OT: BBQ Finally Recognized as Fine Dining
- Thread starter PooPopsBaldHead
- Start date
I will say Goldee's was well worth the 2-hour wait in line. Best brisket I have ever had and everything else except their beans was great. No it wasn't cheap, but it was worth what it cost. Had Terry Blacks in Dallas the next day and it was good, but not as good as Goldee's. The thing about the Texas bbq I've eaten is while it was seasoned and might have had some sauce or glaze on it none of it was dripping in sauce trying to mask inferior meat or bad prep. Haven't had Leroy & Lewis or Franklins, but they are on the list as are others. I have eaten in Memphis, all over Mississippi and other places around the country and while some of them are very good nothing was as good as Goldee's. This is my opinion and others can disagree and that is fine because not everyone has the same taste. Love to hear about other bbq places and try them out and just because I might not like them doesn't mean someone else can't like them.
I've grown to prefer Texas bbq. The more I've cooked the more I enjoy the savory flavor of it. I wish it wasn't so hard to find beef ribs in the Tupelo area. I have made some orders from Wild Fork and they have been good.
I finally had Goldee's last summer and I would put it in the top levels of the traditional BBQ category. It was all cooked excellent, but very down the middle. It's in that Franklin and Terry Black's category for me. Very traditional and great, but possibly a little on the boring side. If you haven't lived in TX and experienced Texas BBQ, traditional places like Goldee's, Franklin's, Terry Black's, and Louie Mueller's is the place to start and end the BBQ journey.
Somewhere about 7-8 years ago after the BBQ and Bourbon scene took off in Texas, these new school places with chefs operating as pit masters started popping up. Leroy and Lewis was at the front of that movement I would guess. The first time I had it was probably 2017-18 and I had Mac and Cheese stuffed smoked quail. It was eye opening. Their BBQ sauce doesn't fit into the argument of tomato based or vinegar based.. it's a beet base and is awesome. An earthiness unlike anyone else is getting.
I haven't been there, but I have heard Interstellar is just as creative. La Barbecue is more in the middle between new and traditional.
If you were planning a new BBQ journey for Texas I would probably go to Austin/San Antonio. Break up the meat sweats with some Tex Mex and other fare. But I'd hit the combination of Louie Mueller's and Franklin's on the traditional side and Interstellar and LeRoy and Lewis on the new school side. And maybe Burnt Bean or Pinkertons down in San Antonio if you're making a vacation of it and want to see the Alamo or River Walk. If you do go to Austin, the migas (basically breakfast nachos) at Juan in Million are probably the thing I wish I could have right now.
The trip to Lockhart outside Austin is cool for nostalgia at Smitty's/Black's/Kreuz and you can learn all about the drama, but if you want old school history with the best food, Louie Mueller's dominates that category.
I may be in the minority but I'll take good pulled pork over good brisket any day. And Texas doesn't do ribs any better than most good non-Texas places in the South. Now Texas beef ribs and smoked turkey are really good.
If I'm going back to Austin and being told I have to have bbq before I leave, I'm having salt lick out in the original location, cooper's out in Llano, or city market in luling. I ate enough in Lockhart and the other places inside Austin.
Terry Blacks is a good place to go on a weekday lunch because you don't really wait and the food is really good. Sides are good too and don't forget the peach cobbler. If you don't want to wait at Franklins, just do a phone order and get it to go.
This is the correct answer. I actually ate at Interstellar last Friday (no idea it was about to get the fancy rating, and didn't know what a Michelin star was a thing) and I PROMISE you it's better than any brisket outside of Texas by a lot. It's just unreal. I haven't been to Franklins or the other 2 places on the list but Interstellar is easily as good as Terry Blacks (maybe better? Slightly?)
Yes they are expensive though at $36/lb right now. I did find value in a very large "frito pie sausage" for $11. I can't even describe the awesomeness. Luckily I got way more than wife and I could eat so I had leftovers for 2 days.
Funny thing about Interstellar - it used to be a sandwich shop called the Noble Pig and was incredible gourmet sandwiches. Really incredibly good stuff. They got local awards for a few years, then decided to do bbq instead. So these folks are genuine food culinary folks who just know how to do good stuff. Having said all that, I'm not sure what they are drizzling on those beef ribs in the pic - I think that was just for the magazine?
