An excellent barbecue stop from start to finish.  Traditional methods & recipies; dedication to craft; and attention to detail produce great food and loyal customers.  Breadth of the menu did not dilute the quality of the barbecue.  This is a model of success that other restaurants should study.

MAIN FARE:

• Chopped - Hand Chopped. Even with the vinegar-based dip from the kitchen, the smoke comes shining through.  Many textures here: outside brown; shreds; chunks.  Excellent.

OTHER FARE:

I thought the sliced was better than the chopped today... primarily because it seemed the fresher of the two.  The atmosphere and dip are unique, and must be experienced.  

MAIN FARE:

• Sliced - Smoky flavor does come through.  Fork tender, with a little chew.  Bonus for not being held in a steam pan.
• Chop - More fat = more flavor! Mushy... this has been held awhile?  Chunks have a much better texture and smoke flavor.  I like the fact that it is hand-chopped.

OTHER FARE:

Solid joint with our favorites being the homemade banana pudding and pimento cheese.  Barbecue is good after being re-heated and held... but excellent when consumed fresh from the smoker.  Double-Boner takes a quart of pimento cheese to-go!

MAIN FARE:

• Course Chop - Tender meat. Pork chop flavors.  Moist & good.
• Slice - Getting a lot more smoke flavor on the slice.  Very moist.
• Both main fare products had been either steamed or re-heated
• Deano brings some fresh outside brown.  This is fabulous!  Too bad we weren't served this at the start.

OTHER FARE:

Smoke Daddy, XO, Gus, and Jack thought the hot link was excellent.  Ribs and beans were good, with the ribs narrowly missing an excellent mark.  We were disappointed that we arrived too late to try the sliced brisket and cobbler.  

This is just the type of joint that our BBQ Tours crew loves:  Family owned/operated; No pretense; Making authentic barbecue everyday, and complementing it with homemade sides/desserts.  We will be back!

MAIN FARE:

• Ribs - Bark was a bit tough, but the meat underneath was worthy of the effort.  These ribs have good smoke and are fully rendered.  The meat is tender and juicy... but very salty.  Salt from rub has penetrated through the meat, making the pork flavor take a back seat to the salt.  These small ribs may have been over-rubbed (and likely kept warm for some time).  They were good, but missed greatness today.
• Hot Link - Delicious.  This Smokey Denmark sausage is enhanced by the pitmaster's efforts.  XO feels that it is in the same league as Drexler's house-made links.  Gus calls it "meat candy". It is the best meat we sample here today.
• Chopped Brisket - It is obvious that Travis and Donna are frugal in their ways, and come from a 'waste not, want not' tradition.  However, there were too many chunks of subcutaneous (surface) fat included in this mixture.  Instead of "chopped beef", our tray resembled "chopped fat with beef".  No rating given.

OTHER FARE: 

Smoke Daddy, XO, and Gus would return for Kielbasa and barbecue beans.  Most of the barbecue was tainted with bad smoke and/or spiced to the point that the meat was unrecognizable.  Sides and desserts were pretty good, but skip the plain pintos in favor of the tangy barbecue beans. 

MAIN FARE:

• Sliced Brisket - Smoke & Salt.  Firm, stand-up style brisket. Looks tender.  A bit rough on the smoke.
• Rib - Good color and ring.  Texture is OK, even if the rib is a bit dry. However, application of smoke and spice are overwhelming.
• Kielbasa - Good meaty sausage.  Nice flavors here.
• Pulled Pork - Seasoned with table sauce??? Not sure, but the combination of sauce and smoke wipes out any meat flavor.
• Chopped Brisket - Spiced with a spice blend not found on our table.  Flavor profile is weird, and so bold that you can't tast the beef.
• Jalapeno-Cheese Sausage - Good spice.  OK sausage... but feels like its trying too hard to be popular.  XO calls it "Liberace Meat".

OTHER FARE: