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Texas BBQ


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1 hour ago, pch said:

Without tip added iirc!

 

The motherfuckers got $0 at the counter.  Fuck that horseshit.

8 hours ago, deft said:

Final bill: $78

It was $40.02 for a brisket plate, 3 sides, and a 16oz Lonestar.  IIRC the beer was like $14, which in and of itself was borderline criminal. The price would have been worth it, had it been requisite properly prepared CenTex brisket.

Edited by slorch
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10 hours ago, slorch said:

I ate at Salt Lick in DFW airport yesterday, mostly because I have never eaten at the real one, but also because it was conveniently right by my gate.  It was in the Dickie's vicinity of barbecue experience. Had sliced brisket and 3 sides.  The brisket  was stripped of any bark, no smoke ring, very little flavor.  They could have boiled it instead-  maybe they did..  The fries were of the frozen, cheapest kind you can get variety, and the mustard potato salad was meh.  It just made me sad that somebody from Portland or Cleveland pops in there on a layover and thinks, "Damn, Texas barbecue is shit."

The 16oz cup of Lone Star was easily the best part of that endeavor.


even I’m not dumb enough to eat bbq in an airport. Was chic fil a closed ?

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9 hours ago, huge said:

Burnt Bean is still putting out the good shit. This morning the brisket was top tier. Also loved the street corn pudding.

Some guys got there early and ordered for me so I didn’t get to try the barbacoa. Shame. Need to go back.
 

I’ve been dying to make it here. I have a hard time believing anybody’s brisket will be better than truth but I’m willing to give as many places a chance as possible. 

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8 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

PM @Patricio Swayze. He loves Feges. Loves, loves, LOVES it. Can't stop raving about the place. It's become a problem.

Think you’re mistaken.  He loves Pinkertons, not Feges.  
 

ps Feges SB has a delish rice bowl when you want bbq but are 47 years old and need to control your weekday calories

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*patricio shakes his head in disapproval*

Burnt Bean is awesome. I put them in the same class as Truth for sure. I had them in my list that for some reason is pinned at the top of this thread (which should have included 1701 in Beaumont as well).

I don’t hate Pinkerton’s. Just has been wildly inconsistent for me in the past 4-5 visits. With prices the way they are, if I am going to gamble, it’s going to be on a new place that I have never been.

Go to Burnt Bean.

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Another vote for Burnt Bean. On our recent bbq trip, had both Interstellar and Burnt Bean and would have flipped them in the TM ratings.  Both were excellent in all areas but the Burnt Bean would have been #2 on my list because of the quality of all of their production.  We arrived at 9:30 am for Interstellar and got to sit at the covered picnic tables, had fans, water brought to us by staff, which beat standing in line (#19) in the sun at Burnt Bean. 

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I went to Mum Foods on Manor yesterday. it was great -- brisket, pastrami (as good or better than Pieous), pork ribs, two kinds of sausage -- all very very good.  It's also a deli so they have a bunch of cold sandwiches and a bunch of really good sides (excellent mustard potato salad, pimento cheese -- all kinds of stuff).  I'd never heard of it...will definitely be back. 

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Quote

 

Is Texas’s Barbecue Bubble Ready to Burst?


Too much heat, too-expensive brisket, and too much competition are stressing barbecue joints, leading to a less profitable year for many.

As much as the owners I’ve recently spoken with blame their downturns on the heat, the high meat prices, or the competitive labor market, I think there’s a psychological factor we’re all dealing with as well. For over two years we focused on survival, and for the restaurant owners who are still around, 2023 felt like the year they should be seeing some reward. “We should be out of that survival mode by now, but it feels like survival mode still,” Helberg said. Robbins echoed her, telling me, “We are working harder than we ever have for less than we ever have.” Zavala is still hopeful, despite the challenges, saying, “Barbecue isn’t going anywhere.”


 

https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/is-texas-bbq-bubble-ready-to-burst/

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Daniel hits on all the points. I think it goes beyond the heat wave. Inflation is hammering the shit out of most families between groceries, gas, energy everything, and $40 brisket kicks the shit out of them.

I also think there is a bit of barbecue fatigue. I now rarely get it , even though I have a richness of opportunities within 20 minutes of my house. Maybe it’s the diabetes meds I’m on which kill my appetite but I just don’t get it but about once a month.

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Hurtado FTX got shut down by the health inspectors for having broken refrigeration. So how long was it broken before it got caught? Fuck you Mr Hurtado. First rule of having a restaurant is don’t fucking kill your customers.

Another instance of hobbyist pitmaster opens trailer then successful bricks store then embarks on dreams of empire. He closed the first expansion and then opened this Ft worth store in a joint that failed for Derek Allen so bad it ran him out of the bbq biz. (Derek Allen also had the hottest wife in all of bbqdom.) the beginning of the end.

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4 minutes ago, DallasSooner said:

Guys you can get a 23oz Porterhouse T-Bone at Texas Road House with two sides and bread for $32.99.

12 oz New York Strip is $22


So you eventually have to ask yourself some questions if the brisket is worth it. Unfortunately it's exploded in price on the retail scene for sure.  

I'll take $38 per pound brisket from a good Texas barbecue joint any day.

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2 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

I'll take $38 per pound brisket from a good Texas barbecue joint any day.

Perhaps.  But the thick Costco prime NY Strips and Ribeyes for around half of that are pretty compelling to me, even if I do have to cook them myself.

P.S. Sorry for thread derail.  I know this is Texas BBQ thread -- but still, brisket prices are totally out of hand relative to the quality of the beef involved.

Edited by DalTxHornFan
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On 9/23/2023 at 7:00 AM, slorch said:

It just made me sad that somebody from Portland or Cleveland pops in there on a layover and thinks, "Damn, Texas barbecue is shit."

