Kerlin BBQ Review (Austin, TX)  

Kerlin BBQ Webpage, Facebook, & Twitter  

Another weekend, and another new brewery. Scott and I were going to pay a visit to HiSign Brewing, and we figured it would be a good time to scope out Kerlin BBQ, especially since they’ve apparently started offering BBQ kolaches as a regular offering Wed – Sun from 9 – 11. We get down there about 10, with James meeting us for BBQ a little later.  

Kerlin has two food trailers (one for BBQ and one for kolaches) located on Caesar Chavez east of 35, a few blocks before reaching LaBBQ. They have a covered seating area. There’s no real line when we get there at 10. 

Kolaches: They list three regular offerings: a brisket and cheddar cheese; a pork shoulder and jack cheese; and a jalapeno sausage. They also do one special each day. Today’s was chorizo and egg (Sunday’s is scheduled to be spinach). They also sell drinks, water, and Ruta Maya Coffee, if you don't bring you own coffee.

Scott gets the sausage/cheddar and the chorizo, and I try the pork and the brisket.

We’ll talk about the kolaches in one big group here, and they're all outstanding. The bread has a nice sweetness that complimented the smoke in the meat. The cheese added a good creaminess to the pork shoulder and the chorizo was excellently seasoned. Scott really liked the jalapeno sausage. If there was any criticism at all, the cheddar in the brisket was almost a little overpowering, but it was still an excellent flavor.

(Incidentally, we know there’s a big debate over what is and isn’t a kolache (ahem...Wikipedia). Our response: This tastes good enough that if they want to call it a kolache we aren’t going to argue with them).

We discussed scoring as neither of us has had a BBQ kolache before (or more accurately any BBQ kolache experience we've had is so dated, that we'll start with a clean slate, assuming we know nothing (insert jokes here).) We decided on starting at 8.5/10. Not to say that they aren’t necessarily better than that, but you don’t want to set the bar too high on the first outing. They’ll certainly be the benchmark for future measurements. And in case you have any further doubts, I liked them enough that I put in a pre-order to take 24 to work the next day for my staff. Honestly, if James hadn’t been coming we probably would have just eaten kolaches all morning.

James showed up about 10:50 and the BBQ trailer itself opened promptly at 11:00. Interestingly, despite the good things we’ve heard about Kerlin there isn’t a line. We're the first at the order window. They have a small meat menu: brisket, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and sausage (we ask if it is jalapeno and the lady serving says yes). They do some sandwiches and a Frito pie as well. We get enough of a sampling to try everything. James also gets a chopped beef sandwich.

Sausage: As noted above, they indicated the sausage was a jalapeno sausage. However, the consensus among us was that on THIS sausage (as opposed to the kolache), none of us tasted jalapeno. There was some nice heat, but it seemed to be from red pepper. The sausage had a good snap and texture, but was a bit heavy on the grease. Scott and James didn’t mind this quite as much as I did. Scott and James score it 8.0/10. I give it 7.5/10 (just a tad too greasy for my taste).

 

(P.S: When I picked up my kolaches Sunday morning they clarified that the sausage is a hotlink (which matches what we were tasting). When they use them in the kolaches, they add pickled jalapeños. So we are no longer confused.)

Brisket: The brisket looks gorgeous, and has a wonderful smoke flavor. There’s a lot of nice pepper. Scott and I did each get one bite that was a hair dry, but the rest was perfectly moist and tender, that “melt in the mouth” consistency. All of us call this 8.75/10. (Scott's comment: Burnt end lottery winner!) 

Pork Rib: The ribs have a lovely pepper crust, yet there’s a nice sweetness as well. They have the right amount of tenderness and resistance, and there’s a lot of meat on each bone. The flavor includes some excellent smoke and goes all the way to the bone. One of the best pork ribs we’ve had. James gives it 9.0/10. Scott and I give it 9.5/10.  

Pork Shoulder: This is moist without being greasy. Looks like they use the same seasoning as on the rib, as there is the nice combination of pepper and sweet. No gristle to speak of in the mix. Scott and James give it 9.0/10. I give it 9.5/10.  

Kerlin is turning out some excellent BBQ. The menu may be smaller than some places, but everything is excellent. It’s worth checking out. I honestly can’t figure out why the lines aren’t bigger.  

Is it worth a visit? Yep. 

Is it worth a trip? Absolutely. Hell, I’d have called it a worthwhile trip just for the kolaches.  

 

To beer or not to beer?!

