Killen's BBQ Review (Pearland, TX)  

Killen's BBQ Website, Facebook, & Twitter  

 

While Killen’s has long lines much like Franklin’s, they do drop in the afternoon. I decided to pick up dinner about 3pm on my trip to Pearland to stay with friends. The line was much shorter and I only waited about 20 minutes.  

For those not in the know (and if your dedicated enough to follow this blog you probably know), Killen’s is the Pearland answer to Franklin. 2 hour long lines with people lining up well before opening. They are counter order but have a pretty big dining area inside. I order brisket, pork ribs, turkey, a beef rib, and sausage (all they have left is a turkey sausage).  

Sausage: I’m starting with the turkey sausage because it’s the hardest to judge. I’ve never had a turkey sausage like this before so I’m not sure what to expect. The flavor was excellent, with some pepper and spices. The texture was a lot softer than I would expect from regular sausage. The casing didn’t snap the same, and it was a lot chewier. I honestly don’t know if this was normal or not. I’m calling it 8.0/10, because the flavor leads me to believe it is done right (also, see the other items).

Turkey: The turkey has a nice peppery and smoky flavor. It is moist and tender. This is good stuff. Call it 9.0/10.  

Pork Rib: The rib is tender, juicy, and has a nice crust. There’s a good ratio of meat to bone. It has a heavy black pepper flavor, and there’s a touch of sweetness. Call it 9.0/10.  

Beef Rib: The beef rib has a nice bark, and is tender and moist. It has an excellent smoke flavor, combined with lots of pepper. Call it 9.5/10.  

Brisket: The brisket has a nice bark, and a good smoke flavor. There’s lots of that pepper again, and it is moist and tender. I’ll give it 9.5/10. 

 

There have been those who have compared Killen’s to Franklin and some of the other top BBQ joints in Central Texas. All I can say is: The comparison is justified. They are definitely turning out top notch product. How good? Well, I did have the leftovers for breakfast the day of the Houston BBQ festival.

Is it worth a visit? Yes. 

Is it worth a trip? Absolutely! They may not have the fan base of Franklin, but they have shown they are just as good. 

Tom

Nathan's BBQ  Review (Brenham, TX)  

Nathan's BBQ Website, Facebook, & Twitter  

On the way down to the Houston area (and the 4th annual Houston BBQ Festival) I decided to stop here to pick up lunch. I’d seen this place advertised on road signs on previous trips to and from Houston. It’s gas station BBQ located in Brenham, TX. Let’s see how it compares to the other places I’ve formally reviewed when making this trip.  

It’s your typical counter order place. They have a wide selection and it is reasonably priced. They seem to do a lot of traffic business but also a lot of local business. I decide to order a three meat plate (brisket, pork shoulder, and sausage), and tack a pork rib on extra.  

Sausage: The sausage has a good snap. It is tender and juicy. There is an excellent flavor of pepper and a touch of sweetness (honey?). It’s good stuff. Call it 8.0/10.  

Pork Rib: The pork rib has a good crust. It is a touch tough, but has am excellent good flavor (pepper and that sweetness again). It is juicy (note: juicy and tough are not contradictions). Call it 8.0/10.  

Pork Shoulder: The pork shoulder is tender and moist, and not too greasy (yay!). It has a light smoky flavor and (again) a touch of sweetness. Call it 8.0/10. 

Brisket (moist): The brisket has a decent bark. It could be a little more moist, given I ordered moist, but the flavor is excellent. There’s a great smoke flavor, pepper, and yet again that touch of sweetness. Call it 8.5/10.  

Nathan’s is a prime example that you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover. It may be gas station BBQ, but it’s pretty damn good! 

Is it worth a visit? Definitely.  

Is it worth a trip? Well, I was headed to Pearland (in preparation for the Houston BBQ festival), but I thought to myself “If I turned around and went home, this would still have been a good day”. So yes.

(Al's comment: It would have been worth it just for a trip to the "little creamery in Brenham." BBQ is the plus side!)

 

-Tom

Going to the Festival #1: The Red Dirt BBQ Festival (Tyler, TX)  

Red Dirt's Festival Website, Facebook, & You-Tube

Tish, her parents, and I went to the Red Dirt BBQ festival in Tyler this past Saturday. It is held in the square in downtown Tyler and features live music as well as a selection of some of the best BBQ from around Texas. I saw quite a few familiar places as well as some I haven't heard of.

 So of course I did the responsible thing: I ditched my wife and in-laws and proceeded to sample as much BBQ as I possibly could. (I had actually planned that ahead of time, and they can't throw stones since their tickets were a gift….). 

 

I'll start by saying that (as expected) there was no bad BBQ there. There were various levels ranging from "Very Good" to "Awesome", but nothing disappointed. There was also a fair amount of creativity. I'm going to try a slightly different format than usual. I'll break them down by rating categories.

