Visited Saturday 1/27, 2:40 pm
What I ordered: burnt ends, prime rib, beans, peach cobbler
My take: burnt ends are meaty with a flavorful smoky bark, meat is a tad dry / prime rib very moist and fatty / beans are the best-in-class with jalapenos in the pot adding flavor / peach cobbler is great
The place: red brick building often with a line of folks wrapped around the corner on weekend days, inside there a lot of communal bench style seating. Bread and BBQ sauce are on the tables, free beans and condiments are at a self-serve station
Pro Tip: you order your meat at the outside smoker and they go by portion (you gesture how much you want) vs. by the pound
Visited Saturday 1/27, 11:00 am
What I ordered: 3-meat plate (brisket, chicken, spicy sausage), green beans, coleslaw, beans
My take: brisket is juicy with well rendered fat, and smoky bark / spicy sausage is course, mildly spice with a flavorful skin / chicken is good and a generous portion
The place: here the owners and pitmaster are hands-on and present onsite, welcoming you
Pro Tip: order the chicken if you're hungry, half a bird comes with a meat plate!
Visited Sunday 1/21, 9:30 am
What I ordered: cachete taco w/verde salsa
My take: it was my first experience with barbacoa and to be honest it wasn't my thing (however, judging by the couple's ooohs and awes, who are experienced with this kind of meat, it probably deserves its accolades), it was too fatty, rich and "textured" for my taste. Tacos are generously sized, and the wonderfully delicious floppy, warmed (lightly salted) tortilla is a treat all by itself, as is the excellent house-made tomatillas-avocado-lime verde salsa
The place: the hands-on owner, Mando, is patient (and I'm guessing experienced) dealing with Passport toting gringos....and he was fine with letting me order a solo taco (previously he didn't sell individual tacos, just barbacoa by the pound and packets of tortillas)
Pro Tip: if you're a barbacoa newbie, the cachete is the leanest meat and should be your first to try (vs. the lengua, ojos or mixta)
Visited Saturday 1/20, 3:30 pm
What I ordered: beef rib tips, pulled pork, sausage
My take: beef rib tips were unique (to me), meaty and flavorful bark / pulled pork is best-in-class / sausage was good
The place: housed in the former childhood home of the owner, the place is all shiny and newly modernized with interesting memorabilia and photos on the walls from a time past. The owner is one of the nicest BBQ folks around and gave me a personalized tour of his place, despite my near closing time arrival
Pro Tip: Do not pass up the pulled pork; it's a winner!
Visited Saturday 1/20, 1:00 pm
What I ordered: chopped brisket and chicken tacos w/a side of chips & queso
My take: both tacos are good, served on tasty flour tortillas; the chicken is juicy but the chopped brisket is more flavorful / the chips are tasty, the queso is standard fare
The place: located in the downtown historic district, this is a lively, fun place that had live music while I was there; although it was crowded inside with only outside seating available. They also have a few craft beer options on tap
Pro Tip: four tortillas (vs. corn) is the way to go here
Visited Thurday 1/18, 1:30 pm
What I ordered: frito pie w/chopped beef
My take: the generously sized frito pie is tasty, with lots of beans, cheese and shredded cheese topping the chopped beef
The place: spacious interior and seating, with wood paneled walls and interesting and unique taxidermy displayed on the walls
Pro Tip: the portions are generously sized, so come hungry!