And while you’re in the area, detour a few miles east and check out Hi Signbrewing. They had their soft opening last weekend, and will have their official opening 3/16/17. They are making some great beer, including a Blood Orange Coffee Stout. We know it sounds strange, but it is really good! 

 

-Tom

Review of Hays County BBQ (San Marcos, TX)

Hays County BBQ Webpage, Facebook, & Twitter 

Scott had heard of a new brewery between San Marcos and New Braunfels called Ruggedman Brewery that we decided to pay a visit to (more on that later). Since we were headed that way anyway, it seemed like a good time to swing by Hays County BBQ. We'd like what we'd seen of them at the Texas Monthly BBQ festival, so an up-close visit was in order.  

James, Scott, myself headed down there and met Ric (my boss) and Jerry (Ric's dad). Hays County is located on the feeder of southbound I-35. It's located in what honestly looks like a small former used car dealership. They have some inside seating and a large covered outside area out back with a venue for live music.  

They offer the typical selection of meats: pork ribs, sausage (original and jalapeno-cheddar), brisket, turkey, chicken, and pork chops. Between us we'll end up trying everything but the chicken.  

Jalapeno-cheddar sausage: (Scott's comments: A wonderful balance of jalapeño flavor, cheese, and meat. Nice heat, but never overpowering. I swooned.)

(James' comments: Thought the cheese was a little overpowering.

Fact check about the swooning: I was in close proximity to Mr. Valla at that moment, and he did some swooning.)

James - 7.0/10, Scott - 9.0/10. Avg: 8.0/10.  

Original Sausage: The sausage is has an excellent snap, and is very tender. There's a touch of heat. I personally found it a touch greasy for my taste, but James and Scott both liked it more than I did. Tom - 7.0/10, James and Scott - 8.0/10. Avg: 7.66/10. 

Pork Chop: The pork chop is bone-in, and is cut to preference (so you can get it one inch thick, two inches thick, etc.). It is extremely tender and has some excellent spices complimenting the smoky flavor. Scott - 8.5/10. Tom and James - 9.0/10. Avg: 8.83/10. 

Pork Ribs: The pork ribs have a nice amount of spice and there's a good smoky flavor. There was definitely some variation in tenderness. Ric and I found ours to be reasonably tender, Scott felt his were a bit tough, and James thought his was too tough. Scores varied a lot here as a result. Tom and Ric - 8.5/10, Scott - 7.5/10, James - 6.0/10. Avg: 7.5/10. 

Brisket: The brisket has a heavy smoky flavor, and there's a bit of pepper complimenting it (although smoke is definitely dominant). It is very tender and well-rendered. My impression was that we all felt it could use a heavier rub, and scores seemed to vary depending on how much one likes smoke as the primary flavor. Ric - 6.5/10, Jerry - 7.0/10, Scott, James, Tom - 8.0/10. Avg: 7.5/10. 

Turkey: The turkey was tender and extremely juicy. It had a nice light smoky flavor, and a goodly amount of pepper. Interestingly, the pepper flavor in the turkey was stronger (or at least more noticeable) than it was in the brisket. James - 7.5/10. Ric, Scott, Tom - 8.5/10. Jerry - 9.0/10. Avg: 8.4/10. 

So what's the verdict on Hays County? Well, you can look at it a couple of ways. We had three items that averaged 8 or higher, which certainly ranks it as excellent in our book. But you can also note that on every item that had more than two people scoring it, at least two people found the item in the excellent range (8 or higher). So excellent ratings had a plurality or a majority for every item there.  

Is it worth a visit? Definitely. 

Incidentally, once you have had your BBQ, head a few miles further south to Ruggedman Brewery (aka Drink the Damn Beer!). It's run by three former marines who wanted to get into the brewing business. They are turning out some excellent beer! 

(Scott:  Every beer  we had and sampled at Ruggedman was very well done. We have a double IPA to look forward to drinking next time around. And we're not IPA fans. It's that good!)

(James' comments: Absolutely agree!)

-Tom

The Granary 'Cue & Brew (San Antonio, TX)  

The Granary Webpage, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter  

The Granary has been on our list for a while, especially once we’d heard about pastrami beef ribs on Tuesday. So, Scott, James and I headed down to see how it compared to the places in Austin. This certainly qualifies as a trip for us.  

 

 

Nestled in the Pearl District,  where the old Pearl Brewery once made beer.  We'll leave the debate of that particular beer's quality for another day.  The area has seen urban revitalization efforts come to fruition, and provide a new area for locals, San Antonio expats (*cough Scott cough*), and tourists alike to visit, just north of downtown (just west of 281, north of 35).  Granary has obviously caught the eye and taste buds of folks who get paid to check out places like this.   