I promise you it's worth the visit whenever you come in town - give me a PM and I'll even meet you there!
I will concede on the ribs though. I don't typically get ribs in Tx because I can make some really good ones (sometimes better if I get lucky) and ribs/pork are typically better in Ms, for whatever reason and yes maybe it's because of folks similar to Sonny (Roosevelt Nichols I think was his real name and God rest his soul) who are just gifted.
What's kinda funny to me is that the BBQ craze has taken the cheap cuts, that were cheap precisely because they took a lot of effort to make good, and made them expensive.
While a simple pork loin, the back strap of the pig, can often be had for $2 a lb. And it's easy to cook and can be made delicious with a tad bit of effort on the seasoning and technique.
I love me some ribs, but I can slay a plate of loin chops pretty damn happily.
While a simple pork loin, the back strap of the pig, can often be had for $2 a lb. And it's easy to cook and can be made delicious with a tad bit of effort on the seasoning and technique.
I love me some ribs, but I can slay a plate of loin chops pretty damn happily.
I assumed it's chimichurri. I eat it all the time on tri tip and flat iron steaks. I bet it's awesome on beef ribs that are seasoned with salt and pepper central Texas style.Having said all that, I'm not sure what they are drizzling on those beef ribs in the pic - I think that was just for the magazine?
ETA. Yep it's chimichurri and I would love to give it a try.
Last edited:
I'm assuming none of you nancy boys never had Letha's when it was inside the levee in Foxworth. Best BBQ in the world, it would make men out of most of you and put hair on your chest. The smoke houses had been there since the war (the one we lost) manned by Letha's sons who all weighed in excess of 400 bills, with chickens and every other farm animal milling around. It was awesome. It would NOT pass any health inspection and for the city slickers who showed up in cars, if it rained you probably be "stuck" there until it dried out.
Glad to hear from anybody who ever ate at the original Letha's.
What BBQ was, should be and will eventually revert back to.
There were as many tags from LA and Bama as MS. Signed pics on the wall from celebrities, like Clint Eastwood, and politicians. It was truly a destination, other than BBQ (most known for ribs), the only other items they had, that I can remember, were sweet tea and wonder bread. I'm not sure what happened to it, I've heard that Letha died and someone bought and moved it to H'burg, but no sure about that. Fortunately Grant didn't burn down those original smokehouses.
They definitely had a location near Hattiesburg. May still. Didn't have the "charm" of the original.
None of the original key players were built for longevity in this ole life.
And chimichurri was not available with your ribs, best I can remember.
Haha, ask for that and you'd get your *** whipped for sure! And I have no idea what this is.
Last edited:
Having the shiiter right there off the dining room with a curtain (no door) is what made it good.
It was started as a way to encourage people to drive/travel more and visit restaurants outside their hometown.What do tires have to do with BBQ?
I seem to remember there was a hole in the floor you had to step around? This would have been 1995ish
Ok... I'm in! I'll go back in a couple of weeks when I've saved up enough to buy a beef rib, and let you know how it is.
Beef ribs are also about $38/lb but those things are >1lb.
We have taken family to Black's in Lockhart, Terry Black's here, and Coopers in Llano. All 3 times somebody different got a beef rib, went to check out, and saw them ring up a $50 piece of meat. Pretty funny to see the look on their face. BUT - they had no ragrets, know what I'm sayin'?
(fyi I can spell, that was a movie reference, no need for the grammar police ha)
Sorry for the non-BBQ tangent, but in the early 90's McDonald's test marketed a catfish sandwich in the Huntsville, AL area. I had a friend from Belzoni whose family raised catfish, and he was hoping there would be a major financial windfall.
I’ve heard stories about Letha’s late son, Applehead. Apparently he was slow and would walk around from table to table and sing for folks. And would stand there awkwardly until someone tipped him. He put out a 2 song album of Michael Jackson covers, Billie Jean and one other song. My old roommate had a copy. I think he died before she did.
Get unlimited access today.