<div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yi3zVWrMTw0/UGJsgVzgBgI/AAAAAAAAJXE/1hwuMnnVSrw/s1600/CBQ+01.JPG"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yi3zVWrMTw0/UGJsgVzgBgI/AAAAAAAAJXE/1hwuMnnVSrw/s200/CBQ+01.JPG" width="149"></a></div><br><span><span>SCHERTZ: CBQ Eatery<br>17327 I-35 N #200<br>Schertz, TX 78154<br>210-654-3900<br>Open Tues-Thur 11-9, F-Sat 11-10, Sun 12-8<br><a href="http://www.eatcbq.com/">www.eatcbq.com</a></span></span><br><br>I proposed to a couple friends in who live in Schertz that we visit this joint for some barbecue, and they wondered why. To them it was a burger and beer joint, and despite the words 'Texas BBQ' on the sign, they didn't even realize they had it on the menu. Once we were seated and perused the menu I could see their confusion. Bar food and burgers dominated. We found a few smoked meat items and the table soon filled with plates and beer mugs the size of pitchers.<br><br><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3qAQNG---Q/UGJtYF343FI/AAAAAAAAJXM/xhCpU9ANp-4/s1600/CBQ+04.JPG"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3qAQNG---Q/UGJtYF343FI/AAAAAAAAJXM/xhCpU9ANp-4/s400/CBQ+04.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br>It's hard to go wrong with heavily spiced waffle fries covered in chopped beef and blue cheese, and CBQ didn't screw it up. The combinations of textures with the crispy fries and the tender brisket along with the flavor combination of the bold sweet sauce and the rich cheese made it hard to stop eating. <br><br><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UYxx6uRuH4/UGJtaSLANBI/AAAAAAAAJXU/xnkqNXkYrzc/s1600/CBQ+05.JPG"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UYxx6uRuH4/UGJtaSLANBI/AAAAAAAAJXU/xnkqNXkYrzc/s400/CBQ+05.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br>Smoked hog wings came stacked on a pile of crisp fries. These meaty pork shanks were sauced and grilled after smoking, and the meat was moist and well cooked. It was the best meat in their repertoire.<br><br><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZq5uP-FELs/UGJtcClmcEI/AAAAAAAAJXc/gV3_3s7TW0M/s1600/CBQ+06.JPG"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZq5uP-FELs/UGJtcClmcEI/AAAAAAAAJXc/gV3_3s7TW0M/s400/CBQ+06.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br>A sandwich was packed full of thick brisket slices. The beef had good smoke, but the heavy spice rub created an off flavor of burnt sugar and spices. The fat that was left on provided some much needed moisture because these slices were bone dry.<br><br><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYAla5QT7Ro/UGJteMATACI/AAAAAAAAJXk/8Ejgcjp3NC8/s1600/CBQ+07.JPG"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYAla5QT7Ro/UGJteMATACI/AAAAAAAAJXk/8Ejgcjp3NC8/s400/CBQ+07.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br>Whatever was used to moisten the pulled pork was incredibly watery. The meat was soggy with a washed out flavor and the bun was visibly wet. Not good.<br><br><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oG2UP5NjuhQ/UGJtgJ6aZzI/AAAAAAAAJXs/Be7LcvzLpmc/s1600/CBQ+08.JPG"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oG2UP5NjuhQ/UGJtgJ6aZzI/AAAAAAAAJXs/Be7LcvzLpmc/s400/CBQ+08.JPG" width="400"></a></div><br>Combo plates aren't offered here, and neither are half racks of ribs. The only way to get a bite of ribs is to order the full rack for $16.99. The pork was fine beneath the layer of grilled-on sauce, but if they'd just served them fresh out of the smoker instead of rewarming them on a grill they would have been much more successful. These ribs had the moisture and tenderness I was looking for, but the burnt on layer of sauce was a major distraction from the flavor of the meat and smoke.<br><br>A few items on the barbecue menu are worth returning for, but they just aren't serving very good Texas barbecue across the board. When we left I wasn't surprised that my friends said they'd be back...for burgers.<br><br>Rating **

Never let it be said that I missed an opportunity to toot my own horn. Well, and the horns of my colleagues. TM has a new book out–a melting pot with our best food stories of the last decade or so. Now you don’t have to feel guilty about tossing out all those moth-eaten old copies of the magazine–you can still read Anne Dingus on the scary Jell-O infatuation of the fifties, Prudence Macintosh on tart-tongued Texas tastemaker Helen Corbitt (the chef of the Zodiac Room, who introduced Texas to fine cuisine), and yours truly on what it’s like to be a restaurant critic (“Confessions of a Skinny Bitch”). I wish the book had pictures, but it’s still a fun read, even if I do say so myself. The publisher is the University of Texas Press. You can also get Texas Monthly on . . . Food on amazon.com.