When I was in Texas, I had some of the best BBQ I've ever set my teeth to. I am however, biased. As far as food goes, it is just as much the memory surrounding the food as it is the food itself. Case in point: Comfort food; you eat comfort food to be reminded of something comforting...the food is more or less a catalyst in that memory, no?
Texas while a crazy experience, was one that I loved - I would only go back to visit...maybe.
I fell in love with BBQ and southern cooking in general. One of my fondest memories of first moving there was Beans and Rice for Sunday dinner. It too has joined the ranks for me as comfort food.
In this same time frame, I experienced for the first time "BBQ" now, what we have here in Utah is nice, throw some meat and veggies on the grill and call it a BBQ, I really like it; there? hahahaaa. that's just silly.
Noooo, they smoke the life out of their meat. It has amazing results.
There is a place in La Marque, or maybe Texas City, or Santa Fe, I don't remember, it was right in that area of gray that I don't recall and it was on the border of one or the other, the place was fairly innocuous, but left quite the impression. It looked as though someone had gutted an old mechanics garage and turned it into a restaurant. They'd just open all the bay doors and you'd eat open aired...I've long thought that if I were to open a restaurant the design would in a sense be quite similar.
They had really good BBQ, but not the best. That was in Victoria, "Brothers BBQ" on the southern tip of the town. Everyone down there that knew how to BBQ smoked it, but they were the best and I've only had one place here come even close.
Now, to explain to you how ...intense... people were about this, and for just reason, one man I knew wouldn't serve brisket unless it had smoked at least 18 hours...at least 18 hours. Did it need that long? I don't know, but it's some of the best I've eaten. It melted in your mouth and the flavor was spot on.
That's fairly normal I suppose. This however was not, and I'm surprised people did it, let alone were allowed.
Trailer hitched smokers. See, the more airflow you have for your smoke, the more you can smoke with it right? well screw using common sense and building a fan! Abandon all reason, throw it to the wind. hitch that sucker to your truck and drive it, burning embers et al, down the interstate going 80 and light the country-side on fire! Yes, I witnessed this and even helped put out some of the brush fires before they got too out of hand.
Well, that didn't happen too often, but that it happened, surprised me that people weren't banned from said practice due to safety issues.
Anyway, when first I moved back I pined over the loss of good BBQ and had considered having a friend make me a smoker out of an old steel drum...I may still have them do it...I searched high and low for a decent restaurant. Enter Pat's BBQ, it has the "Garage" feel and the "Brother's" taste to it. I really enjoy their food, on occasion, it's fairly rich and it's almost all meat, but it's so good, and it's smoked!
They hang out near the 21st south Trax station on a weird side-road that isn't always easy to find. You cannot get to Commonwealth St from the west, thanks to Best Buy and Trax, but if you were to be on West Temple, you would traverse the short road heading west to find this place on your left (on the south side of the street facing north). Good luck finding parking though, during their open hours, I've never not seen a line of cars or people.
The other place that deserves as much praise, but doesn't remind me as much of my "texas" sized memory, is Sugarhouse BBQ, their food is just as good as the arguments you will hear about them being better than Pat's. I will not entertain that argument here, since taste in food always varies. I may have enjoyed Sugarhouse more had they had the right feel for what I remember, but they don't.
If you want to experience the "garage" feel go to Pat's, if you want to experience something a little more...I'm chagrined to say "classy" but I can't think of a better word..try Sugarhouse. If you just care about good BBQ, experience both and make your own decision.
Sugarhouse BBQ can be found on the east side of 700 e hangin' out just north of I-80 at 2207 south, which is the easiest way to approach this place (coming from the south that is) since it may not have a left-turn entrance if you come from the north.
Nema na cemu
-D
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