 

The Granary is counter service with pickup at a window right next door. They also brew their own beer (Scott had their Brown Ale while James and I had their Coffee IPA (Socrates), both of which were excellent). Lunch is sandwiches and plates (although meat can also be ordered ala cart), while the dinner menu is more elaborate (smoked octopus? We must head back one evening!). But we each order three meat plates, and will try most of their meats between us.

 

Chicken: The chicken was tender and had a slight smoky flavor. Mine as a touch dry in places, but the others didn’t have this complaint. There also didn’t seem to be a lot of flavor other than the smoke. This was probably the most divisive of the items for us. Tom – 6.5/10. Scott – 7.5/10. James – 8.0/10. Avg: 7.33

Pork Ribs: I was the only one trying these. They were juicy but just a tad tough. They had a decent amount of smoke, and were nicely sweet with some black pepper to complement the sweetness. A solid entry. Tom – 8.0/10. 

Brisket: The brisket is very tender and has a nice bark. There’s a heavy smoke flavor complimented by black pepper. It’s good. All three of us score it 8.5/10. 

 

 

Regular Sausage: The sausage is tender and juicy. It has a very good flavor, reminiscent of pastrami/corned beef itself (I ask, and someone tells me that the meat is brined before put in the sausage). It’s good. James and Tom – 8.5/10. Scott – 8.25/10. Avg: 8.42

 

 

Spicy Sausage: They use cayenne and red pepper instead of jalapeno, which gives a nice bit of heat while not following the normal jalapeno model (this is a plus in my book). It is also well-made, being tender and juicy. James and Tom – 8.5/10. Scott – 9.0/10. Avg: 8.67.  

 

Pulled pork: The pulled pork is tender and moist without being greasy. It is sweet and smoky, and does not need sauce to be good. Tom – 8.5/10. Scott – 9.0/10.

 

 

 Pastrami Beef Rib: I was the only one to try this. I must admit I had some preconceptions. It’s always important to remember that pastrami is a style of preparation and technically NOT a flavor (although there are some common flavors used when making pastrami for deli meat). So, if you order this expecting to taste your normal pastrami sandwich, you’re going to be caught off guard. What you are getting is a beef rib that is VERY tender with a nice smoky flavor and some delicate seasoning. It also looks like it is rare (very red) even though it isn’t. It’s a quality beef rib. Tom – 9.0/10.  

 

The Granary has put together a quality BBQ place. They have some excellent food, and make some great beer to go with it. Consensus was that we’d probably spend way too much time here if we lived in San Antonio. 

 

Interestingly, the layout inside seems a little different than a lot of places. They seem broken up into smaller rooms. The section we were in would have sat no more than 20 I would suspect. Definitely a lot quieter than most places. We liked it.  

 

Is it worth a visit? Definitely.  

 

Is it worth a trip? Absolutely. It qualified as a trip for us but we certainly considered the time well spent. 

 

-Tom

Review of Corkscrew BBQ  (Spring, TX) 

Corkscrew BBQ Webpage, Facebook, & Twitter 

Heading back from visiting my friend Loni, I detoured into Spring to pick up some Corkscrew BBQ to take to friends in Pearland. Corkscrew had impressed me at the various festivals I had been to, so it was time to see how they did on a more formal visit.  

Corkscrew BBQ is typical counter service BBQ. They offer a wide selection of plates and sandwiches as well as meat by the pound. I’ll be trying moist brisket, sausage, turkey, and pork ribs.  

Turkey: The turkey is very tender and moist. There’s a light smoke flavor. I can taste a hint of some pepper in the rub, but the seasoning is a little light for my taste.  Overall let’s call it 6.5/10. 

Pork Ribs: The ribs are  tender and juicy and have a nice crust. There’s a nice smoke flavor, but like the turkey I’m not tasting much other than smoke and maybe a hint of pepper. I’d like some more flavor here. 6.5/10.

Brisket: The brisket is moist and tender and has a very nice bark. It has a wonderful smoky flavor and there’s some nice pepper working here. This has all the flavor that the previous two didn’t quite live up to. Call it 8.5/10.  

Sausage: I made a tactical error, and forgot to ask what type of sausage they have. Turns out it is a jalapeno sausage, as one of my friends pointed out when I brought it back. Needless to say, this had me suspecting I had an un-scorable item for myself….

