magazines.)

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Texas Monthly Top 50

Link

Hint: Snow’s in Lexington is #1.
Franklin in Austin #2

I heard the top 10 on the radio this morning. I know of Corkscrew, but that Tejas Chocolate Craftory is a new one on me, odd name.

It’s in Tomball and started out as a straight Chocolate Shop. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough $$ to be made in Tomball in bon bons so they branched out to BBQ and “Voila”.

Franklin’s de-throned, but not by Killen’s (which has vowed to).

Up in Dallas, Pecan Lodge, which made the Top 4 last time, doesn’t make the Top 10 this time.

I’ve never even heard of Wolfforth, Tx. But it seems I passed within a few miles last October when I passed through Lubbock twice. Wish I’d known about it then. I was hoping to hit Tyler’s in Amarillo but got through town too late.

In Lockhart, my long time, all time brisket fave Black’s doesn’t make the Top 50; neither does Smitty’s. Well, I haven’t been to either in about 10 years so I guess I can’t argue. Terry Black’s (same family) in Austin does show up.

Brook’s Place in Cypress drops off the list completely.

I have heard only sporadic mentions of Tejas up until Scott Sandlin put it at # 2 (behind Corkscrew, ahead of Killen’s) in his list of Houston’s Top 10 on Houston Food Finder. I guess we’ll be hearing a lot more about it now.

Of the top 10, I have been to Louie Mueller in Taylor, Corkscrew in Spring and Truth, in Brenham - the latter two only once each.

I’m very surprised by Pinkerton’s since it’s only been open since December.

Have you been? Anybody on this board?? Lurkers??? Tell us what you think.

Though they aren’t ranked after the Top 10 each place is given a score. Here are the scores for Houston-area places on the list.

Tejas Chocolate Craftory - Tomball - # 6, score 4.75
Corkscrew - Spring - # 7, score 4.75
Truth - Brenham - # 10, score 4.75

Killen’s - Pearland - score 4.5
Roegel’s - Houston - score 4.5
Pinkerton’s - Houston (Heights) - score 4.25
The Pit Room - Houston - Montrose - score 4.25
Gatlin’s - Houston - near NW - score 4.0

Somehow I’m just seeing this.

If you mean Pinkerton’s, “No, I haven’t been”. My Shaggy brethren seem to love it.

I don’t think my link above is working, so here is TEXAS MONTHLY’S TOP 50 LIST

Of the Top Ten,

I’ve eaten #1 Snow’s dozens of times, and Ms. Tootsie’s BBQ for over forty years. (Both of my parents are from Lexington.)

I stood in line for three hours about five years ago on a Thursday for #2 Franklin. It was excellent, but I wouldn’t do it again.

I’ve eaten at #5 Louis Mueller’s a few times but not in twenty years.

Tried #7 Corkscrew once. I liked the pulled pork better than the brisket.

I like City Market in Luling better than any of the Lockhart places.

I’d like to get to Truth and Tejas soon.

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City Market in Luling was my pick for overall best bbq joint - everything was good - brisket, ribs, sausage. I liked Black’s best for brisket, Louie Mueller for sausage. But I haven’t been to any of them in approaching 10 years now.

BTW, saw recently that Edgar Black of Black’s has died. Probably hadn’t been involved in day to day operations in years.

Doubt that I’ll ever get to taste Franklin’s but I guess I should man up and try to make it to Snow’s sometime before I die (or she does).

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Checked out the ‘new’ location of Gatlin’s on Ella - pulled pork sandwich, spicy link sandwich.

Gatlin’s pulled pork is very good - moist. Wouldn’t have even needed sauce for this except for the very substantial bun. Spicy link very juicy (lots of fat included) and lots of red pepper - very spicy.

Help yourself to condiments (and utensils, napkins, to go boxes, etc.) - I just took pickles and passed on onions and jalapenos; had to get directions to the sauce dispenser which I didn’t recognize.

Per Daniel Vaughan on TMBQQ blog, Gatlin’s gave up their off-set smokers and switched to commercial rotisserie ovens when they abandoned the original location and weren’t willing to spring for the necessary scrubbers to meet city smoke pollution regulations.

Pulled pork was not as good as I remembered but better than what I’ve had at Killen’s. Can’t compare to The Pit Room since that taco was all dressed. Didn’t care for the sauce in conjunction with the pulled pork; should’ve brought this one home and tried with HEB or TJ’s Carolina style sauces.

I think I’ve read the sausage is made locally but not by Gatlin’s. I couldn’t finish but one sandwich ($6.99 each, a lot of meat). Made the mistake of snacking on some of the sausage too close to bedtime and woke up in the middle of the night with what I thought was going to be a fatal case of heartburn.

Very disappointing - pot likker was not much more than pale green tinted water.

New place is in a new strip center; seats 140, almost 20 times the capacity of the original location. There are two cashiers and the worst part of the wait was the woman in front of me having to read the whole menu all the way through each time she ordered something. Lots of employees circulating through the dining rooms to help with bussing, etc. Less than 10 minutes for the food to come out. I was there in the middle of the afternoon, would still recommend avoiding lunch time.

Evaluation … tough. This was ok but wasn’t great bbq. I may be back to try the ribs and brisket sometime (dirty rice is supposed to be their best side) but there’s better bbq in town.

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The sandwiches look amazing! Is that turnips or mustard greens? I wish more people made mustard greens, turnips are so bitter to me. I go to Treebeard’s for mustard greens and theirs are very memorable. I’ve made them at home many times with the Treebeard’s cookbook.