The Top 50

Listed alphabetically by city.

June 2008

(Page 4 of 4)

MONAHANS

Pappy’s Bar BQ

Primary heat source: Wood.

Be advised: Your intelligence will be tested by triangle-pegboard puzzle games on each table.

The mesquite-smoked brisket was well seasoned and tender, and the sliced German sausage was slightly sweet and spicy. But the real winners at this rustic locale, decorated with vintage posters for old cowboy flicks, were the sides. Green beans sprinkled with garlic, onion, and bacon and not-too-chunky potato salad with thinly sliced carrots were a perfect reward for a long day of driving. Opt for a square of cornbread instead of a slice of white bread. DAH

Rating: 4.25.
1901 S. Stockton Ave., 432-943-9300. Open Tue—Sat 11—9. Closed Sun & Mon. [Map]

OAKVILLE

Van’s Bar-B-Q

Primary heat source: Wood.

Remarkable employee: Marty, the cowboy-hat-wearing grandma waitress.

The combination of the frequently awesome mesquite-smoked meats and a terrific vibe have attracted barbecue hounds from far and wide for more than a quarter century. Inside, you’ll find old-timey claw-foot tables and a relaxed attitude about housekeeping, which is to say the place hasn’t seen a mop in ages. PS

Rating: 4.
2648 I-37 (exit 65), 361-786-3995. Open 7 days 7–7. [Map]

PALESTINE

Baby J’s Bar-B-Que & Fish

Primary heat source: Wood.

Sign outside says: “Smoked Pig, Pull Pork.”

Owner Baby J (Jeremiah McKenzie) is gearing up for high volume at his cheerfully decorated new place. Pecan-smoked meats with dark, flavorful crusts are his game. It’s all good, so forget the sauce. Southern-style pulled pork provides a juicy wake-up call to jaded taste buds. Replace the usual sides with fried okra, turnip greens, and cornbread for a soul-food feast. CR

Rating: 4.
FM 2419 at U.S. 287, 903-729-8402. Open Mon—Sat 11—8. Closed Sun. [Map]

PARIS

Scholl Bros. Bar-B-Que

Primary heat source: Gas or electricity.

Be advised: Diabetics may want to tread lightly. The tea, sauce, rub, and desserts are hyperglycemically sweet.

When we asked a resident Parisian to impress us, he whisked us away to Scholl Bros. The ribs are prepared in the region’s signature style, using a sugary wet rub, in a mesquite-and-pecan-fed gas smoker. The thirteen-hour brisket wasn’t as good, but the sauce, a concoction flavored with brown sugar, gave the beef a much-needed boost. If your sweet tooth hasn’t fallen out by the end of the meal, invest in a local favorite, Ann Mann’s apple fried pie. AV

Rating: 4.
1528 Lamar Ave., 903-739-8080. Open Mon—Thur 11—8, Fri & Sat 11—9. Closed Sun. [Map]

PEADENVILLE

Hashknife on the Chisholm

Primary heat source: Gas or electricity.

Building used to be: A gas station.

Like a mirage in the desert, the Hashknife springs up out of nowhere at an otherwise unremarkable intersection just north of Mineral Wells. Pitmaster Jim McLennan and his wife, Lesa, have been in business here for only two years, but Jim’s been serving up ’cue for oil field workers and nearby ranches since he was sixteen. We could taste the experience: His pecan-and-oak-smoked ribs were juicy and his vinegar slaw unparalleled. JB

Rating: 4.
8131 N. U.S. 281, 940-325-5150. Open Tue—Thur 11—8, Fri & Sat 11—9. Closed Sun & Mon. [Map]

PEARSALL

Cowpokes Texas-Style Bar-B-Que

Primary heat source: Wood.

Complaint: The giant pit is fenced off and cannot be admired.

The brisket fell into delectable shards while remaining moist, even after an alarming twenty to thirty hours in the smoker. We missed the ribs, but the porcine portion of the barbecue family was well represented by two kinds of sausage, plain and spicy. Darn-good sides rounded out the offerings. The thick, sweet, tomato-tart sauce had bite. A few branding irons carry out the squeaky-clean dining room’s cowboy theme. PS

Rating: 4.25.
855 W. Comal (Texas Hwy. 140), 830-334-8000. Open Sun—Thur 8:30—8:30, Fri & Sat 8:30—9:30. [Map]

SAN ANTONIO

The Smokehouse

Primary heat source: Wood.

Remarkable employee: A jocular pitman who hails arriving and departing guests.