Except I don’t. Corkscrew has actually done something I thought was impossible: they’ve made a jalapeno sausage I don’t just like, but love. It’s tender and juicy, with a nice snap in the casing. You get a nice light heat from the jalapeno, but the other flavors mask the taste (which is a plus in my book). This is really good. Call it 8.5/10.   

Corkscrew BBQ is definitely producing some solid BBQ. I’d like to get back and try beef ribs (Saturday only) and their pulled pork.  

Is it worth a visit? Definitely. 

Is it worth a trip? By our standards, not quite yet. Only two scores at an 8 or above (so far). This may be subject to change if/when we try other items. 

-Tom

Review of Lost Pines BBQ  (Giddings, TX)  

Corkscrew BBQ Facebook, & Yelp

We’d reviewed City Market in Giddings twice before, and been unimpressed both times. However, since I was heading down to Pearland to visit friends, it seemed like a good time to take a look at one of their other option: Lost Pines BBQ.

Lost Pines is located along 290 in Giddings, and is typical counter service BBQ. They offer the typical 1-3 meat plates as well as meat by the pound. I’ll be trying moist brisket, sausage, turkey, and pork ribs.

Turkey: The turkey is tender, but is a touch dry in some places. There’s a heavy smoke flavor (a plus), but a hint of a metallic after taste (a minus). Overall let’s call it 5.0/10,

Brisket: The brisket is moist and tender. However, it doesn’t have a lot of bark. There’s a touch of heat, but I can’t taste anything that is causing it. In fact, other than the heat it doesn’t have much flavor at all. Again, call it 5.0/10.

Pork Ribs: Reasonably tender and juicy, but not much crust. Yet again, there’s a touch of heat but not much other flavor. 5.0/10.

Sausage: They have an all-beef sausage that has a nice snap in the casing and is reasonably tender. There’s some heat (sounding familiar), but not much other flavor. 5.0/10.

I find Lost Pines very interesting. Usually when you are noticing some heat, you either are tasting something that is causing it (cayenne, jalapeno, etc.), or you can taste other spices that may be masking the source of the heat, but you taste SOMETHING. In the case of three of the four items I tried, there wasn’t really much noticeable flavor at all (even smoke) other than the base taste of the meat and the heat, which saved it from being unacceptable.  

Is it worth a visit? Everything earns a minimal passing grade. It’s an OK place for lunch. 

Is it worth a trip? Nope.  

-Tom

Review of Chisholm Trail BBQ  (Lockhart, TX)  

Johnny's Webpage, Facebook, & Instagram 

Be warned: This is arguably the most divided of our reviews so far, thus proving the point that taste is subjective (and in James’ case, wrong! (J/K)). But we were definitely divided on two of the staples.

We’d mentioned previously that Mike likes to ask local law enforcement about their favorite local BBQ place. So when a Sheriff’s Deputy stated that Chisholm Trail BBQ was better than any of the more famous Lockhart places, we felt we’d better see if he was right.

Mike, James and I headed down late Saturday morning and arrived about 11:00. Chisholm, Trail is typical counter service, but they are open for breakfast hours, and in addition to the usual choice of BBQ meats (ham, turkey, sausage, brisket, chicken, pork ribs, beef ribs), they also offer salads, potatoes, and a pretty big selection of side. We order a variety of things to try.

Turkey: I’m the only one who tries the turkey, and when I did I was asked an unusual question: Did I want it warm or cold? I said warm (of course), and was treated to the sight of a plate of wrapped sliced turkey being taken out of the refrigerator and placed in a microwave. Hard to say what it would have been like otherwise, but this is very dry and chewy. It has a light smoke flavor, but no other noticeable spice. My suspicion is that the turkey is primarily used on salads, but no one said anything about that. Tom: 4.0/10.

Chicken: The chicken is also a little on the dry side. It is also very bland, with the only noticeable flavor coming from the sauce Mike added to it. Otherwise, even the skin doesn’t have much flavor. Tom: 4.0/10, Mike: 3.0/10. Avg: 3.5/10.

Brisket: The brisket looked a little dry when we saw it on the cutting board, and mine at least matches. I ordered moist, but it is tough, somewhat dry, and fairly bland. There’s not much smoke or flavor from the rub. Mike agrees with this. James likes his however, feeling that it has a good flavor. Tom and Mike: 4.0/10. James: 7.0/10. Avg: 5.0/10.