If anyone thinks airport BBQ is representative of Texas BBQ generally, then they're morons to begin with and nobody should care what they think.

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On 9/27/2023 at 12:52 AM, Texzilla58 said:

Daniel hits on all the points. I think it goes beyond the heat wave. Inflation is hammering the shit out of most families between groceries, gas, energy everything, and $40 brisket kicks the shit out of them.

I also think there is a bit of barbecue fatigue. I now rarely get it , even though I have a richness of opportunities within 20 minutes of my house. Maybe it’s the diabetes meds I’m on which kill my appetite but I just don’t get it but about once a month.

I think he missed one important point and that is bbq places have not yet figured out how to speed up their service.  Even at Truth, which is my main bbq joint, my brisket has been lukewarm by time I get to eat sometimes since the cashier is super slow.  

I would be way more willing to go to bbq joints and try new things, like pork steak, if it didn’t mean having to wait in a line, watch people cut in line, and wait a few minutes after being served to pay for said meal.   

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You are correct here. It’s also one DV will likely miss as I would bet he doesn’t wait in line at long line joints. I would imagine he gets seated and served, regardless if he pays the check. Does he get told after an hour long plus wait they’re out of brisket and ribs?

I didn’t think of it either because I won’t wait in line more than 15 minutes or so for any restaurant if there are other choices. I’ve eaten a lot of great barbecue but none worth standing in line for hours.

A lot of these joints would make more money if they would figure out more efficient ways to turn their tables faster and get folks in and out. Most of them don’t know any other way because they aren’t true restauranteurs; many are hobbyist barbecues who figured out how to monetize it.

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7 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:

You are correct here. It’s also one DV will likely miss as I would bet he doesn’t wait in line at long line joints. I would imagine he gets seated and served, regardless if he pays the check. Does he get told after an hour long plus wait they’re out of brisket and ribs?

I didn’t think of it either because I won’t wait in line more than 15 minutes or so for any restaurant if there are other choices. I’ve eaten a lot of great barbecue but none worth standing in line for hours.

A lot of these joints would make more money if they would figure out more efficient ways to turn their tables faster and get folks in and out. Most of them don’t know any other way because they aren’t true restauranteurs; many are hobbyist barbecues who figured out how to monetize it.

DV definitely stands in the line and pays for his meals.  NOW, I'm not going to tell you he doesn't get recognized and get served the best piece of brisket a place can serve if they do see him in line. But the other two points I know for sure he does. I've read enough of his reviews that yes sometimes when he is hitting multiple places in a day that they have run out of a particular item. 

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I don't buy the argument that they use a distributor so their prices are higher.  Don't buy from the distributor.  HEB Prime briskets are currently $4.67/lb, which is a 15% discount to what they claim to pay.  Using their stated loss (trimmings, moisture) and a 3X multiplier, that would drop their retail price from $38/lb to $32/lb.  It ain't chump change.  Make a deal with your local grocer(s) to buy X lbs of meat each week.  They're not gonna turn down business, and I hardly think it's illegal to buy through a retail store.  I mean, I see chefs filling up huge push carts at CostCo all the time.

Edited by jimmyjazz
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It's funny how this brisket fetish has turned things on its head.  Way back in the day Texas butcher shops started smoking meats (like brisket) that were otherwise unpalatable and that they had a hard time selling.  The same thing happened when fajitas became mainstream.  Cheap flank/skirt steak is no more.  Same with beef and lamb cheek meat.

Perhaps it is time for more mutton!

Edited by DalTxHornFan
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15 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

It's funny how this brisket fetish has turned things on its head.  Way back in the day Texas butcher shops started smoking meats (like brisket) that were otherwise unpalatable and that they had a hard time selling.  The same thing happened when fajitas became mainstream.  Cheap flank/skirt steak is no more.  Same with beef and lamb cheek meat.

Perhaps it is time for more mutton!

Image of Thanks for mutton.

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1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I don't buy the argument that they use a distributor so their prices are higher.  Don't buy from the distributor.  HEB Prime briskets are currently $4.67/lb, which is a 15% discount to what they claim to pay.  Using their stated loss (trimmings, moisture) and a 3X multiplier, that would drop their retail price from $38/lb to $32/lb.  It ain't chump change.  Make a deal with your local grocer(s) to buy X lbs of meat each week.  They're not gonna turn down business, and I hardly think it's illegal to buy through a retail store.  I mean, I see chefs filling up huge push carts at CostCo all the time.

it's weird because as far as i can tell they aren't using like Creekstone or Heartbrand or anyone like they...they are just using "angus beef prime briskets" based on the link and some searches

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1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I don't buy the argument that they use a distributor so their prices are higher.  Don't buy from the distributor.  HEB Prime briskets are currently $4.67/lb, which is a 15% discount to what they claim to pay.  Using their stated loss (trimmings, moisture) and a 3X multiplier, that would drop their retail price from $38/lb to $32/lb.  It ain't chump change.  Make a deal with your local grocer(s) to buy X lbs of meat each week.  They're not gonna turn down business, and I hardly think it's illegal to buy through a retail store.  I mean, I see chefs filling up huge push carts at CostCo all the time.

I'm not a bbq expert, but I'm wondering if it's a volume issue. I doubt HEB would be able to consistently stock what a popular bbq restaurant is turning on a weekly basis, right?

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1 minute ago, BeardIP said:

I'm not a bbq expert, but I'm wondering if it's a volume issue. I doubt HEB would be able to consistently stock what a popular bbq restaurant is turning on a weekly basis, right?

I'm not sure why not, unless corporate caps what they'll send any given store.  I would think a contract that rolls every month or so would be a win-win.

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