After driving three hours from Dallas to arrive in Lexington at nine in the morning, it’s hard not to suffer some validation bias no matter what you sink your teeth into. But it helps when it’s perfectly smoked and silky tender brisket. I invited a friend on a last-minute whirlwind trip through the finest that Central Texas had to offer, and Snow’s was our obvious first stop. This was his first time trying the Saturday-only gem, and he didn’t hesitate to inform me after just two bites that this was the best brisket he’d ever eaten. We had nine more places on the list for the day, so I had to convince him not to lick the butcher paper clean, but I even had a hard time following my own advice on this visit.

We ordered a few brisket slices, then I asked for a chunk off the fatty end. We added a link and a hefty bit of the pork steak, and we were ready to feed our growling stomachs. The fatty end of brisket was a perfect morsel of smoked goodness. I can’t say much more. The sausage’s flavor was deeply smoky, but the meat was still perfectly moist. Heavy black pepper worked well with the beefiness of the link, which worked as a good counterpoint to the rich fatty pork steak. This chunk was cut thicker than my last trip and turned out better. The fat was perfectly rendered creating a rich and sticky meat experience. Seasoning heavy on the black pepper worked nicely with the salty meat. For this meal, I’d gladly get on the road again at six in the morning on a Saturday. It was that good, but we had plenty of greatness ahead of us.

(This review originally appeared on Full Custom Gospel BBQ.)