Brix Barbecue, Fort Worth 4/28/24

 

https://brixbarbecue.com/

sampled 4/28/24 around noon

I have passed this place several times during off hours and finally got the chance to sample their que today.  I got there around 11:20 and found a short line, just 2 folks in front of me.  I grabbed my usual Texas Trinity and went out to their nice covered picnic table patio to wait for my food.  And wait I did!  It took 30 minutes for my food to come out.  I think there must have been a longer line before I arrived and they were playing catch up on the dine in and to go orders.  

The brisket was moist and tender with well rendered fat but did not have a hint of smoke flavor.  The pork rib was also well cooked and left a perfect bite mark.  The jalapeno & Tillamook Cheddar sausage was full of cheese, but had a particularly tough casing and there was little jalapeno flavor.  

This place is just down the street from Panther City BBQ and is a nice option when their line is too long to stand in.  

The Original Roy Hutchin's BBQ, Trophy Club 4/24/24

 

https://www.royhutchinsbbq.com/

sampled about 1:15 pm

After having another great meal at Roy's on Sunday, I had a hankering for some more pork belly burnt ends and several more armadillo eggs.  We added Roy's kind as an afterthought and because we weren't able to find a third joint southwest of Fort Worth that looked interesting.  Sadly, I found out too late that the armadillo eggs are a Friday-Sunday only thing there.  Dang it.  Oh well, I made the best of it with a couple of Texas Twinkies, a couple of ribs, and half a pound of pork belly burnt ends.  The PBBB were still as good as Green's, but I did notice Roy charges double what Mr. Green does.  $18/half pound versus $9 at Green's.  There's that Trophy Club mark up again.  That said, Roy's is doing a very good job of serving craft quality BBQ that is available all day long, instead of just at lunch.  

BBQ on the Brazos, Cresson 4/24/24

 

https://www.bbqonthebrazoscressontx.com/

sampled around 11:45 am

This was the second spot on our mini-daytrip and another good spot.  We have had their food many times at Red Dirt, Smoked Dallas, and the Texas Monthly BBQ festival, but this was the first time we have visited their location in Cresson.  It is attached to a Sunoco gas station which is easier to spot than the BBQ signs.  We got there about 11:30 am and found just a couple of folks in line ahead of us.  I ordered my usual Texas trinity and added the baked beans and mac and cheese as sides.

The food came out quickly and the brisket had some nice smoke flavor.  The ribs were of the dry rub variety and fell off the bone, literally.  I picked one up and half the meat fell off.  The sausage was pretty average and didn't have much spice for a jalapeno sausage.  The sides were pretty average, too.

About noon the line started to snake across the room and pretty soon it was a full house.  There was a lot of olive green clothing and ATF and Dallas Bomb Squad logos.  I suspect there is a training ground nearby and the guys were taking time off from their training to grab some Q.  I think they picked a good spot but I'm glad we got there just before they did!

Dayne's Craft BBQ, Aledo 4/24/24

 

https://daynescraftbarbecue.com/

sampled around 11 am 

I have had Dayne's several times before, at Lola's Trailer Park in Fort Worth, then later at their planned brick and mortar location in western Fort Worth.  Recently, they moved even further west after finding their "dream location" in Aledo.  My wife had brought me some food from their new location a couple of months ago, but this was my first visit to their latest location.  The food is still amazing.  This was Scott's first time to visit Dayne's.  

We arrived about 10:40 am and were diners number 3 and 4.  There was no line at all.  Most folks leaving work for lunch can't get by at 10:30 when they open and we used that to our advantage.  :)  I wish more quality Q joints would follow that plan.  

I ordered 1/4 pound of brisket, 1/4 pound of pork belly brisket and a Jalapeno Havarti sausage.  I wanted 1/3 pound of each, but they only offer meats in 1/4 pound increments.  Kinda weird, but it is what it is.  The brisket and pork belly came out quickly, but they told us the sausage was not quite ready yet and would be out shortly.  

The brisket and pork belly was awesome, as it always is, and my sausage arrived while I was still working on those.  As usual, Dayne's sausage was top notch.  Big chunks of cheese and lots of spicy jalapenos gave the sausage a great bite.

I grabbed a half pound of ribs to go and added their excellent Chocolate lasagna dessert.  I shall enjoy those later!

The new place has a comfy dining room and there is also a nice patio dining area.  I think they will stay here, but if they keep moving further west I will still be following Dayne's!

BBQ Daytrip 4/24/24

 

This was our second BBQ daytrip in the last couple of weeks, hitting 3 joints in one afternoon.  We went west this time, leaving at 10 am and hitting Aledo and Cresson, then back to Trophy Club.  

The delicious slice of brisket above was enjoyed at Dayne's Craft BBQ in Aledo.

The Original Roy Hutchins BBQ, Trophy Club 4/21/24

 

https://www.royhutchinsbbq.com/

Ribs, Brisket, Texas Twinkie, Armadillo Egg, and Pork Belly Burnt Ends.

Any questions??

