The great East Texas BBQ ramble of 2014

Sampled June 19-22, 2014

Scott and I had each eaten at a few joints out in East Texas before but we had never done a dedicated trip.  The stars finally aligned and we managed to finally get 'er done this past weekend.  It is certainly a target rich environment so we will have to do it again soon.  We had a lot of average Q with the highlights being Riverport in Jefferson, Stanley's in Tyler, and Crazy Bob's in Kilgore.  We ate at 7 different joints on both Friday and Saturday and a total of 17 over the 3 days.   We found 4 other joints closed and pulled up on another place just as a bus full of boy scouts filled it up.

I added this trip onto one of my many Lake Fork fishing trips so I had to pick up Scott at the Amtrack station in Mineola at 5:15 on Thursday, June 19.  The train was 45 minutes late, but it was just a short trip down the highway to our base in Tyler for the next 3 nights.  That required a bit more driving than moving around, but it also meant I did not have to load and unload my fishing stuff multiple times.  We carried around a cooler for leftovers and stored them in the mini-fridge overnight.  I think we each came home with about 5 pounds of meat.

Scott's goal is to try to eat at all 50 of the recent Texas Monthly picks.  Mine is less ambitious, I just want to eat a lot of good BBQ and try every spot we come across on our travels.  

What follows is a joint by joint travelogue with lots and lots of pictures.  As always, you can click on any photo for a larger view.

Pat Gee's BBQ, near Tyler , Texas 6/22/14

sampled around 11:45 am, 6/22/14

This joint won the prize for funkiness and I felt it was the perfect BBQ juke joint.  All they needed was some Elmore James on the jukebox, but there was no jukebox.  The pit room was adjacent to the dining area so anytime they went to get meat the place was flooded with smoke.  It smelled like BBQ in there. 

I got a 3 meat plate with hot link and found the brisket to be very tough and chewy.  The ribs were better and had decent smoke flavor.  With all the smoke in the dining room I bet my shoes had good smoke flavor, too.  The hot link had been cooked to crispy and was excellent.  Just the way I like 'em.  Just enough spice and a crispy crust on the outside.  My food picture here was not too good.  My camera was probably confused by the smoke.

 

Hickory Fare BBQ, Tyler, Texas, 6/22/14

sampled about 11 am 6/22/14

This place was right down the street from the hotel we stayed at in Tyler and we passed it every day in our travels.  It was one of the few joints to be open on Sunday so we saved it for our last day.  Scott passed on this stop and I got the usual 3 meat plate.  The brisket was roast beefy with no smoke flavor but decent tenderness and moisture.  Ribs and sausage were average.  A good average Q joint and on Sundays in East Texas you have to take what you can get.

Dubya's Smokehouse, Gilmer, Texas 6/21/14

sampled about 5:45 pm, 6/21/14

After driving around Gilmer a bit with Freddie King on the stereo, we finally came across Dubya's Smokehouse on the north side of town.  I got a 3 meat plate with jalapeno cheese sausage and it was pretty good.  This was some of the better brisket on this day with a lite smoke flavor and good moisture and tenderness.  Same with the ribs which were also tasty.  The jalapeno cheese sausage was nowhere near Kreuz, but it was still pretty good.  I asked the guys where it was from and they said it was a Sysco product.  I would not have guessed that.

Tuel's M&ET BBQ, Gilmer, Texas 6/21/14

sampled 6/21/14 about 5:15 pm

Another nice friendly place out in the country several miles west of Gilmer.  They have a sign if you are coming east into Gilmer, but it comes up pretty quick when you're going west so we had to deploy the BBQ chutes once more.  I got the 2 meat plate with brisket and ribs, but only because I didn't see "The Will" which is their 4 meat combo.  The brisket was tough and chewy but the ribs were much better.  They had nice moisture and tenderness and left a good bite mark.  The "mexican corn" was an interesting side I had not seen before.  Corn with melted cheese and jalapeno was a good tasting side.

 

Longhorn BBQ, Big Sandy, Texas, 6/21/14

sampled 6/21/14 about 4:30 pm

 This place is actually a few miles north of Big Sandy between there and Gilmer.  Inside they had a wider variety of cowboy stars on the walls than usual, with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Hoppy, and more joining the usual John Wayne displays.  I went for the 2 meat plate with ribs and brisket and was pleasantly surprised by the quality that late in the day.  The ribs were excellent with good moisture and tenderness.  I think these were some of the best ribs on the trip.  The brisket was a bit crumbly with no smoke flavor.  Tater salad was a bit better than average. 

We didn't ask around (we never do) but it appeared theses folks are regulars on the competition BBQ circuit.  I liked their trailer. 

MIA in Canton

We found Rod's BBQ and Sekula's BBQ and country store MIA along 64 in Canton.  Rod's has been replaced by a cajun restaurant.  DJ's BBQ we found had moved up on the east side of hwy 19 between I-20 and the First Monday parking area.  It was not open when we were there on a Saturday, so I assume they are just open on First Monday weekends.