Sausage: I found the sausage hard to score. It was definitely well-made with a good snap in the casing. It was very tender as well. But (mine at least) had no flavor to speak of, so it tasted like I was eating a hamburger flavored hotdog with maybe a smidgeon of heat well at the end. As a result, the grease was very noticeable. On the other hand, Mike and James liked theirs a lot more, agreeing that it was well-made, but feeling it had decent flavor. Tom: 4.0/10. Mike: 7.0/10. James: 8.0/10. Avg: 6.3/10.

Pork Ribs: The pork ribs are a touch tough, but they have a good crust and an excellent flavor. A nice rub and there is some good smoke in the taste as well. These are quite good. Tom and Mike: 8.0/10.

As you can see, on everything all three of us tried there was at least one person who was throwing off the average. We’ve always said taste is subjective, and this review probably shows that more that any other review of a single place we’ve done.

Is it worth a visit? Splitting the difference, probably. James indicated he would go again if he lived in the area, and Mike would for the sausage and ribs. I probably would not (and would stick to ribs if I did).

Is it worth a trip? We all agreed it was not.

-Tom

Review of Johnny's  (Salado, TX)  

Johnny's Webpage, Facebook, & Twitter 

Scott had the week off (Happy Birthday, BTW) and I'm off on Tuesdays, so seemed like a good day for a BBQ run. We figured we'd swing up to Salado and check out Johnny's, so we loaded up James and headed north.

 

Johnny's is a little different in that it is a true sit down restaurant. No counter ordering here. They bring your menus, your food, etc. From a BBQ perspective they offer chicken, turkey, brisket, pork ribs, and sausage (original and jalapeno). But they also have a substantial menu of other items: steaks, burgers, chicken, pork chops, sandwiches, catfish on Fridays, etc. In fact, it seems as though BBQ is a secondary part of the menu. We also notice a sign that indicates their food is prepared fresh …. (Foreshadowing: A valid literary technique). But James orders brisket and jalapeno sausage, Scott orders brisket, jalapeno sausage, and turkey, and I order brisket, original sausage, and pork ribs.

Brisket: The brisket has a nice smoke flavor (mine does anyway), and a nice bark. But the fat isn't well rendered on a lot of it. It's also a bit tough and dry in places. Scott comments that his is actually a bit bland. James seems to like his a bit more, but he's smothered his in sauce. Scott and I give ours 6.0/10. James gives his 8.0/10.

Jalapeno Sausage: It's well made, with a nice snap in the casing and reasonably moist and tender. But Scott commented that there wasn't as much heat as he would like (bland comes up again). He scores it 7.5/10.

Original sausage: This sausage is also well made, with a nice snap, and is juicy and tender. There's actually a fair amount of heat, and a flavor that reminds me of Christmas ham. Possibly clove or allspice. There is one thing missing, which I'll comment on below. I'll score it 7.5/10.

Turkey: The turkey has a very nice spice flavor, as well as some pepper. It's an excellent rub. But it is a touch dry and tough in places. Scott likens it to Saturday after Thanksgiving leftovers in terms of texture. Scott and I score it 6.0/10. James gives it 7.0/10.

Pork Ribs: The ribs are overdone, and fall completely apart when picked up. They are also extremely bland with no real flavor at all (not even much pork flavor). No crust to speak of. I score them 4.0/10. Scott gives them 6.0/10.

You'll notice bland comes up an awful lot here. And with the exception of the brisket, you'll notice the absence of another word: smoke. Except for the brisket, none of the meats had any noticeable smoke flavor to them. If someone told me that the turkey and sausage were roasted in the oven and the ribs in a slow cooker, I'd believe it.

It's a shame really, because there's definitely some potential here. The turkey and the original sausage both had an excellent base flavor, and there was a nice smoke flavor to the brisket. Like the Cubs in game 1, they have the runners on base, but can't seem to bring them home.

It was also interesting to note the sign about "Our Food is Prepared Fresh. Please be Prepared to Wait". At a table service place some waiting is expected, but I found it interesting that we waited as long as we did given that (based on what we ordered) everything should have already been ready to go. They may work under a philosophy of first come, first served, but I saw one table of two that sat after ours that got their burgers before us.  So I'm really wondering if the "Our Food is made fresh" part applies to the BBQ as well.

But I suspect this place is more popular for the other items on the menu. Of the tables I could see while we were there, no one else had ordered BBQ. Steaks, burgers, and sandwiches seemed to be the dominant theme.  

Is it worth a visit? It seems like an OK place for lunch.

Is it worth a trip? From a BBQ perspective, nope.

-Tom