BBQ Daytrip 4/10/24

 

Scott sent me an e-mail last week wondering if I'd like to join him on a couple of local BBQ day trips.  Silly Scott. Of course!  I am always ready for more BBQ, even when I have about 10 lbs of excellent home smoked brisket in my fridge.  This was the first of 2 planned trips.  This time we headed out about 10 am to hit joints in Mabank, Forney, and Garland.  If everything aligns, we will be headed west next week to Aledo, Cresson, and maybe elsewhere.  Individual joints will be reviewed below.

The beautiful brisket above was seen and sampled at B4 Barbecue in Mabank.

Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery, Garland 4/10/24

 

https://intrinsicbrewing.com/

sampled about 1:15 pm

This was or final stop for the day and the rain was still coming down pretty good when we pulled up.  We made it inside without melting and found ourselves to be the only BBQ customers.  This is a combination brewery and smokehouse (great idea that I would love to see more often) and the other customers were there for the brews.  I grabbed a Texas Trinity once more and found a nice brown ale at the bar to go with my BBQ.  The brisket was tender with a crispy crust on the outside but not a hint of smoke flavor.  Dare I say it?  It might just have needed a bit of sauce.  The ribs were juicy with a perfect bite mark and the sausage was average.

I wish this joint was not on the other side of Big D from me as I would love to hang there, drink a few brown ales, and nosh on some Q.   I just need someone to drive me home!

4T's BBQ, Forney, Texas 4/10/24

 

https://www.4tbbq.com/

sampled about 12:30 pm

This was our second stop on our mini BBQ day trip and this was my favorite of the three.  It was raining pretty good when we pulled up and we were the only customers in the place.  I opted for the Texas Trinity once more and the food came out quickly.  The brisket was tender and moist with deep smoke flavor.  If I didn't have 10 pounds of brisket in my fridge already I would have gotten a few pounds to go.  Some of the best brisket I have had in a restaurant in quite awhile.  The ribs were tender and moist and left a perfect bite mark.  There was a hint of smoke under the sauce.  Enough to make me eat both of my ribs instead of sampling one and bagging the second for later as I did at the other two joints.  The sausage had a very nice jalapeno kick and I had to ask the boss where he sourced his sausage.  He said Miiller's in Llano, a place we had tried years ago on one of our Q tours.  Forney is a lot closer than Llano, so that is good to know.

4Ts is not the fanciest place we have visited, but they have some danged good BBQ.

B4 Barbecue, Mabank, Texas 4/10/24

 

https://www.facebook.com/B4BBQB/

sampled about 11:30 am

This was our first of 3 stops on our mini-BBQ day trip.  These were all joints Scott had seen on Daniel Vaughn's list so we knew everything was going to be pretty good.  

It took us about an hour to get down to Mabank and we got there just after 11 am.  This place is actually inside the Mabank Feed Store.  The only hint that there is good BBQ inside is a BBQ banner flapping in the wind and the pits you can see from the adjacent road.  We found about 20 people in line in front of us and got our food about 11:30 am.  

I got the 3 meat plate with the usual Texas Trinity, plus a Twinkie popper.  When I said I didn't need any sides (2 come with the 3 meat plate) the boss comped my Twinkie.  That was very nice, but really not necessary.  That's the kind of service you find in country joints that you will never, ever, find in the city.  I think my total was about $35.

The brisket and ribs reminded me a lot of Louie Mueller's with a rub heavy on the pepper.  The brisket was tender and moist and the rib left a perfect bite mark.  The only thing about a heavy pepper rub is it obscures the smoke flavor that I really like to taste in my barbecue.  Mighty good eatin', though.  The beef sausage was pretty average with a snappy casing.  Scott also got a half pound of meat candy.  I sampled a couple of pieces and it was very sweet, with a thick crust, and well rendered pork belly inside.  

They have plenty of space in their dining room and now I know why they need it.  They were sold out by 1:30 so I'm glad we went there first.  Lucky Mabank to have such a great joint in town.

Brisket smoke 4/4/24

 

Brisket #2 turned out great, according to the recipient.  We finished off 2 briskets in the oven over the last 2 days and, man, does our house smell great!!

Brisket smoke 4/3/24

 

This was the first of 2 briskets we smoked this week.  These had been sitting in my wife's nephew's industrial freezer at minus 20 degrees since last fall when my Mrs bought them on sale for $1.97/lb.  This one came in at just under 18 lbs before trimming, but I carved off almost 5 lbs of fat before it was cut in half, seasoned with Green's All N 1, and slapped in the smoker.  After 7 hours in the smoker with live oak and pecan wood, we popped it in the oven for another 5 hours at 250 degrees.  We took it out of the oven at 11 pm with a near perfect internal temperature of 204 degrees and it went into a cooler wrapped in towels to rest overnight.  

Before we put it in the oven, we popped the brisket halves into some big Reynolds cooking bags.  If they stay sealed, I think they do a better job of retaining the moisture and all the good juices than wrapping in butcher paper or foil.  The bags held up well this time, and the brisket turned out perfectly tender and juicy.

On to brisket #2 tomorrow, but first, we are "meating up" with some friends in Fort Worth at Panther City BBQ!  Life is good.