A couple of my favorite bbq places in Oklahoma include BurnCo here in Tulsa. Buffalo BBQ up in Sperry and the Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston down close to OKC. I love Texas bbq and KC bbq but these 3 places really rock and are worth the trip.
I was reading the first sentence of your thread and the first reaction I got was âuh oh, here comes the big discussion of merits of TX and OK bbqâ. good thing you add your second sentence?
realize they are different style, how do these compare to e.g. Franklinâs?
Iâve never been to Franklinâs so I can not discuss that restaurant or its products. I hear great stuff from my family who lives in Austin.
BurnCo bbq here in Tulsa is the place people either love or hate because of the line that forms and the fact that when they sell out they close ONe of the owners was the sales manager for HastyBake for many years. Adam Meyers knows his stuff. They cook everything on 12 hasty bakes. Thats it. No stoves, no deep fryers, nada. The line time is not as insane as Franklinâs but people line up every day. I try to be there at 10 for when they open at 10:30⌠Either that or call ahead for take out. First timers I highly recommend the Happy Plate.
Buffaloâs and Butchers are each owned by multi-award winning pit masters, in fact you may of seen David on the Pittmasters show. He is a real butcher. And both are nice guys. And Donnie from Buffaloâs picked up another Grand Champion at Bikes, Blues and BBQ in Fayetteville, AR this weekend.
Oklahoma bbq at least in this part of the state is probablly closer to KC style. Just not as much sauce. And there is some really good bbq and some okay bbq. After all Tulsa is home base for Rib Crib. Their competition team can produce some excellent bbq but their restaurant bbq is styled more for the fall off the bone overcooked mush that a lot of people think is real bbq. I mean, there is one restaurant here that says âyou donât need no teeth to eat our meatâ. How disqusting is that.
My qualifications for judging bbq are I have been a certified BBQ judge with Kansas CIty BBQ Society for over 11 years, I have judged over 150 competitions, I know that competition bbq is different from restaurant bbq and both of those are different from backyard (home) bbq. ONe should never judge either restaurant or competition against what you do at home.
I donât claim to be the expert that Steve Rachlin is, I have never written a book. I learn new stuff every time I enjoy someone elses bbq.
I did get invited to be a judge at the Samâs Club BBQ Challenge National Finals in Bentonville in a couple of weeks. Iâll let you know how that goes. A bonus of that event is I get to go check out the latest exhibits at the Crystal Bridges Art Museum in Bentonville. A definite bonus for visiting Northwest Arkansas.
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As for central Texas BBQ, Smittyâs and Louie Muellers are my favorites.