Visited Thursday 1/18, 11:30 am
What I ordered: brisket tacos w/pico de gallo, chicharoni macaroni
My take: the brisket for the tacos is sliced in front of you, and combined with the large floppy tasty tortilla and zesty pico de gallo it is a mouth-watering taco / the chicharoni mac & cheese is excellent, the real cheese is thick and stringy goodness
The place: seemingly in an out-of-the-way in an industrial area; it's obvious by the long line that folks know about this hidden jewel. There's limited seating inside and additional seating on the covered patio
Pro Tips: you can choose a pickled item from a list to top your taco and add additional items for a buck each (pico de gallo, nopales, bell peppers and serranos. If you drinks sodas this is the place to get it - they serve delicious Stubborn sodas (no corn syrup and flavors like Lemon Berry Acai, Black Cherry Tarragon and Orange Hibiscus)
Visited Sunday 1/14, 4:30 pm
What I ordered: brisket tacos w/pico de gallo, salsa & guac, pork rib, bread pudding
My take: the tasty trio of street styled brisket tacos is best-in-class for flavor / the pork rib was meaty with a tasty, just-right-sweet glaze / the made-in-house bread pudding is delicious
The place: set on a Texas sized lot covered with giant Oak trees, spacious interior dining room and large covered patio with outdoor seating. Even at an "off time" there was still a good sized line out the door
Pro Tip: the street tacos are a "special" and not always offered as a menu item
Visited Sunday 1/14, 11:00 am
What I ordered: brisket, sausage, Texas caviar
My take: brisket is tender and good / sausage is good, nothing special about it / Texas caviar is a unique side and a tasty treat!
The place: housed is a large hard-to-miss red building with spacious interior room
Pro Tip: they seemed caught off guard by our arrival at opening (this may be a place where you don't want to arrive too early)
Visited Saturday 1/13, 8:00 pm
What I ordered: pastrami & turkey sandwich w/chips, house salad, dirty rice
My take: sandwich is great, both with delicious, quality meats but the pastrami was notably outstanding, Texas toast is a nice touch / salad availability nice to see at a BBQ place, comes with juicy ripe cherry tomatoes / dirty rice is a unique and flavorful side
The place: located in a strip mall, inside is a spacious dining area and a back room area that could be used for private parties.
Pro Tip: They have dinner hours (5-9 pm), so if you want BBQ for dinner this is a good place to get it!
Visited Saturday 1/13, 1:30 pm
What I ordered: brisket tacos w/green chile ranch & pico de gallo
My take: the brisket tacos are famous here for a reason, they are delicious, and extra tasty with the add of fresh pico de gallo and the tasty green chile ranch
The place: the shaded porch wraps around the building making the wait in line more pleasant, plus the provide free coffee, once inside there's tables and seating
Pro Tip: get there early to avoid a long wait in line
Visited Saturday 1/13, 12:00 pm
What I ordered: brisket & blues sandwich, turkey, burnt ends, carrot souffle, cornbread pudding
My take: brisket & blues sandwich is best-in-class, brisket is flavorful and moist and blue cheese w/brisket is genius / burnt ends is among the best / turkey moist and with peppery bark / carrot souffle my favorite side anywhere, although more like dessert / cornbread pudding is good
The place: cute house and all sorts of character inside and out, the first counter you order your chocolates and then continue to the next counter to order BBQ and beer
Pro Tip: the early bird gets the Golden Ticket! (25 golden tickets are up for grabs each morning hanging on the wall, first-come, first-take, good for your party up to 6 - which gets you the first 25 spots in the long and slow moving line)
Visited Sunday 12/31, 3:00 pm.
What I ordered: brisket, mac n' cheese
My take: my brisket slice was unintentionally half moist and half lean, and my preference was the leaner side which was still moist and with a meaty, smoky bark / the mac n' cheese shells were creamy goodness, made all the better topped with crumbled bacon / the BBQ sauce is tangy but too sweet
The place: it's an unassuming store front, you order in a smaller room with some tables but there is ample seating in an adjacent room, religious radio station playing someone's favorite tunes. Friendly staff
Pro Tip: here I learned a new favorite BBQ term, "put some bark on it", which I intend to use a lot in the future!
Visited Saturday 1/6, 11:00 am
What I ordered: loaded baked potato with "beef"
My take: this is a massive baked potato filled with a hearty amount of meat, with shredded cheese and BBQ sauce, it is very tasty...and filling!
The place: look for the barn red painted corrugated metal building on a spacious corner lot, with the lovely Waxahachie's historic courthouse's tower visible further down the road
Pro Tip: there was no line at opening at 11 am, but it was busy soon after