This modest spot with vinyl tablecloths and a TV mounted on the wall is brought to life by the old players handling the forty-foot indoor pit. We encountered laborers, families, and professional types all enjoying crunchy-on-the-outside, flavorful-and-moist-on-the-inside 24-hour brisket along with juicy pork ribs and not-too-greasy sausage, all smoked over mesquite. The homemade sauce (with a touch of honey?) is mighty fine. PBM

Rating: 4.
3306 Roland, 210-333-9548. Open Tue—Sat 11—8, Sun 11—6. Closed Mon. [Map] thesmokehousesa.com

SAN BENITO

Longhorn Cattle Company Barbecue and Steak Restaurant

Primary heat source: Gas or electricity.

Notable decor: Hundreds of signatures carved in the pads of a giant prickly pear hedge out front.

Even though the back room is the size of a barn, it has character: rough timber walls and Longhorn skulls. A cup of charro bean soup arrived gratis the minute we sat down, easing our wait for the all-around-good-quality mesquite-smoked meats (chicken and ribs were the best, brisket close behind). A bonus: real china plates and metal utensils. PS

Rating: 4.25.
3055 W. Expwy. 83 (Paso Real exit, southbound), 956-399-4400. Open Sun & Tue—Thur 11—8, Fri & Sat 11—9. Closed Mon. [Map]

SHERMAN

OO Smokehouse

Primary heat source: Wood.

Be advised: To-go orders are identified by the color of the diner’s vehicle.

There’s no glitz at this eleven-year-old walk-up two blocks from the courthouse. But there’s plenty of great barbecue, from the monstrous pork ribs to the flavorful sausage that shines with the thick, smoky sauce (owner Wayne Ooten and his son, Kevin, worked on this recipe for more than a year before opening and declined, at first, even to share the secret ingredients with Mrs. Ooten). Most locals order their food to go, but if you’re lucky, the lone picnic table out back beneath an enormous pecan tree will be free. BDS

Rating: 4.25.
200 S. Montgomery, 903-892-3435. Open Mon–Sat 11–7. Closed Sun. [Map]

SPICEWOOD

Opie’s Barbecue

Primary heat source: Wood.

Restaurant is named for: Owner’s old dog.

The prime rib at Opie’s is so tender you almost feel sorry for it. How will it protect itself? It lacks the brisket’s seasoned black bark, the baby back ribs’ sweet, chewy crust, or the all-pork jalapeño sausage’s threatening heat. The prime rib is defenseless, a perfectly smoked pink prey. Show it some mercy. Also try the tater tot casserole and the homemade, bigger-than-a-child’s-head cookies. Sauce is smoked in a pot alongside the meats, giving it an unusual mesquite-infused bite. J. Silverstein

Rating: 4.25.
9504 E. Texas Hwy. 71, 830-693-8660. Open Mon & Tue 11—4, Wed & Thur 11—7, Fri & Sat 11—8, Sun 11—7. [Map]

TAYLOR

Louie Mueller Barbeque

Primary heat source: Wood.

See Louie Mueller Barbeque for the story.

TAYLOR

Taylor Cafe

Primary heat source: Wood.

Sign inside says: “I’m not a dog, don’t whistle.”

Eighty-four-year-old Vencil Mares has been perfecting his skills on the brick pit since 1948. We’d heard about his chicken, but the day we visited, the pork ribs were the highlight, with brisket not far behind. Mares’s trick is wrapping the meat in butcher paper and smoking it over post oak for eight or nine hours. “Don’t ever turn it over,” he says. After the meat is cooked, he rewraps it and stores it in an ice chest for seven hours. His place, a sort of working-class tavern, is practically under a bridge. KV

Rating: 4.
101 N. Main, 512-352-2828. Open Mon—Fri 10—10, Sat & Sun 10—11. [Map]

TYLER

Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Que

Primary heat source: Wood.

Menu surprise: Tilapia.

The Brother-in-Law, a sandwiched smorgasbord of chopped beef, butterflied hot links, and cheese, has a powerful (and well-deserved) reputation in East Texas, but order the old-fashioned hand-pulled-pork sandwich, filled with juicy shreds of perfectly smoked pork shoulder. Nick Pencis, the owner and pitmaster, follows a fifty-year-old smoking method—meats housed for sixteen hours in the pecan-fueled pit—to turn out some of the best barbecue in this neck of the Piney Woods. AV

Rating: 4.5.
525 S. Beckham Ave., 903-593-0311. Open Mon–Fri 11–4, Sat 11–3. Closed Sun. [Map] stanleyspitbbq.com

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