Dining Guide

Virdinski’s Rub Shack

Amarillo can be a tough place for barbecue purists. Chris Virden is trying hard to make good barbecue at Virdinski’s, but he can’t always make it the way he’d like to.  The flavor was good in his ribs, but it was hard to get past the mushy texture. Brisket suffered the same fate. It was sliced very thick lest it crumble apart. The smoke and seasoning were both spot on, but it had a pot roast texture. A well smoked version of pulled pork was the winner of the place. It only suffered from a heavy blanket of thick sauce with the familiar worcestershire flavor of Head Country barbecue sauce. The sides showed great care with a potato salad that was more brunoise than dice (but with too much sweet pickle), onion rings with a pillowy batter amped up with garlic and a little sugar, and beans heavy with chili powder and cooked on site rather than coming from a can.