Baby J’s Bar-B-Que & Fish
Palestine, TX 75839
Hours: Open Tue–Sat 11–8. Closed Sun & Mon.
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Texas Monthly rating: 4.00
TEXAS MONTHLY SAYS: 2008: 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.
BBQ SNOB SAYS: 2009: Sweet Baby J’s may be a more appropriate name for this joint. The sauce was sweet, the greens were nearly candied, and the tea was downright syrupy. Even cut with half a glass of unsweetened tea, this was liquid sugar that required a water chaser.
The meats were spared from a dose of sugar and got a good dose of smoke instead. The brisket slices had a good crust and a decent smoke line. The tender slices were moist and flavorful, if a little too fatty. The ribs were a tad chewy with an odd flavor created by being basted with sauce while being smoked with a combination of hickory, oak, and pecan. The smokiness was there, but more time in the smoker could have added some tenderness and rendered the fat a little better. The spicy, dense sausage was incredible, with a hefty amount of red and black pepper. The beef and pork mixture had a flavor similar to Italian sausage with a deep smoky twist. Pulled pork is not usually found on a Texas barbecue menu, but this version proved smoky and tender and was piled high on a bed of pickles and onions and doused with a sweet sauce.