I should also note that I fully understand that these places are away from their normal pits and are traveling. 

As always, I'm not rating jalapeno sausage (and there was a lot of it). I tried some here and there, and nope: I still don't like jalapeno. Give me ghost pepper or habanero every time. 

 

Some places have numbers by them. Their item either requires clarification, or they also had an additional item in the other category. (FYI - linkified for reference)

 

Very Good: These places would score a solid 6-7 on our normal scale.

Brisket: Buzzie's, Country Tavern, Schmidt Family BBQ, Bodacious BBQ

Pork Ribs: Freedman's (3), Schmidt Family BBQ,

Sausage: Kreuz Market, Heim's BBQ (5)

 

Excellent: These places would score an 8 or low 9 on our normal scale.  

Brisket: Meat Church (1), Bet the House (2), BBQ on the Brazos, Lockhart Smokehouse, Stanley'sFamous Pit BBQ

Sausage: Buzzie's, Country Tavern, Freedman's (3)

Pork Ribs: Buzzie's

Beef Rib: MeatChurch

Turkey: Bet theHouse

 

Awesome: These places would score a high 9 or 10 on our normal scale.

Brisket: The SlowBone (4)

Sausage: Micklethwait, Bodacious BBQ

Turkey: Miller's (6)

Other items:

1)     In addition to brisket, Meat Church had an excellent brisket taco.

2)     In addition to brisket, Bet the House had an unusual (but delicious) brisket and coleslaw eggroll.

3)     Freedman's had an excellent brisket boudin. The pork rib was a Big Red (soda) basted pork rib. I normally don't like Big Red, but I did like this, and probably would have loved it if it didn’t have the extra squirt of Big Red sauce on it at the end (was just a little too much).

4)    The Slow Bone did a Brisket slider with Pimento cheese and chimichurri sauce that was incredible.

 

5)     Heim's also did "Burnt Bacon Ends" (pork belly) that should probably be classified as a controlled substance. It's that addictive.

6)    Miller's also did a smoked tri-tip that was incredible.

 

I didn't try Louie Mueller's, Stiles Switch or Blacks (the first two because I eat there often and the last because I ate there last week). I didn't make it to Hutchin's in time.

I tried Roegel's jalapeno sausage. I could tell it was well-made, but jalapeno is still not my thing. I did meet John Brotherton (AKA@BBQBrotherton), who was working at the Roegel's booth. Very nice guy!

As I noted earlier, everything was good. I'd have to say the most interesting thing was the brisket eggroll from Bet the House, and the best thing was probably a tossup between the slider from The Slow Bone and the tri tip from Miller's Family Smokehouse. They were both so good it's hard to decide.

Many thanks to Red Dirt and the City of Tyler for an incredible afternoon. Looking forward to going again next year!

Tom

Review of Tommy's BBQ (Gun Barrel City, TX)  

Killen's BBQ Website, Facebook, & Yelp  

We decided to get take-out BBQ from Tommy's as a warm-up before attending the Red Dirt BBQ festival the next day. Tommy's is a small business in downtown Gun Barrel city. It is typical order at the counter. Yelp reviews are very positive and Tish's parents swear by it.  

 

They have a varied menu, but we don't want to overdo it. We get brisket, sausage, pork ribs, and ham.  

Brisket: I asked for moist. I really hope this is lean. It is very dry, has very little smoke flavor, and not much flavor otherwise. Bland is the word that comes to mind. I give it 4.0/10.

Pork Ribs: I tried three ribs. All were dry (some more than others) and somewhat tough. There isn't any smoke flavor and no real flavor at all. Again, bland comes to mind. I'll call it 4.0/10.

Sausage: when I asked what type of sausage they have, they say they use an Eckrich sausage. This doesn't fill me with confidence as very few can turn that into something good. And my fears are justified. The casing is chewy, the filling is mushy, and that one word pops up yet again.... Bland. It's almost likening a hotdog.  I give it 3.0/10.

Ham: The ham is actual reasonably tender and moist. It also has a decent flavor.  However, there's no smoke flavor at all. If you told me I was eating Christmas ham cooked in the oven I would believe you. I'll give it 5.0/10 simply because while it isn't bad, it doesn't taste like BBQ.

To read the Yelp review and to listen to my in laws, this is one of the best BBQ places ever. All I can say is, "We have vastly differing ideas on what constitutes good BBQ". Hopefully we can change some opinions tomorrow at Red Dirt.

Is it worth a visit? Honestly, no. Of the 4 items I tried only the ham earned a passing score.

Is it worth a trip? Nope.

If I have to go anyway? Order the ham or try one of the items I didn't order.

Tom